Marsh leads Aussie overhaul of England

Rodney Marsh is leading an Australian overhaul of England's international cricket team. The 55-year-old former Australia wicketkeeper was appointed as an England selector on Tuesday to replace skipper Nasser Hussain. He has brought with him Troy Cooley, his former assistant at the Australian Cricket Academy, who will be England's first full-time bowling coach.
 
Both men say they are determined to restore their new charges to winning ways, and Marsh has even declared himself "100 per cent English in terms of cricket".
 
"If I'm still a selector when England next play Australia [in 2005], then I'll be rooting for England to win; Of course I will," he told the Sunday Express.  


 
Sehwag to act as role model at Leicestershire

Virender Sehwag will act as a role model for local Asian youngsters during his English county stint with Leicestershire. The dashing India opener has accepted the county's offer for the 2003 season after consulting team-mates Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath, who previously had spells at Grace Road.
 
"They told me the Leicestershire people are very helpful, very good people, and the Indian community is also there, so that's why I signed," he told BBC Sport. 
 
"If I'm meeting the Indian people and they come and watch me here, that's good for the club also. 
 
"When I was a child I watched the Indian stars on television -- Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly -- and nowadays young children are watching me on television.
 
"It will be great for the children (in Leicester) to watch me and talk to me," he added. 
 

 
Hussain hits back at Gatting

England captain Nasser Hussain has hit back at former skipper Mike Gatting, who last week said the Essex batsman is putting personal ambition ahead of the interests of the national side.
 
Hussain insisted he is still the right man to lead the Test side even though Gatting said new one-day captain Michael Vaughan ought to be in charge of both teams.
 
But the 35-year-old, speaking ahead of England's first Test against Zimbabwe at Lord's, told the News of the World: "I believe England will be a better side on Thursday week (May 22) because I'm leading them at Lord's -- and no one else.
 
"If that sounds selfish or big-headed so be it.
 
"I've told the selectors -- and this is not selfish -- that if they believe Michael Vaughan or anyone else will do a better job or I'm not doing a particularly good job, I'll step aside."
 
Gatting, the last England captain to lead the team to a Test series win against Australia back in 1986-87, said Hussain's pursuit of 100 Test caps and desire to lead England to more Test wins than anyone else is "self-centred". But Hussain insisted there is nothing wrong about goal-setting.

"I'm not apologising for having ambitions. That's part of being a professional sportsman, captain or not," he said.
 

 
Slater says he's lost the passion to play on

Former Australia Test opener is poised to pull stumps on his illustrious yet controversial career.
 
Slater left Australia for a six-week television commentary stint in England on Friday after telling friends through the week he had lost the passion to play on. He felt his century in NSW's Pura Cup final win over Queensland in March was the ideal way to go out. It is understood Slater, dropped from the Test team in August 2001, realises his chances of playing international cricket again are negligible.
 
Without international cricket and having won the Pura Cup/ING Cup double with the Blues last season, Slater has told people around him he has run out of challenges.