PETER Sleep today urged the England selectors to build their team around Chris Schofield and Andy Flintoff this summer.

Both players were given central contracts at Lord's today and Sleep, the former Aussie Test leg spinner who coached both players at Lancashire and is still working closely with Schofield, backed them for success.

"I think they are two of the most exciting players around," said Sleep, who resigned as Lancashire's second team coach last year.

"I don't know that much about how England plan to use the central contracts, but it seems to be a good step forward for both of them.

"Andrew Flintoff could be anything. That's been obvious since he was a young kid.

"With both him and Chris it's been good to work with them and make them into hardened cricketers.

"Chris did very well with the A team in New Zealand and Bangladesh last winter and I think they should put him in the senior team this summer for the games against West Indies and Zimbabwe.

"It's important that they choose the right games to bring him on. I wouldn't play him against India or Pakistan at the moment, but Zimbabwe and West Indies are two of the weaker teams around.

"And there is no doubt that Chris is the new kid on the block. He could certainly be England's leg-spin bowler for the next 10 years."

Mike Atherton was the third Lancashire player included on England's first list of central contracts, worth around £70,000 each.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.