Hussain puzzles over Test pitch

Published August 8, 2002

NOTTINGHAM (England), Aug 7: Pace bowler Steve Harmison continued his two-year wait for his first England cap Wednesday as skipper Nasser Hussain puzzled over the pitch on the eve of the second Test against India.

Hussain told a news conference: “It’s an unusual Trent Bridge pitch. It sounds hollow. I would be guessing if I tried to tell you what it will do.

“We are not undecided (over team selection) but it will be a very difficult decision. It has swung around in recent years which brings (Dominic) Cork into the equation. It may get quicker which brings Harmison into the equation. It could spin for Ashley Giles.”

The 23-year-old Harmison, who featured in the England squad against Zimbabwe and West Indies in 2000 without getting a game, is raw but quick.

He was drafted into the squad after Simon Jones, a player of similar attributes, was injured after making his debut in the first Test.

An England victory would give them a fourth successive win on home soil for the first time since 1979. They won the first Test at Lord’s by 170 runs after winning the last two Tests against Sri Lanka to claim the three-match series 2-0.

Hussain said all-rounder Andrew Flintoff would play despite being troubled by a groin problem. England’s squad was reduced to 12 Tuesday when Alex Tudor, still working his way back from injury, was released.—Reuters

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