World Cup doesn146;t look bright for England: Angus

For one who has played 46 Tests and 42 one-dayers, it8217;s hard to believe that Angus Fraser is on his first tour to India.

For one who has played 46 Tests and 42 one-dayers, it8217;s hard to believe that Angus Fraser is on his first tour to India. Nicknamed 8216;Gus8217;, the often lugubrious, care-worn appearance of the former Middlesex captain during his playing career has now given way to a more relaxed style in his new career as a cricket correspondent of

The Independent.

A nagging hip injury cut his career short, but not before he enjoyed a Caribbean love affair which saw him lead his side to two Test victories, besides taking 20 wickets in back-to-back Tests in Trinidad in 1998.

He will again be in the West Indies next year to report on England8217;s fortunes in the 2007 World Cup, but is anything but optimistic about its chances. Speaking to The Indian Express, Fraser said: 8220;The World Cup is just over a year away and England don8217;t look anything like champions should. We are currently ranked sixth or seventh in the world in ODIs and our current performance is a fair reflection of that. Honestly, I am anything but optimistic about our chances.8221;

Fraser said that it was high time England changed their focus. 8220;England are definitely more serious about Tests, but it8217;s time we got our ODI house in order as well,8221; he said.

Agreeing that England were hard done by the absence of so many senior players, Fraser said: 8220;It8217;s difficult for the youngsters in one-dayers to fire immediately. In Tests, they get the time to settle down.8221;

Talking about the Asian influx into England cricket, Fraser said: 8220;I think with such a large Asian population, it8217;s but natural that there are so many Asians in the team now. During the 80s and 90s, it was the black cricketers like Norman Cowans, Gladstone Small, Devon Malcolm and Chris Lewis who were regulars. Among the current lot, I8217;ve played with Owais Shah for nearly a decade in Middlesex and I think he is very talented as are Vikram Solanki and Sajid Mahmood.8221;