Desperate England forced into Ashes gamble

Injury-ridden England head for the second Ashes test gambling on a stand-in captain who had vowed never to go near the job again, a key batsman who has not played for six weeks, a swing bowler who has lost his swing and an emergency recruit accused of a suspect temperament.

To make matters worse, they take on an Australian side regarded by many as the best eleven ever to play the game and already 25-1 to win the series.

And, worse still, the past offers little cause for optimism, England having beaten Australia at Lord's just once in 105 years.

Michael Atherton, who has agreed to step into the breach after skipper Nasser Hussain broke a finger in the first test, will struggle to put together an inspirational pre-match team talk as England fight to avoid going 2-0 down in the five-test series.

It will clearly require some heroics sadly lacking in the innings and 118-run defeat at Edgbaston.

The spotlight will be on Graham Thorpe and Mark Ramprakash in particular.

Both seem certain to play as part of a block of five Surrey batsmen in the top seven.

The left-handed Thorpe is England's premier batsman but, plagued by a tight calf, he has not played since the second test against Pakistan in early June.

His inclusion, perhaps more than anything else, reflects how desperate England have become over their lack of quality cover.

Ramprakash, meanwhile, returns after a 12-month absence and a maddeningly frustrating career at the top level.

SUSPECT TEMPERAMENT

His solid technique has provided a counterpoint to a fragile confidence which has been blamed for his failure to establish himself as an automatic choice despite appearing in 42 tests.

Before his recall as cover for Thorpe, many thought his international career was already over.

He will need to steel himself against Steve Waugh's side, famed for their ability to unsettle opponents with a few well-chosen taunts. Perhaps they will greet Ramprakash to the crease by reminding him of his test average at Lord's -- 7.36 in 11 innings.

Dominic Cork, likely to act as back-up to pace bowlers Darren Gough and Andrew Caddick, is another man who England are gambling on to come good against the odds.

The Derbyshire swing bowler has struggled since returning from the tour to Pakistan last year with a back problem but -- unlike Ramprakash -- he has been included because of his love of Lord's, where he took seven for 43 on his debut against West Indies in 1995.

"We are backing him totally, not least because of his record at Lord's," England chairman of selectors David Graveney said.

Australia, meanwhile, roll on untroubled, the one hiccup provided by forecasts of approaching wet weather.

NURSING INJURIES

Opening batsmen Michael Slater and Matthew Hayden are both nursing injuries -- ironically meted out in the game against Somerset by Pakistan pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar, the same man who gave Hussain his first broken bone of the season -- while Brett Lee has a niggling rib problem.

Unlike England, though, they have the proven back-up of Justin Langer and Damien Fleming waiting in the wings.

With Slater and Hayden likely to recover, Australia will boast a batting line-up in which all of their top seven average over 40 -- the benchmark of top-class players -- in test cricket, with two even breaking the 50-mark. England have just one player in the over 40 bracket in Thorpe.

The Australians are similarly superior in the bowling department and will surely play leg-spinner Shane Warne while England may opt for an all-seam attack.

The home side cannot even take consolation in the third of cricket's main disciplines, fielding, after they missed nine chances in the first test (man-of-the-match Adam Gilchrist was dropped on 14 and ended on 152 not out).

Atherton, therefore, will probably be reduced to appeals for his team to show pride, guts and spirit, while taking each game as it comes. All the time secretly praying for rain.

Mail Cricket Editor