Cricket: Ambrose plays waiting game

Sussex's Australian-born wicketkeeper-batsman thought he was already England qualified because his mother is English and he holds a British passport.

But when the county checked the regulations with Lord's last month they were told that Ambrose had to go through a four-year residency qualification which means he has to live here for 210 days a year.

"It looks like I've got to do my time first," Ambrose said with a smile this week.

"But I'm not that bothered. There is no better place to learn and I'm really enjoying my cricket at the moment."

Ambrose had his spirits raised when he chatted briefly to Academy director Rod Marsh at Arundel last week.

There's no doubt that the 21-year-old would have been in this winter's intake, along with Sussex team-mate Matt Prior, given the form he has displayed both with the bat and the gloves this summer.

The match-winning 93 not out he scored in the win over Essex at Arundel on Saturday came two days after he'd made 88 in the first innings.

That made it four scores over 75 this season and seven fifties, raising his Championship aggregate to 612 runs at 47.04. Only Tony Cottey, with whom he shared stands of 176 and 172, stands above him in the county's averages.

No wonder the Sussex members were almost falling over themselves to congratulate Ambrose when he made his way up the steps at Arundel on Saturday after guiding them to a third successive Championship win with an innings of wonderful maturity.

"We knew that if we batted the time we would win the game," he said. "And I just love batting with Cotts. The way he plays the spinners took all the pressure off me and I could just concentrate on staying in.

"I learned so much batting with him over those couple of days and he keeps me going.

"Between overs he just kept telling me jokes, most of them dirty ones to be honest!"

What's more, Ambrose seems to be revelling in the extra responsibility of keeping in four-day cricket as well. In the two games since replacing Prior for the Warwickshire game three weeks ago he has made three successive half-centuries.

"I was pleased with the way I kept in the one-dayers and the Twenty20 and I would have been disappointed had I not kept for the Warwickshire game," he added.

"Physically I feel fine. It's only been two games when I've kept and batted and in both of them I haven't spent that much time in the middle, but the body feels pretty good and I'm enjoying the extra role."

All Ambrose needs now, by his own admission, is to turn his batting form into a hundred or two.

He made two last season, including an unforgettable maiden 149 against Yorkshire on a Headingley pitch which tied down just about every other batsmen on both sides.

According to Cottey, it's only a matter of time but Ambrose admits he is getting impatient.

He said: "I desperately want to get a hundred, it's a milestone isn't it?

"Hopefully once I get the first one I will start turning more fifties into hundreds a bit like Cotts has done. It would really keep my season on a roll."

Chris Read's excellent form in the recent one-day series means England coach Duncan Fletcher is wearing a less furrowed brow these days as he ponders the long-term successor to Alec Stewart who seems certain to take his leave of the international stage at the end of the season.

Read is next in line but the likes of James Foster and Kent's Geriant Jones are also pressing. Now, if he maintains his current rate of progress, Ambrose will surely come under consideration when he qualifies in September, 2004, by which time he hopes to have put down roots in Sussex by buying his first home.

"I'm an Australian and I would find it hard not to play for Australia, but there aren't going to be any Aussie selectors knocking on my door," he said.

"I'm committed to playing English cricket for Sussex. I've learnt so much here in the past two years and I've got no right to turn my back on Sussex nor have I any will to. I feel settled here and I want to play for Sussex and hopefully England."