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 | |  Tuesday, 19 February, 2002, 13:23 GMT Read eager for another go  Read takes a stumping on his Test debut Chris Read tells BBC Sport Online's Oliver Brett he has a 'burning ambition' to force his way back into the frame as England's wicket-keeper. After England's poor performance in the last World Cup, changes were made to the side for the second half of the summer of 1999. One of a new breed of youngsters was the Nottinghamshire wicket-keeper Chris Read. He had not yet turned 21 when he was asked to don the gloves and bat at seven for England in a four-match Test series against New Zealand. Read made just one run in the first innings, but then proceeded to take five catches and a stumping in New Zealand's second innings as England won the first Test. Sadly, however, the runs continued to prove hard to come by, and when he was bowled ducking into a slow yorker from Chris Cairns at Lord's, some harsh critics claimed he lacked even the most fundamental of techniques.
The third Test of the series, at Old Trafford, was the last Read played, and in nine appearances for the one-day side he also failed to set the world on fire. He is someone who knows only too well the pressures faced by England's error-prone new boy, Jamie Foster. "It's obviously a big step-up from county cricket," says Read. "If you make a mistake the pressure is heightened because you are playing on the biggest stage with such big crowds and the cameras are watching your every move. "If you make a mistake in the fourth day of a county game when there are two men and a dog it's not quite a big as when Steve Waugh's on nought and you drop a simple catch and he goes on to get a hundred. "Keepers have to go through those extra pressures every day of their lives. Part of doing the job is looking away from the negatives - not thinking about what you are going to miss."
Asked about whether he feels Foster has a long-term future in the role, Read replies: "Obviously the selectors will pick who they think is right for the job at a particular time. "All I worry about is what I'm up to and how I'm going to get back in the side. I have a burning ambition to play for England again." Now 23, Read says he is not in direct touch with the selectors as regards his England future, but it seems they have not forgotten him. "I see David Graveney and a few of the other guys on the county circuit during the season. They will grab a couple of minutes for a brief chat. "But though there's not a massive amount of communication all the wicket-keepers know they just have to try to impress." Though he doesn't admit it, a place in England's one-day squad is Read's first target. "For a wicket-keeper who is batting middle to lower order, you are not going to average 50 with the bat but the mark of a good contributor is how many times he wins the game.
"At Nottinghamshire, I like to pride myself in being able to do that. "England are looking for the best wicket-keeper batsman for the job. There's a lot of talk of the wicket-keeper batting in the top six. "When you get down to nine, 10, 11 that's possibly a slight waste of a player unless they are really turning the game with their glovework. "The one-day game is often packed with all-rounders and the wicket-keeper's got to be at the forefront of that." Last season, Read, who had missed two annual sight tests, discovered he was short sighted. With his vision corrected, he managed to average 30 in first-class cricket for the first time. And if the upward trend continues apace early in the forthcoming season, he could well get a chance once again to show his credentials on the highest stage. | |   Playing for keeps
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