[It is not a comfort zone; as Chris Read and Graham Thorpe discovered, players do get dropped. But rookies get a run first and changes are usually made with a view to the long term. The team have thus been able to grow together and bond. The side Giles came into was a wary one with some players playing primarily for themselves, an inevitable consequence of chop-and-change team selection. Now they are a team.] It's a completely different atmosphere to '98, ... It's much more professional and we are much more together. I found it quite tricky in '98. No disrespect to anyone in that side, because players made me feel welcome, but it was very disjointed. Now we are basically another county team. We know each other that well. We've played that much cricket together. Ashley Giles