THE ENGLAND selectors have named two uncapped players in their squad of 13 for this week's opening Ashes Test at Edgbaston. Mark Butcher, the Surrey left hander is sure to open the batting with Mike Atherton and he will probably play alongside his Surrey captain, Adam Hollioake.
There is also a recall for Devon Malcolm, the 34 year old Derbyshire fast bowler who thought his international career had been well and truly scuppered by his acrimony with the former chairman of selectors, Raymond Illingworth, while Alex Tudor, the 19 year old Surrey fast bowler will join the squad for practice tomorrow before rejoining his county for their next match beginning on Wednesday.
It being a game that tends to run in the family, there should be no surprise when the sons of international fathers become internationals themselves and Butcher will provide the 10th instance in Tests for England.
He is the son of Alan - also a lefthanded opening bat, for Surrey and latterly Glamorgan - who gained a Test cap against India at the Oval in 1979 and was never called upon again and follows hard on the heels of Graham Lloyd - son of the England coach David Lloyd - who played in the Texaco triumphs, and Alec Stewart, whose father Mickey was England coach before Lloyd.
The interfamily connections go farther, however Butcher junior is Stewart junior's brother in law, having married Alec's sister Judy earlier in the year. Toss the Hollioake brothers into the equation and there is scope to market this England team as a version of `Happy Families'.
Butcher gets his place at the expense of Nick Knight, who played in the first two Texaco Trophy matches, but has played virtually no cricket since suffering multiple fractures of his right index finger during a one day international in Auckland last March and has struggled for form accordingly.
He was selected for the one dayers strictly on potential, but on each occasion he batted, his foot work let him down and he was leg before wicket to deliveries swinging into him. Although he worked with Graham Gooch last week, and scored runs for Warwickshire, they were against Hampshire, which currently is the equivalent of taking candy from kids.
As always, though, a door shutting for one is an opportunity for another and Butcher deserves his chance after a fine A tour in Australia last winter, and an innings of 153 for England A in the season pipe opener against The Rest. It remains the highest score made on the fickle Edgbaston pitch this season. Two of the selectors, Graveney and Mike Gatting, were manager and coach respectively of the A tour, and have seen Butcher at close hand.
"He has already faced good Australian bowling, including Jason Gillespie," said Graveney. "He has not been in the best of form this season, but a lot of good batsmen have struggled for their county.
The choice of Hollioake is one of several options for the number seven spot, with Mark Falham also in the squad and Ben Hollioake coming close. But it looks as if Falham's participation is contingent on Phil Tufnell - lucky to gain selection over Ashley Giles - making the side as a second 5p inner, at the expense of Malcolm. If Malcolm plays, the deal appears to go, so does Hollioake.
