ENGLAND'S selectors, already reeling from a barrage of criticism for their rejection of David Gower, came under fire yesterday from another player who has been controversially overlooked for the winter tour of India and Sri Lanka.

The Sussex leg-spinner Ian Salisbury, a Test debutant against Pakistan earlier this summer, took out his disappointment at being handed only an A team berth to Australia on Yorkshire with a career- best 7 for 54 at Hove. Salisbury's exploits reduced the visitors from 100 for 1 to 232 all out and the Sussex openers, Neil Lenham and Jamie Hall, took full advantage with an unbroken century stand.

Elsewhere on the opening day of the final round of County Championship fixtures, Robin Smith and Phil DeFreitas, two of England's regulars who have not been firing on all cylinders of late, spluttered back to life with timely reminders of their true form.

Smith held the Hampshire first innings of 231 together at Southampton with a hard-hit 87 against Worcestershire while Malcolm Marshall was forced to retire hurt after being struck on an arm by a Phil Newport delivery.

DeFreitas, who has spent much of the season in the treatment room, took three wickets for Lancashire as Durham provided a cameo of their season at Gateshead Fell. After Wayne Larkins and Paul Parker had put on 104 for the first wicket, the bottom team then reverted to type to close on 215 for 7.

Graeme Archer scored his fifth half-century in only his 12th first- class innings with a top-score of 83 not out in Nottinghamshire's 265 against Somerset at Taunton.

Mike Roseberry passed 2,000 runs for the season with his ninth hundred of the summer, as Middlesex crawled to 304 for 3 against Surrey at The Oval. But his 209-run opening partnership with John Carr, who also hit a century, was still not fast enough to earn maximum batting points.

Northamptonshire showed greater generosity towards Leicestershire than during the NatWest Trophy final a week ago, dropping six catches as the home side reached 297 for 7 at Grace Road.

Meanwhile, Australia are set to seal a 1-0 series win over Sri Lanka today with the third and final Test in Colombo likely to end in a draw following Allan Border's second rescue act of the game after coming in at 9 for 4 in the second innings.