LONDON, April 30: Alec Stewart’s best chance of a recall to England colours now appear to be in the one-day side after a robust defence by captain Nasser Hussain of incumbent Test wicket-keeper James Foster.

Stewart, England’s first choice wicket-keeper since 1998, opted to miss England’s off-season tours of India and New Zealand in order to have operations on both elbows, giving Foster the opportunity to make his Test debut.

Despite some fumbled chances by Foster and consecutive scores of 99 and 96 by Stewart in Surrey’s first two county championship matches this season, Hussain said the selectors would stick with the 22-year-old Essex gloveman for the forthcoming three-test series against Sri Lanka.

“James has shown already in a short time that he’s mentally very strong,” Hussain told reporters Monday. “He’s done a lot better than I or the selectors expected and we’ve got to give him a go.

“Whoever we bring in will do something wrong and if we leave them out just because of that, the next lad will come in and do exactly the same thing.”

Hussain, though, hinted that Stewart, 39, still had a role in the one-day side less than a year away from the World Cup in South Africa.

“There is another factor in one-day cricket, the World Cup coming up in nine months,” he said.

“So we will have to work out if James Foster or (Glamorgan wicketkeeper Mark) Wallace will be ready. It does take time, especially in one-day cricket and especially batting in those positions.”

England meet Sri Lanka and India in a one-day series before the four-Test series against the Indians.

Pitch invaders face fines

Spectators invading cricket pitches this season face prosecution and fines of up to 1,000 pounds ($1,457) after serious crowd trouble last year, an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) official said Tuesday.

ECB events manager Warren Deutrom said police commanders at all venues would be instructed to enforce the Public Order Act providing for prosecution and fines.

“We want the police to act and the Crown prosecutor to prosecute,” he said.

Two matches in last season’s triangular series between England, Australia and Pakistan ended in chaos after pitch invasions.

On Monday Indian cricket authorities called for increased security for this year’s series between England, Sri Lanka and India.

Deutrom said the decision to enforce existing legislation followed talks between the ECB, the government and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).—Reuters