Stewart finds defeat a tough pill to swallow (31 May 1999)

31 May 1999

Stewart finds defeat a tough pill to swallow

Mihir Bose

In the end the difference between England, the hosts, going out and India going through was that the visitors played the high-pressure points better. When it mattered India were tougher than England.

Arguably, the assumption before this match that England had all but qualified even before they faced India played a part in making England a touch complacent. India, who had come into the match two points behind England, always knew they had to win and played accordingly.

Alec Stewart, the England captain, described yesterday's elimination as the lowest point of his career. "I am gutted. I know what it is to be in a losing final [Australia 1992] and I feel just as bad as I did then."

But despite such feelings he would like to carry on as the England captain, a decision which will be taken after the World Cup. "I have enjoyed captaining England," he said.

Stewart admitted that the knowledge that Zimbabwe had beaten South Africa at Chelmsford added to the pressure on the England team yesterday as, resuming on 73 for three, they chased 233 to win. Stewart also felt that the turning point was Nasser Hussain's dismissal on Saturday, a few balls before rain took the match into the second day.

Stewart, saying he had to take the defeat on the chin, would not comment on the lbw decision given against Graham Thorpe yesterday morning, four overs after the resumption and which was the crucial wicket. It appeared from television replays that the ball from Javagal Srinath would have gone on to miss leg stump.

The decision so astounded Thorpe that he stood at the crease for some time but Stewart did hint England were not pleased with Javed Akhtar's decision then or the lbw decision against Andrew Flintoff later.

Stewart said: "ICC rules say I am not allowed to comment on umpiring decisions. What I will say is 'you saw'." Then in a pointed aside added, "and check on Andrew Flintoff as well".

But behind such necessary public dead bats, privately England players are seething that in both their defeats, against South Africa and India, there were questionable umpiring decisions which helped undermine their batting.

David Graveney, chairman of the selectors, was guarded about when the captaincy decision would be taken and warned that it would be best for England to play for time. He said: "Let the dust settle. We will get together and take a look. Alec is appointed until the World Cup but that does not mean he stops being captain after that. An England captain carries on until he is replaced."

Graveney, accepting the elimination was "as disappointing as it can be", refused to accept the fact that for the first time England have not gone beyond the first stage means English one-day cricket is going backwards. "I would say that in the last World Cup we got to the quarter-finals without beating a major nation," he said.

Graveney would like to see England play more one-day matches to acquire the sort of nous Lloyd feels England need to win tight high-pressure matches.

Mohammad Azharuddin, the Indian captain, was painfully aware that defeat, and an early exit from the competition, would almost certainly have cost him the captaincy. He had told his team on Saturday night as they returned to their team hotel: "Do not think of what happened with South Africa and Zimbabwe, just concentrate on this match."

He was delighted with the disciplined performance of his bowlers and fielders, saying: "The bowlers did their job. There was a lot of movement. We bowled well, caught well and fielded well. We made them make mistakes."

Tim Lamb, chief executive of the England Cricket Board, put on a brave face, saying that the World Cup would continue to be a "wonderful" competition, even without the hosts.

Lamb said: "We've got a feast of cricket still to come; there are still some fantastic sides left in the tournament, and there'll be some wonderful matches. The Super Sixes and the semi-finals and finals are a complete sell-out."

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)