THE complaint by Ian Gair (TCP, February 23) that English cricket should not allow potential Test opponents, notably Australians, to gain valuable experience under English conditions by playing county cricket is one-eyed.
For years, a stream of ambitious English cricketers have spent the winter playing with Australian clubs.
In 1976, Whitbread Brewery sponsored a three-month, expenses-paid stay Down Under for four promising lads – Graham Stevenson, Bill Athey and two future England captains; Mike Gatting and Ian Botham. Stevenson and Botham were to play for the University of Melbourne...