Cork fizzes at England duo's treatment

7:34am Wednesday 19th March 2008

DOMINIC Cork has blamed former England coach Duncan Fletcher for the woes of bowling duo Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard.

The Lancashire all-rounder says the pair went into England's current Test series against New Zealand badly under prepared.

And he points the finger at Fletcher, pictured below, for the methods he instilled during his eight-year tenure as national boss.

"I think bowlers definitely have to be over-prepared rather than under-prepared," said the 36-year-old, who should feature in Lancashire's pre-season friendly against Sussex in Abu Dhabi today.

"It is a Duncan Fletcher thing. He believed that bowlers should be slightly under-cooked. I don't agree with that because you have to hit the ground running from ball one.

"You need four weeks of solid outdoor work before you feel right.

"You have seen the England bowlers have gone into their Test series under prepared."

Lancashire face up to the toughest test of their Pro Arch Series credentials at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, where they take on their County rivals.

"We always have some good battles with Sussex in the Championship and in one-day cricket, so it will be interesting to see how we fair on a ground that we haven't yet played on," said Cork.

"We won't want to lose to them and they won't want to lose to us.

"The lads have worked hard all winter to get as strong and as fit as possible - now you are seeing little rewards.

"All round it is good practice. The batsmen are getting good time in the middle and the bowlers are getting overs under their belt."

Andrew Flintoff could up his workload after ankle surgery by bowling for the first time in a match since September 19.

But Cork is urging patience in his rehab.

"He has to be managed right now," he said. "As a player Lancashire need him, but more importantly England need him.

"He will know himself how his ankle feels after he bowls. He shouldn't be rushed back into any form of cricket.

"There are a lot of players in our squad who look up to him because he sets good standards and works hard on his game. He is a talented lad with both bat and ball - but there is no rush."

l Australian umpire Darrell Hair has been given the chance to return to officiating Test cricket by the International Cricket Council.

The 55-year-old has not taken charge of a Test since the forfeited match between England and Pakistan at the Oval in 2006 when he penalised Pakistan for ball-tampering.

Olympic silver medal for Jason