Kerrigan’s rapid rise a ‘step too far’

ENGLAND were rallying around Simon Kerrigan yesterday after the most chastening Ashes debut in recent memory left him the subject of laughter from Shane Watson.

Having torn into the spin bowler during a brilliant innings of 176 on the first day of the fifth test at the Kia Oval, Watson admitted that he was pleased to see Kerrigan’s name on the England team sheet.

Ian Botham said that Kerrigan suffered the ‘‘yips’’ – the term used when a slow bowler loses control of the ball on release – and suggested that the move from second division cricket with Lancashire to the test arena ‘‘was maybe a step too far at the moment’’.

After Darren Lehmann, the Australia coach, had accused Stuart Broad of ‘‘blatant cheating’’ in an overnight interview and encouraged home crowds to ‘‘get stuck into’’ Broad when England play in Australia, the Ashes winners found themselves firmly on the back foot.

Kerrigan went for 53 runs in eight wicketless overs as Australia reached 307-4 to leave England pondering the wisdom of including the 24-year-old ahead of Chris Tremlett.

Watson could not stop himself from laughing when he was asked if he was happy that Kerrigan, whom he also took on successfully in a warmup game last weekend, had been preferred to the tall pace bowler.

‘‘Knowing he was going to play once the team went up, I understood what he was going to bowl to me and after the tour match I certainly had a game plan for him,’’ Watson said.

‘‘I expected Tremlett to play. He had quite a lot of success in Australia during the last Ashes; he bowled beautifully at Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.

‘‘England have their reasons, but I am a lot happier than I would be facing a guy of 6ft 8in (2.03m) who keeps hitting the splice of your bat.’’

Cricket Australia will not be disciplining Lehmann for comments which have their roots in Broad’s decision not to walk in the first test at Trent Bridge. He may be in danger of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct, which could result in a fine.

Lehmann said: ‘‘Our players have not forgotten. They are calling him everything under the sun as they go past. It was just blatant cheating. I don’t advocate walking, but when you hit it to first slip it’s pretty hard.

‘‘I just hope the Australian public give it to him right from the word go for the whole summer and I hope he cries and he goes home. I just hope everyone gets stuck into him because the way he’s carried on and the way he’s commented in public about it is ridiculous.’’

Watson endorsed the comment, believing that Lehmann wanted travelling England supporters to round on Broad. ‘‘You can deflect it [abuse] from the Aussie team. In the last series it felt like we were playing in England with the Barmy Army around.’’