Vol. 101 No. 3 ~ June 2021

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS
1921–2021

STOKES AT 30
Simon Hughes looks
at his achievements
and wonders
what’s to come

GLAMORGAN’S
CENTURY
BY HUW
TURBERVILL
MIKE BREARLEY
ON THE GAME’S
MENTAL TOLL
ROB STEEN’S
COUNTY
CRAVING
33 PAGES
OF COUNTY
CRICKET

SARAH
TAYLOR

NICK FRIEND ON A
WELCOME RETURN

NEW ZEALAND
TOUR PREVIEW
JAMES COYNE ON THE
BRILLIANT BLACKCAPS

CONTENTS | OPENERS

THE CRICKETER
Vol. 101. No. 3.

JUNE 2021

Published every four weeks

CONTENTS
Openers
5
6
8
12
14
18
21
22
24
26
28
30
31

Stokes
at 30
SIMON HUGHES SPEAKS
TO THE ENGLAND
TALISMAN p32

Editorial A beautiful development
Shot of the Month Rushworth breaks Durham record
News Gould’s Surrey exit, IPL, Igglesden, Felix
Dobell take Curbing power of the Big Three
Facing up Frank Hayes of Lancashire and England
Ronay Sky turns to County Championship for help
Selvey Smith can leave with head held high
Aldred Great to see bedrocks play four-day game
Off the long run Kate Cross on batters or batsmen
My favourite cricketer Tim Bresnan by Jake Goodwill
Why I love cricket Sir Jeremy Farrar
Ask Nasser Off-stump guards and live streaming
The Window Inside the dressing room

Features
32
37
40
44
48
52

ON THE COVER
The great
allrounder
in various guises

Stokes at 30 Simon Hughes on his past and future
New Zealand preview James Coyne on their three Tests
Brearley Is cricket the loneliest game?
Glamorgan A century in the Championship
Sarah Taylor The genius returns, by Nick Friend
Rob Steen How I missed county cricket in exile

The County Game

PHOTOS:
GETTY IMAGES

56 Blast preview Who can stop Notts this summer?
61 County diary All 18 first-class counties every month
70 Big match Durham v Warwickshire by Paul Edwards

Among this month’s contributors

The International Game
72 Sri Lanka v Bangladesh Rex Clementine reports
74 Zimbabwe v Pakistan Sorry Zimbabwe dismantled
76 World stats How the Kane gang rates

Cricket Life
Kate Cross

Rob Steen

Jake Goodwill

Rex Clementine

is a seamer for
England Women and
Lancashire Women
and will captain
Manchester Originals
in The Hundred. She
writes about maledominated language
and unsuitable kit
for women

spent four decades
writing about sport
almost every day
and is celebrating 37
years as a contributor
to The Cricketer. He
is refalling in love
with the game after
a sabbatical away in
the Netherlands

is a journalist at The
Telegraph who writes
about rugby union,
cricket and the NFL.
He writes for us
about Tim Bresnan,

is a cricket writer
based in Sri Lanka.
He’s authored two
cricket books, From
Rags to Riches and
The Unforgettables.
This issue he reports
on Sri Lanka’s
home series with
Bangladesh

“the relatable side
of a slightly robotic,
albeit successful,
England team”

78
81
82
84
86
87
90
92
95
96
98

Letters Ted Dexter and Sunil Gavaskar write in
Social club Hameed back in hundred club
Club scene All change this summer?
Schools Trent College host MCC
Voneus Village Cup Top Billings for Sawbridgeworth
Reviews Amiss, Constantine, This is Cricket
Obituaries Bruce Taylor, Roy Torrens, Murray Hedgcock
Global game High in the Himalayas
Googly Too many coaches spoil the broth?
Tea break Crossword, quizzes, what’s on
Whatever happened to Bob Taylor at 80
thecricketer.com | 3

THE OFFICIAL
BEER OF THE

VONEUS VILLAGE CUP

The Perfect Line and Length
Available to buy online at theakstons.co.uk

WELCOME | OPENERS

Simon Hughes

Editor’s letter
A beautiful development
In the cricketing year the months of April and May have
mostly been dominated by the IPL since it began in 2008.
There was no escape from India’s annual extravaganza. Then
12 months ago there was nothing. In fact, because of Covid,
barely a ball was bowled anywhere in the world last spring.
The pandemic has been devastating, but now it has given the
County Championship a new lease of life. This year, thanks to
our scientific saviours, our 131-year-old competition has had
the stage more or less to itself, despite a wet May. Traditional
April showers are arriving a month late. If you want to know
about climate change, ask a cricketer (or a farmer).
It is a rather beautiful development, and there has been
an old-fashioned essence to the Championship, all matches
starting on the same day (eureka!) so that everyone knows
where they are in the week (Monday is a rest day), players
have rediscovered the squirt for two and the judicious leave,
a number of batsmen have already passed 500 runs (seven
on May 18) and counties with a nucleus of home-grown
players – Durham, Somerset, Gloucestershire – have shone.
And because of the rapid advance of streaming services more
people have watched these matches – more than three million
at a rough estimate – than ever before, though sadly not at the
grounds. (There were reports of 2,000 spectators turning up to
a Lancashire 2nd XI game at
Old Trafford when lockdown
The IPL postponement was eased on May 17.)
Some of the greatest players
has given the County
England have ever produced
– Sir Alastair Cook, Joe Root,
Championship a
Jimmy Anderson and Stuart
new lease of life. It
Broad – have turned out
regularly for their counties,
has had the stage all
upping the star quotient,
to itself. It is a rather
and by the time you read
beautiful development
this Anderson may well
have become the latest (and
probably last) bowler to take
1,000 first-class wickets. He was on 992 at the time of writing.
Broad had 825. Root called the County Championship “the
bedrock of our game” reports Tanya Aldred in her affectionate
chronicle of the first weeks of the season (Boundary View –
page 22). In this era of 15-an-over run-chases and bowlers
countering slap-happy batsmen by delivering what we used
to call liquorice allsorts, it is reassuring to hear the England
captain say that.
And next month there is the prospect of Ben Stokes playing
for Durham, something he hasn’t done since 2018. Stokes
dodged a bullet by breaking a finger in the IPL – sparing
him subsequent weeks of uncertainty and quarantine – and
when I met him in Durham last week he looked and sounded
mentally refreshed as he contemplated a possible return
in the Vitality Blast in early June. The injury will allow
Stokes to celebrate his 30th birthday at home for once, and
given this significant age we thought it appropriate to make

England’s versatile allrounder our cover star, comparing his
achievements at this stage of life to those of his most famous
predecessors. They stack up well (page 32).
Such is the tantalising draw of domestic cricket it has
prompted the return of another celebrated allrounder, Sarah
Taylor, one of the great batter/keepers (page 48). Did you
notice what I did there? I not only used the gender-neutral
term ‘batter’ but also ranked the player alongside all their
peers, irrespective of their sex. It signifies a subtle change in
The Cricketer, as we phase out our ‘women’s cricket’ section
and instead incorporate stories and features about female
players and teams in the main body of the magazine on merit.
As we have done with the first piece from our new columnist,
England seamer Kate Cross (Off the Long Run – page 24).
As cricket itself has almost always done, we want to
move with the times and set the agenda too. We want our
magazine to reach as broad a readership as possible. But,
in keeping with the more traditional essence of the start of
this 2021 season, two letters in this issue are from a couple
of old masters: the former England captain and chairman
of selectors Ted Dexter, and legendary Indian batsman and
commentator Sunil Gavaskar (page 78). It is a privilege to
have two such eminent and thoughtful cricketers contribute
to our pages. Thanks to all our dedicated correspondents.
You are our bedrock.

SIMON HUGHES Editor
@theanalyst

NEWMAN

thecricketer.com | 5

6 | thecricketer.com

SHOT OF THE MONTH | OPENERS

Rushworth top of
the Durham pile
Chester-le-Street, May 16

TEAM-MATES AND COACHES PAST AND PRESENT PAY TRIBUTE
Steve Harmison “I don’t see anyone getting close to 500 ever again for Durham. I think
he will go down as Durham’s leading wicket-taker, which is great for Chris because he
deserves it. I hope that this is a record for a long time that might not get broken. It’s a
fitting tribute to someone who’s done so well for himself.”

This was the moment Chris
Rushworth became Durham’s
leading first-class wicket-taker.

Paul Collingwood “I think come the end of his career, he’ll look back and he’ll know that
he’s seen the county through the hard times, not just through the easy times and the
successful times, but also a period when the county was on its last legs.”

The 34-year-old, released by Durham
in 2006, captured his 528th firstclass wicket for them – overtaking
Graham Onions – when he had
Worcestershire’s Jack Haynes caught
at slip. Rushworth’s father was watching
from the car park in the health club at
the Lumley End, which was permitted
as technically it lay outside the ground.

Jon Lewis “He had a reputation for being stocky. But he got on the park. For all the fitness
work that occurs in county cricket now – quite rightly – you still have to admire the guy
whose major asset is that he gets on the park, he bowls overs and he takes wickets.”

PHOTOS: STU FORSTER/GETTY IMAGES

David Bedingham “I think he bowls at about 80mph but because of the way he swings
and nips it both ways, it feels like the ball comes down at 95mph. He’s a nightmare to face
and I’m glad he’s on my team.”
Scott Borthwick “You can ask any county batter in the country and they will say the
same thing: if the wicket has got anything in it or a bit of grass on it, who would you not
want to face? And they would all say Chris Rushworth.”

thecricketer.com | 7

Gould leaves Surrey with parting shot at The Hundred
By Huw Turbervill
County cricket’s loss, football’s gain.
Richard Gould is leaving Surrey as chief
executive after a financially impressive
decade to try to take his beloved Bristol
City into the promised land.
He is happy with his legacy at The Oval,
but is worried about The Hundred’s
impact on the domestic game.
Surrey’s scepticism about it isn’t a secret.
Let’s face it, they don’t need it. Their
Blast games sell out. Gould, 51, has been
outspoken. He’s been a thorn in the ECB’s
side. Once touted as a potential chief
executive of the national governing body, it’s
fair to say that The Hundred cheerleaders
will probably be relieved to see him go.
“I think the ECB could perhaps
understand the role and value of county
clubs better,” he told The Cricketer ahead
of his departure in June. “I also wonder if
the ECB are overstretching themselves.
Governing bodies like the FA and RFU look
at governance, grassroots and the running
of the international teams. But the ECB
organise competitions themselves, and
over the last three or four years we have
seen a deepening of that centralisation.
The ECB are now running teams – in The
Hundred, and women’s cricket. It’s been
good to see investment, but it’s diluting
the purpose of clubs. Clubs are being
given money in lieu of purpose. If you lose
purpose you lose the ability to sustain
yourselves in the long term.
“It’s easy to underestimate the value
of the county network. Surrey have
developed players for 170 years. Look at
the annual cost of setting up new teams for
The Hundred. More money per team per
year than they are putting individually into
Surrey, Somerset, Yorkshire and so on…
That’s difficult to understand sometimes.
“These new teams will exist for 33 days
a year. They have no player pathways. No
academy. No age-group teams. No regional
community projects. They don’t have
international venues. Our domestic clubs
do so much: they provide focus and pride.
“Our preference was for a two-division
T20. Six or seven years ago that was also
the majority view of the counties. That
only changed when the ECB said that
there was no terrestrial broadcast interest
in county cricket. They said they could get

8 | thecricketer.com

£35m a year for a competition with new
teams. They said they would get far less –
£5m – if it was a county competition. I’m
sceptical about that. I grew up watching
Ian Botham smash sixes in the dark at
Taunton on the telly on a Sunday evening.
And look at the huge interest in streaming
recently – so I know that there is interest.
Counties went for the £1.3m a year,
however, in effect losing their purpose.
We have to make the best of it, see how it
resolves itself, but I’m sceptical about the
franchise/pop-up model.” For the record,
the ECB would argue that they did secure
a £1.1bn TV deal that saw the return of the
BBC, although this was before the 100-ball
format was announced.
“I don’t want this all to be negative,
though,” said Gould. “I’d like to praise the
ECB for what they have done for counties
during the pandemic.”
As we went to press, Surrey revealed a
£1.2m loss before tax in 2020/21; Covid
hitting them especially hard because of
lost hospitality revenue.
Mike Atherton wrote in The Times
recently about control in the context of
ownership of an asset to monetise in a
time of (expected) declining TV revenues
for bilateral international cricket.
It makes me wonder what English cricket
would have been like if Gould had become
ECB chief executive, as was once touted.

“The ECB
said they
could get
£35m a
year for a
competition
with new
teams. They
said they
would get far
less (£5m) if it
was a county
competition.
I’m sceptical
about that”
RICHARD GOULD

“Tom [Harrison] got the gig and actually
that gave me more time at Surrey. We are
an institution going back to 1845, with a
history that includes administrative giants
like Charles Alcock. It’s been a privilege to
lead the club and I hope that I have built on
the success of my predecessors. The One
Oval Square development is taking shape.
“Surrey have produced a constant
stream of players for England under
director of cricket Alec Stewart, and while
that has made it difficult to win trophies,
we have had notable successes, like the
2018 County Championship.
“We have increased our membership from
7,000 to 13,500 since 2011 and that shows we
are a welcoming and progressive club.
“As I speak it’s been 610 days since we
had a normal crowd, but hopefully fans will
now return. Before the pandemic we had
20,000-plus crowds for Blast games. Our
chairman Richard Thompson was keen
to push Surrey as a club in its own rights,
as before the counties with Test grounds
tended to focus on lucrative international
matches.
“I’m really grateful to the whole
management team, the board and the
members – it’s like having a shed-load of
management consultants on tap.”
Is taking charge of a Championship
football club bigger than running English
cricket’s biggest county? With a Test
ground that has achieved extraordinary
commercial success? I don’t know.
Gould is a Westcountry man, however;
his previous job was chief executive of
Somerset CCC, and his father, Bobby,
played for Bristol City (1972–73) and
Bristol Rovers (1977–78), then managed
the latter in two spells (1981–83 and
1985–87). It’s going home.
“I went to school in Bristol. I served
in the army down there, then I became
commercial director of Bristol City. My
two daughters are at university there. It’s
not just a lifestyle choice, though. It’s time
for fresh leadership at Surrey, and a fresh
challenge for me.
“Bristol City are a big club with
aspirations to reach the Premier League.
Owner Steve Landsdown and his son
John, the chairman, have invested
in the club and sport in the area for
20 years, so it’s going to be a hugely
interesting project.”
He will be back at The Oval, though –
watching the fourth Test against India,
from September 2–6.

GETTY IMAGES

The News

THE NEWS | OPENERS

England players would be withheld from rearranged IPL
India’s Covid crisis causes tournament
postponement halfway through, with
very little space in the calendar to finish
it, reports James Coyne
World cricket was working out how to
cram half of the behemoth that is the IPL
into a packed schedule after this year’s
tournament was suspended due to the
disastrous Covid-19 situation in India.
The number of new coronavirus
infections in India had passed 20m, with
daily cases reported in a 24-hour period
above 350,000, when the BCCI pulled the
plug on the 2021 IPL on May 4, leaving 31 of
the 60 fixtures unplayed.
The Women’s T20 Challenge – the short
tournament usually played in IPL play-offs
week – was also shelved.
The IPL carried on as long as it did
primarily because of the money at
stake, but also because of a belief that
cricket matches broadcast on TV helped
persuade Indians to stay at home in
the evenings and therefore reduce
potential transmission.
That argument was harder to sustain
once the internal bubble had burst,
with rising positive cases among players
and staff. Entire teams were entering
quarantines, causing the individual
postponement of two fixtures. Some
high-profile Indian cricketers, among them
Piyush Chawla (Mumbai Indians), Chetan
Sakariya (Rajasthan Royals) and Veda
Krishnamurthy (India Women), tragically
lost a parent or sibling to Covid-19 or

complications caused by it.
The fate of the IPL was to an extent
wrapped up with state policy: the BCCI
secretary Jay Shah is the son of the Indian
home minister Amit Shah, whose BJP
government was resisting calls for another
national lockdown.
Some overseas players had already
left the IPL and flown home before their
own country closed their borders: Liam
Livingstone to the UK; and the Australians
Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson and
Andrew Tye. Ravichandran Ashwin
returned home to Chennai on April 25
after several of his family tested positive.
The remaining English players flew
back home within days of the IPL’s
postponement and into quarantine.
However, none of the 14 English IPL
players were selected in England’s squad
for the two Tests against New Zealand,
with the ECB choosing rest for the likes of
Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes and Sam Curran.
Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes are injured.
The ICC Future Tours Programme is
possibly more crammed than ever, and
even the tournament that generates a
third of world cricket’s revenue was facing
the possibility of not being played to a
finish. The BCCI president Sourav Ganguly
put the cost of allowing the 31 matches go
unplayed at up to Rs2500 crore (around
£240m).
One high-profile source inside the IPL
told The Cricketer that an abandonment
was the likeliest option, with the remaining
windows in the calendar so narrow,

ABOVE
Jonny Bairstow,
Ben Stokes, Jos
Buttler and the
other English
players flew home
from the IPL in
early May

quarantines so fiddly and national boards
less minded now to have their own
schedules compromised by players going
off to a rearranged IPL.
The BCCI have accepted that playing it
in India before the end of 2021 is out of the
question, so were looking at alternative
overseas venues later in the year.
The two likely windows were either side
of the T20 World Cup, set to be played
between mid-October and November.
Either way a shoehorned IPL would
involve disruption to India’s national-team
schedule, though it seemed unlikely the
five-Test series against England (finishing
on September 14) was in danger.
The ECB made clear their contracted
players would not be available for any
rescheduled 2021 IPL due to England’s
packed schedule. ECB managing director
of men’s cricket Ashley Giles said: “We’re
planning on the involvement of England
players in England matches. We’ve got
a full FTP schedule. So if those tours to
Pakistan and Bangladesh [in September
and October] are going ahead, I’d expect
the players to be there.
“The New Zealand scenario was very
different. Those Test matches were
formalised at the end of January, by which
time all those contracts and NOCs [no
objection certificates] were signed for full
involvement in the IPL.
“We’ve got a lot of important, highprofile cricket including the T20 World
Cup and the Ashes. And we’re going to
have to look after our players.”
It seems Australia’s contracted players
would be similarly unavailable.
As for where the second half of the IPL
could be played, there was an offer from
three English clubs, MCC, Surrey and
Warwickshire, to host the games at Lord’s,
The Oval, Edgbaston and possibly Old
Trafford in the second half of September,
after the conclusion of the India Tests
and concurrent with the closing stages of
the county season. It does not appear the
BCCI gave the idea serious consideration.
The most obvious venue would be the
UAE. It already seems likely the T20 World
Cup will be moved from India to the UAE
– as the 2020 IPL was and the rest of the
2021 Pakistan Super League could be. Sri
Lanka also put their hand up.
A number of IPL players, including Buttler,
Stokes, Virat Kohli and Pat Cummins,
donated a portion of their tournament
earnings to help the Covid relief mission.
thecricketer.com | 9

Alan Igglesden
in 1997

Take a five-for for Igglesden
Alan Igglesden, a fast bowler for Kent, and
briefly England, between 1986 and 1998,
was a dependable spearhead; he loped
in off a shortish run and used his spindly
6ft 5in frame to sling down awkward
lifting deliveries into your ribs from the
Nackington Road End at Canterbury.
He took nearly 700 wickets in all
competitions and then embarked on a
second career coaching and playing Minor
Counties cricket until calamity struck.
In 1999, aged just 34, he suffered an
epileptic fit while playing for Berkshire. An
MRI scan revealed a tumour the size of a
junior cricket ball, and he would never play
professional cricket again.
Igglesden has endured a 22-year
struggle with inoperable cancer and
also suffered two strokes and now can
barely move the famous right arm

which brought him all those victims.
He could not have survived without
his devoted wife Liz and the help of the
Professional Cricketers’ Trust, which has
provided tremendous support and care
and financed essentials like stairlifts and
other mobility aids. The PCT has just
released a powerful video – which can be
found below – chronicling his life now and
the battle he has fought.
The PCT relies on fund-raising campaigns
and donations which have been hard to
maintain during the pandemic. The release
of the video coincides with the launch of
the PCT’s #5ferIggy initiative– encouraging
people to run, walk, swim or even roll 5km
this month and donate to the charity.
More details can be found at www.
justgiving.com/fundraising/5-fer-iggy
Simon Hughes

FELIX
VIV’S BOUNCER PLEA
Mike Brearley’s plea to save bouncers in our
April issue jogged memories of an amusing
story at Leicestershire. In 1978 the International
Cricket Conference as it then was imposed
a limit of one bouncer per over. In the
Championship match at Grace Road in 1981,
Gordon Parsons tried to bump Viv Richards.
It is fair to say it didn’t trouble the great man
unduly. In fact it was dispatched out of the
ground. Umpire Dickie Bird then indicated
that it was the ‘one for the over’, but Richards
walked down the wicket, imploring him to
forget the restriction. Richards made 196 and
Somerset won by 10 wickets. Parsons – whose
nickname was Bullhead – was a good county
bowler, though, taking 564 first-class wickets
for the Foxes; now 61, he later married Hansie
Cronje’s sister and now lives in South Africa.

10 | thecricketer.com

Ball-tampering
saga reignites

ABOVE
Mitchell Starc,
Josh Hazlewood,
Pat Cummins and
Nathan Lyon
BELOW
Frank Duckworth
(l) and Tony Lewis

STEVO’S T20 HEROICS
John Stephenson’s departure from the role
of MCC’s assistant secretary (cricket) after
17 years evoked fond memories of his role
in a Cricket Writers’ Club match against the
ECB on the Nursery Ground at Lord’s in 2015.
Guesting alongside Nick Compton, the duo
were No.s 3 and 4, and were at the crease
inside three overs. They valiantly took the
CWC to 120 for 2 with about three overs to
go, generously allowing the cricket writers the
last 18 balls to have a swing and try to post a
competitive total. Mike Gatting, then on the
ECB payroll, rolled back the years to make
short work of it all, however, in a wonderful
innings that was a genuine pleasure to watch.
PREST AT HIS BEST
If Shredded Wheat
need a new cricketer to
replace Sir Ian Botham,

Cameron Bancroft said it was “selfexplanatory” that Australia’s bowlers
knew ball-tampering had gone on at
Newlands in 2017/18. Mitchell Starc, Josh
Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan
Lyon maintained: “We did not know a
foreign substance was taken onto the
field to alter the condition of the ball...
The umpires… inspected the ball after the
images surfaced on TV coverage and did
not change it because there was no sign of
damage. We respectfully request an end to
the rumour-mongering and innuendo. It
has gone on too long.”
Stuart Broad added his two penn’oth,
however, suggesting that more
information could be revealed after the
players involved retired.

look no further. England Under-19 batsman
Tom Prest sat a three-hour geography A-level
exam at Canford School in Dorset at breakfast
time, then struck a career-best treble-century
for Hampshire 2nds in their win over Sussex
in the county Second XI Championships. The
18-year old from Wimborne, a Hampshire
academy scholar, hit a six and 37 fours. I bet he
ate three…
LEWIS SET THE BENCHMARK
The Duckworth-Lewis Method is the
benchmark for cricket target revision systems,
so a fitting tribute has been paid for
one of its founders. Dr Tony Lewis
MBE, who created it with Dr Frank
Duckworth in 1997, loved watching
cricket in The Parks, Oxford and
now, after his death 14 months ago,
there is a memorial bench in
place to remember him.

THE NEWS | OPENERS

Extras and sundries
Nuwan Zoysa was banned from cricket for
six years for three breaches of the ICC anticorruption code. Avishka Gunawardene was
cleared over charges relating to the 2017 T10
League. Heath Streak accepted his eight-year
ban, but maintained he had not been involved
in match-fixing or spot-fixing. Separately,
the ICC did not find sufficient “credible and
reliable evidence” regarding spot-fixing claims
made in an Al Jazeera documentary in 2018
and will not bring any charges.

SWEET SPOT LAUDED ON BAMBOO BAT
Researchers at Cambridge University made
a prototype bat from strips of bamboo
shoots stuck together. They argue it would
be more sustainable than traditional willow,
which wastes 15-30 per cent of the wood in
production. Dr Darshil Shah said their bat was
“stiffer, harder and stronger… heavier… and
more brittle”, with a sweet spot 19 per cent
more effective. The laminate finish is illegal
apart from in junior bats. MCC warned of the
balance between bat and ball, and said their
Laws sub-committee would discuss the bat.

JOHN GICHIGI/ALLSPORT/DAVE ROGERS/UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES/ARJUN SINGH/IPL/SPORTZPICS

MACGILL KIDNAPPED IN SYDNEY
Former Australia leg-spinner Stuart MacGill
was kidnapped in Sydney and held for four
hours after allegedly becoming embroiled in
a £360,000 rip-off over 2kg of cocaine, police
said. On April 14 it was alleged MacGill was
driven 35 miles to a shack on a remote property,
where he was threatened at gunpoint. When
he refused to hand over around £80,000 an
unknown man threatened to cut off his toes
with bolt cutters. After an hour MacGill was
driven 25 miles and dumped by the side of the
road. Four people have been arrested.

The ECB, the 18 first-class counties and the
PCA joined in a social media boycott in a
“show of solidarity against online abuse”.

ECB RESERVES DOWN TO £2.2M
The ECB announced financial losses of £16.1m
for the last financial year. Group reserves
plunged to £2.2m – 40 per cent lower than
the “desired level” – down from £17.1m last
year and £73.1m in 2016. Revenue was £100m
lower than forecast due to the postponement
of The Hundred and the cost of hosting
biosecure international cricket. The ECB
committed £2m to ensure disability cricket
is played in all 39 counties. The Labour peer
Baroness Amos was added to the ECB board
as an independent non-executive director.

CHRISTIAN WARNED OVER KOHLI
The Grade Cricketer podcast removed an
interview with Dan Christian from YouTube
“out of respect for Dan and his contract” after
Royal Challengers Bangalore issued “a gentle
reminder” to their Australian allrounder. He
had told the Australian podcast how a “cagey”
RCB captain Virat Kohli had tried to persuade
the franchise’s Kiwi fast bowler Kyle Jamieson
to bowl at him with the red Dukes ball in an
IPL net session. Jamieson is set to bowl at
Kohli during the World Test Championship
final at the Ageas Bowl in June.

LORD’S PLAN HEYHOE FLINT STATUE
Talks for a statue of former England captain
Rachael Heyhoe Flint at Lord’s were “very
well advanced”, said Clare Connor, the ECB
managing director of women’s cricket and
president-elect of MCC. She likened Heyhoe
Flint’s impact on women’s cricket to WG
Grace’s on men’s. Responding to a report in
The Times which quoted some MCC members
who opposed a statue, chief executive Guy
Lavender said: “The notion that there is a revolt
at Lord’s is highly misleading, with no such
challenge raised across our club committees.”

FIVE ASHES TESTS IN SIX WEEKS
The men’s Ashes begins at Brisbane on Dec
8 and finishes at Perth’s Optus Stadium on
Jan 18. In between comes Adelaide (day/
night, Dec 16-20), Melbourne (Dec 26-30)
and Sydney (Jan 5-9). The warm-up schedule
and whether England fans can travel remains
unclear. Australia will play their first Test in 312
days against Afghanistan in November. The
Women’s Ashes has a Test at Canberra (Jan
27-30), followed by three T20Is and three
ODIs split between the North Sydney Oval,
Adelaide Oval and Melbourne’s Junction Oval.

Stuart Broad said of ex-national selector Ed
Smith: “Maybe he didn’t rate me overly highly.
I just had to keep proving that view wrong.”
The ICC Chief Executives’ Committee
discussed expanding the World Cup from
10 to 14 teams and the T20 World Cup from 16
to 20, plus a first-class Associate tournament.
Cricket South Africa escaped being
defunded and derecognised by the country’s
sports minister, which would have left South
Africa unable to play international cricket,
after CSA’s members’ council dropped
objections to a majority independent board.
New Zealand keeper BJ Watling, 35, will retire
after the World Test Championship final.
Hampshire wicketkeeper Lewis McManus
was handed a three-point penalty by the ECB
for stumping Leicestershire batsman Hassan
Azad without the ball in his glove.
Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan,
South Africa, England and a Caribbean nation
qualified for the 2022 Commonwealth
Games women’s T20 at Edgbaston.
Prithvi Shaw struck six fours in an over off
Shivam Mavi in an IPL game between Delhi
Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders. David
Warner was replaced as Sunrisers Hyderabad
captain by Kane Williamson, and dropped
shortly before the IPL was suspended.
There are calls to rename the hotel end of
the Ageas Bowl the Hambledon End ahead
of next year’s 250th anniversary of the
inaugural first-class match played in the
Hampshire village.
Aaron Summers, the Australian seamer,
has appeared in a Darwin court after being
charged with child sexual offences.
thecricketer.com | 11

George Dobell

Dobell take
Let’s learn from ESL outrage when it comes to the Big Three
The whole European Super League episode was, in many
ways, quite heartening. Sure, the fact that the competition
(a proposed football tournament which would have
effectively destroyed the Champions League and featured
the same 'Big 12' clubs every year) was mooted at all
betrayed the greed that lurks at the heart of so much
professional sport. But the immediate backlash provided
some welcome reminders about both the limitations of
administrators and the power of spectators. In short,
those administrators don’t have a game without us, the
spectators. Neither side should forget that.
At the heart of the objections to the ESL was the
sense that it offended fair play. Instead of qualifying
for the tournament, the bigger clubs’ involvement
was guaranteed. And while there was scope for five
‘other’ clubs to qualify in addition, the unavoidable
consequence of the arrangement
was that the Big 15 would grow
bigger and the rest would be left
fighting over the scraps. And we
couldn’t have that, could we?
But something sounds a bit
familiar, doesn’t it? As we reflect on
the introduction of The Hundred – a
competition foisted upon us without
our consultation and a competition
which will arbitrarily benefit the
hosting teams at the exclusion
of the rest – and an international
schedule that is based upon a very
similar principle as the ESL, it’s
hard to avoid the conclusion that
cricket has allowed a scenario
which football defeated.
Take the current arrangements in
international cricket. Yes, in recent
years, the ICC have given Ireland
and Afghanistan Test status but, if
you look at the schedule, it’s hard to
claim this has provided them with
anything close to equality.
Put simply, the ‘Big Three’ nations
(India, England and Australia) play
each other in such close rotation
that the other nations are largely
excluded. If you doubt that, look at
the schedule in an 18-month snapshot. Following an IPL season (Sept–
Nov 2020), Australia hosted India
(Dec 2020–Jan 2021). Then India
hosted England (Jan–March 2021)
before England host India (Aug–Sept
2021). Then, after a possible IPL
resumption and a T20 World Cup

(Oct–Nov 2021), Australia will host England (Dec 2021–
Jan 2022) before another IPL season starts (Apr 2022).
Yes, there are other series squeezed in. And yes, the
current situation is extreme. But it’s not completely
atypical, either. Even after the schedule listed above, India
are scheduled to return to England in 2022 to play six
limited-overs games, while England go to Australia again
at the end of that year for the same. Incredible though it
sounds, we are never more than eight weeks from either
an IPL, a global event featuring at least one of the big
three or a bilateral series involving two of them.
The reason? These bilateral series produce the highest
broadcast fees for the Big Three. You can understand
why they would want to exploit that.
But do we really want this? Do we really want England
and India playing nine Tests (it would have been 10, but
for Covid) against one another in an
eight-month period? Particularly if
they are as lacking in competition as
the ones we just saw in India. In the
long term, isn’t there a danger that
such familiarity will dilute the value
of the broadcast deals?
Perhaps more importantly, this
schedule marginalises other teams.
Take Ireland’s schedule. Even before
Covid ruined their plans, they had
just six Tests scheduled across 2021
and 2022. Four of those Tests were
against Zimbabwe or Afghanistan
with one against Bangladesh. The
only side in the top eight of the
Test rankings to agree to play them
in that period was New Zealand.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, have played
two Tests against Australia in the
last 15 years (they’ve won one and
lost one), but not since 2003 have
they played them in Australia. And,
when they did, they did so in July,
which isn’t even the cricket season.
It going to be desperately tough to
raise any meaningful broadcast
revenues with that fixture list.
The benefits of hosting the cream
of global events are gobbled up by
the Big Three, too. The 2015 men’s
World Cup was staged in Australia
(and New Zealand, to be fair) and the
2019 one was staged in England and
Wales. In between times, there were
two Champions Trophy tournaments
(in 2013 and 2017; both played in
England and Wales), a World T20 in

12 | thecricketer.com

PAUL ELLIS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES/PANKAJ NANGIA/SPORTZPICS/BCCI

Cricket is meant
to be a sport, not a
business. And while
we all understand
the importance of
finance, it mustn’t
be prioritised above
sporting merit

OPINION | OPENERS

India (in 2016) with India also the scheduled host of the
T20 World Cup in 2021 and of the 50-over World Cup in
2023. It’s the same story with the Women’s World Cup,
with the last three played in Australia (2009), India (2013)
and England (2017) respectively, while the first Women’s
T20 World Cup (in 2020) was also staged in Australia.
Wherever you look, the Big Three are prioritising
themselves at the expense of the rest.
There is another way. We could introduce promotion and
relegation into international cricket. We could have two
divisions of seven or eight teams – both playing a format
recognised as Test cricket – over a two or three-year period.
It would provide context to the format and introduce an
element of jeopardy. The viewing figures for promotion
or relegation matches could provide a real boost.
There are all sorts of practical issues with this. Primarily,
it would disrupt the current schedule between the Big
Three – not least those regular Ashes series – and render
long-term planning more problematic. And business
loves predictability. But here’s the thing: cricket is meant
to be a sport, not a business. And while we all understand
the importance of finance, it mustn’t be prioritised above

sporting merit. Sport is surely more rewarding if there’s
some heartache amid the success; some unpredictability
amid the familiarity. For the long-term health of the
global game – and, yes, the long-term value of broadcast
rights – we have to do things differently.
There is a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. There
seems, for example, a good chance that the 50-over World
Cup will increase to 14 teams and that future T20 World
Cups could involve 20 teams in four groups of five. We
may well see cricket back at the Olympic Games in the
next decade or so, too, which would provide a financial
and promotional boost to the global game. It is going to
be in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. At
the same time, Associate nations at the ICC now receive a
meaningful vote – you don’t have to go back far to a time
when their vote was basically symbolic – and not every ICC
committee appointment comes from one of the Big Three;
indeed, the current ICC chairman is from New Zealand, and
his country is hosting the women's World Cup next year.
But, right now, our game largely follows the ESL model
based not on merit but money. Maybe we could learn from
the outrage shown by our footballing counterparts?

ABOVE
India will play a
five-Test series
in England this
summer, then
return for six
white-ball
matches in 2022
LEFT
Fan outrage over
football’s European
Super League is
not replicated
in cricket

thecricketer.com | 13

FACING UP

FRANK HAYES
On county days with Bumble and the Essex men; playing all his Tests
against the fearsome West Indies; night outs with George Best and Hurricane
Higgins; Stuart Broad’s physics prowess; and his pet hate: over-coaching
Interview by Huw Turbervill

How easy was it to make the
breakthrough with Lancashire?
I was playing for Cheshire in 1964 aged
17 and scored 37 against Lancashire
2nds; they had most of the 1st XI playing,
including Ken Higgs, Ken Shuttleworth,
Jack Bond and Bumble. I didn’t get picked
at all for the Lancashire 1st XI while I
was at university, though, as they only
used to go for the contracted players,
although I did make runs in the 2nd XI.
I was finally selected against Middlesex
at Old Trafford, after making 112 in the
2nds against Warwickshire, and had a
dream debut at Old Trafford, scoring 94.
I tried to reach my century with a six and
was caught at mid-on off the bowling of
Peter Parfitt. What an idiot I was! The
next match was at Southampton against
Hampshire. We needed 20-odd off the
last two overs and were eight down. I
was on 99, batting with Keith Goodwin.
He said: “Get one for your 100.” I said: “I
don’t think so, we have to go for it this over
(bowled by slow-leftie Peter Sainsbury),
as the last over was bowled by Dave
‘Butch’ White (a quick who played two
Tests for England). I charged down the
track to the very first ball and like a good
old pro, he threw it wide of off stump
and I was stumped. That was the story
of my career, doing stuff like that: lots of
cameo 40s, 70s, without getting the big
ones. It wasn’t appreciated by the old pros
from time to time, and the cameos don’t
get you noticed. Though Joe Root was
accused of going through a similar thing at
international level recently! I really should
have thought more about it at the time.

14 | thecricketer.com

‘Do you
know, Sir,
that if I
can get a
pressure
difference
of just one
per cent
between
one side of
the ball and
the other, a
cricket ball
will swing
one metre
on the
way to the
batsman’
STUART BROAD

Were your county days fun?
Yes, and I especially liked playing
Essex who were a team of characters.
I thoroughly enjoyed the company of Ray
East, JK (Lever) and David Acfield… in fact,
I was banned from the Essex dressing room
by Keith Fletcher. We enjoyed a drink in
each other’s company and I was mortified
when, on entering their dressing room,
Eastie said: “You can’t talk to us!” Another
time at Old Trafford I took JK home with
me, and we spent the evening in my local
pub, the Royal Scot, run by Manchester
City director Ian Nevin. They still talk
about that night there. We had a Sunday
League game the next day and JK took four
wickets. To this day, I’m sure that Keith has
no idea what happened. The bad old days!
Lots liked a beer, lots didn’t, but as long
as you did it on the pitch it didn’t matter.
If you didn’t perform after self-inflicted
damage, you were sacked. D’Oliveira,
Botham, Procter – they could drink forever.
They’d wake up, be first to breakfast, and
away they went!
You toured India with East and Lever,
didn’t you?
Yes, that was in 1980/81, for the Cricket
Association of Bengal Overseas XI,
also with your editor Simon Hughes,
who missed the plane over and had to
catch a later one! When he turned up
we were all by the pool and he appeared
eating this enormous ice cream – when
the captain, Mike Brearley, told him
that you don’t touch the local water, he
looked nonplussed until, a little later on,
he disappeared to be horribly sick. The
big match was against an Indian Board
President’s XI, at Eden Gardens and I think
I got eighty-odd (88. Ed). However, I also
recall it for Alan Butcher having a nasty
accident. Jack Simmons bowled a short
one, and Madan Lal smashed it flat at
Butch at deep square-leg. He had no idea it
was coming, and was hit straight above the
right eye. He needed around 20 stitches
and looked frighteningly grotesque when,
unbeknownst to him, JK drew an eye on
the patch. When he was presented to

Prime Minister Mrs Ghandi the following
morning, her face was a picture.
England came calling in 1973…
Another dream debut (106 in the second
innings v West Indies at The Oval). The
attack was Garry Sobers, Keith Boyce,
Bernard Julien, Lance Gibbs and Inshan
Ali. They were a pretty reasonable side,
although Sobers was coming towards the
end of his career (he played his last Test
the following year). At the time you just
think, “Oh, I’m in good nick, that was my
day, and just take it in your stride.” Thinking
about it now feels surreal. Obviously, I am
now tremendously proud and no one can
take it away from me. In the first innings I
went in with about 20 minutes to the close
of play and Ray Illingworth asked me if I
wanted a nightwatchman. I went in and hit
a six and a four off Inshan which probably
raised a few eyebrows, and I recall using a
new bat, a 21-inch handle Stuart Surridge,
which weighed about 2lbs and 3 or 4oz, a
similar weight to the one Garry used.
All nine Tests you played were against
West Indies…
After that debut I didn’t put it together
enough. I had a wretched tour in 1973/74.
I played well in the tour matches, but, in
the Tests, I didn’t get a run. In 1976 I was
brought back against West Indies who
had a slightly different attack by then.
It was ruthless: Michael Holding, Andy
Roberts, Wayne Daniel, all 90mph-plus.
Vanburn Holder was fast-medium – they
called him the spinner! I played two Tests
in that series and that was that. I was rated
highly as a good player of spin – I scored
187 against Bishan Bedi and the touring
Indians in 1974 – but was also considered
a good player of the quicks as well.
Throughout my career I really should have
got the big scores: 140s, 150s, 160s.
In 1977 you famously gave Malcolm
Nash another torrid time, hitting
6-4-6-6-6-6, at Swansea (again)…
Yes, almost nine years to the day after
Sobers did it to him. Glamorgan had just

PATRICK EAGAR/POPPERFOTO/GETTY IMAGES

How did you start playing cricket?
I was born in Preston and played for
Lancashire from under-11s, alongside
David Lloyd. I think he captained the
side on occasion and so did I. I went to
De La Salle College, Salford which was a
staunch rugby-playing school, but learnt
a lot about the game with Marple CC
in the Lancashire and Cheshire League
while playing age-group cricket at county,
regional and national level.

FACING UP | OPENERS

FRANK HAYES
Born December 6 1946
Age 74
Major teams England, Lancashire
Tests 9 matches, 244 runs at 15.25,
HS 106* (v West Indies at
The Oval, 1973), 1 100, 7 catches
ODIs 6 matches, 128 runs at
25.60, HS 52 (v East Africa
at Edgbaston, 1975), 1 50
First-class 272 matches,
13,018 runs at 35.86, HS 187,
23 100s, 67 50s, 176 catches
List A 232 matches, 4857 runs
at 25.97, HS 102, 1 100,
24 50s, 57 catches

Frank Hayes on his way
to 29 in the second Test
at Edgbaston in 1973.
The wicketkeeper is
Deryck Murray

15

Weren’t you also good at rugby?
I secretly played rugby as centre for
Broughton Park until 1974/75 alongside
England’s Tony Neary. It was the
equivalent of today’s Premiership. I played
three times for the 1st XI and scored a try in
my final game but also got injured. It ended
up in the press and Lancashire chairman
Cedric Rhodes said: “What the hell are you
doing, you can’t play rugby?”
And you were also good at football, right?
I was actually a better footballer than
a cricketer: a centre-forward, although
I also played centre-half later on in my
career. I was good in the air and did the
100 yards in evens; I thought I was Denis
Law. I also played alongside Liverpool’s
Steve Heighway for both English and
British Universities. I met him again
shortly after turning professional and it
was great to remember the good old days.
I tried him again only recently in order to
get his views which would fit nicely into
a chapter of a book I’m in the process of
writing but I didn’t manage to get hold of
him. Anyway… I am a Manchester United
fan, yes. I was City until I was five. It was
City v United in the playground, and the
sides were unbalanced so I switched to
United and have stayed with them since. I
got to know George Best and Denis quite

16 | thecricketer.com

well. In fact, I played five-a-side football
with Bestie and Rodney Marsh. We played
against the Quality Street Gang who were
a group of gangsters in Manchester. It was
at the Stalybridge Sports Centre and I was
marking their No.1 hitman and former
boxer, Jimmy Swords. I hit him hard with
tackles which were more akin to rugby
and he didn’t bat an eyelid! It was really
quite unnerving! In the bar after the game,
I was having a beer with Rodney and Wilf
McGuinness when I was slapped on the
shoulder by a guy in a huge fawn coat and
swinging medallion. It was Swords and
after an awkward pause, he said: “I like the
way you play. Pint?” I had a few interesting
nights with George and Alex ‘Hurricane’
Higgins. I was and still am fascinated by
naked talent of this kind. I was at an Old
Trafford Test with Richie Benaud and Alex
was there. He looked in the mirror and said:
“You are the greatest snooker player in the
world”, before pulling a ballpoint pen out of
his inside pocket and combing his hair with
it. Richie and I couldn’t believe it. He was
extraordinarily gifted and hugely eccentric.
He loved drinking and once turned up at
my wine bar; what an amazing night that
was! Best and Higgins were rightly heralded
as the people’s champions and yet they fell
over, drank to excess and lived their lives in
a less than exemplary way. When they died,
thousands turned up and grieved at their
funerals. Naked genius – people go miles
to see them and, in these politically correct
times, will we ever see their like again?

ABOVE
Pulling Inshan
Ali at The Oval
in 1973
BELOW
Hayes hits out at
New Zealand’s
Richard
Collinge during
a 1975 World
Cup match at
Trent Bridge

There’s a famous quote by Jilly Cooper
about you: “I wouldn’t mind making
Hayes while the sun shines.”
I never met her, but it’s a nice
literary flourish.
She must have seen you on the telly and
liked the look of you…
I have never read one of her books, and nor
has my wife.
So you are still friends with Bumble –
I see he called you the ‘professor and
a nutcase’…
Did he? I missed that one. We sometimes
converse quiet a lot during Tests. I give
him the odd story from time to time but
he’s always been a natural comedian and
talks so much sense about cricket. When
he was running the England Under-19s,
he asked his quick bowler what he would
bowl next ball. When the 17-year-old said
‘yorker’ he told him, ‘No, hit him again first
and then bowl him a yorker!’ Great sense,
great passion and a sense of humour.
After cricket you worked at
Felsted School…
Yes, I taught physics and maths and
ran cricket for a decade. Nick Knight,
Derek Pringle and John Stephenson had
left by then. However, I did coach Tim
Phillips of Essex, but don’t get me on
started on that. He should have played for
England; at the age of 16 he was the best
young left-arm spinner in the country
by miles. When he was 14 he took four
wickets against Tonbridge School 1st XI
who had three Kent 2nd XI players on the
staff. He had a slightly curved run, coming
in between the umpire and the stumps,
and when he let it go you could hear it
whirring. The coaches started fiddling
with his action and instructed him to
have the umpire close up to the stumps
and run in straight. Ray East was a huge
fan of his and, for me, he was a better
bowler than Monty Panesar, but it didn’t
happen for him.

ALLSPORT/HULTON ARCHIVE/DENNIS OULDS/CENTRAL PRESS/GETTY IMAGES

taken the new ball, and this time Malcolm
was bowling his quick stuff, unlike the spin
to Sobers – that made mine the better
knock, ha! Bumble was captain and he
signalled that we needed quick runs. I
was on 80-odd. I hit the first one for six,
then a perfect extra-cover drive for four,
then four sixes. Bumble remembered it
on Sky when he was talking about how
many bats they used now – the 12th man
brings out six at a time. I broke mine off
the fourth ball of the over, and walked up
the other end, borrowed Barry Wood’s
and hit two sixes with it. Malcolm and
I had a beer afterwards – we loved to
talk rugby. Two years ago, he came to
Leicester to speak and I was going to go
down to see him but I had too much on
the following day. Unfortunately, he has
since died and it depresses me a lot when
I think of the missed opportunity. He was
a good cricketer, a fine allrounder and a
great one-day player who could open the
bowling and bowl left-arm spin. By the way
I told Bumble that he would have scored
another 10,000 runs with those modern
bats, and as for Clive Lloyd… they’d have
never found the balls! Modern bats are
extraordinary, the pick-up is so light with
huge edges: you just have to tap it. Even
at 65 years of age, when doing fielding
practice, I had to under-hit balls to stop
them flying out of the ground.

FACING UP | OPENERS
ABOVE
England in the West
Indies 1973/74,
(l-r): Tony Greig,
Bob Willis, Mike
Hendrick, Chris
Old, Pat Pocock,
Geoff Arnold, John
Jameson, Derek
Underwood,
Frank Hayes,
Dennis Amiss,
Jack Birkenshaw,
Keith Fletcher,
Bob Taylor, Alan
Knott and captain
Mike Denness
BELOW
Stuart Broad,
Hayes’ protege

You moved to Oakham where you had a
famous player under your wing…
Yes, I taught physics and maths and
was director of cricket, in charge of
administering 20 age-group sides, and
running the 1st XI with David Steele as the
cricket pro. Everything felt right from the
outset. The headmaster, Tony Little, was
an extraordinary leader and motivator.
He began my final interview with the
words: “I do apologise. I am seven and
a half minutes late but the claret was
magnificent.” I’d have come to the school
for that statement alone. Stuart Broad
arrived at the school simultaneously
when he was 11 and when we did our first
one-on-one coaching session, quite
clearly he was different: the way he timed
the ball, the way he approached every
session, the way he thought about the
game. Even for one so young, you could
see it in his eyes and ambition was written
all over him. I also taught Stuart physics
for two years and he frequently impressed
me in the classroom. In some topics, he
would certainly compete with those in
much higher sets on occasion, baffling
me with figures I could not dispute. On
one occasion, he was delighted that I had
demonstrated, using difficult physics, the
actual position of the sweet spot on his
bat, and during a discussion on balanced
forces, he raised his hand and exclaimed:
“Do you know, Sir, that if I can get a
pressure difference of just one per cent
between one side of the ball and the other,
a cricket ball will swing one metre on the
way to the batsman.” I was flummoxed
and, on this occasion, I had to agree that
he knew more about fluid dynamics than
his teacher. The suggestion that no one at
Oakham spotted his bowling is complete
bunkum. Although we knew he was a very
good allrounder, we had him in the first
team as a bowler at the tender age of 14.
He was deadly accurate, had a beautiful
wrist, and worked out batsmen with great
precision. When he opened the bowling
for Oakham Under-16s against the county

U16s, one of the county officials said:
“Who’s the guy opening the bowling, I
like the look of him.” I said: “You’re joking,
aren’t you? He opened the batting for you
two weeks ago!” His 169 against Pakistan
at Lord’s in 2010 was a true reflection of his
batting ability and Freddie Flintoff once
remarked that, as far as he was concerned,
Broad could bat anywhere, even at No.3:
“He’s miles better than me at the same
age.” Sadly, being hit (by Varun Aaron in
2014) greatly spooked him. The school
cricket circuit was a strong one from which
many fine players developed and when we
played Bedford School, their coach Derek
Randall asked David Steele and myself
to look at one of his players: “We think he
can play a bit.” We had a good long look
at him as he careened to a magnificent
double-century against us. His name? Sir
Alastair Cook!
You wanted to say something
about technique…
Yes. Over-coaching. It’s one of my pet
hates, and was even when I played.
Perhaps I am a grumpy old man with a Test
average of 15.25 but I hate it when a young
guy has real talent and coaches confront
him with technical instruction and a
plethora of ideas on how to think about
the game rather than let them investigate
for themselves. It has to be the soul of the
player that strides the arena not that of the
coach. I also find it hard to take when some
pundits go on and on about mental health
and state that a century against Andy
Roberts and Michael Holding in a county
game is worthless. Instead, they maintain,
temperament is what it’s all about. True,
temperament is important but all the
temperament in the world is worth nothing
without the skill and reactions necessary
to actually cope with bowlers of such ilk.
Indeed it is this sort of commentary which
produces mental health problems. With
the greatest respect to Rory Burns and
Dom Sibley, players whose attitude and
courage I admire immensely, what

seven-year-old player would naturally
stand in such a manufactured way. There
are too many people hovering around,
stuffing young heads with nonsense. At
one time, when Josh Cobb and Ian Saxelby
were at Oakham, I was contacted by an
ECB lifestyle manager whose brief it was to
interview the two 16-year-olds. When I put
it to the ECB official that the two players
were already surrounded by a multitude
of people issuing them with instructions
for success including individual lifestyle
managers at their respective counties,
her answer was that she merely wanted
to check that everything was being
conducted in the appropriate manner.
Each player was smothered by batting,
bowling and fielding coaches, a sports
scientist, a dietician, two lifestyle managers
and more. Many coaches wield coaching
manuals and speak the most extraordinary,
meaningless jargon and many of them are
not proficient enough to recognise a player
when they see one. Some cannot form an
opinion by observation alone and, instead,
only data allows them to judge. One of the
greatest coaching attributes is recognising
levels of talent in order to differentiate
between those to whom very little must
be said and those who need a great deal
of guidance. Apologies if I appear to rant
but it really does depress me when the
cricketing public miss out on the fantastic
talent available because natural flair and
ability has been stifled.
Thank you Frank…
Have you enough stuff ? It didn’t feel an
interview, more like a natter…

THE SUPER OVER
Favourite album?
Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours – I found it
beguiling when I first heard it, and still do
Favourite food?
Steak and chips – taste and substance, not pretentious
Favourite film?
The Sting – narrowly beating
A Fistful of Dollars. Anything
with Paul Newman and Robert
Redford in it – proper blokes,
great acting, with humour

17

Barney Ronay

Sky resuscitates Championship out of necessity
The best thing about the appearance of
Banquo’s ghost in Macbeth is that, while
the ghost wants Macbeth to feel guilty
about the brutal murder of its host body, it
doesn’t actually say anything, or rub it in, or
do very much at all.
Instead the ghost just sits there looking
wronged and noble and pale – existing
reproachfully, like a highly skilled
Hungarian grandmother.
There was something of this same
emotional power-play about the unexpected
appearance of live County Championship
cricket on UK TV screens in place of the
postponed Indian Premier League.
Deprived of 31 scheduled games of highgrade T20, Sky Sports has been forced to
take the nuclear option, digging out the
skeleton in the attic, jazzing it up with a
spray of cologne and marching it around in
front of the cameras.
The end result, blinking in the cold
white light of early May, was Middlesex v
Gloucestershire in County Championship
Group 2, broadcast live across three days
to the apparent surprise, and obvious
enjoyment, of all concerned.
Three more games were scheduled to
follow in quick succession. And guess what:
it’s a wonderful thing. Sport in the time of
plague has thrown up a few moments like
this, opportunities seized by a combination
of need, existing technology and someone
somewhere having a good idea.

18 | thecricketer.com

At Lord’s Sky used the existing Middlesex
live-stream and bolted on a Where
Eagles Dare-style platoon of busking
commentators – a Ward, a Hussain – along
with the in-house team of Matt Floyd,
Isabelle Westbury and Adam Collins, who
was hugely instrumental in getting the
whole thing off the ground in the first place.
And so, with little fanfare this happy,
ghostly, bleached out-looking thing
appeared in the second week of May,
colours thinned by the digital feed, cameras
a little jumpy, but with feeling of arthouse
verity about the whole production.
Crikey, you thought, pinned to the
lockdown sofa by this moreish spectacle.
This isn’t a next-best version of county
cricket – this is county cricket. I feel cold.
There’s a low-level buzz in the air and a
fug of alluring sadness about those rows of
empty plastic seats.
At times I half-expected to look up and
notice a man in sandals and a cotton sunhat
perched in the corner of the room, putting

ABOVE
Tim Murtagh
dismisses Tom
Lace in the
Middlesex v
Gloucestershire
match shown live
on Sky Sports

The evangelical marketing of T20 and
The Hundred has always been tied up in
something else – the stupidising of sport,
the absolute, wrong-headed conviction that
the only way to retail this thing is to make it
shorter, flatter, less complex, less difficult

down his piccalilli sandwich to erase a
scorecard dot before spending the next two
hours chuntering over a five-ball over.
It was gripping stuff too. It is easy to
forget how good you have to be at cricket,
even to play at the most disdained and
overlooked of all the levels. David Payne,
10 years on the scene, produced a highgrade spell of left-arm nip and swing.
James Bracey, who looks proper, provided
some obvious batting class. Tim Murtagh
swerved and seamed the ball around,
approaching the wicket in a bounding slow
motion, like a man in a lead-lined hazmat
suit running gamely up a small incline.
In those moments it was hard not to
see a counterfactual version of history
where this remaindered product had been
projected and promoted, presented to the
world with any kind of confidence.
It would be perverse, and also deeply
tedious to suggest, as some still do, that
T20 is an aberration rather than a financial
lifeline and general source of fun and light.
More than one thing can be good.
But did it really have to be so absolute?
Does this other thing really have to be
pushed to the side of the platter like an
unwanted celery garnish?
The evangelical marketing of first T20
and now The Hundred has always been
tied up in something else – the stupidising
of sport, the absolute, wrong-headed
conviction that the only way to retail this
thing is to make it shorter, flatter, less
complex, less difficult.
Young people? They only like easy things.
They only watch Snaptube, YouChat,
whatever. This focus-group truism has
been parroted by useful, often techilliterate people in the media.
Experience of other humans or indeed
actual young people, suggests it is a selfserving generalisation. By contrast this
accidental glimpse of cricket from the back
of the cupboard carried one piece of truth.
It does have value, edges and narrative. It
will hook you in.
There is an obvious outlet here for county
cricket to be streamed and broadcast every
season like this. Sell an online subscription.
Put it on Sky during the day. Gift an hour’s
highlights to BBC4. It’s good. People will like
it. In the meantime fire up the flatscreen
and meet that reproachful gaze full on.
Who knows for how long, but this thing is
still alive dammit.

ALEX DAVIDSON/GETTY IMAGES

The backstop

When the 1997 England – Australia one-day series
gets underway, Surrey’s maverick leg-spinner,
Johnny Lorrens, finds that the old enemy are not
his only ones. The worlds of cricket and rock ‘n’ roll
collide with disastrous consequences…

“I read this over a
long weekend and
got more and more
involved with every
red herring nibbled.
The plot is ingenious;
fortunately Johnny
Lorrens makes a
better detective (and
cricketer) than I am.”
Richard Hobson,
The Cricketer

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OPINION | OPENERS

Mike Selvey

The inside track

STU FORSTER/GETTY IMAGES

Smith can leave with head held high
To a world of Unnatural Laws such as
Murphy’s, there can be added three that I
like to think of as Selve’s Laws.
Selve’s First Law states that the dynamic
new golf club you try out and decide will
cut your handicap to semi-pro levels
proves to be a stinker the moment you part
with cash for it. The Second Law states
that the car keys are always in the trouser
pocket on the same side as the shopping
you are carrying to the vehicle. The Third
Law says that the requisite number of
players in any sports team is always one
more than permitted.
Ed Smith will certainly have had personal
selection experience of the Third Law
during his time as national selector, a role
that all too often entails trying to fit a quart
into a pint pot. My own, on the other hand,
contained less responsibility, confined as
it was to relatively informed pin-sticking
in the pages of The Guardian. My team
selections generally provoked some
argument on the paper’s message boards,
which in itself was telling. Once I decided to
use social media as an exercise to see who
people thought should be in a touring party

of 16. In response, and leaving aside the
flippant ones, I was suggested 33 names.
So when Ed was doing it for real, it is easy
to see that you cannot even come close to
pleasing everybody. Now of course things
have changed: Ed has gone, as has his role,
and full responsibility now rests with the
coach and presumably captain. Even this

I still believe we should have
a national selector with
complete autonomy, making
all final squad decisions
away from the collective
provokes argument. The general simplistic
view seems to be that of course the coach
and captain should be responsible for
picking the players they will be charged
with. So any failures will be down to
them and them alone. We know where
responsibility lies.
Personally, I think this is a mistake and it

ABOVE
Ed Smith with
Jofra Archer and
Chris Silverwood

stems from a long-held view that selection
needs a very largely evidence-based initial
input from a body disassociated directly
with the team: not independent as such
but distanced to a degree. In theory, this
is what Ed had as national selector. So he
and his co-selectors picked a squad and
handed it over.
Again, in theory, it was always my
contention that the process should be
that the coach and captain make an
assessment of the sort of players they want
to fit their squad strategy for a forthcoming
match, series, or tour, based on the
opposition, venues, and so on. It should
then be down to the national selector to
find these players, the majority of whom of
course would be obvious. The problem has
been that once the coach had been coopted and as a voting rather than merely
observing or advisory member of his
selection panel, the autonomy he ought to
have had was diluted. So there was always
a danger of conflict: if the coach believes
a certain player warrants selection in a
squad but Ed, armed with a plethora of
information, doesn’t, he either antagonises
the coach in not selecting him, or loses his
autonomy, while at the same time being
overtly responsible should the player
he never wanted prove a poor choice.
What Ed had was a compromise, where
effectively selection was by committee.
At least we now have clarity. With one
person making the decision rather than a
corporate agreement (meetings rarely if
ever came down to a vote so consensus
and occasionally horse trading would win
the day) selection is still either right or
wrong but the single person who made it
gains the plaudits or carries the can.
I still believe that we should have a
national selector but he should have
complete autonomy, using everyone else
as advisers but making all final squad
decisions away from the collective. In that
way, the responsibility is clear.
As for Ed, I think he came out well in
credit in his three years. I cannot say I
agreed with every selection, and Stuart
Broad clearly did not either (that, as I have
said, is the nature of things); but my point
is more about who was really behind some
of the choices. Not all his, I would venture.
One day soon, at Lord’s, over a drink, and
unencumbered as he is now, we shall meet
and chat and I might get the full story.
thecricketer.com | 21

Tanya Aldred

Bedrocks of the game
At Old Trafford, James Anderson was
landing the ball on a cherry pip. In he
cantered from the Brian Statham End,
towards an empty pavilion, low knees,
finely oiled, pendulum-tock reliable.
One, two, three, four, five balls was all
it took before he persuaded Marnus
Labuschagne to tickle into the happy
gloves of Dane Vilas.
A plan had come together. In a big
interview earlier that week, Anderson told
The Guardian that he had never bowled to
Australia’s No.3 Labuschagne, currently
playing for Glamorgan, and was looking
forward to the challenge.
Like Andrew Flintoff before him,
Anderson just loves playing for Lancashire.
He’s in his 23rd season – the Burnley
Express is a one-club boy – and as loyal as
the rose is red.
Asked in that same interview if he would
try to emulate Glen Chapple and bowl
for Lancashire into his 40s, he said: “If
I’m not playing for England, then yes.
I’ve spoken to the guys here and told
them I want to play or be involved in
some capacity. I love the club. If I
retire [from England] or am moved on,

22 | thecricketer.com

and if I still have enough in the legs,
then definitely.”
Over on the other side of the Pennines,
Joe Root has been flexing his front foot for
Yorkshire, making a century against Kent
in an otherwise patchwork spring and 99
versus Glamorgan. He also bowled the
ball that took his younger brother Billy
to a hundred for the Welsh county. As a
snowstorm stopped play at Headingley
in early April, he still bubbled with boyish
enthusiasm. Why? A deep affection.
“It’s the bedrock of our game,” he told
the BBC’s Kevin Howells.
At Trent Bridge, Stuart Broad has been
steaming off the grass with the new ball,
helping Nottinghamshire to their first win
in first-class cricket for 1,043 days. “Stuart
has been running in... like it’s been a Test
match,” said his ecstatic captain Steven
Mullaney after the 310-run victory over
Derbyshire. In the thrashing of Essex that
followed the casting off of the shackles,
Broad had a prodding Sir Alastair Cook
caught behind for 3.
Cook has experienced an up-and-down
April and May, a hundred on the pitch at
New Road that has welcomed batsmen with
open arms and an array of luxurious new
sun-loungers, but less success elsewhere.
Though there have again been flashes of the

ABOVE
Anderson, Root,
Broad and Cook

Central
contracts
may not
just have
increased
players’
longevity
for the Test
arena, but
for county
cricket too

new expansive Cook who drove through the
covers with such a devilish air in the Bob
Willis Trophy final last autumn.
What treats for Championship devotees
to have these England greats – the country’s
highest Test wicket-taker, the Test captain,
the England bowler with the second-highest
number of Test wickets and the man with
the most Test runs – not only playing county
cricket, but enjoying it. How magical too
for their team-mates and the young boys
making their way who, through the quirks of
the new conference system, have a chance
of playing against them no matter how lowly
their club’s fortunes in 2019.
The long shadow of Covid has prevented
fans getting to the grounds in these early
rounds, but the viewing figures from the
streams have been mouth-watering.
Roughly 700,000 people have engaged
with the county streams per round and,
gallingly for Labuschagne, there have been
more than 155,000 – and counting – views
of a clip of his dismissal by Anderson put
out by Lancashire on Twitter.
It might just be that the much-cursed
central contracts (by some), which pull
Test cricketers away from their county
commitments in order to rest them for
the international game, have increased
their longevity in county cricket too. By
chucking into the dustbin of history those
days when tired bowlers went straight from
a Championship game to a Test and back
again, it has removed the grindstone.
As the Telegraph’s Tim Wigmore has
pointed out, there is an instructive
comparison to be made between Darren
Gough, who played 248 first-class games,
only 58 of them for England, retiring from
Test cricket aged 32 as his body “was in
bits”, and Anderson. Anderson has played
258 first-class games, 160 of them Tests
for England. Yes, he has played fewer
games for his club, but he has been able
to enjoy the experience a lot more – and,
at the grand old age of 38, is still bursting
for the new ball on a Gradgrind-grey
Manchester Thursday.
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NAOMI BAKER/STU FORSTER/GARETH COPLEY/GETTY IMAGES

Boundary view

Kate Cross

Off the long run

Batter or batsman – let’s celebrate change
How do you gender-neutralise a sport
that has historical roots dating all the way
back to the 16th century? A sport where
any terminology which is gender-based is
male-orientated; batsman, third man and
so on. A sport which is notorious for being
‘the gentlemen’s game’.
Surely the first place to start would
be with the language we use within it.
That seems logical to me, anyway. And
yet, when I logged into Twitter to find
ESPNcricinfo were changing ‘batsman’ to

As an international cricketer
I still have to put an order
in for ‘small men’s’ gloves
and pads. Maybe there
hasn’t been the market yet

ABOVE
Kate Cross takes
part in a clinic with
schoolchildren in
Canberra, 2020

24 | thecricketer.com

‘batter’ I saw a lot of defensive responses:
“What crazy logic is this? It’s just a word.”
It is just a word, of course. But it is a word
which could potentially put a young girl
off the sport because she feels like the
door isn’t open for her. Surely we want our
sport to be the most welcoming for every
single person.
It, most likely, will not affect a young boy

being called a ‘batter’, but it might affect a
young girl being called a ‘batsman’.
I grew up playing cricket in a boys’ team
and I can tell you, the only thing I ever
wanted was to feel accepted, and not
stand out like a sore thumb because I was
the only player with a ponytail sticking out
of my cap.
I commend those people who are looking
to gender-neutralise our sport and make
it a game to be enjoyed by everyone
and anyone.
Let’s not forget, after all, that women
have actually pioneered the game of
cricket. We invented overarm bowling.
If Christiana Willes had not kept getting
her arm caught in her skirt while she
bowled underarm, we might not be able
to sit today and enjoy the 95mph-plus
of Jofra Archer, or the magic of James
Anderson’s ability to swing the ball.
Gender-neutral terminology doesn’t
seem a lot to ask, does it?
Once we have got the language ticked
off, you can then look at what is worn. I
know everyone gets their older siblings’
hand-me-downs. I was no exception;
having to shave the handles off my older
brother’s bats so that I could pick it up
more comfortably. But, as an international
cricketer I still have to put an order in for
‘small men’s’ gloves and pads.

Maybe there hasn’t been the market
for women’s fit kit yet. I know a few
companies, such as New Balance, are
marketing a range of equipment aimed
more at women and youths due to the
lightweight nature of it. But I have no
doubt that the market will change soon,
with the likes of The Hundred making
female cricketers a lot more visible.
I could argue that The Hundred is
actually going to be a pivotal moment
for our sport and for neutralising gender.
For young kids (girls and boys) to see
a competition where the women start
with equal opportunity to their male
counterparts is going to be such a strong
statement and one that cannot be
undervalued because of the format of
the match.
Nobody likes change, that’s pretty
obvious. But maybe instead of opposing
change which encourages a better future
for the female side of our sport, we can
try to celebrate it. To encourage a young
girl to take up an incredible sport makes
a lot more sense to me than fighting a
language change. Shifting perceptions
is always going to be difficult, especially
when we have not even had 10 years of
being a professional sport. But sometimes
the smallest steps can make the
biggest impact.

TRACEY NEARMY-ICC/ICC VIA GETTY IMAGES

Kate Cross
is a seamer for
England Women
and Lancashire
Women and
will captain
Manchester
Originals in The
Hundred. She
and Alex Hartley
host the No Balls
podcast

Join England cricket legends at one of the
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GLOUCESTERSHIRE’S
TOM SMITH AND HIS
TWO DAUGHTERS. ONE
OF MANY FAMILIES
WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO
HELP THROUGH YOUR
GENEROSITY.

Jake Goodwill on TIM BRESNAN, the
versatile workhorse now extending
his career at Edgbaston after years
of sterling service for Yorkshire

OPPOSITE
Here at the MCG,
the 2010/11 Ashes
was a triumph
for Tim Bresnan
RIGHT
Last man
standing against
South Africa at
The Oval in 2012

For the sake of full disclosure, having
entered my adolescence as a slightly
rotund, medium-paced swing bowler, it
was perhaps inevitable that Tim Bresnan
would be the cricketer with whom
I most identified.
From 2009 onwards, England’s Test side
was on the up. It was a team that boasted
future greats galore, controversial figures,
and mavericks too. Bresnan does not fall
into any of these categories. And yet, I
would find myself living every second of
his career as if it were my own. An omission
from the Test line-up for Steve Finn was
like a dagger to the heart. Why could the
selectors not see that Bresnan was the
perfect player to balance England’s XI?
‘Brezzy Lad’ was the relatable side of
a slightly robotic, albeit very successful,
England team. Drilled by the austere Andy
Flower and led by the ever-serious Andrew
Strauss, Bresnan brought some muchneeded likeability to one of England’s
finest-ever sides. While mistakes in the
field would be publicly chastised by James
Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graeme
Swann, Bresnan retained an air of
geniality, even under the most trying
of circumstances.
His personality drew you in.
Bresnan was, and still is, the friendly
Yorkshireman with an apparent
sense of humour. If one were to
compile a list of players from that

Bresnan was always far more of a
handful than he should have been. He
could swing the ball – conventional
and reverse – economically churn
out the overs when nothing was
happening and even deliver a spell
of lively short stuff if required.
A versatile bowler, capable of
being a workhorse as well as
something far more explosive
26 | thecricketer.com

England side to go for a pint with, Bresnan
certainly tops it – although a group venture
with Strauss and Kevin Pietersen would
also have its merits, especially after a
drink or two.
This is not to undermine the skill of
Bresnan as a player. The much-fabled
trajectory of English allrounders goes from
Ian Botham to Andrew Flintoff to Ben
Stokes – and it was Bresnan who helped
bridge the gap between the latter two,
consistently performing above expectation.
He brought wickets, runs and a palpable
sense that he was enjoying himself.
His approach to the crease, while a far
cry from the smooth run-up of a Michael
‘Whispering Death’ Holding, was full of
purpose. Arms slightly flared outwards,
Bresnan would chunter towards the crease
before delivering with unerring accuracy.
Reputed for bowling a ‘heavy ball’, Bresnan
was always far more of a handful than he
should have been. He could swing the ball
– conventional and reverse – economically
churn out the overs when nothing was
happening and even deliver a spell of lively
short stuff if required. A versatile bowler,
capable of being a workhorse as well as
something far more explosive.
Bresnan succeeded in all three formats,
representing England 142 times in total
– a testament to both his durability and
adaptability. The Yorkshire stalwart
scored valuable runs for England’s
Test team at No.8 and, for a
period, even wielded his bat with
aplomb at No.7 in the ODI
team. Six years on from his last
international appearance,
Bresnan remains as valuable
as ever, now a matchwinner
for Warwickshire on the
county circuit.
What drove my adoration of
Bresnan more than anything
else was the sense that he
was underappreciated and
underrated. He was not the
star of the show, and I did not
wish him to be treated as such.
But further recognition for his
role as a vital ingredient in nearly
all of England’s successes of that
era I did desire.
England’s World T20 win in
the Caribbean in 2010 – Bresnan
was there. Finally winning the

Ashes down under – Bresnan was there.
Becoming the No.1 Test side in the world
– Bresnan was there. The 2012/13 series
win in India – you guessed it, Bresnan was
there.
He was not merely a beneficiary of playing
in a good team either, he was one of the
reasons it was successful. Against Australia
in 2010/11, Bresnan took 11 wickets in the
two Tests he played, with Ricky Ponting,
Mike Hussey, Shane Watson and
Michael Clarke among his scalps.
At the MCG, when England raided
Australia’s citadel by knocking them over
for 98 in the first innings, it was a lad from
Pontefract that helped lead the charge,
taking the wicket of opener Phil Hughes, later
removing Brad Haddin from the crease.
Perhaps it is just me, but was there an
added notch of glee among the England
players when Bresnan struck? A smidgen
of extra exhilaration when the true team
man had his moment in the Victorian sun?
Much to my disappointment, Bresnan
was not guaranteed a place in England’s
Test line-up, often battling with Finn or
Chris Tremlett to join the holy trinity of
Anderson, Broad, and Swann. The other
two contenders added variety due to
their pace and height but for a time, when
Bresnan played, England won. It was quite
that simple.
From the start of his Test career, over
the course of 13 Tests from 2009 to
2012, England triumphed whenever he
featured. His 14th ended a draw against
the West Indies at Edgbaston, rain cruelly
eliminating the first two days and Bresnan’s
winning streak in the process.
Still unbeaten as a Test cricketer, Bresnan
and England headed to The Oval to face
a formidable South African side. In an
unfortunate twist of fate, the first and
only time I saw Bresnan in a Test was his
first defeat. Hashim Amla had racked up a
triple-century as South Africa took control
of a series that would only grow in notoriety.
On the fifth day, I entered The Oval and
watched Bresnan defiantly – but forlornly
– bat for the draw in a typically selfless
showing. He was unbeaten that day, having
stoically accumulated 20 from 61 deliveries
in vain. I still have a grainy photograph of
him from that ultimately inconsequential
innings. Well, inconsequential to everyone
else in attendance, and probably to
Bresnan too.

GARETH COPLEY/ MARK DADSWELL/GETTY IMAGES

My favourite cricketer

MY FAVOURITE CRICKETER | OPENERS

TIM BRESNAN
Born February 28 1985
Age 36
Major teams England, Yorkshire,
Warwickshire, Perth Scorchers
Tests 23 matches, 575 runs at 26.13,
HS 91, 3x 50s, 72 wickets at 32.73,
BB 5/48, 1 5wk, 8 catches
ODIs 85 matches, 871 runs at 19.79,
HS 80, 1 50, 109 wickets at 34.98,
BB 5/48, 1 5wk, 20 catches
T20Is 34 matches, 216 runs at 16.61,
HS 47*, 24 wickets at 36.95, BB 3/10,
10 catches
First-class 205 matches, 6949 runs
at 29.19, HS 169*, 7 100s, 35 50s,
565 wickets at 31.07, BB 5/28, 9 5wk,
110 catches
List A 279 matches, 3221 runs at
21.61, HS 95*, 10 50s, 315 wickets at
34.26, BB 5/48, 1 5wk, 73 catches
T20 182 matches, 1639 runs at 20.48,
HS 51, 1 50, 180 wickets at 25.85,
BB 6/19, 1 5wk, 61 catches

27

Why I love cricket

Interview by Sam Morshead

BELOW
A young Jeremy
Farrar grew up
watching the great
Barry Richards at
Hampshire

I grew up with cricket. Both my mother
and my father were really avid cricketers
and cricket supporters. Cricket is
intensely individual. It is you as a
batsman against that bowler. There is
something very intimate about that.
There is no escaping. It is your technique,
your ability, your mental state against
somebody else, in a very gladiatorial way,
and all in a theatre on that little square. It
is obviously not boxing but I feel it is quite
close. At the same time, you are part of a
team. In my professional life as well, that
sense of your individual contribution – as
a batsman, as a doctor – being part of
a much larger effort is really important.
That combination of individuality and
teamwork has always appealed to me.

I think bowlers have a really easy life.
They can bowl six balls, five can be useless
but they can take a wicket and everyone
forgets them. As a batsman you only have
one chance and you know it is going to
be a really miserable day if you get out
for nought.
Cricket came into my life through a
combination of my primary school and at
home. My father was the headmaster of a
primary school which I went to and he was
a keen sportsperson – a very good rugby
league player and a good cricketer. Being
the youngest of six kids, there was a
lot of cricket in the garden. But we were
not in England for very long and when I
was nine or 10 we went to live in Tripoli in

Libya. The school there was a small block
of flats, of which the top right apartment
was where we lived. In the grounds, the
garden – which was sand – had mostly
been turned into a playground for the
school, but my father insisted on a matted
strip of hessian being laid out. I can vividly
remember a palm tree which was built
into a wall, and on that palm tree were
painted three stumps. I played there a lot
with my father and a couple of friends, for
hours. That was really when I first started
to play the game properly myself. Almost
nobody else in Libya shared my interest.
In the early 1970s I watched a lot of cricket
on TV. I was living in Hampshire and
Barry Richards was a big favourite. Clive
Lloyd was captain of Lancashire during
my formative years and captivated me,
and when the West Indian team came into
their prime I loved watching them. Gordon
Greenidge had the most beautiful drive
and I would spend hours playing against a
wall pretending to be either him or Barry
Richards. You cannot underestimate the
power of these sporting icons and how
young people try to replicate them. I
remember watching Greg Chappell on TV,
too, and being inspired. I love watching the
cover drive, how the best players play the
shot and where they put their feet.
I am right-handed but as a cricketing
hero it is very hard to beat David Gower.
In his prime, he was the most beautiful
batsman to watch – languid and in
possession of wonderful timing. I am not
particularly tall and not particularly
strong so timing is everything, and
watching Gower’s exquisite timing was
incredible. He never seemed to do any
more than lean into the ball.
I played extensively at high school, but
less so at university. During A Level years I
played club cricket in the West of England
League for Chippenham. I was selected
for the Hampshire schoolboy side as
a spin bowler, which I have to say now
seems ridiculous. My father’s hero was
Ray Illingworth – he was a Yorkshireman –
and I tried to base my action and twist of
the hips on him.
Because I was playing so much sport in
my A Level year, I then had to resit my A
Levels. By now my family had moved to

28 | thecricketer.com

ALLSPORT/GETTY IMAGES/THE FRANCIS CRICK INSTITUTE/DAVE GUTTRIDGE/COURTESY JEREMY FARRAR

SIR JEREMY FARRAR is among the world’s pre-eminent
experts on infectious diseases. During the Covid-19 pandemic
he has advised the UK government as part of the Scientific
Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), and consulted the
ECB over its plans for biosecurity and the recreational game.
He is the director of the Wellcome Trust and turns out on
Sundays for Steeple Aston CC in north Oxfordshire

WHY I LOVE CRICKET | OPENERS

Wiltshire so I represented the county. That
set-up was very professional. Wiltshire’s
schoolboy sport – rugby, cricket and
hockey, I was playing all three at county
level – was incredibly well organised. They
were really plugged in to bigger cities.
That helped me make the South West and
South of England teams, and we played
against the North. I was amazed because

If you can hold a bat the
right way up it does not
matter whether you are in
Papua New Guinea, north
Oxfordshire or Saigon
us southerners seemed to be about five or
six years younger than the group from the
north. It was so intimidating. While my
voice had hardly broken they were all
shaving! It was schoolboys against adults,
and the South of England Under-19s was
the limit of my progress in cricket.
One of the best parts of cricket is the
scenery in which we play the game. There
is a beautiful village in Oxfordshire called
Great Tew, and it is home to a wonderful
pitch (if you are a batsman): really hard,
really true and superbly looked after by
the groundsman. Four or five years ago,
playing there, I scored my first century
since the early 2000s. That is up there
with some of the best moments of my

cricketing ‘career’.
When I was a medical student, I took an
elective module and went with a friend
to Papua New Guinea for three months
around Christmas 1986. We were in
the highlands, in a place called Mount
Hagen, which is a really tough area: one
night working in the hospital there was
a huge fight in the town between two
communities and we had 25 or 30 people
coming in with bow-and-arrow inflicted
injuries; there were people dead in the
morgue with spears sticking out of them.
I will never forget it. Bizarrely, among all
this, I discovered a very active cricket
scene. I was brought into a team by
someone at the hospital, a family team
called a “one tok”, which means “the same
language” in pidgin English.
I played in Mount Hagen, Goroka, Port
Moresby and Wewak on the coast. These
are stunning grounds, and there were
really talented cricketers. In those three
months I must have played 15 or 16
games of cricket, and playing in Papua
New Guinea was probably – alongside
that century at Great Tew – my
favourite moment. When you play in
places like PNG and Singapore – where I
was also lucky enough to get a game – it
is amazing how the humidity changes the
game. The ball does bizarre things.
I did not pick up a bat a great deal through
my twenties and thirties, but in 1995 I went
to live in Vietnam and surprisingly the
country had a really active cricket scene.

There are communities in Vietnam from
Australia, New Zealand, India, Sri Lanka
and Pakistan, and enough people from
the UK to make a team. And so there was
a league: two Indian teams, two from Sri
Lanka and Australia, and a Vietnamese
team. The Royal Melbourne Institute of
Technology had a campus there and they
had a pitch – concrete with matting – and a
reasonable outfield, in that it was playable.
I do wish I had played more during those
years from 1977 until 1995 but professional
commitments just did not allow me the
time. If you learn well as a child, if you are
taught well as a child, you may be rusty
and it may take you time but you will
never lose that technique.

TOP LEFT
Sir Jeremy Farrar
ABOVE
The beautiful
Great & Little
Tew CC in
Oxfordshire;
Farrar’s snaps
from Papua New
Guinea

If you move a lot as a kid, and as an adult,
there are only so many things which can
gain you access to that community. Often
it is because your children are at the same
school but cricket has a real universality
about it, wherever it is played. There is
a certain grace to it, there is a certain
culture to it which is slightly bizarre but
people welcome you. Especially if you
are reasonably good! If you can hold a
bat the right way up it does not matter
whether you are in Papua New Guinea,
north Oxfordshire or Saigon. It is an
entry road into a social life as well as
playing a fantastic sport.
thecricketer.com | 29

Ask Nasser
Ask the ex-England captain anything. Send questions to magazine@thecricketer.com or tweet @thecricketermag

captain. Like Kane Williamson, they are
tough cricketers.

How good do you think Ollie Pope is,
and how good do you think he will
turn out to be?
Yehuda Emanuel, London
He’s obviously a high-class player and
he’s shown that at times. In India he had
a difficult tour. He looked a bit jittery
and jumpy in the three Tests. The injury
situation hasn’t help, it’s been stop-start.
So hopefully his shoulder will be fine now,
but he has to be careful in the field. I like the
way he is growing as a cricketer – the way
he’s reacted by scoring a shed-load of runs
for Surrey. I’d like to see him move up the
order gradually, ahead of Stokes at No.5.
He takes great catches at short-leg too.

I’m not overly convinced by
the modern trend of getting
across on to off stump.
You solve one problem,
and you create another
Have any young players emerged
as England contenders in the
Championship so far?
Robbie Strange, Oxford
England do have strength in depth. I’m
not saying that they are all going to be
international cricketers, but it’s nice to see
how people react to difficult times. Haseeb
Hameed has come back beautifully: a
change of scenery at Nottinghamshire
seems to have done him good. Dom Bess
has shown character after a difficult winter.
Simon Kerrigan has fought back to play

30 | thecricketer.com

at Northants. Matt Parkinson, Overton,
Robinson and Bracey have caught my
eye. Bracey looked to have a solid game
plan in the match I covered at Lord’s.
Robinson’s stats have been phenomenal
for Sussex over the last two years. Speak to
anyone and they’d say Overton is the most
improved bowler in county cricket.
Where would you place BJ Watling in
terms of Test wicketkeeper/batsmen?
Jim Dime, Bedford
Right up there: an outstanding cricketer,
who rarely gets a mention. He’s a typical
New Zealand Test cricketer. He just
goes under the radar, gets on with his
job, does what is told of him. He’s neat
and smart behind the stumps, and is an
incredible run-scorer for them: he gets
tough runs. When the going gets tough,
the tough get going, as Billy Ocean once
sang. A team ends up in the mould of their

ABOVE
James Bracey,
playing for
Gloucestershire
at Lord’s in May,
showed he has a
solid game plan

When I played a batsmen took a guard of
middle, middle and leg, or leg. They had
both feet maybe six inches apart. Now
batsmen cover their stumps and stand
with feet 24 inches apart. What’s the
thinking behind this?
John Beverley, via email
I’m not sure that everyone has their feet
that far apart. I think that there is a variety
of stances. If you go back to Graeme
Pollock he had quite a wide base at the
crease. I do agree: I’m am not overly
convinced by the modern trend of getting
across on to off stump. They do it because
the ball in England does so much and
they are worried about the outside edge,
playing away from their body and nicking
off. They hope that they can leave anything
outside their eye line. The problem with
that is twofold: 1) They are not stopping
nicking; and 2) more importantly umpires
are seeing that they are taking that guard,
and therefore if they do not get outside the
line, they will be plum lbw to nip-backers.
You solve one problem, and you create
another. I saw a lot of that in the Lord’s
game, with Sam Robson falling victim to
it among others. Batting should be about
playing beside the ball, not right in behind
it. Joe Root has the old-fashioned backand-across from middle and leg method,
and he’s playing with great rhythm… I much
prefer that technique. There have not
been that many successful players batting
on off stump.
What do you make of live-streaming
in club cricket?
Jane Florin, Leeds
It’s not just club cricket. It’s been the go-to
for me in the last month or so for all cricket.
The county games have been brilliant,
being able to watch young players. On Sky
we’ve done three matches via feeds, plus
Surrey v Middlesex we are doing ourselves.
Keysey and I did a show about club cricket
feeds, and I was amazed at some of the
streams. We had one from Colchester and
you had the scores on the screen like it
was proper TV. Even with schools, parents
cannot go and watch at the moment,
and I got to see my boy play at Felsted.
Unfortunately they were bowled out for
50, but it was still nice to see.

ALEX DAVIDSON/GETTY IMAGES

How do you see the England v
New Zealand Test series going?
Jack Haskins, Wokingham
History tells you it’s always close.
New Zealand are in the World Test
Championship final. England are missing
some key players including Jofra Archer,
Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes,
but they have strength in depth. I always
fancy England at home, with a Dukes ball.
New Zealand under Kane Williamson will
be a massive threat, however. I’m looking
forward to seeing Craig Overton, Ollie
Robinson and James Bracey have a go as I
think that they are good cricketers.

THE WINDOW | OPENERS

Gideon Haigh

The window

MARK RAY

Inside job
We’ve all been here. The afternoon that goes
too long. The innings that won’t end. Yet it’s rare
to obtain a glimpse so candid. The reason is that
the photographer was no less exhausted, being a
team-mate of the prone trio.
It was November 25 1984 at Adelaide Oval. Tasmania
had had the temerity to enforce the follow-on against
South Australia, condemning themselves to more
than 200 overs and 14 hours in the field. At tea on the
final day, the hosts were 291 for 6, with batsman
Glenn Bishop and tailender Chris Harms part way
through a three-hour delaying action. Both had
been dropped at the wicket. The ball was old and
soft. A draw was now more or less foreordained.
Ennui and lassitude had set in.
One of the Tasmanians, Mark Ray, always kept a
camera round, in anticipation of his later career as a
photojournalist, author of Cricket: The Game Behind
the Game (1994) and Cricket Masala (2002). At the
break he snapped these alternate views of the same

Each month Gideon Haigh writes
about a favourite photograph of his

cricketers – pace bowlers Patrick Patterson and Roger
Brown, off-spinner Roly Hyatt – before slumping to
the floor himself.
The images catch that stage in any game where the
dressing room has dissolved into something like a
shambolic share house. All concessions to tidiness and
privacy have been abandoned. Clothes are scrunched
and hinched; shoes are exhaustedly shed; coffins spill
over. The furniture is askew; the lockers are agape.
The table is cluttered with lunch’s dishes; the chairs
are draped with discarded clothing; non-cricket attire
mingles with cricket, to be sorted out later, when this
wearying business is done. Even that only three of the XI
are pictured is somehow perfect. Eyes shut or shaded,
they are like the survivors of a gruelling mission.
Lastly, the muted shades. Colour would imbue the
scene with a misplaced vitality; only austere black and
white will suffice. It could be any day where cricket has
exacted its steady toll, on feet and legs, on hands and
minds, leaving one too weary even to sit. But there is still
cricket to go. The game is not done. After tea, Wisden
tells us, Ray took three cheap wickets with his cerebral
left-arm tweakers. Maybe he wasn’t so tired after all.
thecricketer.com | 31

STOKES

30:
AT

32 | thecricketer.com

BEN STOKES | FEATURE

GETTY IMAGES/SPORTZPICS

How much
more’s left
to come?
SIMON HUGHES ON THE ENGLAND ALLROUNDER’S
ACHIEVEMENTS AND WHAT HE MIGHT STILL
ACHIEVE… COMPARING HIM TO TONY GREIG,
SIR IAN BOTHAM AND ANDREW FLINTOFF

thecricketer.com | 33

PREVIOUS
SPREAD
Clockwise from top
left: Ben Stokes in
the 2010 Under-19
World Cup; ODI
in 2014; maiden
ODI century in
2016; the 2015
Trent Bridge Ashes
Test; the 2016
World T2o final;
2018 Edgbaston
Test v India; the
opening match of
the 2019 World
Cup; the 2019
Headingley Ashes
Test; bowling in
India this year;
captaining England
against West Indies
in 2020; the 2019
World Cup final;
258 in Newlands;
batting for Rising
Pune Supergiant in
the 2017 IPL; the
2015 Lord’s Test v
New Zealand; for
Durham in 2010;
and his maiden
Test century, in
Perth, 2013/14
BELOW
Tony Greig, Ian
Botham and
Andrew Flintoff, all
pictured within a
few months of their
30th birthdays

34

“The body is at its best between the ages of 30 and 35,” said
the Greek philosopher Aristotle. It does, of course, depend
what you have done to it. It is worth bearing that in mind
as we compare the relative performances of Stokes against
England’s other finest (recent) allrounders – Tony Greig,
Sir Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff – at the same age. The
question arises who is, or will be, the greatest?
A quick examination of the players’ respective averages
tells a story. Stokes’ Test bowling average (31.38) is at an
all-time low. His batting average (37.04) is slightly but not
significantly below his best (38.58 after his 176 in the Test
against West Indies at Old Trafford last year). But there
has been a steady increase from a bottoming-out of 32.88
two years ago. Post-30 should be his best years.
For Botham the reverse is true. After 25 Tests (aged 24)
he was scoring his runs at 40 and taking his wickets at
18 and he already had six hundreds and 14 five-wicket
hauls. By aged 30 (79 Tests) his batting average was four
points lower and his bowling average six points higher
and both continued in that direction. Greig’s gradual
regression was similar, although he finished with the
highest positive differential between batting and bowling
averages (+8). Flintoff’s record, meanwhile – batting

and bowling average around the 32 mark – remained
remarkably constant throughout his England career. It
is also worth pointing how relatively little Test cricket
Botham, Flintoff and Greig played after their 30th
birthdays; maybe this could serve as a warning to Stokes,
or maybe it underlines how his commitment is stronger.
Botham had played 79 of 102 Tests, 77 per cent; Flintoff 67
of 79, 85 per cent; Greig 47 of 58, 81 per cent.
There may be ‘lies, damned lies and statistics’, but
in this case the figures mainly confirm what we all
suspected. Stokes, who (mostly) treats his body like a
temple, is steadily improving – particularly with the bat.
He is now a genuine Test match No.5. Botham, whose idea
of a pre-match warm-up, certainly later in his career, was
to have a hot bath, largely abused his body. His bowling,
towards the end, was a shadow of its early prowess,
though he still took wickets with force of personality
and the gift of a supple wrist. The commitment he gave
to bowling in those early years, and to entertaining his
team-mates (and leading members of the opposition) after
play, took its toll. But fitness was not a focus in that era
like it is now. Flintoff relied more on physical strength
than outright skill through most of his career. He was
fast but he didn’t move the ball much (except with reverse
swing) and his strike-rate (66.10) was surprisingly poor.
(Bizarrely Botham and Stokes’ bowling strike-rate – 56.9
– is at the moment identical.) Greig’s bowling (strike-rate
69) was the least impactful of the four, though he had the
highest batting average.
Yet allrounders are so much more than just their
numbers. Their ability to bat and bowl with equal effect
fundamentally enhances the balance of a team. They allow
you to play five bowlers without weakening the batting.
They give you extra options in the field. They are the team
dynamo. They are always involved.
One way to compare their relative ability is by impact.
How many times did each player have a truly significant
influence on the outcome of a match? How often were they
able to transform a game or haul their team back from the
brink? Eight of Botham’s 14 Test hundreds resulted in an
England victory and he took a remarkable 27 five-wicket

ADRIAN MURRELL/LAURENCE GRIFFITHS/SURJEET YADAV/ALLSPORT/GETTY IMAGES

A

part from his damaged index finger, Ben Stokes
looks in mint condition – rippling torso, slick
hair, clear eyes – as he stares out across the
Riverside ground at Chester le Street. He sees
the injury as a blessing in disguise. “People
might be surprised but I haven’t stepped into
a gym or even thought about cricket for a month and I’ve
absolutely loved it,” he said. “It’s a sign that I needed it. I
hope it’s refreshed me.” He plans to return for Durham in
the Vitality Blast in early June. As he approaches his 30th
birthday – on June 4 – how does he look back on what he
has achieved? “Thirty is still young, I don’t think it’s the
right time to look back. For me it’s all about what’s coming
next. I do look back on memories and of course I’m proud of
them but I feel I’ve got so much more to offer the sport. I’m
always thinking about how I can get better.”

BEN STOKES | FEATURE
hauls. Flintoff scored only five hundreds and managed
just three five-fers. He was only occasionally a force with
the bat, though he was the most reliable with the ball. He
was also, perhaps the most enigmatic as a personality,
sometimes blazing a trail, at other times appearing
introspective. He wasn’t quite as confident deep down as
his apparent bravado suggested. Interestingly Stokes has
the best win-ratio of the four (43 per cent on the winning
side) while Botham’s win record was only 32 per cent. He
would argue that 20 of his Tests were against the great
West Indies side of the 1980s and that there were 10 other
players in the team who sometimes weren’t up to it.
How good is Stokes? He is an outstanding batsman. He is
dedicated to improvement, spending hours at practice and
working meticulously on technique. He plans a net session
as if it were an actual innings. He is brilliant against
pace, evidenced by his hundred in Perth in his second
Test during the series when England were terrorised by
Mitchell Johnson. He confronted the mesmerising Vernon
Philander in 2017, walking up the pitch to him to make
a series-turning hundred at The Oval. Others followed
his lead. He is improving against spin, partly by dint of
relaxing his tight bottom-hand grip and opening the face
a little more. He still needs to rotate strike better.
Overall he is a better player when he relies on timing
rather than strength. He has ample power. A simple block
he produced to a throwdown I gave him in the indoor
nets at Durham nearly took my shin off. When he tries to
savagely assault the ball it often ends in a mishit.
His T20 record is relatively modest, mainly because he
tries to hit the ball too hard too soon. With an excellent
defence, unbreakable concentration and a fabulous range
of shots, he is better in longer formats. He has 10 Test
hundreds. He will end up with at least 20. That would put
him in the Gooch, Gower, Hutton bracket.
His bowling is more hit and miss. The effort of generating
85mph speed means he releases the ball from beyond the
vertical (so about 11 o’clock) and the effect that has is to
make his line harder to control. He will often serve up a
wide long hop or an easy ball on the pads. But he does
conjure batches of two and three wickets from unlikely

situations and his stamina is incredible. His fielding is, as
everyone knows, phenomenal.
But what really separates Stokes from the three other
musketeers is his commitment to training and general
self-improvement, and also his clarity of purpose. He is
dedicated to the point of obsession. You will often see him
cantering around the ground, checking his speed every
few seconds, or practising those outrageous boundary
catches, long after the other players have retired to
the dressing room. For that he credits the influence of
his recently deceased father Ged. He talks about being
introduced at a young age to a professional rugby league
dressing room where Ged was head coach. What struck
him particularly was the meticulous preparation and Ged
forbidding any member of the squad to leave the session
until every move he had planned was executed to his

ABOVE
Stokes is a
meticulous netter
and trainer (r), but
has had a complete
break for a month.
Pictured (l) with
Simon Hughes in
Durham, May 19

Greig/Botham/Flintoff/Stokes… stats analysis
BATTING AVG
AGED 30

BEST

FINAL

BOWLING AVG

100s

AGED 30

BEST

FINAL

5-WKT
HAULS

DIFFERENTIAL
BAT/BOWL AVG

PLAYED/
WON

WIN
RATIO

STOKES

37.04

38.58

–

10

31.38

31.38

4

5.66

71/31

43%

BOTHAM

36.13

40.48

33.54

14

26.37

18.52

28.4

27

5.14

102/33

32%

FLINTOFF

32.5

33.83

31.77

5

32.02

30.91

32.75

3

-0.98

79/30

37%

GREIG

41.27

46.63

40.43

8

32.31

29.75

32.2

6

8.23

58/17

29%

RISING AVERAGES
Stokes’ batting average has
been improving over his last
20 Tests; Botham’s bowling
average was never better
after his first 10

40

30
BEN STOKES BATTING AVERAGE

IAN BOTHAM BOWLING AVERAGE

35

25

30

20

25

TESTS•

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

15

TESTS•

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80 90 100

thecricketer.com | 35

ABOVE
Stokes’ on-field
tribute to his
father Ged (seen
embracing below)
TOP RIGHT
Stokes bonded
well with former
England head
coach Trevor
Bayliss

36

own high expectations. ‘You ain’t stopping till we’ve got
this right’ was Stokes senior’s philosophy. Ged himself
was a compulsive trainer. I spent some time with him at
the 2019 IPL in India and he would frequently stay up
until 3am socialising with the Rajasthan Royals team
after a match, and then be up at the crack of dawn for a
punishing workout in the hotel gym.
Most of you will know by now the story (which I
discovered in 2019) about Ged breaking his middle
finger in New Zealand just before taking up a post as a
professional with Workington. He was told he needed an
operation, refused, and played the season with his finger
strapped to the others. When he returned to New Zealand
at the end of the English rugby league season the finger
was so badly damaged he had to have it amputated. It is
why Ben now celebrates a century or other landmark with
the middle finger of his left hand bent double.
It is from his father that he derives his iron will
and indomitability and also his total belief in ‘team’.
Everything he does is in the interests of those other 10
men and their general cause. He is utterly selfless. He
talks about always wanting “to look after everybody’s
back”. He gets no satisfaction from personal achievement
unless it helps the team to victory. His first coach at
Durham’s academy, the ex-Northamptonshire batsman
Geoff Cook, first identified his intrinsic selflessness and
responsibility when Stokes was 16: “We took him as part
of the academy team to Dubai. In one match at Sharjah,
everybody was getting out in a 50-over run-chase trying
to hit boundaries. Stokes understood the size of the
outfield and instead placed the ball for lots of twos, ran
the opposition ragged and won us the match.”
This calculated, clear-headed approach has of course
come to the fore more recently in those famous 2019
victories in the World Cup final and at Headingley in
the Ashes. When he’s in the zone he is unstoppable.
The other big influence on him, cricket-wise,
has been Trevor Bayliss. Bayliss is old school.

STU FORSTER/KAI SCHWOERER/GEOFF CADDICK/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

It is from his father that Stokes derives his total
belief in ‘team’. He gets no satisfaction from personal
achievement unless it helps the team to victory

He likes honesty and naked commitment and strong
personality. He was instantly taken with England’s then
rough diamond when they first met on a pre-season camp
in Spain in 2015 and Stokes mock ‘sledged’ him on the golf
course. Stokes liked Bayliss’s simple, non-interventionist
approach. “Something Trevor talked to me a lot about is
do all the things I want to do in training but come down
about 10 per cent in intensity, to stop injuring myself or
putting myself at risk,” Stokes said in 2018. “I found it
hard to start off with but as I did it more and more I found
it possible to leave training having done everything well
but not put my body through as much stress. Because I
bat, bowl and obviously am important in the field. If I can
dial down my intensity in training that gives me a better
chance of performing in the match.”
So, if I had to select one of these four in a team to
play a World XI, who would I choose? Greig was brave,
an innovator, who stood up to Dennis Lillee and Jeff
Thomson, driving them on the up or upper-cutting
the bouncers and provocatively signalling his own
boundaries. He was versatile with the ball too, able to
adapt from brisk medium to fast off-cutters. But his
bowling was often ineffective.
Flintoff was a fabulous bowler, strong and reliable and
rose to the challenge of getting the best players out. But
his batting was crude and inconsistent. He didn’t always
inspire confidence.
So the choice is between Botham and Stokes. A nearimpossible task. It would also depend what format.
For a 50-over game I would definitely go with Stokes
for his range and versatility. He is perfectly capable of
overcoming the loss of early wickets, accumulating in the
middle and exploding at the end. Botham’s ODI record
with the bat was modest. Stokes can also pick up useful
wickets and produce superhuman pieces of fielding. You
can feel his presence in the field.
For a Test match Botham, in his pomp, still just shades
it. His batting was transformative and his bowling was
destructive. He was the fastest man in history to the Test
match double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets (in just 21
Tests). He was infused with total self-confidence, he never
had any doubts. Even towards the end of his career –
when I played alongside him – it was infectious. His aura
jinxed the opposition. Having him in the team was like
having three extra players. Fourteen Test hundreds, most
in assault mode, is a remarkable output for a man who
was a frontline fast bowler. Stokes still has a way to go to
emulate the Test match feats of Sir Beefy, but only injury,
rather than age, will stop him trying.

NEW ZEALAND | PREVIEW

Kane and able
NEW ZEALAND ARE THE WELCOME INTRUDERS IN THE FIRST WORLD
TEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL. JAMES COYNE SAYS THIS COULD PROVE
A DEFINING TRIP FOR BOTH THEIR TEST CRICKET AND THE WORLD’S

KAI SCHWOERER/GETTY IMAGES/RON GAUNT/SPORTZPICS/BCCI

I
ABOVE
New Zealand have
clean-swept all
their home Tests in
the first World Test
Championship…
RIGHT
… even if Kane
Williamson
has a troubled
relationship with
Super Overs

n a world game already shaken by a pandemic,
the reverberations of the IPL’s postponement
are bound to be felt for some time to come. The
humanitarian impact of Covid-19 on India is
obviously on a different plane.
But if a cricket fan, whose heart is with Test
cricket above all, was tempted to wonder if the full-scale
exodus of overseas players from the IPL in early May
would mean England and New Zealand could be at full
strength for the opening Test at Lord’s, then think again.
The sobering realities of Covid-19 and all the
disruption it has caused to an already saturated
international calendar has led England, under now
‘supremo’ Chris Silverwood, to select not one of the 14
IPL players for the two Tests against New Zealand,
though his hand was forced in the case of the
injured Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes.
This may well be New Zealand’s greatest Test
team, but it would be much easier to say for
sure if they can carry off a triumph overseas
to match the Richard Hadlee-inspired
series wins in Australia and England in
1986 (this side already have a 2-1 victory
over Pakistan in the UAE in 2018/19 to
their credit). Even without the multi-format
stars Archer, Stokes and Jos Buttler to
contend with, a victory over any England
side in England, or India anywhere, surely
falls into that category.
Whether a month’s break from top-level
cricket – and the IPL undoubtedly is, for all its
mixed impact on the wider sport – makes Kane
Williamson and his cohorts better or worse

prepared for the rigours of five-day Test cricket is more
arguable. (In his short time at Sunrisers Hyderabad this
year Williamson managed to chalk up his fifth defeat in a
Super Over since the 2019 World Cup final.)
At least before re-entering the bubble England’s Test
specialists could sneak in a County Championship
outing in preparation for Lord’s and Edgbaston; New
Zealand’s one competitive four-day warm-up match
against Somerset has been scrubbed by the ECB, and they
will have to combine with Hampshire 2nd XI players in
intra-squad matches in the biosecure environment at the
Ageas Bowl, where they will reconvene for the World Test
Championship final against India on June 18.
Of those Kiwis at the IPL, Williamson, Kyle Jamieson
and Mitchell Santner spent what must have been
a cloistered few days in their hotels after the
tournament was called off, decamped to the
Maldives, and then to England. But Trent Boult, New
Zealand’s outstanding bowler, looks set to miss at
least the first Test, as he opted to go back to see his
family in New Zealand.
A Kiwi triumph in the WTC final would be popular
almost everywhere, maybe even in parts of Australia
and India. For starters, no one has forgotten what
happened to Williamson’s New Zealand at Lord’s
on July 14 2019. Williamson and Virat Kohli are,
right now, the contenders for the title of world’s
greatest batsman, both passionate ambassadors
for Test cricket, but as people they carry
themselves quite differently and… perhaps it’s
best to leave it there.
In a sport where India, followed by England
and Australia, virtually dictate the landscape,
thecricketer.com | 37

ABOVE
Test hopefuls
Devon Conway,
Daryl Mitchell (but
not that one) and
Mitchell Santner
BELOW
Conway has made
his mark
TOP RIGHT
Kyle Jamieson
has added a new
dimension to New
Zealand’s attack

38 | thecricketer.com

it would represent a victory for the little guy – even if the
little guy is extremely well organised and has taken full
advantage of the hand he’s been dealt.
There was always a chance that a financially
challenged member unable or unwilling (New Zealand
Cricket somehow made a surplus of $1.5m in 2020) to
arrange home Test series of more than two matches
would be able to subvert the imperfect WTC structure,
so long as they could win the few matches they do play.
With Sri Lankan and South African Test cricket in the
doldrums, and Pakistan still settling back into playing at
home, that team has been New Zealand.
Since 2019 they have clean-swept two-Test series at
home to Pakistan, West Indies and (most impressively)
India – pocketing 360 points, thank you very much. In
doing so they extended their unbeaten run in all home
Tests to 17 matches. (And in the world rankings, they are
No.2 in Tests, No.1 in ODIs and No.3 in T20Is.)
It’s their away record which dampens expectations:
they scrapped for a creditable 1-1 draw in Sri Lanka;
were unable to travel to Bangladesh for two Tests;
then were blanked 3-0 in Australia. An imbalanced
WTC that incorporates just six series per team
meant New Zealand were not required to play in
India, and their two Tests home and away against
England have been superfluous to the WTC.
Even so the Kiwis have Tim Paine to thank.
Australia incurred a slow over-rate penalty of
four points from the second Test defeat by India at
the MCG at Christmas, which ultimately dropped
them behind New Zealand in the table. Cue some
schadenfreude across the Tasman.
As for the WTC itself, it badly needs a compelling
first finale. Everyone agrees the league points system
is too convoluted. And it rewards the administrators’
diminution of Test fixtures (60 points for winning one
match in a two-Test series, but 24 for winning one in
a five-Test Ashes). Basically it has been glued on top
of a warped Future Tours Programme where, for
starters, India refuse to play Pakistan.

There was always a
chance that a side
playing mainly two-Test
series would be able to
subvert the imperfect
World Test Championship
structure, so long as
they could win the few
matches they do play

And then, more than halfway through the league, due to
the disruption to schedules caused by Covid-19, the ICC
were forced to alter the qualification system from straight
points to percentage of points earned. No wonder Greg
Barclay, NZC chairman up to that point, declared the
need for a rethink on the WTC when he was voted in as
ICC chairman last December.
But to give up on it altogether could well be the death
knell of Test cricket in Sri Lanka and South Africa, not to
mention Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Ireland (who aren’t
even in it). Surely now is the time to merge a second
division with the leading Associate nations?
If it’s tempting to believe New Zealand’s strength in
seam bowling makes them favourites to beat India in
English conditions, the sobering fact is they have won
just one Test match in England (at Leeds in 2015) since
their 2-1 series win in 1999. India have won four matches
in that time, admittedly from almost twice as many
attempts – and their fast-bowling stocks are deeper still.
Switching the final from Lord’s to the more biosecure
Ageas Bowl looks a decision which should favour India,
but New Zealand will have played two Tests by then.
For all their relative paucity of Test matches, New
Zealand have managed to settle on a core of key players.
But there could be a couple of bolters.
The most exciting is Devon Conway, a 29-year-old
left-hander from Johannesburg who was handed a New
Zealand central contract before he had even qualified
to play for his adopted country. He has only just been
assured that he and his wife will be allowed to return
from England to New Zealand as residents (he will
serve as Somerset’s overseas player after the WTC final).
Conway topped all three domestic run-scoring charts in
2019/20, and two of the three in 2018/19. With numbers
like that you make selection non-negotiable, and he’s
made a fine start in the shorter forms for the Blackcaps.
He, like so many New Zealand players, knows English
conditions well, as his spells with Taunton Deane,
Morecambe, Matlock, Kearsley, Vauxhall Mallards and
Nelson over the last 12 seasons attest. It was after

KAI SCHWOERER/HAGEN HOPKINS/MARTY MELVILLE/DAVID ROGERS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

NEW ZEALAND
SQUAD
Kane Williamson
(captain),
Tom Blundell (wkt),
Trent Boult,
Doug Bracewell,
Devon Conway,
Colin de
Grandhomme,
Jacob Duffy,
Matt Henry,
Kyle Jamieson,
Tom Latham,
Daryl Mitchell,
Henry Nicholls,
Ajaz Patel,
Rachin Ravindra,
Mitchell Santner,
Tim Southee,
Ross Taylor,
Neil Wagner,
BJ Watling (wkt),
Will Young

NEW ZEALAND | PREVIEW
FIXTURES
1st Test
June 2-6, Lord’s
England v
New Zealand
2nd Test
June 10-14, Edgbaston
England v
New Zealand
World Test
Championship final
June 18-22*,
Ageas Bowl
India v New Zealand
*reserve day June 23

his Lancashire League stint in 2017 that he made the
life-changing move to New Zealand. People talk of
the southern African influence on county cricket; it’s
probably even more profound in New Zealand, with
Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Neil Wagner and
BJ Watling all key in this party.
If Watling has a good summer he will retire
from cricket as probably the world’s leading Test
wicketkeeper/batsman. This could also be the last major
trip to England for Ross Taylor, 37, the only man to have
played 100 matches in all three international formats.
The bowler who could tilt the balance is Jamieson,
whose fitness in case of a full IPL might well have been
in question. At 6ft 8in the tallest man to play for New
Zealand, he adds pace and bounce to the swing and guile
of the longstanding pack leaders Boult and Tim Southee.
(Kohli knows that well, which is why he teased Jamieson
about bowling to him in the nets at Royal Challengers
Bangalore.) And if Wagner plays too that’s a four-man
pace attack for the ages. But someone will have to fill in
for Boult’s considerable skill at the start.
As for Kane Williamson, he will be relieved about one
thing before he even gets started: there are no Super
Overs in Test cricket. At least, not yet…

INDIA SQUAD
Virat Kohli (captain),
Mayank Agarwal,
Ravichandran
Ashwin, Jasprit
Bumrah, Shubman
Gill, Ravindra
Jadeja, Cheteshwar
Pujara, Rishabh Pant
(wkt), Axar Patel,
Ajinkya Rahane,
Mohammad Shami,
Ishant Sharma,
Rohit Sharma,
Mohammad Siraj,
Washington Sundar,
Shardul Thakur,
Hanuma Vihari,
Umesh Yadav, KL
Rahul*, Wriddhiman
Saha* (wkt)
* subject to fitness
clearance

WORLD TEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL TABLE
SERIES

India
New Zealand
Australia
England
Pakistan
West Indies
South Africa
Sri Lanka
Bangladesh

MATCHES

P

W

L

D

P

W

L

D

6
5
4
6
5.5
5
4
6
3.5

5
3
2
4
3
1
1
1
0

1
1
1
1
3
3
3
3
4

0
1
1
1
0
1
0
2
0

17
11
14
21
12
11
11
12
7

12 4
7 4
8 4
11 7
4 5
3 6
3 8
2 6
0 6

1
0
2
3
3
2
0
4
1

POINTS DED

520
420
332
442
286
200
144
200
20

0
0
4
0
0
0
6
0
0

% OF MAX RUNS PER
POINTS WICKET

72.2%
70.0%
69.2%
61.4%
43.3%
33.3%
30.0%
27.8%
4.8%

1.577
1.281
1.392
1.120
0.822
0.677
0.693
0.729
0.601

Overton v Robinson?
Does anybody miss those summer Sundays when we
switched on to Ceefax to see which curveball pick the
England selectors had chucked in?
The announcement of a 15-man squad for the two
Tests against New Zealand was fairly predictable,
it has to be said, although many feel Lancashire
leg-spinner Matt Parkinson was unlucky. Here it is:
Joe Root, James Anderson, James Bracey, Stuart
Broad, Rory Burns, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan
Lawrence, Jack Leach, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope,
Ollie Robinson, Dom Sibley, Olly Stone, Mark Wood.
No injured Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes, and Moeen
Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran and Chris
Woakes allowed time off to recover from their IPL/
quarantine experiences.
Surrey captain Rory Burns made five half-centuries
in the first six matches, a solid return in the spring.
He looked especially impressive against Hampshire’s
Mohammad Abbas, even if The Kia Oval can be as
flat as a snooker table. Dom Sibley of Warwickshire
fractured his finger at slip so missed three matches.
Like Burns, he has an unorthodox technique, and
has a bit to do before he can count on a place on
the Ashes tour. Zak Crawley had a tricky time in a
struggling Kent side. However, he had a decent match
against Lancashire, with 96 runs in total, and his 90
against Yorkshire and 85 versus Sussex indicated
a return to form. An excellent run-haul by James
Bracey for Championship high-fliers Gloucestershire,
including 118 and 83 not out against Somerset, is
recognised. Dan Lawrence has been in good nick, and
went berserk against Derbyshire with 152 not out. Ben
Foakes struck a century against Gloucestershire.
The Craig Overton v Ollie Robinson match-up is
a beauty: it’s like Ovett v Coe. They have both been
excellent: classic English-style seam and handy runs.
Their fans get a sweat on when this head to head
is debated. Big-hearted Overton has shown a
taste for long spells in Australia with the Lions
in 2019/20 and could make a great stock
bowler this winter. He is top of the
PCA Most Valuable Player
rankings. Somerset captain
Tom Abell said: “He is some
cricketer.” Robinson of Sussex
is the leading wicket-taker in
the Championship at the time of
writing, although he missed a
game. He has admitted to
The Cricketer that he has
been sounded out about a
winter down under.

Ollie
Robinson
(l) and
Craig Overton

thecricketer.com | 39

Is cricket the
loneliest game?
IT BRINGS US GREAT JOY, BUT ITS
OVER-INTENSIT Y, MACHISMO AND LOSSES OF
FORM CAN ALSO CAUSE DEPRESSION, ANXIET Y
AND DESPAIR, WRITES MIKE BREARLEY

40

MENTAL HEALTH | MIKE BREARLEY

D

avid Frith wrote a book 20 years ago called
By His Own Hand, about cricketers and former
cricketers who had committed suicide. He
asked me to write a foreword to one edition of
his book, which I did.
Frith stated that 1.72 per cent of international
cricketers fell in this category, a much higher percentage
than men from other walks of life.
I don’t know if this is a statistical fact, or whether it
is the most relevant one (the comparison might be more
telling if the ages of those committing suicide were
taken into account). But people do suggest that cricket
is more likely to trigger or exacerbate mental illness or
mental problems. Suzie Bates, the leading New Zealand
cricketer, said recently: “It is probably one of the worst
sports for mental health.”
The mental health of cricketers has also been brought
into sharp focus by the Professional Cricketers’ Trust,
the charity arm of the PCA that cares for past and
current players and their families. Since 2015, they have
supported 426 individuals in the area of mental health
alone. Exacerbated by the pandemic, the situation
is worsening. During the first quarter of 2021, 59
individuals are currently receiving assistance, including
29 current players.
The questions arise: “Is cricket intrinsically more
psychologically damaging or risky than other walks of
life? Does cricket more than other activities, including
other sports, trigger or exacerbate mental illness or
mental problems? Is there, in short, anything about

We play because we love the
game, and have loved it since
childhood. Losing the ability
to thrive in it, facing the
prospect of having to give it up,
is probably more challenging
than losing one’s skill or place
in more ordinary jobs

Mike Brearley
writes exclusively
for The Cricketer.
His new book,
The Spirit of
Cricket, is
out now

cricket that might lend credibility to Frith’s conclusion?
And can I as a psychoanalyst have anything helpful
to say about the comparison of ex-cricketers to
ex-sportsmen in general?
There are, I hardly need to say, less drastic outcomes
than suicide that many of us share to different degrees
– feeling low, anxious, and a sense of pointlessness, for
instance. We might find ourselves sabotaging our own
performance (a sort of self-harm), or we fail to thrive or
grow as our potential might have suggested.
Even if the problems fall short of anything describable
as ‘mental illness’ emotional factors “may often lead to
some high-profile careers coming to an end prematurely”
as Bates puts it, and as happened with Sarah Taylor,
England’s accomplished wicketkeeper/ batsman, who

cited anxiety as the main cause of her international
retirement.
So what are these particular problems for cricketers?
Perhaps we can put them in three categories. One is
restricted to the life of a professional as opposed to
a recreational cricketer. Another is to do with sport
in general. The third – perhaps the most interesting –
relates to the activity of cricket itself.
First, then, professional cricketers. As Bates implies,
the problems may be most starkly seen in the swift
changes in women’s cricket over the past 20 years.
In this time, the problems of emotional and physical
fatigue have rather suddenly been experienced by the
new international players. “You come home and have to
train again,” she says. There is no relief. “Young players,”
she adds, “have never been exposed to the professional
environment, and this can be a bit of a shock.”
Top players have to learn to manage their time
carefully, and start planning for possible careers after
their playing career is over. Bates’ highlighting of this
new development in women’s cricket coincides with a
tendency in all professional cricket to require players
to be more and more intensively embedded in the
team. Coaches over-emphasise the collectivity, urging
team and squad members to be sociable. The bubbles
necessitated by the pandemic must have increased a
practice that may lead to a feeling of claustrophobia for
some. Bates is saying: Don’t let’s allow our individuality
and energy be submerged by a sort of enforced
sociability in the limited world of the dressing room and
the team culture.
On the other hand, of course, there is a lifelong tension
between this tendency and its opposite, where someone
becomes too focused on his or her personal success and
interests at the expense of the well-being of the team.
Team spirit is real, and needs fostering; but not everyone
is suited to efforts to impose it across the board.
Second, there are problems that occur not only or
specifically in cricket, but in sport in general. One is
early sell-by-date for the sportsman, whose skills,
strength and fitness decline with age. The time comes
when the professional sportsman is no longer able to
compete with younger men and women. There are not
many careers which end irrevocably in one’s thirties or
even early forties. Nor are there many careers in which
so much passion and dedication is required. Being a
professional sportsman is closer to a vocation than a
mere job. We play because we love the game, and have
loved it since childhood. Losing the ability to thrive in
it, facing the prospect of having to give it up, is probably
more challenging than losing one’s skill or place in more
ordinary jobs.
Moreover, sporting teams tend to be ‘macho’. The
relations are frank, tough, down-to-earth, bantering. The
atmosphere that is demanded is often excessively one of
overt enthusiasm and the urging of fervent endeavour.
This kind of atmosphere leaves little room for anxiety or
depression, or for some individuals being quieter, more
moderate, but no less committed. Nor is the problem for
players who become more introspective and perhaps
on the fringe of the group only a matter of this kind of
insistence on the positive. For there is some realistic
advantage for sportsmen to be super-confident (though
of course they have to face up to their deficiencies too).
thecricketer.com | 41

DOM BESS

“After India I had a good break
away from it, because I really
did start hating cricket”
MARCUS TRESCOTHICK

“It's not me. It's somebody
totally different who takes
over. I think it always just lies
dormant until the anxiety rises up”
JONATHAN TROTT

“Just coming down to breakfast, I’d
sit on my own away from the guys
with my cap over my head because
I didn’t know how I was going to react to
having to go to the cricket ground again”
ANDREW FLINTOFF

“I didn’t understand what was
happening to me. I knew when
I got back to my room I couldn’t
shut off, which is why I started having
a drink. It got to the stage where I was
probably drinking more than I should”
SARAH TAYLOR

“When I look back at it, I felt
quite alone. I didn't realise
what I was going through, the
severity, I just knew that this was
how I felt, and no one was helping
me, it was just how I was feeling”
GRAEME FOWLER

“I have a nice life. I have a great job,
great family, lovely wife. I know
all that exists but I can’t get to it.
It’s over there and I can’t get there. So
am I going to kill myself ? The answer
is no. But do I wish I was dead? Yes”

42 | thecricketer.com

Anxiety and depression may well lead to a decline in
performance, and may also influence the other members
of the team. So, sport is a hard school in which to admit
difficulties and seeking help.
Fortunately, the stigma surrounding mental difficulties,
or mental illness, is less inhibiting nowadays, thanks in
part to the courage of players who have been willing to
talk about their problems publicly. I think in particular
of Marcus Trescothick and Jonathan Trott. More recently,
Australia’s Will Pucovski had to withdraw from the Test
squads to protect his mental health.
Third, what about cricket itself as a cause of or trigger
for emotional difficulties?
Cricket is a game of repeated individual contests, even
dramas (bowler against batsman) in the context of a
team game. The conflict between self-interest and teaminterest is sharper than in almost any other game. You
have to rely on yourself, each ball, each delivery, yet you
have to act in the team interest at all times. So the issue I
mentioned above of the tension between narcissism and
‘groupishness’ is most starkly present in cricket of all
games. We have to live with this tension in all areas of
our lives, but it is sharply evident in cricket.
This is exacerbated by two other features of cricket. One
is that games go on for so long. There is plenty of time for
such tensions to become hard to bear. This permits less
reliance on adrenalin and excitement to carry one through.
The cricketer has to sustain effort, disappointment and
loss of confidence over much longer periods.
Moreover there is a different dimension of loss in
cricket. The batsman may be out first ball, through no
fault of his or her own. He may be unlucky, or make a
single mistake, and then has to leave the playing arena
and wait, sometimes for two long days, before being able
to make amends, or restore confidence. Even the bowler
may be taken off after a few unpromising overs and be
left out of consideration for hours on end. Loss of form
is publicly writ large (in terms of a string of low scores,
or bowling figures in the papers). Confidence can be
shattered, and in some cases for a long period of time.
When I wrote that foreword for Frith, back in 2000,
I felt that all these challenges make us stronger. We
as cricketers live with them and live through them,
sometimes becoming more able to deal with the ‘twin
imposters’ success and failure, with more maturity. We
may tolerate frustration without giving up or becoming
arrogant or aggrieved. We may become able, as a patient
of mine once said, to “walk around [her] depression”
rather than being simply depressed – that is, she could
recognise it but at the same time come to see that it
has limits and boundaries, it is no longer the whole of
her life.
But it is also possible for these difficulties to be too
much for us, and crack us up.
As Nietzsche said, though not I imagine about cricket:
“What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” He notes the
degree of risk.
One final point. Articulating one’s problems, one’s
feelings, may be a first step towards thinking them
rather than being subject to them. Often this can be
done informally. Sometimes one needs professional help.
Sometimes professional help doesn’t work either and
the sufferer is better off getting away from the whole
problem and finding another focus in life.

GETTY IMAGES

Opening up

CENTENARY R ANGE
A century of cricket 1921–2021
P RI C E

ANNUAL
1921-2021

2/6
1921

1922 – 1937

1922 – 1948

NET

(Annuals)

1938 – 1942

1962

1943 – 1951

1952 - 1962

1962 – 1964

PETER
MORRIS

P.J.
PERCHARD

A.W.T.
LANGFORD

R.A.
HUTTON

E.W.
SWANTON

J.A.
STERN

D.E.J.
FRITH

A.D.
MILLER

R.J.
HAYTER

A.J.
SWANN

Botham’s Ashes
by C . D . A .
Martin-Jenkins

C.D.A.
MARTINJENKINS

S.P.
HUGHES

England’s World Cup
by S . P . Hughes

1964 – 1966

1970 – 1979

1966

1967 – 1969

1979 - 1985

1985 – 1996

1996 – 1999

1999 – 2001

2001 – 2003

2011 – 2016

The

The

ANNUAL 1921-2021
2016 –

FOUNDED BY

P.F. WARNER

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Glamorgan’s century

W

hat a year for cricket 1921 was. Not only was The
Cricketer born, but Glamorgan also entered the
County Championship. Oh, Glammy, Glammy!
There has to be a Welsh county as far as I’m
concerned, and I have loved the club from a
young age. Childhood holidays in Pembrokeshire
occasionally took in a day at St Helen’s rugby and cricket ground
in Swansea, and Glamorgan’s scores were always on the local
news. They also played at the wonderfully exotic-sounding
Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. Names like Alan Butcher and Rodney
Ontong stood out. They always seemed to be doing well, either
113 for 1, or 133 for 3. And I’m now sent all the news by my
father’s cousin, Roger, a member of The St Helen’s Balconiers.
Glamorgan have also forged many memorable cricketers in
my time – from prolific openers Hugh Morris and my friend
and colleague Steve James; to the tub-thumpingly belligerent
batsman Matthew Maynard; to the metronomic slow-medium
off-cutters of Steve Barwick and off-spin of England’s mostcapped Welshman, Robert Croft; to the blistering pace of Greg
Thomas and Simon Jones; and the wily seam of Steve Watkin.
Alas not everyone in the media shares my affection. George
Dobell, of this parish, has argued in these pages that Welsh
cricket would be sensible relinquishing county status and
instead assuming ICC Associate membership, like Ireland
and Scotland (and it has been debated in the Welsh Assembly
– although the money the county receives from the ECB is a
factor). Evidently he was unswayed by the view of the club’s

44 | thecricketer.com

record run-scorer Alan Jones that “playing for Glamorgan is like
playing for Wales”.
Some journalists say that Glamorgan’s influence was too strong
at times, specifically when David Morgan was ECB chairman,
and Duncan Fletcher left the county to coach England, bringing
in Maynard as his assistant: ‘The Tafia’; I say it was putting the
‘Wales’ in the ‘England and Wales Cricket Board’.
Others say that Glamorgan are underachievers, season-ticket
holders in the Championship’s bottom tier… that they do not
produce enough Welsh cricketers, especially ones for the national
side – after all, they have an entire country to choose from. And
that they have been lucky to host the international cricket that
they have, including the opening Test of the 2009 Ashes (who can
forget Monty and Jimmy’s rearguard?). That came at a price – the
sprucing up of their ground (remember Bill Morris’ Major Match
Group?) with club chairman Paul Russell, brother of the Oasis
manager Marcus, personally losing a lot of money… it plunged
the club into debt. Subsequent matches have struggled to sell out.
I admire Hugh Morris, now chief executive, for renegotiating the
debt with Cardiff Council; others say that they were fortunate not
to be punished, as Durham were (although the latter were on the
brink of bankruptcy). There was also the eye-opening masterstroke
of the ECB paying Glamorgan £2.5m three years ago not to host
Tests… What the critics cannot deny, however, is that Glamorgan
have had three memorable Championship triumphs: in 1948,
1969 and 1997… not bad for a country obsessed by rugby union.
Northamptonshire and Somerset wait on.

PAUL POPPER/POPPERFOTO/HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES

THE WELSH COUNT Y ENTERED THE CHAMPIONSHIP 100 YEARS AGO;
WHILE SOME SAY THEY SHOULD HAVE ACHIEVED MORE, THERE
HAVE BEEN MANY HIGHLIGHTS, WRITES HUW TURBERVILL

GLAMORGAN | FEATURE
the daffodil as the club’s emblem in 1926/27. Another
key Glamorgan player was seamer Jack Mercer. He’d
received shellshock in the Great War at the Somme in
1916, but joined from Sussex in 1922. He took 10 for 51 at
Worcestershire in 1936 in the first innings of a draw.

At this stage I must pay credit to Glamorgan’s brilliant
historian Andrew Hignell, author of 40 books about
Welsh cricket, the club’s scorer since 2004, archivist,
and curator of the Museum of Welsh Cricket at Sophia
Gardens; and specifically the podcasts he recorded with
Peter Oborne and Richard Heller for helping me add
historical facts to my own romantic memories.

The title triumphs
1948 Glamorgan struck swiftly after the War. At the heart
of it was captain and key allrounder Wilf Wooller. He

Genesis of Glammie
While Glamorgan entered the Championship in 1921, it’s
important to remember that cricket in Wales goes back
to the 18th century; and the club was actually formed
in 1888. They were joint winners of the Minor County
Championship in 1900 and for three years from 1907
Glamorgan finished second in the competition, with talk
of entering the first-class game. Alas financial problems
curtailed that, and they had to wait until 1921. The
pivotal meeting was held at Cardiff’s Angel Hotel, with
Sir John Talbot Dillwyn-Llewellyn, the MP for Swansea,
a pioneer. (He also had the vision to bring Test cricket to
Wales, but that had to wait 88 years).
Tal Whittington, a solicitor in Neath, also led the
campaign, but it wouldn’t have been possible without
the patronage of Sir Sydney Byass, owner of Margam
Steelworks near Port Talbot, and his £1,000 loan to the
club over 10 years, acting as a guarantee to the English
counties that Glamorgan would fulfil its fixtures.
On February 18 1921 MCC’s cricket committee rubberstamped the application, proposed by Somerset and
seconded by Hampshire. Thus on May 18 Glamorgan
faced Sussex at Cardiff Arms Park. They won the toss
and batted, with Whittington and a dentist called
Norman Riches, who was captain and their leading
batsman from their Minor County days, opening up (“in
winter he pulled teeth, in the summer he pulled balls
to the boundaries,” jokes Hignell). On the boundary the
Royal Welsh Fusiliers played Men Of Harlech. It must
have inspired the hosts, as they won by 23 runs.
It wasn’t the start of a glorious run, however. That year
they managed just one more win, against Worcestershire
at St Helen’s, and were bottom. The year after they lost
13 in a row (although they were 16th, pipping the Pears).
In 1923 the club was nearly wound up because of debt,
but the committee vowed to carry on. One of the Glammy
greats, off-spinner Johnnie Clay, became captain, and
kingpin batsman Maurice Turnbull turned up (then
still a schoolboy), inspiring victory over Lancashire at
Swansea in 1924 on debut. The bowling performance
of slow left-armer Frank Ryan, was also crucial
in that match – he took 10 wickets. Surplus to
requirements at Hampshire, he hitchhiked from
Southampton to Cardiff to try to get a contract.
Officials, explained Hignell, thought he was
a tramp but “they soon realised when he was
bowling in the nets that he was a magician.”
Turnbull became Glamorgan’s first England
player in January 1930, facing New Zealand at
Christchurch. He was also a talented scrumhalf. He made his Wales debut in 1932/33,
helping them to their first win at Twickenham
over England. He made 156 at Leicestershire
in 1939 in the club’s final match before the
War. Alas he died just after D-Day in early
August 1944, fighting for the Welsh Guards
against an advancing column of German
tanks. It was Clay and Turnbull who introduced

How sad would it be if Glamorgan were
not with us in a decade’s time? Although
I worry about quite a few counties once
the current TV deal ends, frankly...

LEFT
Glamorgan in
action at Cardiff
Arms Park in 1905
BELOW
Wilf Wooller led
them to their
1948 campaign

was outspoken and gruff, but that was understandable
after serving on the ‘Death Railway’ in Burma (alongside
my grandfather); and he always had Welsh cricket’s
interests at heart, staying as the club’s overlord long
after retirement. Joining Clay in a fine spin combo was
offie Len Muncer; signed from Middlesex, he took 139
wickets that campaign; Willie Jones and Emrys Davies
topped 1,400 runs. Glamorgan were held up in August
when their match against Gloucestershire at Ebbw Vale
was stopped due to mountain mist and a flock of sheep.
A win against Hampshire clinched it, however.
1969 Two years after Glamorgan moved from the Arms
Park to Sophia Gardens, another famous captain, Tony
Lewis, led them to glory again. I recalled him as the
genial BBC TV cricket host in the 1980s; but he was also
a fine batsman and the only Glamorgan player to lead
England in Tests (in eight of his nine appearances). (Cyril
Walters had done so in 1934 but was at Worcestershire
by then.) Also a prodigiously talented violinist, Wooller
informed him in only his second match aged 18 that
one day he’d be skipper. The one-run win against Essex
at Swansea meant that Glamorgan needed one more
to take the title. Majid Khan – son of India fast bowler
Dr Jahangir Khan, who famously killed an airborne
sparrow while bowling at Lord’s in 1936 – played
the innings everyone recalls from that year;
his wonderful footwork helping him to 156
out of a total of 265 on an iffy pitch against
Worcestershire at Sophia Gardens, live on BBC
Wales. Don Shepherd took his 2,000th first-class
wicket in the match, and bowled the ball that
clinched the title on September 5, embracing
Lewis in stand-out scenes. They were the
first team to be unbeaten in a season since
Lancashire in 1930. The crowd congregated
around the pavilion and sang the Welsh
national anthem.
1997 Maynard led them to title No3. He also
had help from the calculatingly logical
Zimbabwean, Duncan Fletcher, whose work
as coach saw him take the England job in
1999/2000. The overseas player was terrifying
toe-cruncher Waqar Younis. The highlights of
thecricketer.com | 45

the final day – September 20 – at Taunton are on YouTube
and great fun. Welsh fans mobbed Morris and James
as they sprinted off. The latter lost his bat before being
reunited with it thanks to a newspaper campaign,
while Croft led the fans in a rendition of Alouette from
the balcony.
There have also been a hat-trick of one-day league wins.
Viv Richards, in the autumn of his career, inspired the
1993 success, the first to be played in coloured clothing
(more of that later). His duel with Aussie quick Duncan
Spencer of Kent in the final match at Canterbury
that Glamorgan narrowly won to take the title was
unforgettable. Croft was a key player, taking 28 wickets,
in 2002; and they also did it in 2004, in part thanks to
Australian batsman Matthew Elliott’s 686 runs.

ABOVE
Alan Jones was
cruelly denied
a Test cap
BELOW
Matthew Maynard
was a spanker of
county attacks

always with control, taking 49 wickets. His highlight
was operating in tandem with Ashley Giles in England’s
series win in Sri Lanka in 2000/01.
Turnbull won nine Test caps and Allan Watkins 15,
scoring two centuries, at Johannesburg and Delhi. There
was also allrounder Peter Walker (three) and Gilbert
Parkhouse (seven). Father and son Jeff and Simon Jones
had a fair crack. Southpaw quick Jeff won 15 caps,
and Simon would have won more than 18 if not for
injury. He was a 2005 Ashes hero. Considering Lewis
captained England in eight Tests, including in India in
1972/73, making a century at Kanpur, nine caps in total
was a measly haul. Maynard was a county colossus
with 54 centuries for the club, but failed to curb that
aggression and paid the price at Test level. In his final
Test, at Jamaica, in 1993/94 – the one in which Mike
Atherton was worked over by Courtney Walsh – Maynard
was caught behind third ball off Kenny Benjamin in the
second innings, slashing with minimal foot movement.
He deserved more than four caps, though.
Morris and James were also unlucky. The former was
brilliant domestically, making 53 centuries. The lefthander made 44 against West Indies at The Oval, and 42
against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, in 1991. Three Tests was not
enough to judge his true worth. James was also prolific
at county level, scoring 47 first-class centuries, but was
given just two Test caps, in 1998. Against Sri Lanka and
Muttiah Muralitharan he made 61 runs and faced 261
balls – all on the same weekend his wife gave birth. That
should have earned him another chance at least.
And then there was Steve Watkin. Like Martin Bicknell,
he probably suffered from playing in the same era as
Angus Fraser. He played three Tests, took 11 wickets
at 27, including helping England to two memorable
wins (match figures of 5 for 93 against West Indies at
Headingley in 1991, and 6 for 152 against Australia at
The Oval in 1993). His reward? Banished to the valleys.
At least he won more than Jim McConnon (two), and Clay
and seamer Austin Matthews, both one-Test wonders.

It feels as if Glamorgan have
always had a raw deal when
it comes to England selection.
The two biggest victims were
Alan Jones and Shepherd. When
prolific, adaptable opener Jones arrived at Lord’s to face
the Rest of the World XI in 1970 (after South Africa’s tour
had been called off) he thought he was winning his first
– and, as it turned out, only – Test cap. The series was
downgraded by the ICC, however. What one appearance
proved for a man who made 34,056 first-class runs is
not certain. On the 50th anniversary of the match the
ECB did at least try to make up for his disappointment
by presenting him with a special cap. Shepherd took
more first-class wickets – 2,218 – than any other player
who never played a Test. In 1956 he claimed 177, and he
topped 100 in a season 12 times.
Arguably only Croft fulfilled his international
potential, winning 21 Tests caps, and playing in 50
ODIs. A fiercely patriotic Welshman who cheered for
Australia in the 2003 Rugby World Cup final (I was
standing next to him in Sri Lanka), nevertheless
he is proud to be Glamorgan’s most-capped
cricketer with England. He bowled well too,

46 | thecricketer.com

As counties go Glamorgan is a bit of an anomaly. It
is one of 13 Welsh counties, but as previously stated,
tends to be seen as representative of the Principality
as a whole (although there is also a Wales National
Counties side).
Glamorgan does actually contain the cities of Cardiff
and Swansea, where the county’s two major grounds are.
But it has had a whopping list of outgrounds – I count 18 –
with possibly only Yorkshire rivalling that (more than 20).
In 1934 Glamorgan merged with Monmouthshire and
started to host Championship matches at Newport in
that county. Outside of Covid-struck times, Colwyn Bay
(Denbighshire) is the third ground, where James made his
amazing 309 not out against Sussex in 2000.
St Helen’s is also lovely, if a bit rundown. It was
immortalised by John Arlott’s poem – Cricket at
Swansea (Glamorgan in the Field); he was friends
with Dylan Thomas. It is also where, in 1968 – Garry
Sobers struck six sixes in an over off Malcolm Nash
in a Championship match, fortuitously
recorded for posterity on BBC Wales –
with Wooller on comms!
Other Welsh counties have hosted
Glamorgan, including Llanelli in
Carmarthenshire; Pontypridd in Rhondda

BOB THOMAS/CRAIG PRENTIS/STU FORSTER/ALLSPORT/GETTY IMAGES

Outgrounds
England expects?

GLAMORGAN | FEATURE
Cynon Taf; Cresselly in Pembrokeshire; and Aberystwyth
in Cardiganshire in mid-Wales on the coast.

Famous tourists slayed
Glamorgan have had legendary wins over touring sides:
1939 The West Indians were vanquished at the Arms Park.
Wooller scored 111 in two hours in the first innings and
took 5 for 69 in the second.
1964 Ossie Wheatley was skipper against the Australians
at Swansea; the Eisteddfod was being held down the
road, and national fervour resulted. Shepherd took nine
wickets in the match, and slow leftie Jim Pressdee 10.
1968 By this time the Aussies were sick of Swansea.
Shepherd was skippering with Lewis absent, in a
memorable match shown on BBC Wales; in the first
innings Jones scored 99 and Nash took 5 for 28.

Pakistani connection
Like most counties, nearly all the countries have seen
representatives play for Glamorgan. There was Richards,
Roy Fredericks and Ezra Moseley from West Indies; Ravi
Shastri from India; Elliott, Michaels Kasprowicz and
Hogan and current recruit Marnus Labuschagne from
Australia; and South Africans Jacques Kallis and Colin
Ingram. It is the Pakistanis who have reigned, however.
There was Majid ‘Magic’ Khan; Younis Ahmed; Javed
Miandad, who wasn’t even picked every match previously
by Sussex (affectionally known as Dai Younis – 118 not out
– and Dai Miandad – 200 not out – after they put on 306 for
the fourth wicket against Australia at Neath in 1985); and
Waqar Younis, who was pivotal in the 1997 win.

Telly power
That Glamorgan are backed by a national broadcaster has
been a boon for fans over the decades (less so now, sadly).
Thanks to BBC Wales, surely they have enjoyed the most
tailored coverage for any county, again with the possible
exception of Yorkshire. Glamorgan – or Morgannwg – have
also featured on S4C, and on ball-by-ball local radio.

Best XIs
STEVE JAMES
1. Alan Jones. The
greatest Glamorgan
batsman ever, end of.
2. Gilbert Parkhouse. The only
Glamorgan batsman to score
centuries against every other county,
a record a few of us fell short of by
one (not that I’m still cursing that
drive at Phil DeFreitas on 96 against
Derbyshire!)
3. Hugh Morris. As his opening
partner I was always surprised when
he got out.
4. Matthew Maynard. What a talent.
Would have been interesting to see
him captaining this side.
5. Sir Vivian Richards. I’m only going
for one overseas player and it has to

be the man who taught us how to win.
6. Allan Watkins. Often forgotten
in these lists and with due apologies
to Tony Lewis, but Watkins averaged
40 with the bat, including a couple of
centuries, in Test cricket.
7. Mark Wallace. Colin Metson
was the best keeper in the country
for a couple of seasons in the early
1990s but Wallace’s batting was on a
different level.
8. Robert Croft. Top-quality spinner.
England would love to have him now.
9. Simon Jones. Facing him off two
paces in the nets was bad enough.
10. Steve Watkin. In my opinion the
unluckiest of all Glamorgan players of
my era to have so few England caps.
11. Don Shepherd. Surely the
unluckiest player of all time to
go uncapped.

MATT MAYNARD
1. Alan Jones
2. Hugh Morris
3. Steve James
4. Tony Lewis (c)
5. Viv Richards
6. Allan Watkins
7. Mark Wallace (Eifion Jones
came close – an unbelievable
keeper, and Chris Cooke)
8. Robert Croft
9. Simon Jones
10. Steve Watkin
11. Don Shepherd
12th man: Wilf Wooller

HUGH MORRIS
1. Alan Jones
2. Steve James
3. Tony Lewis
4. Matthew Maynard
5. Sir Vivian
Richards
6. Allan Watkins
7. Mark Wallace
8. Robert Croft
9. Waqar Younis
10. Steve Watkin
11. Don Shepherd

STEVE WATKIN
1. Hugh Morris
2. Alan Jones
3. Steve James
4. Matthew Maynard
5. Tony Lewis
6. Allan Watkins
7. Mark Wallace (Chris
Cooke very close)
8. Robert Croft
9. Jeff Jones (left-arm
just pipping Simon)
10. Michael Hogan
11. Don Shepherd
I decided not to
pick any overseas
because you
could easily
pick an
overseas
XI! Miandad,
Richards,
Waqar, Moseley,

Shastri, Kallis, Majid etc. The team
is missing a slow-left-armer; Peter
Walker could possibly play instead of
one of the batters, should needs be.
I’m not saying which one! I had some
great personal memories in my nearly
40 years winning
with the club:
winning the Sunday
League in 1993;
the Championship
in 1997; and also the
Lord’s final (Benson &
Hedges Cup final defeat
to Gloucestershire) in
2000. Also up there is the
Gillette Cup final defeat to
Middlesex in 1977: I rushed
home from my 10.30amstart football so that I could
watch. The people I’ve met,
played with and the staff provide
me with the happiest memories.

Looking good
Glamorgan have always had lovely kit. The 1993 National
League was the first to feature coloured uniforms and I
still have the shirt – navy with lemon piping (although I
don’t wear it as well as King Viv did). The daffodil badge,
yellow flower and green stalk, is a thing of beauty.

Threat from Welsh Fire
What does the future hold? Many fear that The Hundred
franchise Welsh Fire is a threat – but will they sell out
Sophia Gardens, especially now Steve Smith is not
coming? They could do with a few more Welshmen. At the
moment only David Lloyd is in it! Meg Lanning threatens
to give the women’s team tremendous star power – but
are the Australia women going to make it over?
Conference systems probably offer Glamorgan the best
chance of red-ball success in the foreseeable future,
rather than a reversion to two divisions, although on
their day they can beat the big boys with the white ball.
How sad would it be if Glamorgan were not with us
in a decade’s time? Although I worry about quite a few
counties once the current TV deal ends, frankly.
P.S… Glamorgan were close to Basil D’Oliveira’s heart as
he scored his first ton in Wales, at Milford Haven, where
my gran lived. Hwyl fawr!

thecricketer.com | 47

Immaculate

TAYLOR
NICK FRIEND PROFILES SARAH
TAYLOR, A GIFTED WICKETKEEPER
WHO MAKES A WELCOME RETURN
TO CRICKET THIS SUMMER

48 | thecricketer.com

GETTY IMAGES

“H

er natural ability and instinct as a keeper to
sniff out an opportunity before it happened
and to get herself into a position to make
the most of that opportunity before anyone
knew what was happening was incredible.
Her hands were incredible. She was one of the
most natural keepers I’ve seen.”
That was the view of Michael Bates, the former
Hampshire wicketkeeper now working with England
Women, when he spoke to The Cricketer last year about
the legend of Sarah Taylor. And he knows what he’s
talking about.
Because there was a time when Bates himself
was the top dog. His retirement in 2015 – aged
just 25 – was deemed by many on the county
circuit to be both tragedy and travesty: a
gloveman so tremendously gifted slipping
through the net simply on account of his batting,
never quite fulfilling what his hands had promised.
On the back cover of a book he has since written,
there sits a quote from Jos Buttler – a contemporary
– describing Bates as his “benchmark” through the
England age-groups.
Taylor became something similar, though not just as
a junior or in the domestic game. She developed into
a yardstick for any wicketkeeper – female or male –
who dared stand up to the stumps. Adam Gilchrist
was sufficiently taken to label her the best around,
regardless of gender.
And for all of social media’s flaws, its capacity to put
together three minutes’ worth of Taylor’s greatest hits
is a gift for which we should all be grateful. In a sense,

SARAH TAYLOR | FEATURE

SCOTT BARBOUR/CRICKET AUSTRALIA/GETTY IMAGES

Sarah Taylor pouches
a catch for Adelaide
Strikers in the 2015
Women’s Big Bash

she has transcended the art of wicketkeeping as much
as her sport: people with little interest in cricket could
still only be impressed by the speed of her reactions.
I once interviewed Katherine Brunt and asked her
about the notion of fame and whether, as the women’s
game has grown and its coverage increased, she felt
as though she had unwittingly reached celebrity
status. “Not in a million years,” she laughed, before
pausing briefly. “I think Sarah Taylor achieved that a
little bit just by how loved she was in India; if she’d
lived in India, she’d have been one of the most famous
people there.”
Perhaps this is a vulgar measurement, but you can tell
plenty these days by one’s Twitter followership. Taylor
holds a digital crowd of 193,600, more than three times
that of England captain Heather Knight and almost
a sixfold increase on Brunt. Her popularity has never
been much of a secret, even in the two years since her
last international appearance. Richard Hobson writes
rightly on these pages of the way in which The Hundred
built up her marquee signing with Welsh Fire, though
even more telling was the groundswell of excitement
in response. There is a brilliant captivation that comes
with Taylor, the fact that she has made wicketkeeping
about more than just catching a ball. So much so
that her record with the bat – only two women have
scored more ODI runs for England – has largely been
taken as secondary. How many wicketkeepers in the
sport’s history have been both specialist batter and
specialist wicketkeeper?
Everyone has a favourite catch of hers – Simon
Hughes touches on the extraordinary reflexes and
powers of anticipation that allowed her to dive to her
right and intercept Jodie Fields’ reverse sweep. On
commentary, Nick Knight commented that Taylor had
enjoyed “a quiet game behind the stumps” up until that
point – a throwaway line, but also some of the highest
praise. Most wicketkeepers and goalkeepers – like
referees and umpires – aspire to reach precisely that
level of performance: match officials are often said to
have been at their best if they’ve gone unnoticed.
But with an anthology of work quite like Taylor, an
innings without a moment of magic was a conspicuous
rarity. For me, no single catch stands out, but rather
a particular genre, when Taylor would wait and wait
and wait – like a lion hiding in the long grass – for the
batsman’s foot to lift, sometimes for so long that you
might question whether the ball was still live when
the bails were finally whipped off. It would all happen
so quickly – the predator leaping on her prey – but she
would appeal with a degree of certainty that added to
her aura.
Until Taylor’s international retirement after the
2019 Ashes, Amy Jones sat in a unique position as
understudy to a genius. “Lots of people say that it must
have been so frustrating,” she told The Cricketer earlier
this year, reflecting on those days. “Looking back, I
suppose it was. But equally, I think watching Sarah and
trying to be better than Sarah obviously leaves you in
a pretty good position if you can get close. I definitely
think that it pushed me to be a better wicketkeeper and
to train harder.
“I think the things that Sarah was so good at were
the almost unteachable things. She was just very

thecricketer.com | 49

it was a nutritionist that we had [with England] who
said she stopped playing hockey because she wanted
to be the person behind the scenes helping. I always
remembered that because I thought: ‘Oh my god, I
think that’s me’.”
She admitted then that she hadn’t picked up a bat
since her last game in the Kia Super League – more
than 500 days before her return – and that she
couldn’t say for certain whether she would make a
comeback at all, at least until she had been back in the
nets to see where her game was at.
“I don’t ever want to rule out a game because I’ve
cared for and loved it for so long, and it was all I
knew at one point,” she said, four months before The
Hundred teased her signing in a series of tweets.
We spoke for 25 minutes, never really about cricket
but instead about life – and how leaving the game had
been the catalyst for the contentment in her current
position. I hoped that this second-coming might
transpire, but mainly I logged off our Zoom call just
thrilled to find Taylor in such a positive state of mind.
“There is light at the end of the tunnel,” she
reflected with an air of poignancy. “It took for me,
unfortunately, to walk away from something that I did
love to be able to achieve that, but it was a sacrifice I
was willing to make because I wanted to be happy.”
She is back now – and that, ultimately, is one of the
reasons for writing at this juncture – to appreciate the
generational talent of Sarah Taylor and to be excited
that we will be able to witness it once more, but also
to respect the journey she has taken to find herself at
this point again. Cricket is richer for her presence, as
it always has been.

The greatest… then daylight
Watching Sarah Taylor stood up to the
stumps, it often seemed that when it came to
wicketkeepers in women’s cricket, there was
her, then daylight... then the rest.
Mark Robinson, then-England head coach,
declared in 2018 that Amy Jones – stand-in
when Taylor was absent, now England
No.1 in her own right – was the secondbest keeper in women’s cricket.
What of the others? Australia’s
Alyssa Healy stands alone as
the best wicketkeeper/batsman in
women’s cricket, as she has been ever
since Taylor’s batting started to tail off
around 2016. Healy’s glovework has been very
sharp of late, though there were times when it
was shaky. Outside Australia, during much of
Taylor’s career other international teams often
fell prey to the temptation to stick gloves on
their most immobile batsman.
But there are some crackers around now.
Robinson says, and I agree, that both Taniya
Bhatia of India and New Zealand’s Katey
Martin are “very good with the gloves but not
as effective with the bat”.

50 | thecricketer.com

Taylor’s
stupendous catch
of Australia’s Jodie
Fields in an ODI at
Hove in 2013

Reflecting on her time in the game, Clare Connor
ranks England’s best as: Taylor, Jane Smit, Jones.
Rebecca Rolls had quicksilver hands for New Zealand.
We’re often told we shouldn’t compare men’s and
women’s cricket, but for those who actually think
about the game it is hard not to wonder how Taylor
would have fared standing back to 90mph edges or
the red Dukes ball wobbling about, or standing up to
a leg-spinner really ragging it. The odd outing in the
Birmingham League or Adelaide first-grade cricket
probably isn’t sufficient evidence. I suspect she would
have coped perfectly well, for the reasons Simon
Hughes articulates on the next page.
But what set Taylor apart in the women’s game
was how she stood up to Katherine Brunt and Anya
Shrubsole, with the ball swinging and dipping past
leg stump. In much of the world, women’s keepers
spend an awful lot of time standing up on low pitches,
mainly to loopy off-spin, straight-on leg-spin and
medium-paced inswing. Much as in men’s club
cricket, half the battle is staying down late enough to
cling on to low nicks or avoid snatching at stumpings.
As more specialist coaching is committed to the
regional academies, and more natural athletes are
persuaded to take up cricket, it will be exciting to
see those live-stream clips of women and girls in our
domestic system starting to approach Taylor levels.
James Coyne

JASON O’BRIEN/CHARLIE CROWHURST/NATHAN STIRK/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

naturally talented. She did work and train, obviously,
but it was almost like she didn’t need to. She could
not train for a week but then go out and pull off
something amazing.”
It is Bates’ expert opinion that Jones might even
be the technically superior of the pair, but that
Taylor had an unparalleled “killer instinct”, not least
when it came to executing a legside stumping. She
made it look easy, as if these deliveries hurled down
the legside were not so much in bowler error as a
legitimate wicket-taking tactic: overbalance and
Taylor, more often than not, would see to it that you
paid with your wicket.
On May 3, in her first T20 match since returning to
the fold for Sussex, she claimed two stumpings in
a win over Hampshire. More importantly, though,
Taylor has decided that this makes sense for her and
that she’s keen to get back playing again.
Having achieved plenty on the field, her status as
a role model away from the game might just be her
most significant act. She has always spoken openly
about her battles with mental health and how she
struggled with the adulation and fanfare that came
her way as a world-class cricketer.
“Because of my social anxiety, I just wanted to do
my job and then go,” she told me in January as she
helped to launch Sussex’s online mental health and
wellbeing platform. “It’s what I was paid to do, and I
wanted to smash glass ceilings, but I didn’t want the
recognition for it.”
It was one of the reasons that she has become so
fond of teaching, having taken on a role at Bede’s
School thereafter. “It’s a blessing,” she smiled. “I think

SARAH TAYLOR | FEATURE

PR masterstroke for
besieged Hundred
It may be damning with extremely faint praise,
but as well as heralding the return to cricket of
one of England’s greatest woman players, the
announcement that Sarah Taylor will feature
for Welsh Fire in The Hundred was also the
biggest PR success for the competition so far.
The first whiff came on April 5 with a teasing
film on the tournament’s Twitter site. “Our
next signing in The Hundred? Might just have
the best hands of all.” Said hands were seen
typing, making a cup of tea, holding a novel,
packing a cricket bag and finally slipping on
a pair of wicketkeeping gloves. One follower
predicted that Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on
his way.
Next morning came the ‘Huge News Alert!’.
Not quite Dhoni, but as part two of the film
continued, footage showed Taylor’s familiar
face emerging from beneath a Welsh Fire cap
in a sequence that recalled the reveal of the
mystery guest on A Question of Sport.
ECB chief executive Tom Harrison

A top keeper could crack it in men’s game
During a recent Zoom interview, the
England left-arm spinner Sophie
Ecclestone, ranked the No.1 women’s
T20I bowler in the world, declared an
interest in playing men’s county cricket.
“I’d absolutely love to,” she said, egged
on by her male counterpart Jack Leach,
who agreed that she had a better action
than he did. Her main reservation was
about facing 90mph bowling. “Well I
don’t enjoy that much either!” said Leach.
Will it ever happen, that a woman plays
in the County Championship? Sarah Taylor
has come closest to doing it so far, with
an intent to play for Sussex 2nd XI a few
years ago, though it never happened in
the end.
Taylor was, according to Mike Selvey,
“the greatest female cricketer of all time
because she is the only one who could
have held her own in the men’s game”.
There are two reasons for that. One, she
was supremely talented, and two, she
was a wicketkeeper.
Keeping is the one discipline in the
game where, at the moment, the women
can be the equal of the men. It is a role

that requires athleticism and balance
and, of course, great hand-eye coordination. Keepers need to be light on
their feet. They need a dancer’s spring
and elasticity. Anticipation is also vital
– remember that amazing catch Taylor
took to intercept a reverse sweep off
Australia’s Jodie Fields in 2013?
Keepers don’t need the strength and
power that dominates batting and
bowling in the men’s game, or a bullet
throw from deep square-leg. Even male
spinners bowl quicker than females
which may be what would inhibit
Ecclestone’s chances of ever appearing in
the Lancashire men’s team.
But a top female keeper would in no way
be inferior to a male one. The only thing
they would then have to demonstrate is
an ability to make runs against first-class
bowlers. Few current county keepers
average under 30 with the bat. But a
future Tammy Beaumont or Amy Jones
(both of whom keep and open the batting)
might just have the requisite skills to be
the first to break sport’s gender barrier.
Simon Hughes

acknowledged at the launch in 2019 that
the organisation had made mistakes. That
was even before bad publicity around
the sponsorship deal with KP Snacks. By
definition, the new targeted audience of
The Hundred is not yet there to echo official
enthusiasm, and poor communications have
been ridiculed by critics. Mike Atherton, as
objective an observer as there is, referred to
“some misguided PR and marketing” in his
preview of this season.
In contrast, the Taylor story received
sympathetic treatment from the national
press and cricket websites, capped by a long,
set-piece interview with Michael Vaughan.
Radio appearances included a chat with Clare
McDonnell on BBC 5 Live.
Taylor’s return could only be a happy tale.
She has always spoken frankly, never veered
towards self-pity and she excelled herself
again this time. It would take a heavy heart to
begrudge her return - an open goal, perhaps,
but at least the PR team slotted it in.
Richard Hobson
thecricketer.com | 51

It’s county cricket
I miss the most
FORMER GUARDIAN , SUNDAY TIMES AND SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
WRITER ROB STEEN MOVED TO HOLLAND LAST YEAR. HERE HE
EXPLAINS WHY HE MISSED OUR BELOVED DOMESTIC GAME

O

n their final album as the planet’s least likely
pop stars, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker,
the Lillee and Marsh of guitar and pen, wrote
a typically sarcastic song called ‘Things I Miss
the Most’. The list may strike a chord with
anyone accustomed to too much money: The
talk; the sex; the somebody to trust; the Audi TT; the ’54
Strat; the comfy Eames chairs; the good copper pans; the
house on the Gulf Coast; the house on the Vineyard.
England has been my home ever since Tom Graveney,
my first sporting hero, serenaded Trent Bridge with his

tallest, most exquisite innings, 258 against West Indies
in 1957, for what, back then, were never, ever called
the Three Lions. As I prepared to leave the country, my
variation on the Don ’n’ Walt ditty, ‘Things I’ll Miss The
Most’, wouldn’t have made a couplet, much less a song.
Friends and family, it goes without saying, but then I
can only think of three things, all of them sights:
1) The view of the church across Lewes High Street on
a David Gower cover drive of a morning, around 6.30am,
always guaranteed to lend the day promise;
2) The English countryside from a rail carriage,

Only by attending do I fully savour the miracle that
is county cricket: devoted congregations almost
completely comprising people whose overriding aim
is to watch rather than be watched; and rub-your-eyes
evidence that socialism, of a sort, can operate in England

52 | thecricketer.com

MIKE HEWITT/GETTY IMAGES

COUNTY LOVE | FEATURE

preferably along the stretch between Oxford and
Worcester, pathway to my favourite cricket venue, or
between Dawlish and Teignmouth, scene of the few
happy memories of my childhood;
3) County cricket.
Of these, only the third nags. But why?
Cricket has always been my favourite English thing (as
opposed, that is, to person). Playing it, watching it, reading
about it, immersing myself in it, sometimes loving it
wisely, but mostly far too well. Rejoicing when Middlesex,
Sussex, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, Bangladesh,
Ireland, Afghanistan, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Scotland or
Papua New Guinea win; rejoicing when Australia, South
Africa and India lose. Win some, lose some, draw some?
In this country at least, cricket, for this observer, still
reeks of class, snobbery and the Establishment, and
hence a good deal of the worst things about Elizabeth
Windsor’s realm. But the love outweighs all that: the
beauty of the batting and the bowling; the exhilaration
of spotting future greatness; the approachability of
the stars, the dedication of the club staff from chief
executive to groundsman’s assistant’s apprentice; the
calm; the long tempers and even longer silences. These
people have dominated my working and leisure life. Not
a bad recipe for a worthwhile spell on possibly the least
enlightened planet in the Solar System.
But while I could (and will continue to) watch the big
games by kind courtesy of Sky, only by attending can I
ever hope to watch the four-day theatre the only way it
should be watched (apologies, all you devoted streamers
and streamees). Only by attending can I spend a day
chewing cud, fat and salt beef sandwiches with lifelong
pals. Now I am no longer a hack and getting paid for
the privilege, only by paying and attending do I see,
smell and get all nostalgic about Hove, Chelmsford,
Tunbridge Wells, The Oval and yes, even venues beyond
the home counties.
Only by attending do I fully savour the miracle that is
county cricket: devoted congregations almost completely
comprising people whose overriding aim is to watch
rather than be watched; and rub-your-eyes evidence that
socialism, of a sort, can operate in England.

Whether we like it or not, county cricket exists
primarily to supply players for the national team, and
hence fodder for the broadcasters. Liken it to a sugar
plantation in Alabama if you like, but of course it’s
rather sexier and better paid than that. Millions follow
it, all over the world, however remotely. But county
cricket also demonstrates that 18 professional sporting
teams, mostly located in less-than-prosperous
places, can be treated more or less equally and, as a
consequence, survive.
The one thing I won’t miss about county cricket is
its greatest publicist, David Foot, who ended his days
with The Guardian too many years ago, in his eighties.
David is one of those fellow scribblers who made the
transition, in my world, from hero-cum-inspiration to
friend, joining fellow Guardianistas Frank Keating and
Matthew Engel. Of the three, he is the most reticent and
the least garlanded. This is not a unique perspective.
In the newly published Routledge Handbook of Sports
Journalism, Huw Richards, my co-editor, has a fittingly
gentle rave about the wonders of ‘Footie’.
The following paragraphs, I trust, demonstrate even
better than his matchlessly lyrical writing why far too
few of us hold Footie in such esteem.
“I have never harboured haughty aspirations in
my writing, nurtured as I was in the school of
journalism and often obsessed with the oddities
of human behaviour. When I write about sport –
mostly reflections emanate usually from somewhere
between the dressing room and the psychiatrist’s
couch. I like to observe how my subject plays; even
more how he thinks, what worries him. It is true that
I have inclined to study complex, unfulfilled and, in
some cases, sad people.
“This is a different collection. Of my 12 ‘idols’, one did
kill himself. Another tried to. One died, a lonely man, in
an Amsterdam hotel. But I have chosen them because,
in their varying way, they have been my heroes. Not all
as cricketers, however; not all as practical sportsmen.
My miscellany includes a writer and broadcasters,
a rugby coach, a football manager and a boxing
champion. More than half I came to know well; only

BELOW
Sussex v Middlesex
at Hove in 2018...
county catnip

thecricketer.com | 53

one, Alf Dipper, the talented, under-valued Gloucester
slowcoach, I never met.
“My style, I fear, is as discursive as ever. A thread of
regard and affection runs through this book – and I hope
it shows.”
Footie wrote those words for the introduction of my
favourite book of his, Fragments of Idolatry, published
in 2001 by Fairfield Books, that wondrous publishing
venture launched and sustained, against most odds, by
the greatest standard-bearer for county cricket, Stephen
Chalke. One of Footie’s idols, the football manager, Alec
Stock, also happens to be my favourite football manager;
another of those heroes, Tom Cartwright RIP, is the
cricketer I respect the most who didn’t grow up to be
either a psychotherapist, a bishop or MA Holding Esq.
Footie and I have much more in common than that.
We both adore the West Country, the theatre and Jews.
He always said the mark of a good day’s cricket was a
pressbox brimming with companionable fellow hacks.
Which was far from uncommon before the days when the
internet began making county cricket reporting a job that
approached the shores of hard work.
This now olde worlde was most vividly captured,
in Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, by the late Gerald
Mortimer, chief cook and bottlewasher of the Derby
press box for decades – while doubling, sometimes with
immense juggling skills, as chief footie correspondent of
the Derby Evening Telegraph.
During Gerald’s seemingly endless career, for most of
his press box colleagues, the working day between April
and September during the half-century after the Second
World War was as close to a six-month holiday as we
leather-smellers have ever got.

Last summer was comfortably my most guilt-ridden
to date. While pretty much all my family and friends
were either lonely, bored, fed up, angry, overdrawn,
unemployed, mourning or stricken, there was your semiretired correspondent, giving Riley reasons to be envious.
Ditching long-time lover Amsterdam for the even more
alluring Rotterdam, I settled in this endlessly fascinating
and rewarding city of 600,000-plus inhabitants, 180
nationalities, canals galore and, for me, a unique fusion
of future and past.
To be frank, I had a ball. I explored Holland and
Belgium by train, went to scores of movies, museums
and restaurants, made new friends and even learned five

54 | thecricketer.com

PETER HALL/UNSPLASH

ABOVE
This could be
Rotterdam or
anywhere…
Rob Steen’s
home for a time

essential localisms (for “yes”, “no”, “please”, “thankyou” and
“good morning”). How impressed I was by this looseygoosey approach to the complex science of lockdown. Hell,
the uproar that greeted a single day of shuttered coffee
shops (as distinct from cafes) was enough for the sale of
marijuana to be instantly deemed essential to the nation’s
wellbeing. The upshot, though, was something that even
Boris wouldn’t categorise as an inferior option to letting
the corpses pile up, namely curfews.
Of course, once the professional Kentishmen and Men
of Kent started bowling bouncers and biffing boundaries
anew, the planet seemed to be revolving again. Mind you,
for the first time since 1967, although it could be said that
I was still following matches in the flesh, said flesh was
strictly confined to the layers covering my thumb-bone
(courtesy of my new best chum, the BBC Sport app). Not
until the televised Essex-Somerset duel for the Bob Willis
Trophy did I witness a single live ball.
Inevitably, the void gaped and ached. The resoundingly
successful Dutch resistance to willowing and leathering
made the most fleeting sparks of cricketing life precious.
One day, shortly after pulling out of Rotterdam Centraal,
I spotted a match in progress. Honestly, I thought I’d
overdone the Dorothy (as in Lamour, romantic interest
in the Road To… movies, me and my best pal’s secret
alternative to the Bob Hope-dope cliché). There was even
a hint of an acid trip: the crowd was thicker than I’d ever
seen on a Thursday at Northampton.
Then I met a clutch of banner-waving, middle-aged
Sri Lankan emigrés outside Amsterdam Centraal,
demonstrating about the treatment of Tamils in the
mother country yet far, far keener to rave about their
Rotterdam club. I might have taken up their offer of a
game but for the pandemic. Or not having packed any
clothes bar shorts, t-shirts and hoodies. Or not knowing
where to buy or even what to call a box.
There were also disappointments and frustrations.
Come Test time, once I’d relocated from Amsterdam in
early July, Coco’s Outback, the sports bar on Rembrandt
Square where I’d drunk in Stuart Broad’s 8 for 15
and England’s World Cup gloriousness, became an
impractical option. All I saw of the boy Crawley’s 267 was
a measly half a dozen boundaries on YouTube.
At a tourist office, I was attended to by a charming young
man whose English was more refined than mine and
whose fingers looked as if they could give a ball a rare
old tweak. His complexion suggested Bangladeshi or Sri
Lankan origins; he confirmed the latter.
“Ah,” I smiled, sensing a swift leap across both
generational and geographical divides. “Home of my
favourite sportsman, Murali.”
“Mura-who?”
“Muttiah Muralitharan. Greatest bowler ever.”
“Sorry, never heard of him.”
“You can’t like cricket, then.”
“No, sorry.”
“You do know that that amounts to treason in Sri Lanka,
don’t you?”
“Yeah, my mother always tells me that.”
Since the residence rules are so strict, especially postBrexit, I’m currently planning a September in the shires
based around my trusty Cricketer calendar. The wobbles,
though, are intensifying.
Ever sensed you might have made a slightly hasty
decision?

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

Welcome to paradise
The Great House, a family-run boutique hotel in Antigua, is opening its doors to travelling England supporters

E

ngland men are due to tour the
Caribbean in spring 2022 and the
prospect of travelling fans being
welcomed back into stadiums is
becoming increasingly realistic. For
thousands of supporters, overseas tours
are almost back to the way they should be.
And where better to fall back in love with
touring than the Caribbean? Fans will have
fond memories of all the islands, Antigua
in particular, but the island still keeps her
secrets and there is one gem hidden right
under the nose of the Sir Vivian Richards
Stadium.
The Great House in Antigua is a
350-year-old stone house – the last of its
kind on the island, that has been reborn as
a boutique hotel. It sits within a 26-acre
estate where the thick and vibrant trees
protect guests from the loud hustle and
bustle of the island.
The hotel is run by the Howell family,
originally from Cardiff, but with historic
ties to the island. “It’s a very intimate
setting,” Isabella Howell, creative director
of The Great House, tells The Cricketer.
“We only have eight suites so a maximum
of 16 guests. Four suites are in the house
and the other four are in our brand-new
garden suite cottages. They opened in
January 2020 so Covid has ensured they
are still brand new!”
Guests have full board throughout their
stay in the on-site restaurant while they are
also immersed in the history of the building
and the island.
“The history of the island and the house,

along with the previous famous visitors are
showcased throughout the hotel. Guests
can explore and learn about the history
and culture from Antigua.”
The hotel is run by Isabella, alongside her
sister Gabriella and mother Janey. Their
father Andrew supplies PPE in the UK,
meaning the hotel is one of the most wellstocked with protective equipment in the
Caribbean. All staff have been vaccinated
while a negative test is required to enter
the island.
“We run the hotel as a family and it
definitely has character and charm. It’s so
unique,” Isabella explains.
“My favourite aspect of The Great House
Antigua is that the only noise comes from
song birds and the breeze rippling through
the trees. You are met by incredible
scenery, all your stresses melt away as you
are welcomed to paradise.”
Cricket fans will note The Great House’s
close proximity to the Sir Vivian Richards
Stadium, a likely venue during the tour. Shuttle
buses will run between the ground and hotel
on match days while guests will be provided
with a picnic basket lunch on request.

The hotel is the ideal spot for those
who may not consider the cricket as the
only element of their holiday. They want
a relaxing place to come back to and
enjoy with more privacy, superb food and
stunning scenery.
However, proximity to the stadium is
not the only connection The Great House
has with the equally great Sir Viv. “Sir Viv
was very close with my grandma,” Isabella
explains. “Guests may bump into him while
roaming around the 26-acre hotel.”
The restaurant serves fresh cuisine
daily including; Mahi-Mahi, Red Snapper
and Lobster Thermidor, presenting an
extensive bar featuring island rum and
world class wine. Isabella notes the
atmosphere at The Great House Antigua
with the gramophone swooning the blues
and Antiguan rum on the rocks, there is no
better way to unwind after a brilliant day at
the cricket.
Antigua has long been a favourite
destination for travelling supporters.
The cricket is always competitive and
when enjoyed from the stadium’s grassy
banks there is no place better to follow
England abroad. Add to that the tranquil
experience of The Great House you’re left
with the holiday of a lifetime.

For more information and to book your stay, visit www.thegreathouseantigua.com or call 07792 032082
thecricketer.com | 55

Notts
at
full
Blast
T

he sad news came through shortly before this
magazine was due for print that Harry Gurney
had been forced to retire from professional
cricket.
Initially a stalwart of the county game as a
red-ball bowler, he took 310 first-class wickets
in 103 appearances before transforming himself into a
different breed of left-arm seamer.
There was a brief flurry of international caps
across a seven-month period in 2014 and then
a journey on the T20 franchise circuit that took
him to the Indian Premier League with Kolkata
Knight Riders, the Big Bash with Melbourne
Renegades, the Caribbean Premier League
with Barbados Tridents and the Pakistan Super
League with Quetta Gladiators. As far as T20
competitions go, Gurney completed the Big

56 | thecricketer.com

Four. Where there were trophies to be won (and he won
eight in all), Gurney – Nottingham-born and with an
unusual, rangy action – was a sought-after commodity.
At first, he would have been deemed a left-field pick – a
one-dimensional cricketer without a glittering resumé at
the top level and only a brief sojourn in England colours
– but by the time he played the final game of his career
in December 2019, he was a respected operator, admired
for his ability to deliver the toughest overs at the end
of an innings. More often than not, he came through
those spells unscathed: a T20 economy rate of just
7.84 – after 3,281 balls – represents a formidable
effort, given the segment of the game during which
he did much of his best work, utilising an array
of variations built up as he gained further
experience on the T20 carousel.
So, it spoke volumes for Nottinghamshire’s

ALEX DAVIDSON/LAURENCE GRIFFITHS/GETTY IMAGES

HOLDERS TOUGH TO BEAT,
BUT SUSSEX WILL PUSH THEM
SAYS NICK FRIEND , WHO ALSO
WANTS TO SEE BROWN AND
BANTON BOUNCE BACK

VITALITY BLAST | PREVIEW

Losing Richard Dawson as head
coach might have caused strife at a
different stage of Gloucestershire’s
development, but there has
been a smooth transition to Ian
Harvey and Mark Alleyne
LEFT
Dan Christian
returns to lead
Notts again
ABOVE
Gloucestershire
are making
waves in both
red and whiteball cricket

NATHAN STIRK/GARETH COPLEY/GETTY IMAGES

ABOVE RIGHT
Leicestershire
came so close
in 2020 but two
late mistakes
in the field cost
them against
Notts
BELOW LEFT
Harry Gurney
has called time
on his career

much-envied strength in depth that Peter Moores’ unit
were able to triumph in last year’s Vitality Blast without
his box of tricks. Gurney was consigned to the treatment
table, desperately working to renew the fitness of his
shoulder, a battle in which he has ultimately come
up short.
The events of last autumn feel almost like they belong
in a different era, so long did lockdown-winter seem
to last. But Gurney’s misfortune was to the gain of
Jake Ball, who used his surprise opportunity as Notts’
spearhead-apparent to remind the world of a talent that,
for a couple of years prior, had gone quiet. He claimed 19
wickets – one every 10.7 balls – at 13.63 apiece, earning a
Big Bash deal with Sydney Sixers and a spot as a reserve
for England’s white-ball tour of South Africa.
Dan Christian was the glue who held it all together; the
Australian allrounder has captained the county in the
tournament since 2016, and the 2020 title was the eighth
T20 crown of his globetrotting existence. He added a
ninth shortly afterwards alongside Ball in Sydney pink
and will be back at Trent Bridge this summer in search
of No.10.
They will begin this year’s edition as the team to beat,
aided by the big-hitting axis of Alex Hales, Joe Clarke
and Ben Duckett.
Beyond them, however, there is plenty of depth in a
tournament that has seen 13 different finalists in the last
decade, while others – like Gloucestershire, who reached
finals day for the first time in 13 years last season – have
never been stronger as T20 outfits.
Losing Richard Dawson as head coach might have

caused strife at Nevil Road at a different stage of the
county’s development.
But the structure he has left behind has allowed a
transition so smooth that – at the time of going to print
– Chris Dent’s men top their County Championship
group with a game in hand, while some of the country’s
best cricketers are beginning to receive the credit their
performances have long-since merited.
Off the field, the Ian Harvey-Mark Alleyne duo is
tantalisingly exciting, especially where a white-ball
focus is concerned. The pair formed a fundamental part
of the club’s glorious era at the turn of the century, while
Alleyne was the county’s head coach when they reached
T20 finals day in 2007.
And on the subject of counties looking to the past for
inspiration, this year marks the 10th anniversary of
Leicestershire’s most recent crown. Still to this day no
other club can match their three titles, and Paul Nixon’s
men were a single misfield away from an Edgbaston
appearance last October. For all of Notts’ dominance
through the 2021 competition, Leicestershire were the
only side to defeat them, earning a crucial win in the
group stage, before falling short courtesy of a lower
powerplay score at the end of a tie in their quarter-final.
By the admission of those involved, that was a bitter
pill to swallow and a brutal way in which to end a
shortened season. In the longer term, however, it will
give hope to supporters that a return to the heady days
of Andrew McDonald, Will Jefferson, Claude Henderson
and James Taylor might come again in the near future.
The signing of Scott Steel from Durham, where the

thecricketer.com | 57

58 | thecricketer.com

ABOVE
Several Sydney
Sixers players will
figure in the Blast
RIGHT
Finn Allen
(Lancashire)
and Glenn
Phillips
(Gloucestershire)
are among the
Kiwi contingent
BELOW
Pat Brown is
Worcestershire’s
death bowler

making their Blast debuts. But having agreed deals with
Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman and now Stirling
– called in as a replacement for Australian allrounder
Mitchell Marsh – how head coach Stuart Law juggles
his resources will be an intriguing feature of his team’s
campaign.
Hollman was not the only young spinner to impress: Dan
Moriarty ended the year as the second-highest wickettaker in his first season on the staff at Surrey, runners-up
in October and, in Sean Abbott, possessing an excellent
all-round overseas cricketer – another of the Sydney
Sixers invasion. Meanwhile, Sussex off-spinner Jack
Carson has made waves in the early stages of his red-ball
career. Whether there is an opening for him in James
Kirtley’s jam-packed squad, however, only time will tell.
Because, if any county is built – on paper – to seriously
challenge Notts’ franchise-like juggernaut, then
Sussex would seem to be as well-stocked as anyone. In
assessing Jason Gillespie’s tenure in charge upon his
departure at the end of 2020, it seemed hard to believe
that a squad with so much T20 experience failed to win
the competition under his stewardship.
Rashid Khan – the world’s leading T20 cricketer of the
last decade – and South African allrounder David Wiese
are both due back, with Wiese now an overseas player
following the termination of Kolpak registrations. Ravi

DAVID ROGERS/HANNA LASSEN/FIONA GOODALL/GETTY IMAGES

22-year-old first came to prominence two summers ago,
is an interesting move. He struggled to replicate the form
of his first campaign in 2020, before turning down a
contract extension in favour of pastures new.
Elsewhere in the North Group, Worcestershire have
experienced every emotion possible in their last three
Blast campaigns: the unbridled joy of triumph on their
maiden finals day appearance; the devastation of a lastball defeat in the following final, one delivery away from
becoming the first county to retain their crown; and the
more drawn-out disappointment of 2020, when a fine
team – shorn of talisman Moeen Ali due to bio-secure
bubble restrictions – simply never got going. They have
recruited well, adding Nepalese leg-spinner Sandeep
Lamichhane and Australian seamer Ben Dwarshuis –
another representative of the Sydney Sixers stable – to a
bowling attack already starring Pat Brown, who endured
the toughest campaign of his career last time out. The
England man, still just 22 years of age, is far too talented
not to emerge better for those struggles.
Likewise Tom Banton, whose stock rose exponentially
in 2019 before finding 2020 rather more taxing. He
will be joined at Somerset by one of the season’s more
intriguing signings: New Zealand’s Devon Conway – a
left-handed batsman born in South Africa – has scarcely
tasted failure in recent times, averaging 75 in three ODIs,
59.12 through 12 T20Is and 47.21 in first-class cricket
as he awaits a seemingly inevitable Test debut against
England in June.
There is an air of Colin Ingram – Glamorgan’s star
South African – in the way he goes about his business,
with Conway one of six New Zealanders signed up
as overseas players for the upcoming competition,
alongside allrounder Jimmy Neesham at Essex,
fast bowler Lockie Ferguson at Yorkshire, Colin
de Grandhomme at Hampshire, Glenn Phillips at
Gloucestershire and Finn Allen at Lancashire.
While the first three names on that list will likely be
recognisable to many, having featured in the 2019 World
Cup final, Phillips and Allen might require more of an
introduction. In short, both hit a long ball. Phillips has
been around for longer and was recently awarded his
first central contract, while much of his best work
has taken place in the CPL. Allen’s domestic form
for Wellington earned him a T20I debut against
Bangladesh and an IPL replacement deal with Royal
Challengers Bangalore. Both have played in England
before, though, having spent a summer representing
Brondesbury in the Middlesex Premier League.
Last year, as the pandemic took hold and complicated
matters for imports from abroad, Ireland’s Andy
Balbirnie, Paul Stirling and Gareth Delany all earned
deals. Middlesex have now come in for Stirling – a
stalwart of the club until registration rules around
Irish players changed ahead of the 2020 season. The
experienced opener will be available for five games, with
the national side busy through June and July: Ireland
are due to travel to the Netherlands, before facing
South Africa in three ODIs and three T20Is.
Middlesex are one of several intriguing sides in the
South Group, having seen their academy graduates
prosper last season when afforded the opportunity.
Leg-spinning allrounder Luke Hollman and hardhitting batsman Joe Cracknell both impressed after

VITALITY BLAST | PREVIEW

ABOVE
Sussex’s squad
could fancy their
chances
LEFT
Tom Banton will
be looking to
bounce back
RIGHT
Qais Ahmad is
among a strong
crop of Afghans

Rashid Khan is one of five
Afghans due to be involved in
this year’s Blast, with the veteran
allrounder Mohammad Nabi making
Northamptonshire his third county

ALEX DAVIDSON/MIKE HEWITT/ASHLEY ALLEN CPL T20/MIKE OWEN/GETTY IMAGES

BOTTOM
RIGHT
Billy Stanlake
will be leading
Derbyshire’s tilt

Bopara struggled for his best form last year but will play
a key role with both bat and ball this year, especially
following the exits of Laurie Evans and Danny Briggs,
both of whom are among the better white-ball cricketers
on the county scene. Evans left for Surrey ahead of last
year’s Blast, while Briggs will fill the void left by Jeetan
Patel’s retirement at Birmingham Bears, who have Carlos
Brathwaite among their party.
Rashid is one of five Afghans due to be involved,
with Mohammad Nabi making Northamptonshire his
third county, having previously turned out for Kent
and Leicestershire, who have enlisted Qais Ahmad and
Naveen-ul-Haq respectively for their own campaigns.
Ahmad, who also has a deal to represent Welsh Fire in
The Hundred, could later become the first Afghanistan
international to play in the County Championship.
According to Kent, for whom Mohammad Amir has also
signed, Ahmad will be available for two red-ball games,
subject to regulatory approval.
While Kent qualified from a competitive South Group
in third position last year, Hampshire’s recent Blast
record has been woeful. They accumulated just five
points in 2020 and haven’t made it out of their pool since
reaching finals day in 2017, armed with the inimitable
powers of Shahid Afridi. His near-namesake, Shaheen
Shah Afridi, claimed four wickets in four balls during

PAST FINALS
2003 Trent Bridge
Surrey bt Warwickshire
2004 Edgbaston
Leicestershire bt Surrey
2005 The Oval
Somerset bt Lancashire
2006 Trent Bridge
Leicestershire bt Notts
2007 Edgbaston
Kent bt Gloucestershire
2008 Rose Bowl
Middlesex bt Kent
2009 Edgbaston
Sussex bt Somerset
2010 Rose Bowl
Hampshire bt Somerset
2011 Edgbaston
Leicestershire bt Somerset
2012 Cardiff
Hampshire bt Yorkshire
2013 Edgbaston
Northants bt Surrey
2014 Edgbaston
Birmingham bt Lancashire
2015 Edgbaston
Lancashire bt Northants
2016 Edgbaston
Northants bt Durham
2017 Edgbaston
Notts bt Birmingham
2018 Edgbaston
Worcestershire bt Sussex
2019 Edgbaston
Essex bt Worcestershire
2020 Edgbaston
Notts bt Surrey

one of two wins last year – at the Ageas Bowl against
Middlesex. While the tremendous left-armer is not
returning this time around, Hampshire have moved to
bring in de Grandhomme and opening batsman D’Arcy
Short, who was named as the competition’s MVP when
he last featured – for Durham in 2019. He was due
to represent Surrey in 2020, before Covid-19 saw his
contract annulled.
His Hobart Hurricanes team-mate Ben McDermott
is another belated arrival, having been due to join for
Derbyshire last summer. That deal was deferred and
he has signed to play all white-ball cricket for Billy
Godleman’s men, teaming up with another compatriot
in Billy Stanlake, who has already made his first-class
debut for the club but has enjoyed his greatest successes
in the sport’s shortest format. Derbyshire became the
last county to reach finals day for the first time when
they made it to Birmingham in 2019.
Last year belonged to Notts, albeit in the eerie
surroundings of an empty, spectator-less Edgbaston. Of
all the cricket played behind closed doors over the last
12 months, T20 has felt the most unusual. A return to
normality cannot come soon enough.
But when the action begins, who will be quickest
out of the blocks? As with every year, that will be
anyone’s guess.
59

THE CRICKET
COMMUNITY

CHAMPION

AWARD
2021

Does someone at your
club deserve recognition?
MCC and The Cricketer want to reward the fantastic
work that is being done in cricket communities
The winner of The Cricket Community Champion Award will ring the five-minute
bell at Lord’s ahead of the ODI between England and Pakistan on July 10
PLUS TICKETS AND HOSPITALITY

For more information and to nominate visit

th ec r ic k e te r .c om /c om munit yc h a mpion

The Cricketer is looking to find Britain’s
greenest cricket ground. Does your club fit
the bill? The winning club will have shown:
Efforts to minimise greenhouse gas emissions and any attempts to
reduce, reuse and recycle waste with a minimum sent to landfill
Stories of success in using water more efficiently and any efforts
made to shop locally and seasonally for food sold by the club

TO ENTER

Encouraging low and zero transport travel options (Covid-permitting)

Email a 600-word report or less to:
magazine@thecricketer.com

Anything your club has done to engage positively with the local
community, and to encourage biodiversity and wildlife at the ground

THE COUNTY DIARY
Richard Gibson sniffs out stories from all 18 counties

DERBYSHIRE
Billy Stanlake agreed
his overseas deal with
Derbyshire with one eye on the
next Ashes here.
The giant Australian fast bowler,
26, had played just eight first-class
matches yet 76 in Twenty20 cricket
when he arrived here to undergo 10
days of quarantine.
“I’ve never been able to get a
consistent block of red-ball cricket, so
to be able to come to Derbyshire and
have that opportunity is something
I’m really excited about. I’m hoping
it can take my game to the next level
and hopefully I can help the side to
a few wins,” said the Queenslander.
“It’s always great when you can go
to different parts of the world and
succeed. With the Ashes coming
around every couple of years, it’s
good to prove you can bowl in these
conditions with the Dukes ball.”

GARETH COPLEY/GETTY IMAGES

DURHAM
Cameron Bancroft’s return
to action with Durham was
delayed due to visa issues, leading to
New Zealand international batsman
Will Young extending his stay by
a match. Bancroft’s second season
as the club’s main overseas recruit
hit a snag when his departure from
Australia was held up by red tape,
leaving him with just one day of nets
once out of his UK quarantine, and
so coach James Franklin negotiated
permission from New Zealand to
play Young against Worcestershire.
It came after the Blackcaps
international – a member of the
touring party to face England in
two Tests plus India in the World
Test Championship final – struck
a hundred in victory against
Warwickshire. The decision left
Bancroft, who captained the side in
his previous stint at the Emirates
Riverside, as an onlooker for the
Worcestershire fixture along with
England allrounder Ben Stokes,
whose return to fitness from a finger
fracture is set to come ahead of
schedule in mid-June.
See Chris Rushworth – page 6

Critchley’s
England dream
Matt Critchley is no stranger to breaking
records. He is Derbyshire’s youngest
centurion, both of all-time and at Lord’s,
breaking Stan Worthington’s 90-yearold record for the latter achievement.
He holds the best all-round figures in a
single first-class match for the county,
scoring 193 runs and taking 8 for 143
against Worcestershire in the second
match of the 2021 County Championship.
And following his promising start to the
red-ball season, he is eying up becoming
just the 25th Derbyshire player – and the
first since Dominic Cork made his final
Test appearance in September 2002 –
to represent England.
“Of course, I want to play for England,
that’s something I’ve wanted since I was
a kid,” he said. “There’s not been many
picked from Derbyshire, rightly or wrongly,
so hopefully I can do that, and we can get
a Derbyshire player playing for England.
“We’ve got a few talented lads here so
hopefully we can start getting one or two
of us at the very least in the squads and
the team. But all I can do is put numbers
on the board and win as many games for
Derbyshire as I can. If it gets me picked,
great; if not, good luck to whoever else is
doing it.”
However, for now he is fully focused on
Derbyshire’s Championship campaign and
maintaining the excellent form which saw
him pick up a century, four half-centuries
and 15 wickets in his first four matches
of 2021. Oh, and curbing his mum’s
expectations after that performance
against Worcestershire.
“A hundred and a five-for was
something I always wanted to do in my
career,” he revealed. “I always fancied
doing it in a first-class game, so it was nice
to tick that one off.
“I phoned my mum on the way home
after I got out for 84 in the second innings
and she said, ‘Oh, you’ll just have to do
it again some time and try to get two
hundreds and a five-for in the same
game!’ I think there’s only about two
people who’ve ever done that in first-class
cricket, so I don’t think I’ll get the chance.”
Elizabeth Botcherby

thecricketer.com | 61

ESSEX

GLAMORGAN
The club hope to admit
spectators to their
Championship fixture against
Lancashire at Sophia Gardens from
June 3 after being selected as a test
event by the Welsh government.
While their 17 first-class rivals
prepared to welcome limited crowds
from May 17 as part of England’s
easing of lockdown measures,
Glamorgan were gearing to allow up
to 1,000 of their members admission
as part of a government collation of
returning crowds safely to Wales.
“We are absolutely delighted
members will be allowed back into
Sophia Gardens and able to cheer on
the team,” said chief executive Hugh
Morris. “We understand the positive
impact live sport has and collectively
we will do everything we can to
ensure it is a success, so we can see
the full return of fans in the not-sodistant future.”
Meanwhile, Glamorgan reached
a financial settlement on Charlie
Hemphrey’s contract in early
May after ECB regulations meant
selecting the Englishman this
summer would cost them around
£75,000 in central handouts.
Although Hemphrey, 30, was born
in Doncaster, lived here permanently
for the first 24 years of his life and
holds only a UK passport, he was
not classed as England-qualified

62 | thecricketer.com

All hail Bedingham
For David Bedingham, Durham’s South African
overseas player and leading run-scorer, things
are more straightforward now than they were last
year, when he arrived in the UK in February just
in time for the onset of a global pandemic. For
four months, he sat alone in his flat, new to both
city and country, “which was really tough and cr**
actually”.
In a video interview with the club website last
October, he revealed that those difficulties
brought on alopecia caused by stress and anxiety.
“I think mentally this year has been a lot easier,”
he tells The Cricketer, with his girlfriend having
since joined him at home in Jesmond.
“Last year, I moved to a new country and was
expecting to play consistently from April to
September. Obviously, we only started in August.
“To have someone over with you who you have
a lot in common with, mentally off the field it has
been a lot easier. I think that has had a big part to
play in the form I’m in now.”
That form has seen him register a pair of big
hundreds: 180 against Nottinghamshire and 257
in a draw with Derbyshire. For a while, he was the
nation’s big hope in the race to equal Graeme
Hick’s landmark of 1,000 first-class runs before
the end of May. Since Hick accomplished the
feat in 1988, no one has matched it, though a
combination of unseasonally generous batting
tracks and a regular stream of Championship
rounds in the opening two months meant that
the door seemed ajar for an end to a 33-year wait.
Ultimately, it looks likely that Bedingham will fall
short, not that such a niche statistic will bother
the 27-year-old.
“I don’t play for targets and that kind of thing,”
he says. “Hopefully, I can keep scoring runs. If

after making his professional
breakthrough in Australia.
The ECB reward the fielding of up
to nine England-qualified players per
side with incentive payments.

1,000 runs come before May or in August, I’ll be
quite happy with that achievement.”
That philosophy has been built on personal
experience. Five years ago, he was involved in a
major car accident that has provided him with
valuable perspective.
It was December 5 2016, when Bedingham – still
then at Stellenbosch University, studying finance
after converting from accounting – fell asleep
at the wheel on the way back from a golf day in
the sweltering heat and crashed into a truck. He
didn’t play cricket again for a year as he recovered
from injuries to his femur, hands and jaw. Even to
this day, his movement is still affected in the leg
that he broke.
“I know that cricket is our job,” he reflects, “but
I realised that in life cricket is actually really, really
small. I try to look at it as something that we’re
lucky to be playing for a living. If you score no
runs, it happens. It’s just cricket, it’s not life. I just
try to put myself under less pressure. Since the
accident, I’ve done OK, so I’m going to try to have
that attitude for the rest of my career.”
Nick Friend

Marnus Labuschagne will miss
Australia’s limited-overs tour of
the West Indies in July due to travel
issues, so will stay with Glamorgan
for Championship and T20 cricket.

ROSS KINNAIRD/DAN MULLAN/HARRY TRUMP/.GETTY IMAGES

The retro feel to the T20 shirt
worn by Simon Harmer’s
team this year comes from the fact
it is based on its 1997 predecessor
sported by Nasser Hussain, Stuart
Law and co.
Predominantly yellow, it features
red and blue bands on the sleeves as
did the one 24 years ago in a season
in which Essex won the second of
their two NatWest Trophies (albeit
in whites as it was still a red-ball
competition).
This season represents the first
in which Essex have lost more
than one first-class match since
2018, with two coming in the first
half of the conference stage of the
Championship – at the hands of
Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire.
However, head coach Anthony
McGrath said: “With the amount of
character we have in that dressing
room I’m confident we can put
it right.”

DIARY | COUNTY

CARLSON GETS DOWN TO BUSINESS
Kiran Carlson is looking forward to fully committing to
cricket when his university degree ends this summer.
The Welshman has spent the last four years reading
business at Cardiff alongside his professional career.
But with coursework and final exams due imminently,
Carlson is relishing the prospect of easing his schedule.
“It has been a challenge, no doubt about that,” he told
The Cricketer. “I try and get as much work done as I can,
and when I’m done, I’m playing cricket. There is no real
in-between. These months have been the hardest ones.
You finish a day’s play and I am working, and when I am
waiting to go into bat or there is a rain delay I’m going off
to a corporate box and sitting on my laptop for a couple
of hours. It does get mentally draining at times. I’d be
lying if I said I wasn’t excited for it to finish and to just
have cricket to concentrate on. When I look back in a few
years it’ll definitely have made me a different person.”
Carlson became the first Glamorgan player since
Jonny Hughes in 2005 to score hundreds in both innings
in a match, during the eight-wicket loss to Sussex.
He attributes his impressive early-season form to
subtle technical changes: “I’ve gone in with a clearer
mindset of what I am trying to do. I had a good winter,
made a few tweaks technically and from a mindset point
of view. By my own standards, I wasn’t performing at a
level that I wanted for the past few seasons. It is nice to
perform at a level that I can and sustain it.
“It is more about being more positive in the way I
approach the red-ball game. I got a bit stuck at the time
thinking about how they were trying to get me out, and
how I was going to get out. Instead of that, I have tried to
shift that to how I am going to score runs.
“I may nick off two or three more balls this year, but
I know I am going to score runs playing a bit more
positively than I have done in the past. Good balls I
am going to try and stop them but as soon as a bowler
misses their length or line I am not going to hold back.”
Nick Howson

Goodman graduates
Meet Dominic Goodman, the latest cab
off the Gloucestershire rank. Raised in
Buckinghamshire, the seamer came
through the academy at Bristol and made
his first-class debut in April, taking three
wickets in the famous win over Somerset.
Arguably, however, his greatest
influence so far in a short career has come
with the bat: he survived for 87 deliveries
over two innings batting at No.11 in just his
second appearance, a backs-against-thewall draw against Hampshire to preserve
an unbeaten record that
has seen Chris Dent’s
side scale the top of their
Championship group.
Those who know Goodman
will be the first to stress that he
is a far better batsman than the
tail-end position he has occupied
in these early days, while with the ball
– his primary suit – he offers a point
of difference with his height to an
already well-balanced attack.
His rewards so far have been
limited, with four wickets coming
in his first three games, but those
figures don’t tell the whole story
of an impressive youngster,
whose first-class economy
rate sits just above 2.5 runs per
over at this early stage.
“Probably the thing that I’ve
found going up the levels is
that you always have that little
bit of doubt about whether
you can do it,” he tells The
Cricketer, explaining the
challenge of taking the stepup from academy cricket to
the professional game. “The

GLOUCESTERSHIRE
David Jones has succeeded
John Hollingdale as club
chairman, with former England
basketball international Steve Nelson
appointed as deputy chair.
Following a board level career
spanning nearly 38 years at the John
Lewis Partnership, Jones is currently
an independent non-executive
director of the British Horse Racing
Authority, a trustee of the Zoological
Society of London and a director
of the Watercress Line, a heritage
railway in Hampshire.
Nelson, capped 18 times in
basketball, has a rich background

fact that I’ve got Ryan Higgins at mid-off
or Dan Worrall, Josh Shaw or David Payne
alongside me giving me tips as I’m bowling,
it’s the most enjoyable learning that you
could ever have, just getting little bits of
gold-dust the whole way through games
to learn from.
“Despite having that doubt about
whether you can compete, I think the
thing for me bowling-wise is that
the top of off-stump is the top of
off-stump. That is never going to
change at all, no matter who you
come against. You always have
that bedrock – in red-ball
cricket especially. If I hit that
as many times as I can, then
hopefully I’ll be all right.
“In my first over against
Somerset, I was bricking it. After
the first over, where I’d hit my
areas a couple of times, I was
like: ‘There’s no reason why
I shouldn’t be doing that.’
Ultimately, that’s my job to
fulfil for the rest of my teammates. Once I’d done that, I
felt like there was no reason
why I shouldn’t be able to do
that regularly.”
NF

in sport and is chief executive of the
West of England Sport Trust, which
focuses on encouraging people to
become more physically active and
enjoy the benefits of such a lifestyle.
Meanwhile, the club’s partnership
with the Cayman Islands’ tourist
board – they are shirt sponsors of
Chris Dent’s in-form team - has
extended to sponsorship of the 12day Cheltenham Festival.
Starting on July 5, Middlesex are
opponents for both a Championship
and Vitality Blast fixture while
another four-day contest against
Hampshire is followed by a T20
match versus Surrey.
thecricketer.com | 63

APRIL APPEARANCE AT LAST FOR CRANE
Mason Crane is 24 now, but he had never played a
Championship match in the month of April until this
year when he was thrown the ball by James Vince on the
second day of the season at Grace Road.
It marked a major step in a career that remains in its
infancy, even if plenty has already happened.
“I was hoping that I’d be involved, absolutely,” he
tells The Cricketer. But then, for a young leg-spinner in
a segment of the calendar normally reserved for each
county’s battery of seamers, it is rarely that simple.
“Was I confident? Probably not, to be honest. I was
pretty aware over the winter that I might have to try to sort
out a loan to try to find some cricket because I want to be
playing. You’re always hoping you’re going to be involved.”
With seam-bowling allrounder Ian Holland opening the
batting and Liam Dawson offering runs at No.6 and control
with his left-arm spin, there is space for Crane’s type. And
even more so this year, with Fidel Edwards – a previous
X-factor option thanks to his pace and late swing – no
longer on the staff. “That has kind of fallen on me now,” he
says, “so I’ll come on and try to offer something completely
different if nothing is happening. That’s my role now: to try
to make something happen and try to move the game on.
“Similarly, when the tail comes in or they need to score
quickly, they give the ball to me. It has helped me in that
sense – we don’t have the type of bowler that Fidel was.”
He took 10 wickets in three games through April before
being left out for defeats against Surrey and Somerset.
Even so, his use by Vince in his initial outings have given
him a boost: “There was a flat wicket at Leicester where
we got 600; it’s freezing, the seamers aren’t getting much
from the pitch and they’re looking for me to do something
a bit different. To bowl 30 overs in a day was great.
“I think there’s a difference between using a leg-spinner
as a leg-spinner and using a leg-spinner as a spinner. I can
come on and I can try to control the run-rate as much as I
can; I can have defensive fields and all that jazz, and I can
do my absolute best. I did that last year to a point, and I did
it fine. But while we’ve got Daws in the team, why would I?
He is way better at that than I am, but I’m more there to be
really attacking and try to make something happen when
there’s nothing going on. It’s exciting to be used in that way
– for me, that’s much more fun.”
NF

64 | thecricketer.com

The club will be referred to
as Hampshire Hawks once
more in relation to Vitality Blast
matches this summer.
The Hawks name was used between
2003–09, coinciding with the first
seven years of Twenty20 competition
in this country, but then dropped
for ‘Royals’ when Hampshire signed
a partnership with Indian Premier
League franchise Rajasthan Royals.
After that four-year relationship
concluded, they did not carry a
moniker from 2014 onwards.
However, a
new crest has
been designed
for an era they
hope will be as
successful as
a first Hawks
spell which
delivered two
limited-overs trophies.
“The Hampshire Hawks are
entwined with T20 history and while
our return to the Hawks is a nod to
this provenance it also marks the
start of an exciting new chapter for
T20 cricket at The Ageas Bowl,” said
chairman Rod Bransgrove.
That new chapter includes the
idiosyncrasy of being able to watch
Hampshire play two Blast matches in
one day on July 16.
The Ageas Bowl’s hosting of the
World Test Championship final
between India and New Zealand
limited the period in which
Hampshire could schedule their
seven home fixtures to June 21 and
beyond and the ECB provided the
solution of a double-header involving
2019 champions Essex and ‘el
clasicoast’ rivals Sussex to squeeze
them all in.
If coronavirus restrictions are
lifted by that date, club officials are
confident of a 25,000 sell-out.
New Zealander Colin de
Grandhomme, a finalist with
Birmingham Bears in 2017, has
signed for the home section of the
qualifying campaign, which begins
just two days after the WTC final.

KENT
Kent’s director of cricket
Paul Downton has been
lamenting a long injury list as his
side made a disappointing start. They

were seeded third in Group 3, but lost
three and drew two of their first five
matches. Harry Podmore (side), Grant
Stewart (abdomen), Tim Groenewald
(knee), Imran Qayyum (shoulder)
and Matt Milnes (ankle) have been
missing from the attack, while Heino
Kuhn (calf) and Sam Billings (IPL)
have been absent from the top order.
Then Joe Denly missed the match at
Sussex for personal reasons, and has
been struggling for form.
“After three years of progress it
has been frustrating,” Downton
told The Cricketer. “While I do like
the conference system, the first few
games are important and give you
momentum for the season. It feels
like a difficult start but there are still
30 matches to play. What has been
exciting is to see so many youngsters
emerge – we had six 20 to 22-yearolds playing at Hove.” That included
the prodigious Tawanda Muyeye,
breaker of schoolboy batting records
at Eastbourne College.
Downton says conferences should
be retained next season. “While I
understand two divisions gives you
the jeopardy of relegation, it really
feels like it’s the twilight zone for
the eight counties stuck in Division
Two. It’s so nice to start the season
with 18 counties knowing that they
have a chance to be champions. The
pitches are better, there’s less player
movement, and sides can invest in
young players, which is better for the
England team.”
Qais Ahmad will be available
for two Championship matches
in addition to the full Twenty20
Blast campaign. The Afghanistan
leg-spinner, who signed for
Gloucestershire last season but was
unable to fulfil his contract due to
the Covid pandemic, will then feature
for Welsh Fire in The Hundred.
Kent’s lack of a frontline spinner
was evident in their struggles in
a dry start to the Championship
season. “Qais Ahmad is an
exciting talent who has shown
his ability in top quality leagues
all over the world,” said Downton.
“I’m confident that his enthusiasm
for the game will make him a firm
favourite with our members and
supporters.”
Stewart, meanwhile, is set to
represent Italy in 2022 T20 World
Cup Europe Qualifiers in the autumn.
Huw Turbervill

ALEX PANTLING/ALEX LIVESEY/GETTY IMAGES

HAMPSHIRE

DIARY | COUNTY

Parkinson puts in hard yards
Matt Parkinson went viral twice in the opening
month of this season, but that wasn’t his
highlight of a start to the campaign that –
after four games – had seen him claim 19
Championship wickets.
First, he recreated Shane Warne’s
famous ball of the century to dismiss
Northamptonshire’s Adam Rossington at
Emirates Old Trafford: same ground, same drift
beyond leg-stump, same sharp turn onto the
top of the off-bail. A week later, he repeated
the trick – only this time to Sussex left-hander
Delray Rawlins, who shouldered arms to a
delivery that spun prodigiously and was left
dumfounded when he was clean bowled.
But it speaks volumes for the bowler
Parkinson has become that those showreel
moments mean less than what he produced
against Kent in an innings victory. “They aren’t
flukes but they’re one-off balls,” he told The
Cricketer.
After Lancashire had racked up 525 in
almost two days, Parkinson was tasked with
bowling out the home side on a flat pitch
at Canterbury. Overall, he toiled away for
52 overs, ending with career-best figures of
7 for 126 in the second innings.
“Fifty-two overs is a long slog,” he laughs.
“To get lads caught at extra cover and short leg
was probably more pleasing than the balls to
Delray and Rossington.”
On a surface offering less than what he

LANCASHIRE
Lancashire are to take
county cricket’s live
streaming services, which have
become popular during Covidnecessitated behind closed doors
matches, to a new level by ‘televising’
away games in this season’s whiteball competitions.
The ground-breaking initiative,
designed to reward long-term
supporters and attract new ones
in India, requires permission
from home clubs and provides its
challenges – Not least because
rigging for half a dozen cameras
requires access to venues 24 hours in
advance and takes up to eight people.
It comes following a successful
2020 season in which their 2.7m
views made them the most watched
of the 18 first-class counties.
Vitality Blast and Royal London Cup
games will be shown via Lancashire’s
Facebook and YouTube channels and
most intriguingly JioTV – an Indian
streaming platform with close to

has become used to in Manchester, it was a
different kind of challenge and an educational
experience – but one that he passed with
flying colours.
“Kent was massive for me personally,” he
explains, “learning about myself that I can
actually do that on a flat pitch. I think most
people probably assumed when they saw that
I’d bowled 52 overs for seven wickets that
it was a ragger. But it wasn’t. I think moving
forward, that’s something – to play at the next
level – that I need to do more of.
“It’s probably the first time in my
career that I’ve had long enough on an
unresponsive pitch, where the pressure
was on me to deliver and to be able to
think about those plans for a long time.
“Normally, throughout my career I’ve had
very responsive pitches where you don’t really
have to think too much. You just bowl your
best ball and the pitch will normally help you
or there will be enough spin that you’ll be fine.
Kent was the first time that I’ve really had to
think in more detail than normal.
“There were periods of play where we tried
to lob it up outside off stump – that obviously
brought some reward. There was a plan to hit
people on the shin by dragging them across.
I’ve probably not had the chance to do it very
often – or I’ve not had the chance to succeed
doing it like that. It was loads of fun.”
NF

400m subscribers. The latter
platform fits in with their business
strategy of monetising the Indian
market, including the signing of
India batsman Shreyas Iyer for
50-over cricket.
Lancashire hope interest in India –
research shows Indians made up over
half their audience last year and more
than a third of their current social
media following – can be exploited
with the introduction of commercial
partners keen for exposure in Asia.
Although individual clubs cannot
sell on the live action as they do
not own broadcasting rights, they
can strike sponsorship deals and
branding for assets such as the
coverage itself, highlights packages
and other related content.
Dedication to streaming has seen
Lancashire’s own television studio
being built in the media centre at
Emirates Old Trafford. They regularly
have more than 60,000 watching
their Championship matches at any
one time.

LEICESTERSHIRE
Callum Parkinson captained
the club for the first time in
April when he took over in the middle
of a defeat to Somerset at Grace Road
due to Colin Ackermann’s concussion.
Parkinson, 24, then kept the
armband for the following match
at Gloucestershire, which ended
in another loss despite some
enterprising cricket from the visitors,
due to concussion procedures ruling
victims out for seven days.
The slow left-armer became
Ackermann’s deputy in February as
part of a new three-year contract
package offered in the wake of strong
interest from Worcestershire, who
were in the market for a spinner after
the season-long signing of South
Africa’s Keshav Maharaj fell through.
Parkinson has leadership
experience from his days in
Lancashire’s youth set-up, notably
replacing his twin brother and
England international Matt as age
group captain.
thecricketer.com | 65

Many counties could do with a rich football club
owner saving them, but in the case of Sean Jarvis, his
acquisition of Oldham Athletic was not quite how it
seemed.
Jarvis, now chief executive at Grace Road paid £1
to acquire the Latics in 2004 but soon moved them
on to American owners as part of a bid to avoid
liquidation.
A likeable, enthusiastic man, he is now the latest in
a long line of people trying to resurrect the fortunes
of the Foxes.
It is really noticeable how he engages with fans to
get the message across on social media.
The 54-year-old has sporting pedigree. His late
father, Larry, was a big name in cricket circles in the
county, as an umpire and administrator.
As well as Oldham Athletic, Jarvis has also worked
at Huddersfield Town (as commercial director during
their remarkable foray in the top flight), the Premier
League (football) and Super League (rugby league).
He has had a Covid-dominated first year in his role,
but has set 25 key performance indicators in a bid to
see Leicestershire competing with the big boys again.
The Illingworth/Gower, Birkenshaw/Whitaker
and DeFreitas/Agnew years seem a long time ago.
Membership is only around the 1,000 mark, and the
club continues to work out the best way of engaging
the sizeable South Asian community in the area.
It is also not clear if having football and rugby union
giants – City and Tigers – is a help or a hindrance.
“Leicestershire cricket is in my blood,” Jarvis told
The Cricketer. “Grace Road is the first sports ground I
went to. And my father’s ashes are scattered here.
“I was approached to be a non-executive director
and I said I’d commit for a year. It seemed nice on the
surface, but when I looked under the bonnet I found
a 2CV engine. The chairman Mehmooda Duke then
asked me to be chief executive and I thought, ‘Now
is the time to give something back to my home city’.
“There are lots of issues to tackle, but as a club
we are really upping our game. We have gone on a
charm offensive with the business community and
we are seeing some encouraging green shoots of
recovery. Covid has made things doubly difficult
of course, but we have seen a 12 per cent rise in
membership.
“We have 56 nationalities in the city, but we have a
multi-ethnic staff and are engaging with supporters’
associations. One hurdle is that a lot of the South
Asian community is based on the other side of town,
but we are creating ambassadors, called Running
Foxes, to engage. Unfortunately we will now miss out
on hosting India this summer because of the India A
tour cancellation, which is gutting, but we will keep
working.
“Rome was not built in a day, but success attracts
supporters.”
Oh, and by the way he never did get his quid back
from Oldham.
HT

66 | thecricketer.com

MIDDLESEX
The ill luck suffered by Toby
Roland-Jones, the man
whose hat-trick against Yorkshire
at Lord’s sealed the County
Championship title five years ago,
shows no sign of abating.
Roland-Jones ruptured knee
cartilage on the eve of Middlesex’s
televised match with Gloucestershire
in early May and surgery will keep
him side-lined for several months.
As one of the most prolific seamers
on the county scene, he earned four
Test caps and a one-day international
appearance for England but back,
quad and shoulder injuries restricted
him to just 21 competitive overs in
2018 and none at all in 2020.
At 33, it is questionable how many
times one of the most likeable
players on the circuit can keep
coming back but he does have one
more year on his contract.
Middlesex have added to their
bowling stocks, however, with the
recruitment of 19-year-old paceman
Max Harris on a rookie contract for
the rest of the season.
Irish batting star Paul Stirling
will return to the club as an
overseas player in the Blast after
Mitchell Marsh was ruled out due
to commitments with Australia.
Stirling featured for Northants last
year, after losing ‘local’ status in
2019 when Ireland switched from an
Associate nation to a Full Member.

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
Gareth Berg has shown
Darren Stevens is not
the only 40-something seamer
reaching new levels in the County
Championship.
Berg, who turned 40 earlier this year,
claimed career-best match figures of 9
for 90 in the innings win over Sussex
in May to suggest that his two-year
contract, which runs out in September,
might not necessarily be his last.
“Deep down inside and through
family conversations I knew I still
had it in me to go for a few seasons
still,” he said, of signing his current
deal at Wantage Road, after an initial
loan spell in 2019.
“But around me in the cricketing
set-up people were starting to talk,
whether I was finished with age and
all this sort of thing.
“It was a niggly little thing in the
back of my mind at times, and doubt I
suppose in many ways, but deep down

I always believed and with my support
unit around me that I was still bloody
good enough to be playing the game.”

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
Harry Gurney has hung up
his boots at the age of 34
due to the shoulder injury that saw
him sidelined for last year’s T20winning title campaign.
The ex-England left-armer proved an
integral member of the Outlaws team
that won the club’s first T20 silverware
in 2017, and was regularly near the top
of the Blast’s leading wicket-takers.
“From the first time I picked up a
cricket ball at the age of 10, I was
completely obsessed. Cricket has been
my life for 24 years and has taken me
on an incredible journey that I will
cherish forever,” said Gurney, whose
prowess with the white ball at both
ends of an innings saw him crowned
a champion in the Big Bash and
Caribbean Premier League too.
“Playing for England, in the IPL
and winning eight trophies at home
and abroad including the Blast,
Big Bash and CPL has exceeded my
wildest dreams.”
Gurney added: “I’ve had an
incredible time, on and off the field,
sharing a pitch and a dressing room
with team-mates who have become
friends for life.
“But to my family, and particularly
my dad, John, I owe the biggest
thanks. He has been an unwavering
support from my first ball to my last.
Making him and my entire family
proud has been by far my biggest
source of joy.”
Of a player he signed from
Leicestershire in 2012, Notts director
of cricket Mick Newell said: “Harry has
been a terrific, match winning bowler
for this club for a number of years.
“He’s carved out a niche in limitedovers competitions in recent times
and been very successful in that at
home and abroad, but his record in
the first-class game is something he
can be immensely proud of as well.”

SOMERSET
Jack Brooks will no doubt
be a quiz answer in future
years after becoming county
cricket’s first Covid substitute.
Brooks, 36, replaced Lewis Gregory
for the final two days of the fourwicket victory over Middlesex at
Taunton after Gregory’s girlfriend

LAURENCE GRIFFITHS/GETTY IMAGES

Jarvis needs cunning to
resurrect Foxes

DIARY | COUNTY

developed coronavirus symptoms.
Although she tested negative,
protocols saw Gregory – who was one
of those who contracted the virus at
the Pakistan Super League earlier
this year – pulled out as a precaution.
Brooks did not take a wicket on his
return to first-class action following
operations on both achilles during
the off-season.
However, Craig Overton has
been in the kind of form to cover
two men, surging to the top of the
Professional Cricketers’ Association’s
MVP rankings on the back of eight
wickets in that match plus seven
more and a valuable 74 with the bat
the following week in the win over
Hampshire in Southampton.
It made Overton comfortably the
first bowler to 30 victims in 2021
Championship cricket and placed
him well clear of second-placed Ryan
Higgins, of Gloucestershire, in the
Championship’s MVP standings.
Meanwhile, Devon Conway, the
club’s new overseas signing, was
confirmed to travel to the UK this
summer only once Immigration New
Zealand fast-tracked his residency.
The 29-year-old – who will stay on
and play for the county between June
23 and July 18 and will therefore be
available for at least nine Vitality
Blast group stage matches plus two
Championship fixtures – faced an
anxious wait previously as New
Zealand’s Covid rules meant only
citizens and permanent residents can
enter their borders.
That left a potential scenario of
him being chosen in New Zealand’s
squads for the two-Test series
versus England and World Test
Championship final versus India but
not able to travel due to an inability
to ‘go home’ afterwards.
The South African left-hander
qualified for New Zealand last year
and has since struck 473 runs at an
average of 59.12 in T20 internationals.
He averages 75 in ODIs.
“England is one of the places where
everyone wants to test their skills
during the summer and hopefully,
I can positively contribute to
success,” Conway said.

SURREY
Richard Gould said he looked
forward to witnessing further
growth at the club from afar after
ending 10 years as chief executive by
accepting a similar role at Bristol City

James taps into Broad expertise
Lyndon James will inevitably invite comparisons
with Stuart Broad – same school, same county,
similar shade of hair and willowy build, started
life as a batsman too – but he has his sights set on
remaining a genuine allrounder through his career.
Through a combination of the long-term
responsibilities of leading England’s Test attack
and the after-effects of an unpleasant facial injury
he suffered from a Varun Aaron bouncer in 2014,
Broad has very much become masterful attack
leader first, and lower-order swiper second.
But James, 22, entrusted with batting at No.5
in Nottinghamshire’s Championship side and
impressing with the movement he generates as
fourth seamer, wants to retain a dual role.
“I’m pretty happy with the way I’m bowling,” James
said after taking 6 for 54 in the match against Essex,
which was Notts’ second consecutive victory – and
that after a wait of 30 first-class games without a win.
“My role is a bit easier in that I am bowling
alongside Broad, [Luke] Fletcher and [Dane]
Paterson, three world-class bowlers, so I can just
go out and express myself a bit.
“It makes it a lot easier when you’ve got a
substantial lead on the board. Even though Essex
got a bit of a partnership together we were so far
ahead we could keep attacking.

(see interview – page 8). Chairman
Richard Thompson said: “Richard has
been an exceptional CEO – always
prepared to speak his mind, with
great clarity, honesty and always
integrity. Richard should be proud of
his legacy.” During his tenure, Surrey
regularly sold out Blast fixtures,
won the Championship in 2018 and
produced England internationals.
The Oval also underwent significant

“Up to recently I’ve seen myself more as a
batting allrounder, but I really want to be seen as
a genuine allrounder. I’m slowly getting there. I’m
not yet where I want to be with my bowling.
“It might literally be the lack of time I’ve had
doing it. From the age of seven, when I started
playing cricket, to 16 I was basically just a batsman
and I didn’t bowl much at school [Oakham].
“But then I shot up and at 16 suddenly I was 6ft
2in, so it was a no-brainer to become a seamer,
really. So I do regret that a bit, missing out on
all the little skills you learn as a fast bowler as a
teenager, to know how that feels.”
James has been lucky enough to share a
field with a 517-wicket Test bowler in three
Championship games this season, as Broad
prepares for a summer against New Zealand and
India which could include his 150th Test match.
“Broady has been great. He’s a font of knowledge
and he’s always there if I need advice. I have asked
him about a few things here and there. When you
know as much about bowling as he does I’d be
foolish not to.”
James has also shown awareness about his longterm livelihood by training as a fitness instructor in
his spare time.
James Coyne

development, the latest two parts of
which are the Peter May Stand and
One Oval Square. Charlie Hodgson,
managing director of The Kia Oval, is
interim chief executive.
Surrey recorded a £1.2m loss before
tax during the 2020/21 financial year.
It was in stark contrast to the record
profits of £6.3m generated in 2019/20.
It is estimated that the pandemic cost
the club £5.6m.
thecricketer.com | 67

Carson looks to England,
not Ireland
Sussex offie Jack Carson started the season in style –
among his 18 wickets at 23.38 apiece in the first five matches
was Joe Root. Could he be the first Northern Irishman to
play for England since Boyd Rankin?
Carson, 20, dismissed Root lbw (above) in the first
innings of the defeat by Yorkshire at Hove then took a
five-for in the second, in an intriguing bowl-off with Dom
Bess, who found form with a six-for.
Ed Joyce helped them sign him from Craigavon, and it’s
been a success story. He made his debut against Hampshire
at Hove in last summer’s Bob Willis Trophy, recording match
figures of 5 for 52. He took 4 for 46 against Middlesex at
Radlett, then 5 for 93 against Surrey at The Oval.
“Dismissing Joe was one of my better moments on a
cricket pitch,” Carson told The Cricketer with modest
understatement. “You could see from my reaction that I
enjoyed that. We didn’t speak, but I did chat to Dom after
the game. He bowled well and is an incredibly nice guy.
“That five-for at The Oval last summer was my first one,
and made me feel like I belonged. I dismissed Rory Burns
so that helped me believe that I can compete at that level.
“I have done my residency qualification now and can
play for England. I’m keen to follow in the footsteps of
Eoin Morgan and Boyd Rankin down the line, but to follow
Paul Stirling, William Porterfield and Gary Wilson into
the Ireland team would mean I’d have to be an overseas
player at Sussex, so we shall have to see how it goes.”
He lives on the seafront with ex-Sussex player Tony
Cottey and his partner Lindsay.
“It’s wonderful to live so close to the ground and walk
in. Hove is a brilliant venue and the weather is a bit better
than Northern Ireland.”
He enjoys being a team-mate of Jofra Archer: “His skill
levels are incredible and he is the most chilled-out man
alive. He keeps everyone calm. Chris Jordan is also so
approachable and has passed on his knowledge to me.”
Meanwhile Cottey has just left the club, after six years
as a player and 12 as business relationship manager. He is
opening the Cotts and Linz Ice Cream Café in Worthing.
HT

68 | thecricketer.com

James Coles, Sussex’s
youngest-ever player in
first-class cricket, has signed a first
contract with the club.
Coles, 17, a pupil at Magdalen
College School, Oxford, will join the
club’s first-team squad at the end of
this academic year.
The allrounder was aged just 16
years and 157 days when he made
his debut in 2020’s Bob Willis Trophy,
taking three wickets with his left-arm
spin, including England duo Rory
Burns and Ben Foakes, and hitting 21
with the bat.
“It’s always been my dream to sign
a cricket contract from such a young
age,” Coles said. “For it to finally
happen, I couldn’t be more grateful.
Now, I just hope to have a couple of
good seasons and become a consistent
first-team player.”
Sussex’s Championship and oneday head coach Ian Salisbury added:
“After he became Sussex’s youngest
ever debutant, we are delighted to
sign this talented young man. He
definitely fits our strategy of signing
young talent that will bring sustained
success to Sussex in the future. Huge
credit must also go to Oxfordshire and
the partnership we have with them.”

WARWICKSHIRE
The community team at
Edgbaston were behind a
brilliant new initiative to provide
local Muslim cricketers wIth
meaningful matches during Ramadan.
The ground’s Cricket Centre was to
play host to indoor six-a-side, tape
ball matches late on Tuesday and
Friday nights to better accommodate
those aged between 16-18 with a
devotion to their faith.
Warwickshire Cricket Board
launched the initiative in partnership
with the Chance to Shine Street
cricket programme. It is hoped
that the pilot could develop and be
extended to adults in future years.
“It’s fantastic to bring together
so many young cricketers to
enjoy competitive cricket at the
Edgbaston Cricket Centre during
such an important time in the
Muslim calendar,” said the WCB’s
Eaton Gordon.
“The bi-weekly sessions get
underway shortly after Iftar, when
they have finished fasting, and we
provide pre-booked taxis to ensure
safe transportation to and from the

venue. Having access to an indoor
space, in the Edgbaston Cricket
Centre, late at night ensures that
we can provide the safest possible
experience and environment.”
Stuart Cain, Warwickshire’s chief
executive, added: “Understanding
how we can help the communities
we serve in Birmingham and further
afield is crucial. We are making
progress, and initiatives such as
Chance to Shine Street Cricket and
the African Caribbean Engagement
Programme are helping us break
down barriers across the city’s
diverse communities.”
On the field, back-to-back victories
over Nottinghamshire and reigning
champions Essex ensured a good
start under new head coach Mark
Robinson, who turned down overseas
approaches to hold out for the job
with Warwickshire.
It is an unusual quirk that both
Robinson and first-team captain Will
Rhodes are big Hull City fans, and
so football also provided them with
some rare cheer – promotion to the
Championship included the Yorkshire
club’s first league title since 1966.

WORCESTERSHIRE
Alex Milton is understood
to be a loan target for
Gloucestershire to cover James
Bracey’s absence with England.
Milton, 25, is keen for first-team
cricket after spending several
seasons as understudy to Ben Cox
and Gloucestershire’s lack of a second
senior wicketkeeper – following Gareth
Roderick’s winter switch to Worcester
– could open up an opportunity.
Roderick has played as a batsman
but lost his place after averaging
single figures across his first four
Championship games for his new club.
Meanwhile, although it was tainted
by the disappointment of a first
defeat of the season, Josh Tongue was
pleased that his body held up in order
for him to claim a sixth career five-for
against Durham at Chester-le-Street.
“I’ve struggled with injuries for
the past two or three years, and this
winter had a shoulder op in November
before getting my overs numbers up
and confidence back into my body
playing for the seconds. Performing
with the first team is where I want to
be,” he said. Worcestershire’s policy of
rotating their seamers even extended
to overseas player Alzarri Joseph and
captain Joe Leach sitting out in the

MIKE HEWITT/DAVID ROGERS/JAMES CHANCE/GETTY IMAGES

SUSSEX

DIARY | COUNTY

Essex hundred gives Rob
Yates belief for future
Dom Sibley welcomes the additional
scrutiny his technique has garnered since
starting out in international cricket.
His front-on, leg-side dominant approach
has been forensically dissected since his
Test debut against New Zealand at Mount
Maunganui in November 2019.
“When those guys were playing, I am sure
it happened to them,” the 25-year-old told
The Cricketer. “It is their turn, and it is their
job I suppose. For me it is a case of putting
my head down, training hard and keep
improving and putting scores on the board.
“When you’re scoring runs, people don’t
tend to get into your technique as much.
I know that as well as anyone, so if I can
keep scoring runs that will keep the
pressure off.”
Meanwhile Rob Yates hopes his matchwinning hundred against Essex – a result
that consigned the reigning champions to
a first defeat in 22 first-class matches – can
help him seal his place. “I want to be part
of the side,” he told The Cricketer. “Age is
just a number really. If you’re good enough,
you’re old enough. I want to be able to
contribute in such a way that you would
expect of anyone in the team.”
At 21, he now has three County
Championship centuries, trebling his tally
in the space of the last month, having
replicated his performance against Essex
in reaching three figures again in the
rain-ruined draw with Worcestershire a
fortnight later.

opening weeks of 2021.
Daryl Mitchell, meanwhile, is now
out on his own as the only batsman to
be out nine times to Durham’s Chris
Rushworth in first-class cricket.

YORKSHIRE
Ben Coad remains on
course to become the first
English bowler for 40 years to reach
200 first-class wickets at an average of
under 20 following another consistent
start to a Championship season. Coad,
27, snared 10 victims in his first two
outings of 2021 to take his career
haul to 167 at 19.73 runs each. Not
since Derbyshire’s Alan Ward in 1971

His maiden hundred came two years ago
in a defeat against Somerset in only his
10th professional appearance.
He hopes, therefore, that reaching the
landmark against Essex might give him the
self-belief to open the floodgates. It wasn’t
any old hundred: unbeaten at the end of a
daunting chase on a final-day pitch against
a team that rarely loses.
His start to the season is all the more
impressive given a backdrop of further
study. He is in his third year of four at
the University of Birmingham, reading
English Language, with an impending
deadline for an essay that focuses – rather
fascinatingly – on a comparison between
the chest-beating of gorillas in the wild and
in captivity.
Craig Miles has signed a new contract
that will keep him at the club until at least
the end of the 2023 season. Miles, 26,
joined the Bears ahead of the 2019 season.
NH and NF

LYTH SANGUINE OVER FUTURE
Yorkshire’s Adam Lyth is batting with freedom in his 15th
year as a professional cricketer, having adopted a new
mindset as he attempts to record the fourth 1,000-run
season of his career and deliver Yorkshire’s first silverware
for six years.
“I’m in a fantastic headspace,” he said. “Over the last
couple of seasons, I’ve been too worried about technique
and defending rather than watching the ball and actually
playing. This season, I’ve stripped it back. As an opener,
you’re going to get out at some point so you might as well
score as many runs as you can before that ball comes.
“There are balls I’ve scored off this year that in previous
years I would have been leaving, and I wouldn’t be hitting
those balls for four. The more time you put bowlers under
pressure, generally the more bad balls you get so that’s my
mindset going into this year. I’ve played 15 seasons; you’re
going to get out at some point and there’s no point being
worried about it.
“It’s not that I don’t care about getting out, I do. It’s
about having the free spirit to go out and if it’s there to hit,
hit it; if not, just leave it. It’s a pretty simple method.”
Such is his form, there has been talk of a potential
international recall for the 33-year-old, who hit a century
in just his second Test outing before a poor Ashes series
in 2015 – 115 runs in five appearances – forced his England
career into dormancy just a few months after it had
begun. It’s area where Lyth admitted to having unfinished
business but also one, thanks to his improved mentality,
he is comfortable looking back on without regret.
“I’d love another go at playing for England,” he said. “I
didn’t do myself justice, I’m a better player than averaging
20 or whatever I average at international level. If I do get
another opportunity, I feel I can do a hell of a lot better
and Joe’s [Root] been here [at Yorkshire], he’s seen me
play. But all I can do is concentrate on Yorkshire and see
where that takes me.
“At the end of the day I’ve played seven Test matches.
I’ll never forget it and if I don’t play again, no one can ever
take that Ashes win away from me.”
EB

has the double-hundred feat been
achieved at such an efficient rate.
Another Yorkshire-born Ben,
Northamptonshire’s Ben Sanderson,
came close (20.59) and even dipped
down below 20 when his nine-wicket
haul against Somerset last August
took his career tally to 244.
Meanwhile, former player Azeem
Rafiq was critical of the timeframe
of the independent inquiry into his
claims of institutional racism at the
club, saying: “Frankly, I don’t know
what they’ve been doing for the last
five months.”
A separate claim at the Leeds
Employment Tribunal is due to be
heard over two days in June.
thecricketer.com | 69

The big match

The wheels of fortune
Durham dominate but Paul Edwards
also finds some evidence as to why
Warwickshire’s fortunes are on the up

ABOVE
Ben Raine is
congratulated after
taking the wicket
of Hanuma Vihari
RIGHT
Brydon Carse
bolstered his
reputation

70 | thecricketer.com

Liam Norwell runs in to bowl to
Alex Lees. The delivery is on a good
length and a shade outside off
stump. The left-handed Lees
comes forward cautiously and
plays the ball gently and as late as
possible into the off side. No run.
The next ball is wider and the
opener watches it go past him
and all the way into Michael
Burgess’s gloves. Runs
are coming slowly on this
second morning but Durham
have a lead of 16 with all
their wickets in hand. Lees
is winning the game for his
side but no one can quite know
that yet. It is, for the moment,
a glacially slow, endlessly
fascinating process. Neither of
the balls mentioned above have
a hope of being mentioned in
any of the reports that will be
written on this day’s play.

Why should we apologise for this
complexity, this marriage of mind
and heart and hand? Should we not
be proud of it instead?
Warwickshire’s cricketers arrived
at Chester-le-Street having just
beaten Essex, the first four-day
defeat suffered by the champions
in over two years. They left the
Riverside, only three days later,
having lost by an innings and
127 runs, just as the May Bank
Holiday fair was beginning
in the park across the way.
You needed to be a strong
journalist to avoid the swings
and roundabouts line. Some
of us opted for the Ferris
wheel but the wise heads
remembered that even a
one-sided match involves
two teams.
Glance at the scorecard
and this game seems as
simple as an evening out in
Whitley Bay’s famous Spanish
City once promised to be.
Yet thousands of Geordies

will testify that nights under the
famous dome were as textured with
complex emotion as an Alice Munro
short story. And so it was again,
over nine sessions in slicing wind
and occasional warm sunshine at
Emirates Riverside. All the same
I’ll bet Warwickshire’s players only
remember the wind.
No one would blame them. “How
good does this feel?” Tim Bresnan
had asked his still fairly new
colleagues after they had beaten
Nottinghamshire by three wickets
at Trent Bridge in mid-April. That
game had featured two fifties for
Sam Hain, runs for Matt Lamb, four
wickets for Danny Briggs and victory
after conceding a 72-run lead on
first-innings.
A week later Warwickshire needed
253 to beat Essex and got home by
a dreamy seven wickets. Hanuma
Vihari batted 142 minutes to help
neutralise the threat of Simon
Harmer, Hain made another halfcentury and Rob Yates finished the
match unbeaten on 120, thereby
offering further confirmation of a still
young talent. Spectators watching
on the live stream in the Midlands
were entitled to wonder whether
the new coach, Mark Robinson, was
already developing a team that might
qualify for the top division of the
restructured County Championship.
Yet when the bottles had been drunk
in the home dressing room, coach and
captain will have warned the players
not to get giddy. After all, everyone
knew how tricky it could be to score
runs against Chris Rushworth and
his mates at the Riverside…
But knowing something might
happen does not prepare you for the
pain when it does. Warwickshire’s
previous first-class fixture at
Chester-le-Street had taken place in
2018. Surprisingly Will Rhodes and
Oliver Hannon-Dalby were the only
cricketers who also played against
Durham in this match and Rhodes
was the only specialist batsman.
Jonathan Trott’s retirement in 2018
had been followed by that of Ian
Bell and Jeetan Patel last summer.
So when Robinson reflected on

STU FORSTER/GETTY IMAGES

DURHAM v WARWICKSHIRE County Championship, Riverside, April 29–May 1

BIG MATCH | COUNTY

Durham v
Warwickshire
County
Championship
Group 1
Riverside,
April 29–May 1 2021
the match on Saturday evening
and talked about his team being
a “work in progress” it was not
so much coach-speak as a simple
statement of fact.
By now readers in the North-East
may be wondering if references to
their area in this feature will be
confined to popular entertainment
and nightlife. Let them be reassured.
Ben Raine’s bowling when he took
5 for 9 on the first day certainly
exploited helpful conditions but it
was better than the Warwickshire
attack’s response later that
afternoon. Brydon Carse’s effort in
taking 5 for 49 on the third afternoon
was nearly as good. On top of which,
Scott Borthwick could call on the
pace of Mark Wood for the first
time this season. The England fast
bowler had tuned up for this game
by bowling four wicketless overs
and batting No.3 for Ashington, his
home-town club, at Shotley Bridge
the previous Saturday. (He finished
on the losing side, though, partly
because the opposing skipper, a bloke
called Collingwood, made 26 not out.
Apparently he’s played a bit, too.)
Now, rather than bowling fifth
change in a North East Premier
League game, Wood was coming in
under full sail from the Finchale
End on the first morning and
knocking Yates’ off stump flat with
his seventh ball of the day. Having
failed to jab down on a ball that kept
malevolently low, the opener scowled
like an untipped taxi driver at the
pitch and strolled off. We could
not know it but a theme of this
simple, complex match had been
established.
At no stage in the remainder
of their two innings did
Warwickshire bat as if they
trusted the surface on which they
were playing. The game had begun
under tousled cloud at noon and
inside 20 overs the visitors were 30
for 8. The pitch was undoubtedly
testing during that first couple of
hours but one doubts even Robinson
felt it justified that sort of score.
Five of the first eight batsmen were
bowled and only Yates could blame

Warwickshire 87
42.5 overs
BA Raine 5/9
Durham 391-9 dec
145 overs
AZ Lees 129
WA Young 124
DR Briggs 4/93
Warwickshire 177
67.3 overs
BA Carse 5/49
Durham won by
an innings and
127 runs

ABOVE
Kiwi overseas player
Will Young hits a six
off Danny Briggs
BELOW
Alex Lees at
the crease

cruel Gods.
Warwickshire’s technical
deficiencies, which in truth are only
the sort which any developing side
has to correct, were exposed later
on the first day. After Craig Miles
and Norwell had hoisted the total
to 87, Lees and Will Young replied
by putting on an unbroken 88 in 45
overs. In his interview after the close
Rhodes talked about his team taking
any positives they could. You know
they’ve often had a bad day when
skippers talk like that.
Things got worse for Rhodes,
who seems to be making a good
job of the captaincy. As if to point
up the visitors’ inadequacies on
the first day, Lees and Young broke
their county’s first-wicket record
against Warwickshire, eventually
putting on 208, thus overtaking

Lees played only a few
memorable strokes
but made at least a
couple of hundred
excellent decisions
the 202-run stand shared by
Graeme Fowler and Wayne
Larkins at Darlington in 1993
when Durham’s cricketers
roamed the North-East
like gypsies. They are
based almost entirely
at Riverside now but
I doubt they have as
much fun.

Warwickshire’s joie de vivre was
also noticeable by its absence.
Young was lbw for a stylish 124
but Lees batted on until Saturday
morning when he was dismissed
by a Norwell lifter for 129. He had
batted for exactly 500 minutes and
faced 353 balls. In its quiet way it
was one of the innings of the season.
Lees played only a few memorable
strokes but made at least a couple of
hundred excellent decisions. Carse
whacked a quick 40 and Briggs took
three late wickets. The slow leftarmer celebrated with all the joy
a man might show when told of a
change in the regulations governing
the manufacture of lead piping.
Durham’s lead was 304.
Warwickshire get to 58 for 2 in their
second innings before Yates is undone
by Rushworth’s bounce. (The opener
will make his second century in four
innings in Warwickshire’s next match
against Worcestershire.) Seven overs
later Hain is caught at slip when a
good-length ball from Carse spits
up off a length. It becomes clear that
Durham will record their first County
Championship victory of the season
inside three days. Carse takes three
of the last four wickets and the game
ends in the brightest sunshine of the
match.
“We’ve been thoroughly outplayed
and we can’t wrap it up any other
way than that,” says Robinson, who
knows there is so much you can learn
from this sort of pain.
Perhaps not yet, though. On the
square groundsmen tend to the used
wicket. In Riverside Park the Ferris
wheel turns.
thecricketer.com | 71

Series report

Cheer for Sri Lanka but IPL worship continues
Rex Clementine reports on a muchneeded Test series win for the hosts, but
is still worried that franchises reign
Famous for its gems, Kalutara is a
coastal town some 40km south of the
capital Colombo. In recent months,
Sri Lankan cricket has been able
to unearth two rare gems from the
area. Kalutara is multicultural; the
Buddhists attend Kalutara Vidyalaya,
a few metres from there is Holy Cross
College, where Catholics go.
In March, Kalutara Vidyalaya were
jubilant that they had produced the
first Sri Lankan to score a hundred on
debut overseas – Pathum Nissanka
ABOVE
Praveen
Jayawickrama
(second right)
celebrates a wicket
in the second Test
RIGHT
Najmul Hossain
Shanto impressed
from No.3
OPPOSITE
Dimuth
Karunaratne was in
rich form

72 | thecricketer.com

Silva. Six weeks later, Holy Cross
were celebrating the feats of Praveen
Jayawickrama, who took 11 for 178,
the best figures by a Sri Lankan on
debut and the 10th-best bowling
performance in the history of Test
cricket by a debutant.
Not just Holy Cross or Kalutara
but the nation as a whole celebrated
Jayawickrama’s feat, for Sri Lanka had
not won a Test match in 16 months
and since then had gone through eight
Tests, losing four and drawing four.
Sri Lankans are aware that they
cannot get carried away with this win
as the opposition was Bangladesh
and that they were without their

two best players – Shakib Al Hasan
and Mustafizur Rahman. When
Bangladesh visited Sri Lanka last
time four years ago, they were at full
strength and beat the hosts in a Test.
So what happened to Shakib and
Mustafizur? They were at the IPL
giving their services to franchise
cricket while their middle order was
crumbling and their quicks were
spraying the ball all over.
Players choosing club over country
has been a debate that has been going
on for over a decade now. Although
we are now and then reminded that
players who take part in franchise
cricket need No Objection Certificates
from their national board, rarely do
we see these not being given. The
BCCI knows there are several ways to
skin a cat.
So, how good Jayawickrama is will
not be known until November as Sri
Lanka don’t play any Tests until then.
Sri Lanka Cricket’s main priority
these days seems to be ensuring a
franchise-based competition of its
own is up and running.
They avoid Test cricket like the
plague, unless it is against India
or England, as otherwise it is not
profitable. In fact, the Bangladesh
series originally consisted of three
Tests, but was cut down to two once
both teams were out of the equation
for the World Test Championship
final.
Not just Jayawickrama, spare
a thought for skipper Dimuth
Karunaratne, who has been told
that he will not be considered for
white-ball cricket from here on. He
finished the series with 428 runs in
three innings that included a doublehundred, a hundred and a halfcentury. Six months without another
game is a long wait for someone who
is in red hot form.
Bangladesh no doubt have come
a long way. Remember their first
Test match in Sri Lanka in 2001 on a
dead SSC pitch? Sanath Jayasuriya
slammed 89 off 56 balls. The whole
of Bangladesh managed just one run
more than him. Sri Lanka won by an
innings and plenty inside three days.
Twenty years on, when they find

LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

SRI LANKA v BANGLADESH 2-Test series

SERIES REPORT | INTERNATIONAL
1ST TEST Pallekele, April 21–25 2021

2ND TEST Pallekele, April 29–May 3 2021

BANGLADESH (won toss)
Tamim Iqbal
c Thirimanne
Saif Hasan
lbw
Najmul Hossain Shanto
Mominul Haque*
c Thirimanne
Mushfiqur Rahim
not out
Liton Das†
c BOP Fernando
Mehedi Hasan
c Dickwella
Taijul Islam
c Dickwella
Taskin Ahmed
not out
Abu Jayed
Ebadat Hossain
Extras
b9 lb6 nb6 w11
Total
173 ov
Fall of wickets
Bowling

R

B

8 152 394 424 511 515 524

(won toss)
FDM Karunaratne* c Liton Das
HDRL Thirimanne
c Liton Das
BOP Fernando
c Liton Das
AD Mathews
c Liton Das
DM de Silva
c Najmul
PN Silva
DPDN Dickwella†
not out
RTM Wanigamuni
c Mushfiqur
RAS Lakmal
PAKP Jayawickrama
MVT Fernando
Extras
b3 lb2 nb1 w1
Total
159.2 ov

21 27

Fall of wickets

R

B

(1st) Lakmal 36-14-81-1, MVT Fernando 35-9-96-4, Kumara 28-4-88-1, Mathews 7-1-14-0,
DM de Silva 30-1-130-1, PWH de Silva 36-2-111-0, Karunaratne 1-0-6-0
(2nd) Lakmal 8-2-21-2, MVT Fernando 5-2-18-0, DM de Silva 11-1-46-0,
PWH de Silva 9-0-15-0

SRI LANKA

R

SRI LANKA

not out
74 98 10/3
c Dickwella b Lakmal 1 8 0
b Lakmal 0 8 0
not out
23 86 0
- - - - - - - nb2
2
33 ov
100/2

4/6

b MVT Fernando 90 101 15
b MVT Fernando 0
6 0
c&b Kumara
163 378 17/1
b DM de Silva
127 304 11
68 156 6
b MVT Fernando 50 67 5/1
b Lakmal
3 15 0
b MVT Fernando 2
8 0
6
9
1
32
541/7 d

B

4/6

Bowling

BANGLADESH

Fall of wickets

114 157 190 535 544 553 585 647

Fall of wickets

Bowling

Abu Jayed 19-2-76-0, Taskin Ahmed 30-6-112-3,
Ebadat Hossain 21-1-99-1, Mehedi Hasan 58-6-161-1,
Taijul Islam 45-9-163-2, Mominul Haque 4-0-18-0, Saif Hasan 2-0-5-0

Bowling

Player of the match
Umpires
Match Referee

FDM Karunaratne
HDPK Dharmasena (SL), RSA Palliyaguruge (SL); RR Wimalasiri (SL)
RS Madugalle (SL)

Player of the match
Umpires
Match Referee

a flat wicket, they know what to do.
Bangladesh posted 541 for 7 in the first
Test, which ended in a high-scoring
draw. The real find for them has been
Najmul Hossain Shanto, a left-handed
top-order batsman with a tight
technique who piled up 163 and was
involved in two big partnerships.
Tamim Iqbal was
an absolute treat to
watch. He never let
the bowlers settle,
always looking to
score runs and didn’t
just wait for the loose
balls taking chances early
on. Often he scored at a run
a ball. In the second innings
of the first Test when Tamim
reached his half-century,
Bangladesh’s total was 52. He
was dismissed twice in the
90s. In the second innings of
the drawn first Test, he was not
out on 74 when tea was taken.
He was expected to reach three
figures after the break. But it
rained and the game was called
off early. Such was Tamim’s

B 4/6

118 190 15
140 298 15
81 221 8
5 15 1
2
9 0
30 84 3
77 72 8/1
b Taskin
33 68 2
- - - 7
493/7 d

209 313 319 328 382 382 493

c Najmul Hossain Shanto b Taskin Ahmed
lbw
b Mehedi Hasan
c Liton Das
b Taskin Ahmed
b Taijul Islam
b Taskin Ahmed
c Liton Das
b Ebadat Hossain
run out
b Taijul Islam
not out
not out

MATCH DRAWN

R

b Shoriful
b Taskin
b Mehedi
b Taskin
b Taijul
b Taskin

R
2
1

c sub
c Najmul
st Liton Das
c sub
c Najmul
c Shoriful
c Taijul
c Tamim

B 4/6

b Saif Hasan
b Mehedi
b Taijul
b Taijul
b Mehedi
b Taijul
b Taskin
b Taijul
b Taijul

66
2
1
12
41
24
24
8
12
3
1
194/9 d

not out
nb1
42.2 ov

78
6
5
35
52
31
25
12
6
5
-

7/1
0
0
0/1
4/1
2
2
1
1/1
0
-

14 15 39 112 124 162 178 180 194

(1st) Abu Jayed 22-4-69-0, Taskin Ahmed 34.2-7-127-4, Mehedi Hasan 36-7-118-1,
Shoriful Islam 29-6-91-1, Taijul Islam 38-7-83-1
(2nd) Mehedi Hasan 14-3-66-2, Shoriful Islam 1-0-8-0, Taijul Islam 19.2-2-72-5,
Taskin Ahmed 4-0-26-1, Saif Hasan 4-0-22-1

FDM Karunaratne*
HDRL Thirimanne
BOP Fernando
AD Mathews
DM de Silva
PN Silva
DPDN Dickwella†
PWH de Silva
RAS Lakmal
MVT Fernando
CBRLS Kumara
Extras
Total

b4 lb10 nb3 w10
179 ov

244 437 26
58 125 8
20 43 4
25 32 4
166 291 22
12 23
1
31 33 3
43 55 3
22 31 0/1
0
7 0
27
648/8 d

4/6

Tamim Iqbal
c Thirimanne
Saif Hasan
c de Silva
Najmul Hossain Shanto c Thirimanne
Mominul Haque*
lbw
Mushfiqur Rahim
lbw
Liton Das†
c Thirimanne
Mehedi Hasan
lbw
Taijul Islam
hit wkt
Taskin Ahmed
lbw
Shoriful Islam
Abu Jayed
not out
Extras
b2 lb9 nb1
Total
83 ov

b Jayawickrama
b Jayawickrama
b Wanigamuni
b Wanigamuni
b Jayawickrama
b Jayawickrama
b Jayawickrama
b Lakmal
b Jayawickrama
b Lakmal

R

B 4/6

92
25
0
49
40
8
16
9
0
0
0
12
251

150 12
62 4/1
4 0
104 7
62 7
11 2
33 1
50 1
11 0
8 0
4 0

98 99 151 214 224 224 241 243 246

R

c Dickwella b Wanigamuni
c Lakmal
b Jayawickrama
b Jayawickrama
b Wanigamuni
c de Silva
b Wanigamuni
lbw
b Jayawickrama
c PN Silva b Jayawickrama
c Dickwella b de Silva
c Karunaratne b Wanigamuni
not out
lbw
b Jayawickrama
b3 lb2 nb1
71 ov

24
34
26
32
40
17
39
2
7
0
0
6
227

B 4/6

26
46
44
48
63
46
86
30
33
2
3

3/1
5/1
4
4
5
1
4
0
0
0
0

31 73 104 134 171 183 206 227 227

(1st) Lakmal 10-0-30-2, MVT Fernando 7-1-19-0, Mathews 2-0-7-0, Wanigamuni 31-7-86-2,
Jayawickrama 32-7-92-6, de Silva 1-0-6-0
(2nd) Lakmal 4-2-14-0, Wanigamuni 28-2-103-4, Jayawickrama 32-10-86-5, de Silva 7-1-19-1
PAKP Jayawickrama
HDPK Dharmasena (SL), RSA Palliyaguruge (SL); RR Wimalasiri (SL)
RS Madugalle (SL)

SRI LANKA WON BY 209 RUNS

wretched luck.
The first Test was just boring. Sri
Lanka responded to Bangladesh’s
score with a massive 648 for 8
declared. Ranjan Madugalle, the
match referee, gave the pitch a “below
average” rating and one demerit point.
It’s just that Sri Lanka got their
act wrong. They were defensive.
Expecting Bangladesh’s spinners
to have more impact in the game,
they left grass on the pitch and
packed the side with seam. The
appearance of the pitch was
misleading. Everyone thought
this was Newlands but the
track didn’t offer any bounce
or movement and once the
grass dried off, batsmen were
making merry. More than 1,200
runs were scored over five days
for the fall of just 17 wickets.
Sanity prevailed as the
hosts backed their rookie
spinners for the second
Test. Ramesh Mendis
Wanigamuni, an offie,
had just played in one
Test. Jayawickrama had

featured in only 10 first-class games.
They turned out to be match winners
sharing 17 wickets between them as
Sri Lanka won by 209 runs.
Jayawickrama has the attributes
of a good Test cricketer. He bowled
64 overs in the Test; mostly long
spells, rarely sent down a loose ball
as 17 of his overs were maidens.
He turned the ball by the third day
when the pitch started to deteriorate.
Apart from control, he has a superb
arm ball too that accounted for
Bangladesh’s most experienced
batsman, Mushfiqur Rahim.
The one that dismissed Shanto
was the talking point. Pitched wide
outside off stump, the ball hit the
rough, turned sharply and went
through the left-hander’s bat and pad
to knock the top of leg-stump.
Mendis was supposed to create
the pressure from the other end.
Although he didn’t have much
control, the two of them bowling
in partnership served Sri Lanka’s
purpose well. It helped they played
for the same team in domestic
cricket, Moors Sports Club.

Marks out of 10
Sri Lanka

9.5 Karunaratne,
Jayawickrama
7 DM de Silva
6 Dickwella,
Thirimanne
5 Wanigamuni,
Silva
4 Lakmal
3 Mathews
2 PWH de Silva,
BOP Fernando,
MVT Fernando,
Kumara

Bangladesh
9 Tamim
6 Mominul,
Taijul, Shanto
5.5 Mehedi
5 Taskin
4 Mushfiqur
3 Liton, Shoriful
2 Saif, Ebadat,
Jayed

thecricketer.com | 73

Series report
ZIMBABWE v PAKISTAN 2-Test series

Sorry Zimbabwe dismantled in seven days
Zimbabwe had become after years of
political interference and mismanagement
which go way deeper than cricket. Those
who ridiculed him did not seem to have
paused too long to consider how many of
Zimbabwe’s maladies were self-inflicted.
Zimbabwe handed out four more debuts
over these two Tests at the Harare Sports
Club; throwing international caps around
like confetti rarely reflects well on a
country’s cricket.
Their batting was weakened by injuries to
Sean Williams and Craig Ervine, meaning
Brendan Taylor returned to the captaincy.
Zimbabwe were repeatedly dismantled by
Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali, and the
only innings of heft they mustered over four
innings was Regis Chakabva’s 80 after being

1ST TEST Harare, April 29–May 1 2021

ZIMBABWE (won toss)

2ND TEST Harare, May 7–10 2021
R

B 4/6

PS Masvaure
KT Kasuza
TK Musakanda
BRM Taylor*
M Shumba
R Kaia
RW Chakabva†
DT Tiripano
TS Chisoro
B Muzarabani
R Ngarava
Extras
Total

c Imran Butt

b Shaheen
11 30 2
b Hasan Ali
0
5 0
b Nauman Ali 14 41 1/1
c Fahim Ashraf b Hasan Ali
5 29 0
run out
27 50 5
lbw
b Hasan Ali
48 94 7
c Imran Butt
b Hasan Ali
19 36 2
not out
28 47 4
b Shaheen
9 12 2
b Shaheen
14 8 3
b Shaheen
1
3 0
0
59.1 ov
176

Fall of wickets

0 18 30 30 89 124 127 141 164

11
1
2
4
3
5
6
7
8
9
10

R

B 4/6

b Hasan Ali
28
43
b Nauman Ali 29
b Nauman Ali
4
b Fahim Ashraf 0
14
b Hasan Ali
2
c Imran Butt b Hasan Ali
0
b Hasan Ali
2
b Hasan Ali
5
b2 lb5
7
46.2 ov
134

- 55 3
84 5
33 2/1
22 1
4 0
46 2
11 0
2 0
9 0
12 1

absent hurt
lbw
run out
c Hasan Ali
c Rizwan
lbw
not out

PAKISTAN (won toss)
c Tiripano
not out
c Shumba
c Kasuza

R

B

4/6

Imran Butt
Abid Ali
Azhar Ali
Babar Azam*
Fawad Alam
Sajid Khan
Mohammad Rizwan†
Hasan Ali
Nauman Ali
Tabish Khan
Shaheen Shah Afridi
Extras
Total

b Ngarava

2 20
0
215 407 29
b Muzarabani 126 240 17/1
b Muzarabani
2
8
0
b Muzarabani
5
12
1
c Chakabva
b Tiripano
20 54
3
c Ngarava
b Chisoro
21 32
3
c Chakabva
b Jongwe
0
8
0
st Chakabva b Chisoro
97 104 9/5
b7 8 lb8 nb2 w5
22
147.1 overs
510/8 d

Fall of wickets

12 248 252 264 303 340 341 510

Bowling (1st) Shaheen Shah Afridi 15.1-5-43-4, Hasan Ali 15-2-53-4, Nauman Ali 11-2-29-1,
Fahim Ashraf 7-3-14-0, Sajid Khan 11-1-37-0
(2nd) Shaheen Shah Afridi 11-1-35-0, Hasan Ali 12.2-2-36-5, Fahim Ashraf 10-2-22-1,
Nauman Ali 9-1-27-2, Sajid Khan 4-0-7-0

Bowling

Muzarabani 29-6-82-3, Ngarava 24-5-58-1, Jongwe 17-1-68-1,
Tiripano 22-5-83-1, Chisoro 40.1-7-131-2, Shumba 15-1-73-0

PAKISTAN

KT Kasuza
TK Musakanda
RW Chakabva†
BRM Taylor*
M Shumba
TS Chisoro
LM Jongwe
DT Tiripano
R Kaia
R Ngarava
B Muzarabani
Extras
Total

b Hasan Ali
4 43
lbw
b Tabish Khan 0 6
c Abid Ali
b Hasan Ali
33 92
c Rizwan
b Shaheen
9 16
lbw
b Sajid Khan
2 25
c Imran Butt b Hasan Ali
1 21
b Hasan Ali
19 24
c sub
b Sajid Khan
23 56
c Azhar Ali b Hasan Ali
11 52
not out
15 14
run out
7 15
b4 lb3 w1
8
60.4 overs
132

Fall of wickets

0 23 40 47 53 68 77 108 110

Imran Butt
Abid Ali
Azhar Ali
Babar Azam*
Fawad Alam
Mohammad Rizwan†
Fahim Ashraf
Hasan Ali
Nauman Ali
Sajid Khan
Shaheen Shah Afridi
Extras
Total

48 68 92 95 117 124 124 128 134

R

c Chakabva
c Taylor
c Musakanda
c Kaia
c Chakabva
c Chisoro
c Chakabva
c Musakanda
c Chakabva
not out
b1 lb3 nb8 w1
133 ov

b Ngarava
b Chisoro
b Tiripano
b Tiripano
b Muzarabani
b Muzarabani
b Tiripano
b Muzarabani
b Muzarabani
b Ngarava

91
60
36
0
140
45
0
30
0
7
4
13
426

B

4/6

236 7
140 10
70 5
1 0
204 20
106 5
2 0
26 3/2
1 0
12
1
8
1

Fall of wickets

115 176 182 226 333 334 395 395 412

Bowling

Muzarabani 31-8-73-4, Ngarava 29-4-104-2, Chisoro 34-7-89-1,
Tiripano 23-6-89-3, Shumba 9-3-29-0, Kaia 7-0-38-0

Player of the match
Umpires
Match Referee

Hasan Ali
M Erasmus (SA), L Rusere (Z); I Chabi (Z)
AJ Pycroft (Z)

PAKISTAN WON BY AN INNINGS AND 116 RUNS

74 | thecricketer.com

ZIMBABWE

Bowling

R

B 4/6

0
0
5
2
0
0
3
4
1
3
1

f/o

9
6
7
8

b Nauman Ali
c Rizwan
b Shaheen
c Babar Azam b Nauman Ali
c Rizwan
b Shaheen
c Imran Butt b Nauman Ali
b Shaheen
c Rizwan
b Shaheen
lbw
b Nauman Ali
c Sajid Khan b Nauman Ali
b Shaheen
not out
b1 lb5 nb1
68 overs

Abid Ali
M Erasmus (SA), L Rusere (Z); I Chabi (Z)
AJ Pycroft (Z)

PAKISTAN WON BY AN INNINGS AND 147 RUNS

B

4/6

13 63 142 170 188 196 196 205 205

(1st) Shaheen Shah Afridi 14-4-34-1, Tabish Khan 15-8-22-1, Hasan Ali 13-4-27-5,
Nauman Ali 6-3-3-0, Sajid Khan 12.4-6-39-2
(2nd) Shaheen Shah Afridi 20-5-52-5, Tabish Khan 11-3-46-0, Hasan Ali 10-7-9-0,
Sajid Khan 6-1-32-0, Nauman Ali 21-3-86-5

Player of the match
Umpires
Match Referee

R

22 73 2/1
8 13
1
80 137 13/2
49 31 10
16 41
3
8 12
2
37 70
7
0 6 0
0
1 0
0
1 0
4 24
1
7
231
ZIMBABWE CRICKET/TWITTER

TOP RIGHT
Hasan Ali leads
Pakistan from the
field following the
first Test victory

After two predictable innings defeats on
home soil for Zimbabwe, it was left to
Ramiz Raja to articulate the opinion of
the ex-professional annoyed at seeing
bad cricket – even if it meant buckets of
criticism on social media for questioning a
nation’s right to play Test cricket.
“Such mismatch series should not take
place,” said the former Pakistan opener.
“Test cricket is already under pressure and
very few people watch it. If you show them
such one-sided matches, then they will
switch to watching football or other sports.
Three-day Test match is a joke.”
If Ramiz was on shaky historical ground
when it comes to casting out teams with
poor records fairly early in their Test life,
he was certainly correct about how abject

promoted to No.3 in the second Test.
Pakistan’s batsmen, meanwhile, took the
chance to boost their averages, with the
exception of captain Babar Azam, who had
learned while preparing for the preceding
white-ball tour of South Africa that he was
facing allegations of harassment.
The crumb of comfort for Zimbabwe
came in Blessing Muzarabani, the
promising fast bowler who ran through
Pakistan’s tail in the first Test, then struck
three times in three overs to briefly check
their progress in the second.
Pakistan gave debuts to the
unprepossessing off-spinner Sajid Khan
and 36-year-old seamer Tabish Khan. And,
after years on the domestic circuit, the
34-year-old left-arm spinner Nauman Ali
came within three runs of crunching his
maiden first-class hundred.
James Coyne

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Tammy Beaumont

World stats

Test batting No.1

W Points

12
7
8
11
4
3
3
2
0

520
420
332
442
286
200
144
200
0

pos prev

%PCT

72.2
70.0
69.2
61.4
43.3
33.3
30.0
27.8
0

24 2914
18 2166
32 3493
17 1844
24 2247
24 2024
16 1273
27 2095
15 694
10 346

Rating

121
120
109
108
94
84
80
78
46
35

M

PTS

Batsmen

Men’s T20 top 10

1
2
3
4
5
=6
=6
=6
9
10

1
2
3
4
5
=7
=7
=7
10
6

919
Kane Williamson (NZ)
Steve Smith (Aus)
891
Marnus Labuschagne (Aus) 878*
Joe Root (Eng)
831
Virat Kohli (Ind)
814
Rohit Sharma (Ind)
747
Rishabh Pant (Ind)
747*
Henry Nicholls (NZ)
747
David Warner (Aus)
724
Babar Azam (Pak)
714

7115/54.31
7540/61.80
1885/60.80
8617/49.24
7490/52.37
2615/46.69
1358/45.26
2152/43.91
7311/48.09
2169/42.52

13 12
23 25
43 45

Ben Stokes (Eng)
Jos Buttler (Eng)
Rory Burns (Eng)

points

705
620
541

runs/avg

4631/37.04
2728/34.53
1291/30.73

Bowlers
pos prev

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
11
8
9

Pat Cummins (Aus)
Ravichandran Ashwin (Ind)
Neil Wagner (NZ)
James Anderson (Eng)
Josh Hazlewood (Aus)
Tim Southee (NZ)
Stuart Broad (Eng)
Jason Holder (WI)
Kagiso Rabada (SA)
Mitchell Starc (Aus)

points

908
850
825
822
816
811
792
755
753
744

wkts/avg

164/21.59
409/24.69
219/26.32
614/26.46
212/25.65
302/28.70
517/27.71
123/27.41
202/23.36
255/27.57

Other England bowlers
pos prev

23 21
29 28
31 29

Chris Woakes (Eng)
Jack Leach (Eng)
Ben Stokes (Eng)

M

22
25
23
30
23
19
12
13
13
18

PTS

Rating

121
118
115
115
107
97
90
82
79
62

points

627
565
558

wkts/avg

112/29.30
62/29.98
163/31.38

Aus
SA
Eng
Ind
NZ
WI
Pak
Ban
SL
Ire

Rating

6088 277
6811 272
6084 263
7818 261
5930 258
4730 248
2826 236
2957 227
2921 225
3992 222

M

PTS

18 2955
24 2828
17 1993
20 2226
21 1947
12 1025
15 1101
5 306
11
519
2
25

Rating

164
118
117
111
93
85
73
61
47
13

Women’s T20 top 10
Aus
Eng
Ind
NZ
SA
WI
Pak
SL
Ban
Ire

M

PTS

31 8967
33 9358
35 9344
28 7474
30 7569
26 6126
27 6216
18 3631
26 5001
13 2180

13
18
27

865
857
825
801
791
785
778
778
773
773

runs/avg

3808/56.83
12169/59.07
9205/48.96
8581/48.20
5232/41.85
3426/48.25
2262/49.17
5507/47.47
3547/53.74
5455/45.45

Joe Root (Eng)
Jason Roy (Eng)
Ben Stokes (Eng)

723
689
668

runs/avg

5962/50.10
3598/39.97
2817/40.82

Bowlers
pos prev

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

1
2
11
3
4
6
5
7
10
9

13
23
31

12
24
29

points

737
708
691
690
668
666
665
660
646
638

wkts/avg

169/25.21
70/22.04
98/25.89
108/25.33
47/37.59
119/27.67
149/30.34
88/26.18
111/28.78
81/29.62

Rating

289
284
267
267
252
236
230
202
192
168

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

1
2
3
10
5
6
4
7
8
44

Jofra Archer (Eng)
Mark Wood (Eng)
Liam Plunkett (Eng)

627*
594
546

wkts/avg

30/24.00
69/37.50
135/29.70

12
15
17

11
14
19

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

2
1
4
5
3
9
6
8
10
12

Dawid Malan (Eng)
Aaron Finch (Aus)
Babar Azam (Pak)
Devon Conway (NZ)
Virat Kohli (Ind)
Rassie van der Dussen (SA)
KL Rahul (Ind)
Glenn Maxwell (Aus)
Martin Guptill (NZ)
Mohammad Rizwan (Pak)

892
830
828
774*
762
756
743
694
688
640

runs/avg

1003/50.15
2346/38.45
2035/47.32
473/59.12
3159/52.65
628/41.86
1557/39.92
1780/31.78
2939/32.29
843/44.36

16
19
25

15
34
39

765
758
756
746
723
715
710
709
685
683

runs/avg

2618/45.13
2986/36.41
1927/33.80
4754/44.01
3925/53.76
4125/38.91
2172/42.58
7098/51.06
1981/39.61
2150/43.87

pos prev

13 13
24 24
36 39

Heather Knight (Eng)
Amy Jones (Eng)
Danielle Wyatt (Eng)

points

666
536
404

runs/avg

2935/38.61
1017/28.25
1046/19.01

pos prev

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

1
2
4
3
5
7
8
9
6
10

Jess Jonassen (Aus)
Megan Schutt (Aus)
Marizanne Kapp (SA)
Shabnim Ismail (SA)
Jhulan Goswami (Ind)
Katherine Brunt (Eng)
Poonam Yadav (Ind)
Ayabongo Khaka (SA)
Ellyse Perry (Aus)
Shikha Pandey (Ind)

points

808
762
747
717
681
655
641
638
616
610

wkts/avg

113/19.97
99/21.84
129/24.21
150/21.08
233/21.33
153/23.13
72/22.94
80/26.47
152/24.50
73/21.06

pos prev

11
14
23

13
14
21

Anya Shrubsole (Eng)
Sophie Ecclestone (Eng)
Nat Sciver (Eng)

points

607
588
510

wkts/avg

90/25.62
39/23.23
49/ 26.75

pos prev

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

2
1
4
7
5
3
6
8
9
10

Shafali Verma (Ind)
Beth Mooney (Aus)
Meg Lanning (Aus)
Smriti Mandhana (Ind)
Alyssa Healy (Aus)
Sophie Devine (NZ)
Suzie Bates (NZ)
Stafanie Taylor (WI)
Jemimah Rodriques (Ind)
Nat Sciver (Eng)

points

776
744
709
693
688
684
660
658
640
621

runs/avg

617/29.38
1554/36.1331
2914/35.97
1782/25.45
2121/24.66
2474/29.80
3301/30.00
3062/36.02
976/26.37
1570/25.32

Other England batsmen
points

Eoin Morgan (Eng)
Jonny Bairstow (Eng)
Jos Buttler (Eng)

633
605
591

runs/avg

2311/29.62
1050/29.16
1723/30.22

pos prev

16 17
20 20
22 22

Heather Knight (Eng)
Tammy Beaumont (Eng)
Danielle Wyatt (Eng)

points

577
555
549

runs/avg

1295/22.71
1484/22.83
1675/19.47

Bowlers
Tabraiz Shamsi (SA)
Rashid Khan (Afg)
Ashton Agar (Aus)
Adil Rashid (Eng)
Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afg)
Tim Southee (NZ)
Adam Zampa (Aus)
Ish Sodhi (NZ)
Lakshan Sandakan (SL)
Wanindu de Silva (SL)

points

732
719
702
694
687
669
663
640
639
623

wkts/avg

31/28.12
95/12.63
38/19.55
55/26.61
25/17.72
99/25.17
43/22.67
73/21.72
23/23.00
24/14.00

pos prev

points

wkts/avg

pos prev

Other England bowlers
pos prev

points

Batters
points

Bowlers
pos prev

Tammy Beaumont (Eng)
Lizelle Lee (SA)
Alyssa Healy (Aus)
Stafanie Taylor (WI)
Meg Lanning (Aus)
Amy Satterthwaite (NZ)
Smriti Mandhana (Ind)
Mithali Raj (Ind)
Nat Sciver (Eng)
Laura Wolvaardt (SA)

WOMEN’S ICC T20I PLAYERS

Other England batsmen
pos prev

2
1
5
4
5
6
7
9
11
8

Other England bowlers
points

MEN’S ICC T20I PLAYERS
pos prev

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Bowlers
Trent Boult (NZ)
Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afg)
Matt Henry (NZ)
Jasprit Bumrah (Ind)
Mehidy Hasan (Ban)
Kagiso Rabada (SA)
Chris Woakes (Eng)
Josh Hazlewood (Aus)
Pat Cummins (Aus)
Mohammad Amir (Pak)

Other England bowlers
pos prev

pos prev

Other England batsmen
points

Batsmen

Women’s ODI top 10

Other England batsmen
pos prev

Eng
Ind
NZ
Pak
Aus
SA
Afg
SL
Ban
WI

17 2054
25 2945
29 3344
27 3100
20 2137
24 2323
24 2157
27 2222
21 1652
17 1054

pos prev

points

Babar Azam (Pak)
Virat Kohli (Ind)
Rohit Sharma (Ind)
Ross Taylor (NZ)
Aaron Finch (Aus)
Jonny Bairstow (Eng)
Fakhar Zaman (Pak)
Faf du Plessis (SA)
Shai Hope (WI)
David Warner (Aus)

14
19
25

PTS

MEN’S ICC TEST PLAYERS
runs/avg

3
1
2
4
5
11
19
6
8
7

Men’s Tests

NZ
Aus
Ind
Eng
SA
Pak
Ban
WI
SL
Afg
points

1
2
3
4
5
6
=7
=7
=9
=9

Batters

Other England batsmen

M

WOMEN’S ICC ODI PLAYERS

Batsmen

Men’s ODI top 10

pos prev

T20I battingNo.1

ICC TEAM RANKINGS
Ind
NZ
Eng
Aus
Pak
WI
SA
SL
Ban
Zim

Kane Williamson

M

17
11
14
21
12
11
11
12
5

Dawid Malan

MEN’S ICC ODI PLAYERS

ICC WORLD TEST
CHAMPIONSHIP
Ind
NZ
Aus
Eng
Pak
WI
SA
SL
Ban

ODI batting No.1

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

1
2
3
4
5
6
8
10
17
11

Sophie Ecclestone (Eng)
Shabnim Ismail (SA)
Sarah Glenn (Eng)
Megan Schutt (Aus)
Jess Jonassen (Aus)
Deepti Sharma (Ind)
Radha Yadav (Ind)
Katherine Brunt (Eng)
Anam Amin (Pak)
Georgia Wareham (Aus)

points

799
763
755
743
727
705
702
690
674
667

wkts/avg

61/15.03
110/18.09
27/12.48
96/15.35
74/20.12
54/20.48
51/16.68
93/18.90
54/19.85
33/13.78

Other England bowlers

Chris Jordan (Eng)
Jofra Archer (Eng)
Mark Wood (Eng)

585
559*
538*

70/26.70
14/26.50
23/21.26

22 23
30 31
64 64

Nat Sciver (Eng)
Anya Shrubsole (Eng)
Freya Davies (Eng)

points

570
543
411

wkts/avg

67/19.02
102/15.55
13/14.69

Test, ODI and T20I rankings correct to May 19 2021. *Full points gained after 40 Test or ODI innings, 100 Test wickets or conceding 1,500 ODI runs, scoring 600 T20I runs or bowling 400 T20I deliveries. Figures in red = player’s highest ranking points.

P L AY E R I N D E X

1
2
3
4
5

MEN
Kieron Pollard 936 6
Glenn Maxwell 820 7
Andre Russell 776 8
Rashid Khan
746 9
Mohammad Nabi 736 10

Shoaib Malik
Marcus Stoinis
KL Rahul
Moeen Ali
Hardik Pandya

The T20 Player Index ranks player performance in all T20 international and domestic matches
76 | thecricketer.com

720
692
674
663
660

1
2
3
4
5

Sophie Devine
Beth Mooney
Jess Jonassen
Alyssa Healy
Heather Knight

WOMEN
805 6 Ellyse Perry
713
725 7 Nat Sciver
699
723 8 Marizanne Kapp 666
722 9 Amelia Kerr
638
715 10 Ashleigh Gardner 632

See full standings at www.t20playerindex.com

CONTENTS | CRICKET LIFE

Life
87

84
90
98

GETTY IMAGES/BARRY CHAMBERS

82

78 Letters Ted Dexter
and Sunil Gavaskar write in

84 Schools Trent College
play host to MCC

90 Obituaries Bruce Taylor,
Roy Torrens, Murray Hedgcock

96 Tea break Crossword,
quizzes, what’s on

81 Social club Hameed back in
hundred club, KP wants change

86 Voneus Village Cup
Top Billings for Sawbridgeworth

92 Global game High in the
Himalayas as Nepal in action

98 Whatever happened to
Bob Taylor at 80

82 Club scene Things that
are different; Noticeboard

87 Reviews Amiss,
Constantine, This is Cricket

95 Googly Too many
coaches spoil the broth?

thecricketer.com | 77

Letters
The Cricketer, 116 Edinburgh House, 170 Kennington Lane, London, SE11 5DP ~ Email: magazine@thecricketer.com

ABOVE
Matt Parkinson
has made a
barnstorming start
to the season with
Lancashire

Ted’s take
I was horrified to see the kneeling picture
of Ollie Pope on The Cricketer cover (May).
What price Wally Hammond now? Garfield
Sobers and Graeme Pollock never knelt to
drive. The head has dropped, the weight is
too far back – only successful against a very
over-pitched ball. Pollock stood tall, head
high, maintaining his ‘shape’, often hitting
on the rise. New batting talent is always
tantalising. England hopefuls include Rory
Burns, Dom Sibley, Pope, Zak Crawley and
Dan Lawrence. Of these only one, Crawley,
with a double-hundred against Pakistan,
really looks the part, although I accept
Pope has aTest ton. All the others defy the
basic rules of batting in one way or another.
And yet Burns and Sibley both have Test
hundreds. It is a quandary for the selectors.
I’m beginning to wonder if the morepowerful bats cover the cracks, demanding
ever-less attention to detail. The photo of
Pope is a case in point. Weight back, right
knee on the ground and blade held open – all
wrong in my eyes - and yet it probably went
for four! Perhaps selectors should remember
the old adage: form is temporary, class is
permanent. Only Crawley has class.
Ted Dexter, Wolverhampton
Sunny’s outlook
Vic Marks and I go back a long way since
playing for Somerset in 1980, my only season
in county cricket. Many a dreary day in the
field, and these mainly happened when
Ian Botham was on England duty, were
passed by picking all kinds of XIs (best
left-handers, allrounders, good-looking ,

78 | thecricketer.com

We have heard many times that England are short of goodenough spinners to play Test cricket. In my opinion we do
have good enough players, they are just not selected. A
prime example of this is Matt Parkinson. He went on all the
2020/21 tours but did not play for England once. He comes
back from India just in time to play for Lancashire in their first
Championship match, against Sussex. Lancashire erroneously
decide not to pick him. A young inexperienced left-arm slow
bowler, Tom Hartley, was selected ahead of him. Parkinson
was selected for the next two games, both won by Lancashire.
He had match figures of 6 for 88 against Northamptonshire
and 9 for 164 (including a career best of 7 for 126 in the second
innings) against Kent. If he was Australian he would probably
be an established Test cricketer by now.
Phil Watmough, Preston

best ugly, best long-nosed and such like).
Peter Roebuck standing next to me in
slips was the other selector and Vic would
make a quick trip from gully as the bowler
walked to his mark to give his inputs, always
with an impish smile followed by a shrug. I
can see the impishness in his words about
my observation about the pitches during
the recent India v England Test series in
January/February. To his doubting if I ever
played a Test in India on surfaces like in
Ahmedabad I’d recommend him watching
footage of the last Test in Bengaluru of
India v Pakistan, March 1987. It’s maybe
because of the experience of playing on that
surface that made me feel that the pitches
in Ahmedabad were challenging while other
English observers found stronger words to
describe them. However to suggest that
I held back because I’m contracted by
the BCCI on a series-by-series basis is to
question my integrity as a commentator. I’ve
never been afraid of anybody or anythin, and
have said strong words about the pitches on
offer during the India v South Africa series in
2016/17 and many other matters on Indian
cricket. I shall let this pass as long as Vic buys
me a nice Argentinian or Chilean Malbec
this summer.
Sunil Gavaskar, Mumbai
To be in or not to be in
The win against Surrey at Lord’s in late April
was a rare positive in what is increasingly
looking like yet another season of
underachievement for Middlesex (what
the hell is going on there? That’s for another
letter...) But, on a hot, sunny spring weekend

in London, it seemed crazy that no one was
able to witness the game in person. Surely
spectators could have socially distanced?
Matt Phillips, London
The managing editor states he is stumped
why spectators were allowed at the
Crucible and not at cricket. The snooker
was a government-controlled research
project as to how to get people back to
theatres and indoor sports events. It was
tightly controlled and opened up gradually
over 17 days to a full crowd. Controlled
crowds were also allowed at Wembley for
football. There has been a tendency over
the last few months for some of the public
to want to rush things with a ‘if they can do
it, why can’t we?’ mentality. It’s best if we
do this in a controlled manner up to the
June 21 opening-up date and hopefully all
sports and theatre events will be able to
take place normally using the experience
gleaned from these test events.
Paul Rodgers, Chesterfield
Having read hundreds of posts on social
media sites it is obvious that there is still
great support for four-day county cricket.
In this age of empty grounds, the praise
for the visual coverage given to it by the
counties is vast. It is clear that thousands
who are working from home have access to
a screen and many are glued to them. How
much better it is now it has moved on from
the two fixed cameras. The Trent Bridge
set-up not only has multiple cameras but
also replays and statistics just as good
as those provided by the TV companies.

JUSTIN SETTERFIELD/NAOMI BAKER/GETTY IMAGES

Letter of
the month

Pick Parkinson

LETTERS | CRICKET LIFE

How sad it is that this cricket will soon play
second fiddle to the white-ball game. How
happy I am to watch batsmen build an
innings and play cultured shots and bowlers
to have a spell when they know they won’t
be used one over at a time. There probably is
some room for the more circus-like versions
of the game but there is still a large audience
for people who prefer batsmen and wickets
to the promised ‘batters’ and ‘outs’.
Michael Smedley (Not the Notts captain
from the 70s), via email

BELOW
Lancashire
fans would
love to have
seen more of
James Anderson
in their colours

There are eight points for a draw, but only
five if a match is abandoned without a ball
bowled – this doesn’t seem fair because in
that situation there isn’t even any chance for
bonus points; it should also be eight each.
Ed Barnett, Maple Cross

More Anderson please
There is anticipation about James Anderson
reaching 1,000 first-class wickets. As 614 are
Test wickets, then to say he is a Lancashire
cricketer is a bit much. Under 400 first-class
wickets for his county in 20 years? If only
England bowlers played in some more fourday matches, it would give potential Test
batsmen the chance to face better bowlers,
thereby showing their true ability.
David Hewitt, Heacham, Norfolk

Oh for the allrounders
How upsetting it is to see Ben Stokes
injured and missing the first half of the
summer. He is a magnificent allrounder.
There are too few of them in red-ball
cricket now. The lure of T20 is too good
to resist. Over-involvement in all formats
leads to injuries or burn-out. The present
day allrounders have to be nurtured
carefully. Oh for the days of Garfield Sobers,
Ian Botham and Kapil Dev. All three opened
the bowling for their respective countries
when the need arose, and did bowl
many overs. The closest to a complete
allrounder is Ravindra Jadeja. His bowling,
batting and fielding have been a joy.
Thiagarajan Mathiaparanam, Malaysia

Lord’s lock-out
I’ve been refunded for tickets that I
purchased for the third day of the Test
against New Zealand. I understand that
the capacity of Lord’s is 30,000 so that
with restrictions being in place for this
match limiting attendance to 25 per cent
for each day (7,500) about 37,500 could
attend across the five days. I believe that
there are about 23,000 MCC members.
Thus if every MCC member attended one
day there would be about 14,500 available
for Middlesex members. As this appears not
to be the case I can only presume that MCC
members have been able to apply (and been
allocated) tickets for multiple days, rather
than being restricted to one day as would
seem to be logical and equitable. Having
attended at least one day of each Test at
Lord’s since 1985 (apart from 2004 when I
was in hospital) naturally I’m disappointed.
Nigel Kalb, via email
Iron out the flaws
This year’s format has an obvious flaw that
those counties finding themselves within
Divisions Two or Three are left with little
to play for beyond pride (and possibly a
modest prize-money differential) and that
pyrrhic victories, and for that matter draws,
may abound over the final four rounds
in September. This could be cured by: 1)
a four-day Bob Willis Trophy eliminator

to be contested by the counties finishing
respectively second in Division One and
first in Division Two, with the winner then
playing the champions in the five-day final;
and 2) a plate competition in which there
would be two four-day semi-finals (third
in Division One playing second in Division
Three, and second in Division Two playing
first in Division Three) with a five-day final.
Philip Hardman, via email

By George
Well done to George Dobell for his article
in May: I am in full agreement. It also occurs
to me as a county member and a nonLeague football supporter that there are
some parallels between the Hundred and

Subscriber
of the month
Scott Miller, 73

What made you subscribe?
I wanted to ensure I received the
magazine on time each month
How long have you followed cricket?
64 years
Happiest cricket memory? Watching
Sir Ian Botham’s final first-class
match with my son Keith in 1993:
Durham were hosting Australia at the
Racecourse ground
Favourite thing about the magazine?
I love the comprehensive county

the European Super League. Both imposed
on the longstanding fans (‘legacy fans’)
without consultation and in pursuit of greed
rather than the good of the game. When it
was proposed to reduce the Championship
from 16 to 14 matches there was an online
petition which, from memory, obtained
3,000 signatures but it was ignored by the
ECB. Does it require us to march on Lord’s?
Brian Oliver, Woking
Ed: We think you will enjoy his column this
month Brian.
George writes articles that manage to
succinctly state what cricket fans are
thinking, but are not articulate enough
to put into print. He excelled in May. He
proves beyond doubt that Championship
cricket has over a number of years been
gradually squeezed out of the summer
months and is indeed, according to the
ECB, just something to be tolerated... for
the time being. Well done, George. Proud
of you. Hope all at the ECB read it.
Pete Brisley, Bristol (Gloucestershire member)
What the hell is going on? Do the sporting
authorities and owners care about
traditional spectators? Simon Barnes wrote
in the Radio Times that the men running
cricket were trying to attract people to
cricket who did not like cricket. It will
be interesting to see how many county
members renew in 2022 and 2023.
Roger Max, Cardiff
Spurious claim
Richard Heller and Peter Oborne’s
suggestions towards addressing the
inequities of apartheid, with regard to the
cricketing archive (Off the long run, May),
are welcomed. What a pity then that

coverage and, sadly, the obituaries
always make for good reading
How do you rate the current England
team? Very good
Which county do you follow? Surrey
Favourite ever player? John Edrich
Favourite current England player?
Jack Leach
Favourite Test ground visited?
The Oval
Favourite cricket writer? Henry
‘Blowers’ Blofeld

thecricketer.com | 79

BELOW
Sir Ian Botham at
Headingley in 1981 –
where were you?

A batsman is never out
I’m delighted that sense has prevailed
regarding the language to be used during
The Hundred. The saga clearly illustrates
the danger of letting marketing men loose
on subjects they are not fully conversant
with. All cricketers, particularly batsmen,
know that, while they may lose their wicket
from time to time, they are never out and
that is purely the figment of the imagination
of an incompetent umpire, even when
middle stump is flat on the ground!
Peter Lowndes, via email
Ban the bouncer
Concerning the article by Mike Brearley
on bouncers in April: I’ve never been able
to understand how it can be considered
to be within the spirit of the game to give
one competitor the licence, in effect, to
attempt to inflict GBH on his opponent
with impunity, safe in the knowledge that
his opponent has virtually no chance of
retaliating with similar physical harm. In
other areas of life, this is known as bullying.
John Ward, Harare
Gibson’s glory
I enjoyed the article in May on
Clem Gibson by James Coyne and
Timothy Abraham. My father (AH
‘Podge’ Brodhurst, Cambridge and
Gloucestershire) was born in Buenos
Aires in 1916, where his father
worked on the railways. He returned
to schools at Malvern. Much of
his childhood was spent at the
Hurlingham Club where his hero was
Gibson. Many years later he arrived
to teach at Winchester College in 1946
and married Meg, daughter of Harry
Altham, and through him got to know the

Next month
July issue,
out Friday June 25

80 | thecricketer.com

Ashton brothers. I recall meeting Hubert
Ashton with Dad at Lord’s, sitting in the
Warner Stand at a Test and getting him
to talk about the famous 1921 match at
Eastbourne. He spoke for 45 minutes, and
if I hadn’t been a boy I’d have written it all
down. It was spellbinding, and of course he
downplayed his own 75, talking far more
about his first-innings duck.
Robin Brodhurst, Newbury
Headingley 1981 memories
What great reading in May regarding
the summer of 1981 and that Ashes. As a
14-year-old, my best friend and I were taken
in a rickety old Morris Minor by his mother.
We sat on the wooden benches of the
Western Terrace with banana sandwiches.
With England already well over 100 runs
from making Australia bat again, I can still
hear my dad: “See you in a couple of hours
when the game is over!” What a day we had
40 years ago – it will stay with me forever.
Robert Battersby (subscriber)
On the last day I had to go into hospital in
Nottingham for a minor operation which
took less than five minutes. In those days all
such outpatients had to report at the same
time which I think was about 1.30pm; by
the time I’d been released, it was gone
5pm. I went in assuming we’d lost and
was staggered to learn that we’d won
and I’d missed the drama!
Neil Davidson, Loughborough
I was there on the Saturday then
headed off on the Sunday for a month’s
Interrail trip round Europe. I remember
sneaking a view of an English newspaper
several days later in southern Italy and
being astounded to discover that England
had won the Test!
Nigel Peet, York
Only McManus knows
While I agree with Nasser Hussain’s view
on the incident in the Leicestershire v
Hampshire match (May), surely Lewis
McManus will only regret it if he has

deliberately cheated, which only he himself
knows. Having seen the streaming on
YouTube the player appears to be appealing
to the umpire for a caught behind while the
other players are appealing to the squareleg umpire and just maybe for that moment
he thought he’d caught Hassan Azad. I
should like to think that is the case, though
I suppose until Lewis explains himself the
doubt will remain.
Paul Weld, Waterlooville, Hants
Keep stating the case
I enjoyed your piece about South London
state schools on The Cricketer website, and
thank you for mentioning The Forty Club. It
was formed by Henry Grierson in 1936 “to
take cricket to the schools”. This season we
have fixtures against almost 20 grammar
and state schools with the aim of trying to
“inspire a lifelong love of cricket”. Please
keep up the energy to write about cricket in
the state sector – or lack of it.
Barry Aitken, Hon Sec, The Forty Club
Recalling Bedser
My Favourite Cricketer: Eric Bedser, by
Jon Ryan (May) was of special interest to
this 86-year-old grandmother living alone
during the pandemic. In 1947 aged 13 I was
taken to my first match: Mitcham v Surrey,
a ‘benefit’. Walking along the pavement
towards the pavilion I came face to face
with two identical giants, both looking
around over everyone’s head with lazy blue
eyes. I lost my heart immediately! Please
tell the writer how delighted I was to know
that I’m not the only Bedser fan left.
Anne Rowntree, Chard, Somerset
The shock omission of David Steele (18,000
runs, 462 wickets and 469 catches) from
your Northants XI in April reminded me
of the letter I wrote to the then chairman
of selectors, Alec Bedser, to protest
about Steele’s omission from the 1976/77
tour to India. I was seven and didn’t get a
response but that may have been because I
addressed the letter to Mr Bedsitter.
John Craig-Sharples, Twickenham

On your Marks
Victor’s latest column, exclusive
to The Cricketer, plus Sri Lanka
are here for some white-ball
fireworks and the Vitality Blast
is in full swing – full coverage

ADRIAN MURRELL/ALLSPORT/GETTY IMAGES

Paul Jarvis, in the same issue (Whatever
happened to) repeats the appalling claim
that he and other mercenaries who toured
the country, bolstering a brutal and racist
police state, should take credit for the
progressive changes which followed.
Chris Davis, Oxford

SOCIAL CLUB | CRICKET LIFE

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deliveries
Worcestershire
April 22-25, 2021
Batted, Haseeb Hameed
thecricketer.com | 81

Club scene
Email your news to magazine@thecricketer.com or tweet @thecricketermag

the teams. Ho hum. That said, several
clubs have been in touch to say that
they are struggling, finding that many
players have deserted to golf, or are
waiting for their second vaccines.

Recreational cricket has returned after
the cruel summer of 2020, but how much
has changed, asks Huw Turbervill
We’re back!
The world and his dog are suddenly
available again. Many sat out
2020 because of the pandemic
(understandably, whether it was
because they were sheltering
themselves if they had underlying
health conditions, or were living with
family members who were especially
at risk); others were not keen on the
‘league lite’ feel to it all. Now normal
leagues have resumed with promotion

Over-appealing unappealing
Yes, that is still as bad as ever from
what I’ve seen. One appeal is not
enough… deploy the second, third
and even fourth wave; disbelieving,
imploring the umpire hysterically to
see the error of their ways, to dispatch
the batsman and ensure that justice
be done though the heavens fall.

Many clubs dipped into the Covid
funds, but extraordinarily now have the
cash to pay players and overseas pros
and relegation, and the vaccines are
taking effect, a lot of clubs are finding
everyone wants to play again (despite
the wettest/frostiest April recorded
for 60 years). This is only a personal
take and it’s probably grievously
unfair of me: but it’s been a blow to
the ego of those players who have been
manning the fort to be shunted down

82 | thecricketer.com

ABOVE
It’s great to
see clubs like
Preston Nomads
in Sussex back
in action

Sledging accidents
Some are reporting incidents that are
as shocking as ever. The ball flicked
the pad of a teenage player I know in
a 1st XI match and it went through to
the wicketkeeper, and he was called
a four-letter word beginning with C.
These people should be ashamed of
themselves. For the sake of fairness,
though, other active players in The
Cricketer offices are saying things
haven’t been so bad thus far.
Smile, you’re on camera
Following the first-class counties’
leads, more and more clubs are
bringing in live streaming, which
is fun but a bit farcical, given the
variable standard of our game.

Opinions range from a friend who
struggled to get any work down on the
Monday as he re-watched his halfcentury from Saturday eight times,
to my own experience, which is that I
would never want my dropped skier
at mid-off replayed by anyone ever,
to the point where I would implore
Google to remove all traces of it.
Near where I live, Sanderstead CC
in Croydon, have made a name for
themselves: their YouTube channel
has had an incredible 5,659,295 views.
Tea parties
With players being made to wait
before they can sit together indoors
again, clubs are making cute little
food boxes. For those who cannot haul
themselves out of bed on matchdays
before 11am, a sarnie, apple, bag of
crisps and a drink can be theirs for £6.
And you can sit with your mates in the
great outdoors and pretend you’re on
a primary school picnic again.
Cashing in
Plenty of clubs dipped into the Covid
emergency funds offered by their
local authorities. But mysteriously
many now seem to have bounced back
in extraordinary fashion, finding
pennies down the back of the sofa
to pay players, and even employ
overseas professionals. Fancy that!

JORDAN MANSFIELD/GETTY IMAGES/THORNTON LE MOOR CC/FACEBOOK

Clubbing together

CLUB | CRICKET LIFE

The Groundsman
Viva la non-turf revolution!
The installation of non-turf cricket pitches
is revolutionising play and driving up
participation at grassroots clubs across the
country, as MD of cricket pitch specialist
total-play Ltd, David Bates, explains…

The Noticeboard
by Elizabeth Botcherby

DURHAM DUO FACE OFF
Paul Collingwood and Mark Wood
faced off in the North East Premier
League on April 24, and it was the
retired England star who came out on
top as his Shotley Bridge side defeated
Wood’s Ashington by six wickets.
Batting at No.3, Wood scored 4 from
seven balls before being bowled by
Christopher Robb, and then conceded
12 runs from four overs. Collingwood,
now England assistant coach, finished
unbeaten on 26 from 22 deliveries,
watching on from the non-striker’s end
as Ross Burdon hit the winning runs.
TRUSTY STEAD
Thornton-leMoor’s Tom
Stead wrote
himself into
the history
books in
April after
taking 10
wickets for 43
runs against
Markington
CC. He is the
first player
in the club’s history to take 10 wickets
in an innings and just the fifth in the
127-year history of the Nidderdale
League. What’s more, his 10-for came a
week after he scored a century against
Newton-le-Willows. Speaking to The
Northern Echo, chairman Mick Truman,
said: “It’s not often you witness all 10
wickets being taken by one person –
and I don’t know how many players in
cricket history have taken 10 wickets
and scored 100!”
WOMEN TAKE CHARGE
Two female umpires made history in
May when they were appointed to
stand in the middle for two men’s ECB
Premier League matches. Yvonne
Dolphin-Cooper and Anna Harris were
selected to officiate Downend versus

Bedminster on May 15 in the West of
England Premier League, and St Fagans
versus Pontarddulais in the South
Wales Premier League the following
week. It is thought to be a first in English
and Welsh cricket at that level. Les
Clemenson, chairman of the ECB
Association of Cricket Officials, said:
“With the huge increase in the number
of women playing cricket today, we
want to encourage anyone interested
in becoming an official to get in touch.”
To find out about getting into umpiring,
visit: ecb.co.uk/be-involved/officials
HARROW HELP MIDDLESEX
LEAGUE
A partnership has been launched
between the Middlesex Premier
Cricket League and Harrow School
to solve the shortage of facilities
in the capital. MPCL clubs Friends
United CC and Harrow Willow CC
will each play four home matches at
the school. MPCL chairman Dipu
Patel said: “Our clubs generally
play in public parks and the task of
finding acceptable facilities is a major
challenge. It is wonderful that Harrow
School is prepared to make available
two of its high-quality cricket fields.
This is a fine example of a public
school working constructively with
the community and we hope these
arrangements represent the start of a
long and fruitful relationship.”
MUDEFORD DO THE DOUBLE
Christchurch-based club Mudeford
CC have raised £2,625 for Macmillan
Hospice after walking the equivalent
distance from their pitch in Dorset
to the 18 County Championship HQ
grounds not once, but twice! Thirtythree players of all ages set out to walk
or run the 1,009-mile route but by
the end of March, they had actually
covered over 2,017 miles. To donate
visit: gofundme.com/f/mudeford-ccsgoal-of-10086-miles-in-march

As we finally emerge from lockdown with hope
that there will be no further interruptions to sport,
community clubs play a vital role in giving people the
chance to get out and get some exercise.
This is where cricket clubs that have invested
in non-turf facilities, whether a permanent nets
system or a ‘match pitch’ at the side of the table,
can really reap the benefits. The non-turf pitch (or
NTP) offers the ability to practise at pretty much any
time – without the need to involve volunteers and
groundmen in preparing a pitch or relying on grass
wickets having been covered before rainfall.
But this isn’t the only benefit. With the ECB’s
rigorous standards to measure up to, the latest
generation of NTPs have been designed to offer
consistent pace and bounce and the correct
performance to encourage and develop both
bowlers and batsmen. All in all, it’s little wonder that
clubs with decent non-turf practice facilities are
seeing burgeoning memberships at both junior and
senior levels.
There are solutions out there for clubs with pretty
much any budget – whether it’s installing an NTP
match pitch and investing in a mobile batting cage
that can be moved around the ground to create a
practice facility, or bespoke enclosed practice facility
with all the bells and whistles. Whatever route suits
your club, it’s essential to do your research and
ensure the solution you choose is approved by the
ECB so that it is up to the job.
Older non-turf pitches that don’t meet the latest
criteria aren’t beneficial to play, but the good news
is a professional installation team should be able
to refurbish if not completely replace the facility to
bring it up to the mark and allow the club to make the
most of this important asset.
Find out about total-play Ltd’s range of six
ECB-approved non turf pitch system designs here:
www.total-play.co.uk
Got a question for our expert groundsman? Let us
know at magazine@thecricketer.com
During his residency at Northants
CCC, David Bates gained a
reputation for preparing some of the
finest pitches in the country. Having
worked as a pitch advisor and trainer
for the IoG David now heads up totalplay Ltd where he has developed
class-leading non-turf cricket
pitch and pitch cover solutions

thecricketer.com | 83

Schools

Email your news to magazine@thecricketer.com

Trent hellbent on success
Trent College are a cricket success
story after reaching two national finals.
Jim Hindson reports on their match
against MCC
The cricket gods were looking
down favourably at Trent College
for this early-season fixture versus
a strong MCC side. The sun shone
from flawless deep blue sky as
the school’s head of cricket Scott
Boswell delivered the now obligatory
Covid-19 briefing to ensure the safety
of all those participating.
Trent run an excellent cricket
programme which sees 20 boys’ and
seven girls’ teams taking to the field
and they are seriously competitive
to boot. In 2019, the under-15 boys
reached two national finals, with
many of those involved taking on
MCC in this fixture.
Coaching at the college has been
complemented by the recruitment
of former England Women’s star
Jenny Gunn, who works across all
teams and age groups. Gunn replaces

84 | thecricketer.com

former coach Tash Farrant, who
became unavailable due to a fulltime contract in the new women’s
domestic structure.
MCC batted first in this 40-oversper-side match, progressing to 49
for 1 when spin was introduced in
the form of Notts Academy prospect
Fateh Singh. The tall left-arm spinner
gives the ball a real rip and was soon
fizzing the ball past the outside edge.
Fresh from a four-day Notts 2nd XI
fixture versus Lancashire,
Singh has slowed down
his pace following on
from conversations in the
winter with bowling coach Andy
Pick. The result is a more teasing
loop and dip as the delivery lands,
encouraging the batsmen to drive
when the ball isn’t quite there.
Given an extremely dry spring, it
was no surprise to see the strawcoloured pitch offering appreciable
turn. Singh picked up two quick
wickets, first a stumping and then a
classic ‘pitch leg, hit off’ slow-left-

armer’s dismissal.
At 52 for 4 MCC were reeling and
it took a patient knock of 55 not out
from the experienced Nick Langford
of Cuckney CC and some lusty late
blows from former Derbyshire
seamer Kevin Dean (27 from 18
deliveries) to see the club to a
competitive score of 205 for 8.
Another Trent player with
county 2nd XI experience was
opening batsman Mitchell
Wagstaff. Earlier in the month
he lined up in a fixture for
Derbyshire versus Northants 2nd
XI, who had one-time England
spin bowler Simon Kerrigan
in their line-up. Conversely, it
was movement in the air that
challenged the left-hander’s latest
outing, with Dean swinging the
ball prodigiously away from
Wagstaff, providing a stiff
examination of the youngster’s
knowledge of his off stump.
Wickets tumbled for the
school side and at 66 for 6 a

SCHOOLS CRICKET | CRICKET LIFE

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TRENT COLLEGE v MCC Trent College, April 22 2021

MCC
W Hobson
R Bostock
J Fishcher
J Goodwins
N Langford
J Peatman
B Kirk
J Hindson
K Dean
R Bolstridge
P Davies*†
Extras
Total

R

st Stentiford
c Stentiford
lbw
not out

lbw
not out

b Landa
b Bosworth
b Landa
b Wagstaff
b Glover
b Glover
b Chell
b Mukjerjee

b5 lb5 w30
40 ov

B

4/6

9 40 0
8 18 14
15 41 2
2 9 0
55 56 6/2
25 18 4/1
7 13 1
8 16 0
27 18 2/1
9 11 0
- - 40
205/8

Fall of wickets 26 49 50 52 90 108 141 194
Bowling

Mukjerjee 8-0-37-1, Bosworth 5-0-15-1,
Singh 8-2-41-2, Wagstaff 8-1-43-1,
Glover 5-0-24-2, Haider 4-0-20-0,
Chell 2-0-15-1

TRENT COLLEGE (won toss)
B Wagstaff
K Haider
K Pell*
F Singh
A Stentiford†
A Hill
A Hogan
A Chell
A Mukjerjee
N Bosworth
B Glover
Extras
Total

Fateh Singh in
front of the Trent
College facilities

heavy defeat loomed. Fortunately
for Trent, skipper Kieran Pell had
other ideas and he began to release
the shackles imposed by MCC
spinners with a mix of sweeps and
reverse sweeps. Runs began to flow
and well-supported by the tail, Pell
launched into the seam bowlers, who

ABOVE Trent College captain Kieran Pell
LEFT Jenny Gunn coaches at Trent College
RIGHT Kevin Dean batting for MCC

A heavy defeat loomed for
Trent. Fortunately skipper
Kieran Pell had other ideas
and he began to release
the shackles with a
mix of sweeps and
reverse sweeps against
the MCC spinners
had been brought back to
stem the tide. He eventually
perished an agonising three
runs short of a century, his
innings of 97 coming from 89
balls, including 13 fours and
three sixes.
Pell’s fireworks made the
result uncomfortably close
for MCC, who eventually ran
out winners by 19 runs. The
MCC captain Peter Davies spoke
to a socially distanced gathering
of players at the end of the game,
commending the youngsters’

c Hindson
c Peatman
c Davies
c Davies
c Dean
c Bolstridge
c Hindson

b Peatman
b Dean
b Peatman
b Dean
b Kirk
b Goodwins
b Hindson
b Hindson

b1 lb1 w9
40 ov

R

13
6
97
0
10
10
4
21
12
2
11
186/8

B

4/6

28
1
20
1
89 13/3
2 0
12
2
31 0
12
1
28
2
10
2
8 0
-

Fall of wickets 21 21 21 33 54 66 151 172
Bowling

Dean 8-4-15-2, Peatman 7-0-32-2,
Kirk 5-0-12-1, Goodwins 6-0-34-1,
Hindson 8-1-35-2, Bolstridge 6-0-56-0

MCC WON BY 19 RUNS

performance and also the staff at the
school for getting the game on safely
in these strange times.
As part of MCC tradition, Davies
awarded (via a Covid-inspired
throw!) Pell the Spirit of Cricket cap
in recognition of his outstanding
performance.
What Davies didn’t mention,
perhaps wisely, was that if Pell had
made three more runs, his family
would have been invited to a day of
the Lord’s Test, an offer extended
to all schoolboy cricketers who
either make a century or take five
wickets against the club. He will be
disappointed to miss out but his
demise in pursuit of quick runs
in spite of a looming personal
milestone revealed the character of
this precocious talent. Lord’s will
have to wait… for now.
thecricketer.com | 85

up 2021
50th Village C

Top Billings for
Sawbridgeworth
Elizabeth Botcherby reports on the exit of
last year’s runners-up Redbourn

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86 | thecricketer.com

Calmore’s reward is a tricky tie against
2019 semi-finalists Sarisbury Athletic,
who beat Hambledon by four wickets.
Elsewhere in Hampshire, Sparsholt crushed
Hursley Park by 135 runs to set up an away
trip to Bramshaw. Mike Kingston collected
4 for 20 as the latter overcame Sway.
In Oxfordshire, round two was
unfortunately the end of the road for
Oxford Downs. Despite the best efforts
of Prav Chahal (46 not out off 23), a final
ball run-out proved costly as The Downs
were eliminated on wickets lost against
Langford. Last season’s regional champions
Tiddington were also knocked out, suffering
a 65-run defeat against Aston Rowant,
while in the East Midlands group, Newtown
Linford – whose teenage star Sam Wood
was player of the round in round one – lost
by five runs against Clipstone & Bilsthorpe.
There were several big-hitting
performances in the Glamorgan and
Gwent group, including Ynystawe’s
Andrew Beasley scoring an unbeaten 114
during the 2001 champions’ victory over
Ponthir. Jamie Mills also scored 114 as
Pentyrch overcame Sully Centurions to set
up a third round clash with Tondu, whose
opener Scott Thornton struck 102 not out
in his side’s 10-wicket win over Baglan.
Expect fireworks in South Wales.
However, the highest individual score
of the round came from the bat of Tom
Powell, who scored an unbeaten 120 to
lead Crowhurst Park to a four-wicket
victory over Chiddingly in East Sussex.
They face Glynde & Beddingham, who

Official partners

ABOVE
Theakston player
of the round Shawn
Johnson during his
79 for Calmore in
Hampshire

The first winner of the Voneus Village Cup Club Legend award
was Cosmo Taylor who “single-handedly saved Baldons CC from
extinction”. He receives a £100 voucher to spend at OwzatCricket and we will name a new Voneus Club Legend between
each round, rewarding those who have contributed to their local
community via their Voneus Village Cup club.
Keep up to date with the Voneus Village Cup by following
the competition on Twitter (@TheCricketerNVC)
and Instagram (@villagecup). All information
regarding this year’s tournament can be found at
www.nationalvillagecup.com

Official charity

CALMORE CC/FACEBOOK

Everyone loves an underdog story.
Ireland’s victory over England at the 2011
World Cup; Wigan Athletic defeating
Manchester City in the 2013 FA Cup final;
USA’s ‘Miracle on Ice’ in Lake Placid – the
moments which bring to life the magic and
inherent unpredictability of sport.
And round two of the Voneus Village
Cup was no exception, dishing out
‘cupsets’ and close encounters galore in
spite of the miserable weather on May 9.
The biggest shock of the round saw
Sawbridgeworth knock out 2020 runnersup Redbourn to progress to round three
for the first time in their history. Skipper
Matt Billings collected 4 for 24 to inspire
his side to a three-wicket victory in the
Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire group, and
deservedly hit the winning boundary.
Meanwhile, in Somerset & Avon, last
season’s semi-finalists North Perrott
suffered a 10-wicket defeat against
Congresbury. Sam Evans and Michael
Edmunds took a combined 6 for 16 to
restrict their visitors to just 52, a total
which Justin Yau and Lloyd Richardson
chased down inside seven overs.
There was a much tighter victory for
Village Cup debutants Calmore Sports
Club, whose batsman Shawn Johnson
picked up the Theakston player of the
round gong. Johnson scored 79 from 90
balls to anchor his side’s innings before
claiming an unexpected five-for to steer
his side to a four-run victory against
Paultons in the Hampshire group.
“We’d not really seen him bowl too much
but they had a guy giving it a good whack,
so we threw the ball to Shawn to see if
he could get a wicket – and he got five!”
revealed Calmore captain Mark Lavelle.
“We were completely out of the game
with 10 overs to go – they only needed
about four an over – and then he turned
the game on its head.”

reached the last 16 in 2020, for a place in
the regional final. Also, spare a thought for
Fawkham Guzzlers opener Noel Johnston
who was stranded on 99 not out as his side
lost to Bearsted in the Kent group.
Moving northwards, in Derbyshire,
Rolleston recovered from 84 for 8 to
secure a three-wicket win over Shipley
Hall thanks to a 54-run ninth-wicket
stand from Niall Dawkins and Alex
Brown. Meanwhile, in Cumbria and
North Lancashire, Lindal Moor left it late
to complete a six-wicket victory over
Shireshead & Forton, scoring the winning
runs off the penultimate delivery.
In the North Yorkshire (North) group,
the big guns safely navigated the wet
conditions, with both 2018 winners Folkton
& Flixton and two-time champions Sessay
setting up a titanic round three clash.
Great Habton survived a brave fightback
from Ebberston’s middle order to reach
the next stage, where they face an away
trip to Staithes in the other half of the draw.
In West & South Yorkshire, Dylan Smythe
picked up 6 for 36 as 2006 champions
Houghton Main beat Kippax by 94 runs to
continue their march to Lord’s.
Round three signals the start of the
Scottish group stage, with 1985 winners
Freuchie taking on Meigle, and Doune
travelling east to face Falkland.
Reigning champions Colwall began
their title defence on May 23 when they
faced Brampton Bryan & Leintwardine
for a place in the Herefordshire & Powys
regional final. However, if round two
has taught us anything, it is to never
underestimate the underdog.

REVIEWS | CRICKET LIFE

Reviews
Local hero Amiss and
his many innings
Former team-mate Paul Smith marvels
at his achievements on and off the field

Not Out at Close
of Play: A Life in
Cricket
By Dennis Amiss
The History Press
Ltd, HB, 224pp, £20

PATRICK EAGAR/POPPERFOTO/GETTY IMAGES

BELOW
Dennis Amiss on
his way to 183 in the
third Test against
Pakistan at The Oval
in 1974. Fielding is
Majid Khan (left),
keeper Wasim Bari
and Sarfraz Nawaz

As a veteran of seven decades in cricket
Dennis Amiss really can claim to have
seen it all. From turning professional at 15,
he experienced the highs of success as
an international player and the depths of
life as a rebel before enjoying a secondary
career as chief executive of Warwickshire
and long-time board member of the ECB.
As a result, his experiences have context,
depth and almost unprecedented breadth.
He will probably be remembered most
for his batting. One of 25 men to have
made 100 first-class hundreds, this book
underlines that such success
came only after long periods of struggle
– not least against the Australian attack
of Thomson and Lillee in those helmetless
days – before culminating in two
high-class double-centuries against
an equally potent West Indies attack.
Underlining his class, his match-saving
and unbeaten 262 against West Indies in
Kingston (1973/74), came in an innings in

which the next highest score was just 38.
Twice he thought his career could be
brought to an early conclusion. The first
time was as a result of his involvement in
Kerry Packer’s World Series; the second
when he joined the rebel tour to South
Africa in early 1982. That tour did, indeed,
end any hopes of an international return.
Jack Bannister saved his career on
the first occasion. Bannister, a former
team-mate at Warwickshire and then a
leading figure in the PCA (the players’
union), was close to Richie Benaud, who
was in turn close to Packer, and knew that
a deal was imminent with the Australian
cricket board. It’s clear from the book that
Bannister used his knowledge, contacts
and persuasion to get Warwickshire to
reverse their original decision to release
Amiss. He had 10 years – and 41 centuries –
ahead of him as a player.
We read, too, of Ali Bacher calling from
Johannesburg. He persuaded Amiss to
represent an unofficial England XI; a team
soon tagged ‘Gooch’s Dirty Dozen’ by the
media. They were hostile times with the
Labour MP Gerald Kaufman accusing the
tourists of selling “themselves for blood
covered Krugerrands”.
Amiss admits he thought that 1982
summer would be his last. Again fate
played its part after he was dismissed

just short of his 87th first-class hundred.
Warwickshire’s cricket manager, David
Brown, challenged him to play on and
reach 100 hundreds while taking on an
added role as a mentor of young batsmen.
I played in the game when Dennis
scored that 100th ton so witnessed the
euphoria at first hand. Goal achieved, he
retired – almost 30 years after signing as a
professional – shortly afterwards.
Delayed by 12 months, this book touches
on the devastating effects of Covid,
and the knock-on effect into cricket at
every level. Amiss’ admin career is also
well chronicled. Starting as chairman
of Warwickshire’s cricket committee,
his influence in bringing Bob Woolmer,
a coach of little experience at the time,
to Edgbaston proved wise. As did the
decision to sign Brian Lara as overseas
player ahead of the 1994 season. By then,
Amiss was chief executive and, in that
first year, he saw the club win the treble.
Two more trophies followed the next year,
though there is also an acceptance that
Lara, at times, proved a divisive figure.
Amiss was on the ECB board when they
introduced T20 cricket and when they
opted for a relationship with Stanford
instead of the Champions League. He
expresses regret over the ending of Kevin
Pietersen’s career and the ECB’s failure to
optimise the opportunities offered by T20;
a factor he highlights as their motivation in
introducing The Hundred.
Touched on is the rich potential Zak
Crawley possesses. The sublime 267
scored versus Pakistan at Southampton
last summer clearly showed a man not
phased by the pressure of international
scrutiny. Reference is also made to the
recently retired Ian Bell. Few in history
have matched his impact in being a fivetime Ashes winner. It speaks for itself.
The slot Bell filled for England has looked
awfully fragile since he wore the shirt.
On a last note Amiss hopes we take the
spirit of Captain Sir Tom Moore into our
future as a form of personal inspiration.
“We survive today and tomorrow will be
better” – the message is similar to the one
he gave to us youngsters in our formative
playing years at Edgbaston.
Along the way he’s been awarded an
MBE, an honorary doctorate and seen
his name added to Birmingham’s Walk of
Stars. He remains minutes from the area
he was brought up in: a local hero. It’s been
a good life and this book does it justice.
thecricketer.com | 87

Constantine the great
Richard Hobson enjoys an original and
refreshing take on an important cricketer

It would take a keen eye – or prior
knowledge – to see the front of Learie and
imagine a book about a cricketer. Only
the MCC tie hints that this proud man in
comfortable late middle-age once plied his
trade with bat and ball.
The fact that he is posed not on the field
but like the barrister he became, fingers
around his waistcoat as though delivering
a summation, projects significance beyond
the game. Then, the killer clue: clever

Learie Constantine was made
a life peer on March 28 1969

88 | thecricketer.com

Down… But Not Out
By Ian Cook-Abbott
Privately published,
PB, 335pp, £8.99 on
amazon.co.uk

Spinning a riveting yarn
Richard Hobson spends a weekend in the grip of a cricket
thriller centred around drugs, fixing and the Ashes

For the writer and film critic Dudley Carew, cricket
literature was “inclined to babble over much of green
fields”. He might have enjoyed this latest addition to
sport’s library of fiction which is set in an altogether
murkier world.
Now a primary school teacher, Ian Cook-Abbott has
married earlier experiences as a City trader and pop singer
with a lifelong love of cricket to construct an entertaining
tale involving vices beyond merely sex, drugs and rock and
roll. Even the cricket is twisted.
The story focuses on Johnny Lorrens, or ‘bad boy Johnny
Lorrens’ to give him his full tabloid name. A leg-spin
bowler from Surrey, he hasn’t played for England since
being found guilty of smoking pot in the SCG dressing
room during the 1994/95 Ashes. Now, in 1997 with
Australia on tour, he wants to regain his England place.
Lorrens is that familiar literary figure of the naïve man
trying to make sense of bad things happening around
him: a sort-of Richard Hannay in whites. He encounters
dubious bidding for a redevelopment at The Oval, a
former team-mate working in spread-betting, a journalist
wife touring America with a hedonistic rock band, a
mysterious woman who turns up at a book-signing, and a
hit-and-run death.
As he works out which of his friends and family he can
trust, he is himself trying to persuade the selectors that they
can rely on him off the field as well as on it. There are plenty
of red herrings and at least half-a-dozen plausible suspects.
In fact, the question is not just whodunnit, but what was
actually dun? Suffice to say that if Lorrens can turn the ball
the way Cook-Abbott spins the plot he is a banker for 500
Test wickets – with the odd ban along the way.
Having begun writing in 1997, the author stopped, then
revisited the project during lockdown. The long gestation
makes for some nice period features such as Lorrens being
sponsored by an alcopop company (or is he?) and early
suspicions about betting on cricket. “It looks as if this is
going to be one of the big challenges for cricket in the years
to come,” he says. I wondered if he would use his 20/20
foresight to warn us about a man called Stanford, but no.
Structuring in diary form works well. We always know what
Lorrens is thinking and the device of his occasional recaps
helps navigate through the storyline so gullible readers like
me (I read it over a weekend) should not be wrong for long.
And, as the action concludes in mid-July, the season is still
only half-done with a full Ashes series ahead if CookAbbott fancies a follow-up. It could be his project for 2045.

KEYSTONE-FRANCE/GAMMA-RAPHO/BOB THOMAS/GETTY IMAGES

Learie: The Man
Who Broke the
Colour Bar
By Brian Scovell
Book Guild
Publishing,
PB, 226pp, £9.99

lighting skilfully contrasts the whiteness
of shirt and handkerchief against his dark
suit and black skin beneath a description
as ‘the man who broke the colour bar’. You
may read better cricket books this year, but
none with so striking a cover.
This is the fifth biography of Learie
Constantine on top of eight books
written himself and a growing number on
cricket and empire in which he features
heavily. With Harry Pearson winning
the MCC/Cricket Society Book of the
Year prize for his own study as recently
as 2017 it is difficult to agree with Brian
Scovell’s assertion that the story has
been “overlooked”.
But at least the author has a different way
in. Now in his mid-80s, and a real trouper of
sports writing, Scovell helped Constantine
with his Daily Sketch column in the 1960s
and became a close friend. Constantine
was godfather to his daughter. It is to
Scovell’s credit as a biographer that he
acknowledges flaws in character alongside
Constantine’s many strengths.
Test averages of 19 (bat) and 30
(ball) do scant justice to his ability. He
bowled quickly and aggressively, batted
flamboyantly and was the best fielder
of his day. He was a hero of West Indies’
first Test win in 1933, standing in to lead
the side more than 20 years before Frank
Worrell became the first black captain for
a full series. With Nelson in the Lancashire
League his ability and style broke down
racial barriers to the point where he was
a loved figure in the community and
respected way beyond cricket.
That counted for nothing in 1943 when
he was told to leave the Imperial Hotel in
London’s Russell Square, with his family,
after American servicemen complained
about his colour. Constantine won a High
Court case for breach of contract, giving
evidence with “modesty and dignity” in
the words of the judge and shining an
embarrassing light on racism in England.
He went on to become a knight,
baron, and the first High Commissioner
of Trinidad in London – though
outspokenness hindered him in the world
of diplomacy where playing shots isn’t
usually wise. Scovell himself spoke at the
House of Lords two years ago to mark the
50th anniversary of Constantine becoming
the first black peer.
The book needed a better proof-read
and Scovell’s habit of saying that he
personally knew characters begins to grate:
in one four-page passage he name-checks
Wally Hammond’s mum, Harold Larwood,
football international Joe Hulme and
Walter Robins (“one of my best contacts”).
That notwithstanding, Learie is a compact
account giving a good flavour of an
important life.

The old ones
are the best
Huw Turbervill enjoys Daniel Melamud’s
collection of pictures from 300 years of
cricket, but still loves the staged shots of
the 1960s the most
This is Cricket:
In the Spirit of
the Game
By Daniel
Melamud
Rizzoli, HB,
368pp, £50

ABOVE
Pre-season
training for
Lancashire at
Old Trafford in
April 1973. The
‘couples’ are
David Lloyd and
Farokh Engineer
(right), Peter Lever
and Frank Hayes
(centre) and Ken
Shuttleworth with
an unknown

Technology has improved considerably since
the 1960s, of course. Looking at the primitive
dials, knobs and rotary phones used for the
Apollo missions, it seems extraordinary that
they made it to the Moon (and yes I believe
that they did!). In one respect things seem
to have gone backwards, however. I do love
the lush colours and quality of those staged
pictures of cricketers in the Sixties.
There is a prime example in This is Cricket:
In the Spirit of the Game, on page 44: ‘Garfield
Sobers demonstrating his batting technique
on July 1, 1965’. Now maybe I have things
totally wrong, and actually modern digital
methods of photography are wonderful and
it’s my untrained eyes that are at fault.
But to me those old pictures, taken with
Kodacolour film or whatever, are the ones
that stand out. The grass looks just that
bit greener; the sky as azure as can be; the
shadows, the skin tone of the players, the
colours of their clothing and the detail of the
equipment somehow richer and more vivid.
Perhaps also I am more used to all
the pictures in here after 1980 or so.
That doesn’t invalidate author Daniel

Melamud’s selection, though: these things
are always subjective.
He is a Londoner who moved to New
York in his twenties. He writes nicely and
tells some interesting personal stories
about his love of the game: “I’m an editor at
Rizzoli New York and after bringing wickets
to the office and teaching my colleagues to
play along its corridors they gave in and let
me write about it.”
He sets out to tell a 300-year story of the
game, “the second most popular sport”.
There are some quirky bits too: the list of
123 words commentators have used to
describe hitting a ball, inspired by Stephen
Fry; or the bit of Fry and (Hugh) Laurie
about the fictional biography, The West
Indies: A Nation of Cricketers by Ted
C---erblast); or the foil-stamped appeal
on the back of the book under the jacket.
The selection of pictures sets out to
“illustrate the beauty of cricket and why it
is held so dear to people all over the world”.
He does this well.
It’s a lovely collection – there are the World
Cups, including India’s 1983 triumph and
England’s in 2019; Sir Ian Botham and his
cigar at Headingley in 1981; Monty Panesar
and James Anderson at Cardiff in 2009;
Kevin Pietersen batting, all snake eyes and
dynamic hands; and Ben Stokes and Jack
Leach, back at Leeds in 2019, astounded by
their own courage; plus some lovely shots
charting the evolution of the women’s game.
There is also a good spread of global
scenes, from India to Hong Kong to
Queenstown to the SCG to Eden Gardens

and St Kitts; and some lovely shots of
quintessentially English recreational
locations: including historic Hambledon
of course, in National Village Cup action;
the perfect-looking Barley Mow pub in
Tilford in Surrey (loving the classic cars);
marvellous Moreton-in-Marsh; Kew
Green; beautiful Blagdon in Somerset; and
lovely Lyndhurst in the New Forest.
The book is neatly divided into batting,
bowling and fielding sections, wittily
punctuated by smaller subsections titled
lunch, tea and drinks.
Readers of this magazine adore their
county cricket, of course, and there are
some gems in here: six Lancashire players
including Frank Hayes (interviewed on
page 14) and ‘Bumble’ enjoying a game of
leapfrog in pre-season 1973; Hampshire
celebrating their County Championship
victory of 1973; Alec Bedser, Peter Loader
and Peter May having a chinwag in 1954;
dashing Robin Hobbs waiting to bat,
looking like a matinee idol; and portraits of
venues like Tunbridge Wells, as you would
expect. Amid the splendid static shots
there are interesting action sequences
too; for example: Sir Ian Botham bowling
against India at Lord’s in 1982.
The foreword is a pleasing affair written by
David Gower, with some personal memories,
including a boozy Sunday League match at
Cheltenham, inspired by the pictures.
This has won the 2021 Wisden Book of
the Year award, and is a classic example
of the coffee table genre that would grace
any living room.
thecricketer.com | 89

Obituaries
Bruce Taylor
Combative Kiwi allrounder who
enjoyed a record-breaking debut at
Eden Gardens, but endured a difficult
retirement, writes James Coyne
Bruce Taylor was a 21-year-old in the
Canterbury system with just three
first-class games under his belt, and
no centuries, when he was selected
for the New Zealand squad to tour
India, Pakistan and England in 1965.
Even in the amateur days of New
Zealand cricket, when players had to
cram domestic cricket around their
day jobs, this was unusual.
Taylor received a late call-up for the
second Test at Calcutta when Barry
Sinclair fell ill, and emerged at No.8
to strike a belligerent 105 in two and
a half hours, helping add 163 for the
seventh wicket with fellow lefthander Bert Sutcliffe. New Zealand
didn’t win many Tests back then, but
their partnership at least guarded
them against defeat.
“The first thing I remember about
the game is John Reid hitting four
sixes before lunch – the ground
was chocker with 30,000 to 40,000
people,” Taylor said years later.
“After a while Sutty came down the
wicket to me and said, ‘Listen, son –
you could score a hundred here if you
keep your head down.’ Then I hit the
next ball for six and Bert just shook
his head.
“The bowling wasn’t as strong as
it is nowadays and there was not as
much pressure on me as you might
expect now.”
After his century the tall Taylor
opened the bowling with his rightarm medium-pacers and captured
5 for 86 – making him still the only
man to score a century and take a
five-for on Test debut.
Even more startling was his 124
from the same place in the order,
though a more perilous context
at 152 for 6, against West Indies
at Auckland four years later. His
83-ball, 86-minute century was the
fastest for New Zealand for 36 years
until Daniel Vettori surpassed it.
“It all happened so damn quick. I
think I got 50 in 30 minutes. The first

90 | thecricketer.com

three balls from either Lance Gibbs
or Wes Hall, I put through the covers
for four. I thought ‘Jeez, this is not
bad’. And I just kept going. It was the
way I liked to play.
“It did mean a lot, considering the
opposition. I went from 38 to 50 in
two balls, I straight drove Garry
Sobers into the end of the big stand
twice in a row.”
Taylor was New Zealand’s
outstanding bowler in the five-Test
series in the Caribbean in 1971/72,
taking 27 wickets at 17.70 – and that
after being left out for the opener at
Sabina Park, when Lawrence Rowe
(214 and 100 not out) laid waste to
the Kiwi bowling in an even greater
debut Test than Taylor’s.
Taylor’s 7 for 74 in the first innings
on a damp wicket in the third Test in
Barbados would have set up victory
but for two late dropped catches. He
batted out an hour and a half to save
the fifth Test, ensuring an unusually
exciting 0-0 series draw.
Taylor was delighted to be
picked for Sobers’ Double Wicket
Competition in Jamaica while on the
tour – a reflection of his all-round
skills just as the one-day format was
starting to take off. But a lean tour of
England in 1973 signalled the end.
He carried on playing for
Wellington, bowing out with a
memorable win over the West Indians
on their acrimonious 1979/80 tour.
Taylor coached and was a selector
of New Zealand’s 1992 World Cup
squad. But his retirement was
a difficult one: in the grip of a
gambling habit, Taylor stole $368,000
from his employers John McGlashan
College in Dunedin; in 1993 he
pleaded guilty to 22 charges of fraud
and was sentenced to one year in jail.
In 2016 heart complications caused
problems with his circulation, and
after a femoral bypass he had his
right leg amputated at the knee to
stop gangrene. He got around on a
mobility scooter provided by the New
Zealand Cricket Players’ Association.
Five years later he died, aged 77, in
Lower Hutt, Wellington.
Bruce Taylor was born on July 12
1943, and died on February 6 2021

Career 1963/64–80/81
Tests
30 Matches
898 Runs
20.40
Average
124 High score
2 100s
2 50s
111 Wickets
26.60
Average
7-74 BB
4 5-wkts
10 Catches

ODIs
2 Matches
22 Runs
22.00 Average
22 High score
4 Wickets
15.50 Average
3-25 BB
1 Catch

First-class
141 Matches
4579 Runs
24.75 Average
173 High score
4 100s
17 50s
422 Wickets
25.13 Average
7-74 BB
15 5-wkts
66 Catches

List A
14 Matches
272 Runs
24.72 Average
59* High score
1 50
16 Wickets
25.62 Average
4-38 BB
7 Catches

Murray Hedgcock
David Frith on an Australian journalist sent
to work in London by Rupert Murdoch
A career journalist who spent nearly three-quarters
of his life in England, Murray Bertram Hedgcock
seemed no less Australian with each passing
year. Not for a moment would he have considered
redirecting his fervent support for his native land
during an Ashes series. Yet he had a strong ancestral
feel for England. He was also a fervent devotee to the
writings of PG Wodehouse, producing a felicitous
book about him in 1997, Wodehouse at the Wicket.
Born in Upwey, a rural town in Victoria, and proud
to have had Australia’s Bodyline battle-weary skipper
Bill Woodfull as his high-school headmaster, in due
course the youthful Murray found himself working in
an Adelaide newspaper office alongside the owner’s
young son, Rupert Murdoch. Hedgcock ventured to
London in 1953 and began an enduring employment

OBITUARIES

Roy Torrens

BARRY CHAMBERS

Roy Torrens was a dominant figure in
Irish cricket for half a century – if not
the dominant figure – from a debut
against Middlesex in 1966 through to
his retirement as international team
manager in 2015.
A tearaway fast bowler from Derry
who, by his own reckoning, was the
quickest the island has produced,
Robert ‘Roy’ Torrens served the Irish
Cricket Union on committees, and
as a selector and president, before
undertaking his most important role
as father figure to the team that beat
Pakistan, England and West Indies in
successive World Cups.
Likened to the cartoon character
Fred Flintstone, with his dark hair and
square features, Torrens was a big man
in every sense and would hold court in
many a late-night bar, entertaining and
astounding in equal measure with his
heroic yet self-deprecating tales.
Never stumped for a one-liner on
the field either, he once halted his
run-up to ask wicketkeeper Paul
Jackson to take off the pads and field
in the covers as nothing was passing
Alan Butcher’s bat. The Surrey opener
departed soon after, complaining
that his vision had been impaired by
tears of laughter.
Work commitments and an Irish
League football career as a clunking

ROGER JACKSON/CENTRAL PRESS/EVENING STANDARD/HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES

David Townsend on the outlandish
manager behind Ireland’s glory years

defender restricted Torrens to only
30 international caps spread across
18 years, and he missed the match at
Sion Mills in 1969 when West Indies
were famously bowled out for 25. He
was fond of saying: “Do you really
think they’d have got that many if I’d
been playing?”
While his best figures of 7 for 40
came against Scotland at Ayr in 1974,
a tally of 77 wickets and 294 runs
belied his straight-faced claims of
being a Sobers-like allrounder, and
it was off the field that Torrens came
into his own as a tireless organiser
and advocate for his beloved club
Brigade, as well as the national team.
Adi Birrell, who was Ireland coach
when Torrens became team manager
in 2004, said: “Roy was always happy
to do the hard yards. I’d love to know
how many meetings he attended, how
many miles he clocked up and how
many tours he went on to keep the
game thriving.”
A great man for practical jokes, he
was known to hold ladders for raids
on hotel rooms, swap players’ daily
urine samples with his own to confuse
the strength and conditioning team,
and when the squad were measured
and fitted with their 2015 World Cup
kit, he had the manufacturers sew a
XXL tag into his shirts and a XXXXXL
into those of equally well-padded
Phil Simmons (pictured).
“Bejaysus, coach, you need to be
doing something about all that
weight you’re carrying around!”
His partnership with the big

with the News Limited group as chief
of the UK bureau. Always his heart was
in cricket, and always, notwithstanding
decades of residence in south-west London,
his sympathies – if that’s the word – were
with his native land. Behind the calm
and deceptively solemn countenance, he
remained deep down the lad from Ferntree
Gully, in Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges.
There was something slightly
contradictory about his life and
career. It was almost as if to
some degree he felt trapped in an
alien country, displaying a fierce
loyalty to Australia, while at
the same time admiring
the fundamentals of
traditional English
life, perhaps in
recognition of
his ancestry,
his creation

Trinidadian began warily, as
the two Alpha males jostled for
advantage, but developed into the
closest of friendships and a winning
professional relationship that steered
Ireland to 11 trophies in eight years.
“Roy knew the game, especially in
Ireland where he had worn most of
the hats,” Simmons said. “Just about
the only job he didn’t do was coach,
although he would claim he taught
me everything I know!
“As manager, he was a vital sounding
board and it’s no coincidence that we
won 11 trophies in that era, when we
had the magic chemistry of not only
a very talented squad, but one that
laughed together.”
A generous man, often seen at his
best on official visits to hospitals and
orphanages, the great thing about
‘Uncle Roy’ as the players called him,
was that he clearly enjoyed every
minute of being Roy Torrens.
Roy Torrens was born on May 17
1948, and died on January 23 2021

of that Wodehouse book being a pointer.
Hedgcock was also active in the Cricket
Society movement, as well as in local
affairs, writing regularly about the history
of the Richmond and Twickenham area.
His research on the John Wisden factory in
Mortlake was particularly significant. He
was also a keen collector of cricket books.
A sometime Methodist lay preacher, by
his own definition he was a “cleanliving, non-smoking, non-gambling,
non-swearing church-goer, who
went to cricket matches for the
cricket, and not to cut up rough”.
The notorious Bay 13 at the MCG
used to be a peaceful place for one who
described himself as a “quiet and
ultra-respectable kid”.
The youngster first sat there in
November 1946 to watch the
visiting Englishmen play
Victoria. Later that summer

Career
1966–82

First-class
6 Matches
42 Runs
6.00 Average
17 High score
26 Wickets
15.46 Average
7-40 BB
2 5-wkts
1 Catch
List A
2 Matches
13 Runs
6.50 Average
9 High score
2 Wickets
45.50 Average
2-44 BB
0 Catches

a pocket-money shortage disappointingly
prevented him from watching Ray Lindwall
hit a century in the Melbourne Test; but
he did see leg-spin genius Bruce Dooland
at work, later proclaiming him to have
been the finest leggie he ever saw, Benaud
and Warne notwithstanding. Murray was
also witness to a famous delivery in Ashes
history: Lindsay Hassett bowled by a
perfect fizzing Doug Wright leg-break at the
MCG in 1950/51.
Hedgcock took time off from the Murdoch
offices in London to fly to the Centenary Test
in 1976/77, staged at an MCG which to him
was now unrecognisable. By then he had
dropped roots firmly in England with his
family, a prime example of an Anglo-Aussie
whose natural posture involves looking in
opposing directions much of the time.
Murray Hedgcock was born on February 23
1931, and died on May 6 2021
thecricketer.com | 91

The global game
A fleeting glimpse on
high in the Himalayas
Amid 14 months of near-stasis in
Associate cricket, there was an exciting
tri-series in Nepal before a second wave
of Covid-19, writes James Coyne
If the big bubbles like the IPL or South
Africa v England can burst during the
Covid-19 pandemic, then what of the small
bubbles? Maybe it’s safer (and cheaper)
not to blow them up at all.
That’s pretty much been the attitude
of governments, national boards and the
ICC as Associate cricket has all but gone
into hibernation over the last 14 months.
Even in Nepal, where the volume of cricket
played is usually greater than in some
Full Member nations, the international
team went without a competitive match
for more than a year; the same is true
for the Netherlands, Scotland and other
Associates who will be at the T20 World
Cup in October.
However, there was a glimpse of
Associate cricket returning on an
international scale in April when the
Netherlands and Malaysia flew to Nepal to
play the host nation in a T20 tri-series.
Even now, just a few weeks on, it seems
improbable, with a second wave of
coronavirus crashing into Nepal over the
border from India. Such is the oxygen
shortage for Covid-19 patients, climbers
descending Mount Everest are being asked
to donate their unused oxygen canisters.
The Dutch and Malaysians arrived as
cases were spiking, and luckily all players
tested negative. Wisely or not, the
Nepalese government were happy to allow
bumper crowds in for the first three games
at the Tribhuvan University Ground in
Kirtipur, which meant attendances of up to
15,000 for Nepal games in the foothills of
the majestic Himalayas.
When the action went behind closed
doors (but still on live-stream) for the
second half, fans could be glimpsed
climbing trees outside to watch, ramming
home Nepal’s status as the No.1 Associate
nation in terms of participation and
following for the game, if not on and
off-field prowess. (When a Malaysia v
Netherlands game finished in a tie, there

92 | thecricketer.com

was no Super Over, which was blamed by
the organisers on time constraints.)
Dav Whatmore was finally able
to undertake his first series as head
coach, and his opposite number at the
Netherlands, Ryan Campbell, was able to
say of Nepal cricket: “A sleeping giant is
starting to wake.”
Paras Khadka, who has long held
national hero status in Nepal, went down
with a shoulder injury on the eve of the
tournament, but on pleasantly fresh,
bouncy pitches several young players
stood up to bely Nepal’s longstanding
reputation for shaky batsmanship.
The Dutch, missing several senior players
on county duty, pulled off their highest
T20I chase, 207, to beat Nepal in a group
game, with Bas de Leede making 81 not out.
But when those two sides reconvened
for the final and the Dutch bowling was
thumped for 238 for 3 there was no coming
back, and they slumped to a 142-run
defeat. Nepal’s Kushal Malla, who had
turned 17 on March 5, is now the youngest
half-centurion in both ODIs and T20Is.
Paul van Meekeren has had an interesting
year and a half: released by Somerset at the
end of 2019, he spent 2020 with Cutthorpe
CC in the Derbyshire League, setting up
the Dutch Cricketers’ Association in his
spare time, before taking up a part-time
job as a delivery driver for Uber Eats to
make ends meet in the off-season.
Northamptonshire considered taking him

ABOVE
The Nepalese
crowds crammed
in to watch their
heroes early on in
the tri-series

When the
action went
behind
closed
doors due
to a spike
in cases in
Nepal, fans
could be
glimpsed
climbing
trees
outside to
watch

on loan in April when they suffered a spate
of injuries, but he flew out with the Oranje
to Kathmandu… only to go wicketless
through the tournament. The wickets finally
began to arrive when he returned to action
with Cuckney CC in the Nottinghamshire
Premier League a few days later.
The tri-series in Nepal was a rare shaft of
light for an Associate game which has been
forced to turn inward. The qualification
structures for the two men’s World Cups
have barely got going. The Cricket World
Cup Challenge League, part of the pyramid
structure for the 2023 50-over World
Cup, has already seen events in Uganda,
Malaysia and Canada postponed, with
another in Jersey in September in doubt.
The major focus for most Associates
is the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia,
and if reaching the tournament finals is
a pipedream for the vast majority, even
the sub-regional and regional qualifying
events have visibility now through livestreams and social media clips.
But, with the vaccine rollout in the EU
frustratingly slow, even tournaments
scheduled for high summer are being
scrubbed, with the European SubRegional tournaments in Finland, Spain
and Belgium cancelled by the ICC.
Biosecurity is just not feasible. There
is not the budget for multiple PCR tests
as at Full Member level, and with half of
the participating teams facing extensive
quarantine periods on their return the
European events became unworkable.
One national side were facing a theoretical
insurance payment of €50,000 (£43,000)
for isolating in a hotel had one of their
team tested positive; that would have
proved ruinous to their modest finances.
So Italy, Germany and Denmark
progressed by dint of their T20I ranking
to join Jersey in the European Regional
Qualifier in Spain in October – but there’s
no guarantee that will go ahead either.
As travel rules ease over the summer
many European Associates will try to
arrange short-haul trips to neighbouring
countries, so audiences can expect to see
some bilateral T20Is at this level in the
coming months.
But after so little cricket, the gap
between the Full Members who can afford
to train and play each other, and those
countries who can’t, is sure to widen over
the next two T20 World Cups.

NEPAL CRICKET/TWITTER

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THE GOOGLY | CRICKET LIFE

The Googly
Huw Turbervill @huwzat

Too many coaches spoil the broth?
“It has to be the soul of the player
that strides the arena not that of the
coach. There are too many people
hovering around, stuffing young heads
with nonsense.”
Frank Hayes gave me a wonderful
interview (page 14), and this aspect
resonated with me most. He coached
Stuart Broad at Oakham, after a successful
career with Lancashire, one that saw him
gain England recognition.
I had a quick net the day before a match,
mainly so my son, 16, could bowl. I’d paid
for the club 1st XI captain to give him an
hour’s coaching. I played a shot and he
whipped his phone out and took a video.
My bat was pointing towards gully in pickup. I was oblivious to this, unconcerned
as I’d actually hit a bit of form: 137 in four
knocks. Not bad for a 48-year-old hovering
between the club’s 4ths and 5ths.
I thought I’d have a bit of fun so put it on
Twitter asking for tips.
Thank you everyone who replied.
It illustrates what Frank was saying… here
are some of the replies:
“Your stance, as a bowler, would make
me instantly target just outside off stump.
I’d also block the leg side off to encourage
you to hit through the off side. Might want
to look at closing your stance a little.”
“Try putting your back-foot toes in
line with your front-foot heel. It’ll be
uncomfortable at first but should correct
the line of your wrists.”
“Try consciously picking the bat up with
your left hand… your right hand wants to
do all the work by the looks.”
“It looks hard to play straight. Your
head position looks correct but I think

the misalignment might come from the
shoulders.”
Then the pros came in. Former Sussex
skipper Chris Adams: “Rear hand gripping
a little too tight. Loosen the grip and allow
the bat to straighten behind you. Close
the grip tighter for power as the bat comes
through the shot.”
And I also sent it to my hero Graham
Gooch: “Your head needs to be in line
with your body, flex knees and keep your
posture upright otherwise your head goes
to the offside and there is no option but
to play to the leg side… keep your head
upright and pointing down the pitch
towards the target.” Genius!
That all sounded good actually, but was a
lot to process on matchday morning. I tried
to play a bit straighter, managing 66 not
out for the 5ths. Perhaps a recall to the 4ths
beckons. Perhaps it’s too late to teach an
old dog new tricks anyhow.
As to Frank’s views, I can’t decide if I
agree with him or not...
It was a fun/funny day, however, as club
cricket so often is.
When we were 63 off 16 overs and the first
rain delay came, the home captain thought
it best we call it quits there and then.
Funnily enough when they were 30 for 1
off seven, chasing 143, he suddenly seemed
more optimistic about the weather,
even though we were all huddled under a
tree against a metal fence in pelting rain.
We may be a bunch of old buffers,
but when a flash of lightning sounded
worryingly close, we had visions of Oddjob
meeting his sizzling end in Goldfinger.
We moved like Mark Ramprakash in the
covers: it took years off us.

ABOVE
Hands pointing
to gully – what
would Graham
Gooch say?

The
commentaries
are
wonderfully
English and
quirky –
discussing
the superb
porcelain
toilets at
Southgate to
the sublime
meringue
pie on sale at
Kidderminster

School of thought
State schools don’t play cricket, right?
Wrong actually, judging by a
heart-warming scene on a green oasis in
Sarf London’s ‘Commuterland’.
I spent a wonderful afternoon watching
Wallington County Grammar School
host Carshalton Boys Sports College in
an entertaining T20 (before the weather
intervened... again).
The venue, between Carshalton’s famous
Ponds and the Purley Way, has an interesting
back story. The school was established 93
years ago, but the main building was struck
by a V2 bomb during the War, and 52
pupils were killed. An air-raid shelter exists
under a hedge on the boundary. Among its
former pupils are Crimewatch’s Nick “don’t
have nightmares” Ross.
Carshalton Boys is an academy that
punches above its weight on the sports
field; and its former pupils including former
Manchester United goalkeeper Alex
Stepney and the borough’s standing MP,
Elliott Colburn.
It was an uplifting afternoon, and
perhaps I saw a future star batting for
Carshalton. He is on Surrey’s books, and
his name is Harry Gardner.

Enjoy it while it lasts
Despite the snow and rain, it’s a sweet
59-day window that us red-ball
aficionados are enjoying. The streaming
has been enjoyable, and the commentaries
wonderfully English and quirky –
discussing the superb porcelain toilets at
Southgate to the sublime meringue pie
on sale at Kidderminster for 50p a slab.
Sky have shown lots of four-day county
cricket. Remember these days. The white
ball takes over again from June 9.
thecricketer.com | 95

Tea break
CROSSWORD Compiled by Tom Johnson
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or email competitions@thecricketer.com with the subject line
‘June Crossword’ by Friday July 2.

ACROSS
1 Bazaars with hebe out for the Asian Bradman
(6,5)
8 Warwickshire spinner’s productive over in
Boots, out west (11)
11 Yorkshire and England fast bowler’s parents
from Oz (4)
12 Ali’s out for a boat trip (4)
13 Persevere with some bumpers first (7)
17 Harvey in line-out (4)
18 Hampshire and England’s Smith and bird
gettin’ dressed (5)
19 Warwickshire and England wicketkeeper got
up after a doctor (7)
20 Gloucestershire and England off-break
bowler with every one of the points (5)
21 Distribute to Paul, Lancashire’s RFM bowler,
endlessly (5)
22 Initially, Ray Illingworth, 16, turned and
lingered (7)
23 South African opener in hotel garden (5)
24 For starters, Doug Insole – alternatively
French couturier (4)
25 England’s openers with road furniture and
flags (7)
29 Female leaves boundaries belonging to us (4)
31 Underwood initially admitted to a long time
shivering? (4)
32 Indians’ mess fooled Warwickshire opener (6,5)
33 Begin going round bend on second-class
thoroughfare with current England fast
bowler (6,5)

DOWN
2 Tunes from Bairstow (4)
3 Michael Carberry, initially, suggests presenter
(5)
4 Haley’s blockbuster for Billy and Joe (5)
5 Ed’s deliveries (5)
6 Anderson drops Jack and wicketkeeper Les
(4)
7 Surrey’s Edrich and Glamorgan’s Steve
working for Warwickshire batsman (4,7)
8 Gale derided poor 1960s Warwickshire
wicketkeeper (5,6)
9 Almost identical requests for payment for
Kent’s current captain (3,8)
10 Valley around Norway by JMW for 1970s NZ
captain (5,6)
14 WI fast bowler will run out Sutcliffe and
Oldfield, say (7)
15 Chore undertaken at the crease?! (7)
16 Time that Nottinghamshire’s wicketkeeper
captain put his foot down (5)
19 Bannister drops bins off in poetic cave (5)
26 Grandma’s name. Prasanna? Not half! (5)
27 Small map represented by Benkenstein’s last
five (5)
28 Prasanna, Muralitharan embrace Belgian
province (5)
30 Test debacle at home (4)
31 Kanhai’s averages going up a bit on India’s
continent (4)

April crossword solution

SOLUTIONS DOWN: 1 Jeers, 2 Sultanates, 3 Itching to,
4 Loren, 5 Nash, 6 Emilio Gay, 7 Martin Guptill, 8 Nasser
Hussain, 13 Heptagonal, 15 Stationer, 16 Crescendo,
22 Antre, 23 Brier, 24 Luke.

SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1 Justin Langer, 9 Abell, 10
Christina, 11 Tasmanians, 12 Wins, 14 Nostalgic, 17 Elgar,
18 Usage, 19 Over to you, 20 Tait, 21 Lance Gibbs,
25 Len Hutton, 26 Ntini, 27 Graeme Fowler.

April winner: John Dinning (Durham)

TO SUBSCRIBE or for any subscription enquiries call 0203 198 1359
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96 | thecricketer.com

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TEA BREAK | CRICKET LIFE

THE QUIZ
TESTS

1 Blessing Muzarabani was Zimbabwe’s
best bowler in the two recent Tests against
Pakistan. Which county did the quick have
a Kolpak stint with from 2019–20?
2 Sri Lanka’s skipper scored 428 runs in three Test
innings against Bangladesh recently – who is he?
3 India and New Zealand play at the Ageas Bowl
in the ICC World Test Championship, beginning
on Friday June 18. It will be the seventh Test there.
Who were England’s opponents in the first, in 2011?
4 Who has scored more Test centuries
– Ross Taylor or Kane Williamson?
5 The third new player used by England
will be awarded Test No.700. Who was
given the shirt with 697 on it?
WOMEN

6 Who was the leading run-scorer in last
year’s Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy?
7 England Women are due to play a Test
match against India in June. Who won in
their previous red-ball encounter in 2014?
8 How many wickets did Charlotte Edwards
take in all formats for England – 75, 85 or 95?
9 Which Indian teenager recently signed for
Sydney Sixers for the 2021 Women’s Big Bash?
10 Which Premier League football club did
Heyhoe Flint serve as vice-president of?

T20

11 Which Delhi Capitals batsman hit six
fours in an over in this year’s IPL?
12 Who was removed as captain of Sunrisers
Hyderabad part-way through the IPL, to
be replaced by Kane Williamson?
13 Which of New Zealand’s South Africaborn players will be joining Somerset as one of
their overseas players for the Vitality Blast?
14 Who is set to be the first Nepal
international to play county cricket when
he joins Worcestershire for the Blast?
15 Which two counties reached the
first four finals days of the county T20
competition from 2003 to 2006?
COUNTY

16 Ben Sanderson and Gareth Berg shared the
first 19 wickets of Northamptonshire’s innings and
120-run win over Sussex. Who took the 20th?
17 In the same game, other than wicketkeeper
and captain Ben Brown, who was the
only player not to bowl for Sussex?
18 Michael Neser debuted for Glamorgan against
Lancashire, but who did the Australia seamer agree
to join last summer before the pandemic hit?
19 Nottinghamshire ended a run of 1,043
days without a County Championship win
when they beat Derbyshire. Who were the
opponents for that success in June 2018?
20 Who was Jofra Archer’s opening
wicket in his first County Championship
appearance for Sussex since 2018?

MISSING LINK
What links these
players, and who
is missing?

WHAT’S ON TV guide

June 11 Multan Sultans v Islamabad United PSL;
Northamptonshire v Worcestershire Blast

All Sky Sports unless otherwise stated

June 12 Quetta Gladiators v Peshawar Zalmi PSL;
Sussex v Hampshire Blast

May 27–30 Lancashire v Yorkshire County
Championship

June 13 Islamabad United v Peshawar Zalmi PSL

June 1 Lahore Qalandars v Islamabad United PSL

June 14 Lahore Qalandars v Multan Sultans PSL

June 2–6 England v New Zealand 1st Test

June 15 Worcestershire v Nottinghamshire; Middlesex
v Surrey; Northamptonshire v Worcestershire;
Sussex v Hampshire Blast

June 2 Multan Sultans v Karachi Kings PSL
June 3 Islamabad United v Quetta Gladiators PSL
June 4 Peshawar Zalmi v Lahore Qalandars PSL
June 5 Islamabad United v Karachi Kings PSL; Multan
Sultans V Quetta Gladiators PSL
June 6 Peshawar Zalmi v Karachi Kings PSL
June 7 Lahore Qalandars v Quetta Gladiators PSL
June 8 Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi PSL

June 16–19 England Women v India Women Test
June 16 PSL Qualifier; Leicestershire v Warwickshire
Blast
June 17 PSL Eliminator 1; Durham v Lancashire Blast
June 18–23 India v New Zealand World Test Championship Final
June 18 PSL Eliminator 2
June 19 Somerset v Glamorgan Blast

June 9 Lahore Qalandars v Islamabad United PSL;
Worcestershire v Nottinghamshire Blast

June 20 PSL Final

June 10 Quetta Gladiators v Karachi Kings PSL;
Middlesex v Surrey Blast

June 24 England v Sri Lanka 2nd T20I

June 10–14 England v New Zealand 2nd Test

June 25 Surrey v Middlesex Blast

June 23 England v Sri Lanka 1st T20I

Whatever happened to?
Continued from back page

How did you with cope with being Knott’s
deputy for so long? I practised just the same
as if I was playing. When you’re one of the
best 16 for England, there’s undoubted pride
there. But it did upset me when people I met
on tour would ask who I was. There was no way
I was going to replace Knotty; he was just too
consistent. So the two people I owe a debt of
gratitude to are Ian Botham, because he was
a genuine allrounder who won Test matches
with bat and ball, which meant England could
afford to play me lower down as a genuine
wicketkeeper; and Kerry Packer, who took
Knotty away for the big money. I was the next
best and that’s why I played 50-odd Test
matches. Otherwise I’d have played one Test
match at Christchurch in 1970/71.
Helmets are compulsory now at elite level
when standing up. You only ever wore a
floppy hat. Did you ever get injured? Not that
I can remember! The one major injury I got was
while batting, top-edging one into my ear one
August [1967], trying to sweep Tony Lock in his
Leicestershire days. I was out for the season
and worried about my vision the following year.
Thankfully it all cleared up. I wore a helmet to
bat when they came in but it never crossed my
mind to wear one while keeping.
You scored only three fifties in 57 Tests…
Did you ever feel under pressure? Never.
England were happy with the odd run or two,
as long as I wasn’t dropping catches. I never
lost sleep if I was batting badly, but I would
if I was keeping badly – which thankfully I
didn’t do too much. I’d soon get it back if I
took a brilliant catch. I assume it was just a
lack of something somewhere, a lack of ability.
I do wonder, ‘Perhaps I could have been
better than Alan Knott if I’d worked at my
batting?’ I mean, it’s unlikely. The No.1 factor
in wicketkeeping is concentration and staying
focused on taking that ball. All the successful
people in life stay focused. And maybe I did
use up all my concentration while keeping
wicket. Jos Buttler comes to mind. When
he’s been at the crease for long periods does
he retain enough of that concentration for
keeping? I know they’re fast scorers, but it does
show up in their wicketkeeping sometimes.
Who should be keeping wicket for England
now? I’ve been pushing Ben Foakes, just as
I used to push Chris Read and James Foster.
Both should have played more – they were
brilliant wicketkeepers. They got runs for their
county, both captained like MS Dhoni did, and
batted. Three responsibilities they did for their
counties and still got left out by England. I was
at Galle, working for a travel company, when
Foakes got his debut hundred [in 2018/19], and
he was fantastic in both suits.
thecricketer.com | 97

ANSWERS THE QUIZ: 1 Northants, 2 Dimuth Karunaratne, 3 Sri Lanka, 4 Kane Williamson (24 to 19), 5 Dan Lawrence, 6 Georgia Adams
(500), 7 India (by 6 wickets), 8 75, 9 Shafali Verma, 10 Wolverhampton Wanderers, 11 Prithvi Shaw, 12 David Warner, 13 Devon Conway,
14 Sandeep Lamichhane, 15 Leicestershire and Surrey, 16 Tom Taylor, 17 Stiaan van Zyl, 18 Surrey, 19 Essex, 20 Daniel Bell-Drummond.
MISSING LINK: The last five Vitality Blast winning captains: Dan Christian, Simon Harmer, Moeen Ali, Dan Christian, Alex Wakely

Whatever happened to…
motion. But the umpire was looking up into
the stand. “Very sorry, not out.” I couldn’t
believe it.

Bob Taylor in
1972 and 2017

The great Derbyshire and England
wicketkeeper turns 80 in July. He played
56 of his 57 Tests after Alan Knott was
snapped up for World Series Cricket
in 1977/78 and the 1981/82 rebel tour.
Taylor’s number of first-class dismissals
(1,649) will probably never be beaten.
When did you start wicketkeeping?
I think I was basically self-taught. I can’t
honestly say that I had any coaching off
any wicketkeeper, not even the one in the
Bignall End team I played in as a youngster.
I used to practice as much as I could. I can
only assume that I had natural ability and
that I enjoyed it. I started at school. I was
freezing on the third man boundary, and
you weren’t allowed to put your hands in
your pockets, else you got the cane. So one
day – and I wasn’t the brightest – I saw the
wicketkeeper and thought his hands might
be warm in those gloves, so it spurred me
on to have a go at it.
How do you assess the other keepers
of your time? Godfrey Evans was my
schoolboy hero – he was so bouncy with
his feet movement. But my allegiance

98 | thecricketer.com

Was reverse swing a factor when you
were keeping? Not really. That came
later. When we were playing it was
either awayswing or inswing. They’re not
supposed to mess about with the ball,
because the umpires now are stringently
looking at the ball almost after every over.
In our days the umpires never looked at
the ball unless it went out of shape badly.
When I retired I used to go around all 18
first-class counties as a rep for Dukes
balls. One time the first call I did, at 9am,
I knew the secretary very well, an exwicketkeeper. We did all the niceties and
then he opened his draw to pull out two
used balls to show me – one side looked as
if a bulldog had been chewing it, the other
side was as smooth as a baby’s bottom!

went to Keith Andrew of Northants, who
was a tremendous wicketkeeper. I don’t
judge keepers on standing back, though.
Any competent catcher of the ball can
do it. Wicketkeeping is all about standing
up to the spinners and medium-pacers.
All the first-class keepers had ability but I
think Knotty and me were the only really
outstanding keepers of my time.
Knott preferred to stand back to the
medium-pacers to cover the edge,
whereas you liked to stand up to them…
There used to be keepers who would
stand up to the quick bowlers even in Test
matches. I stood up to John Lever, who
wasn’t the slowest and really swung the
ball. England had to bat last in a Test in
Pakistan [1977/78]. Javed Miandad came
in and after a couple of balls danced down
on a length, Lever saw him coming, Javed
dug it out wide of cover point, and while he
finished his shot he pivoted on his spikes
on Abdul Qadir’s length. That’s the way it
was back then. So I said, “I’ll have to come
up and drag him back”. I stood up and next
ball John bowled a swinging half-volley,
Javed played the walking shot trying to hit
four through midwicket, and missed it. I
went down legside, wicketkeeper’s dream,
all in one movement, and took it in one

What are the big technical changes in
keeping since your time? I still do the
odd clinic at the public schools – they’ve
got the money to pay me! – and the big
difference standing back is how keepers
move their feet. I’ve talked to Ian Healy,
Rod Marsh, Adam Gilchrist and the English
wicketkeepers, including Bruce French,
about why suddenly the keepers standing
back were giving the old matador thing,
fighting the bull, taking the ball wide of
the body, rather than moving the feet and
getting the body behind the line of the ball.
No one can give me an answer as to why.
It’s come from Australia, definitely.
Interview by
James Coyne

Continued over page

GETTY IMAGES

Bob Taylor

Was the subcontinent the toughest
place to keep wicket? It was difficult in
India with the slow, low wickets. The most
difficult I found, though, was standing up
to the left-hander for a medium-pace
swing bowler like Basil D’Oliveira or Bob
Woolmer. You’ve got to go behind the
batsman down the legside. How many lefthanders are there in a side – three, maybe?
When I played Lancashire sometimes had
six, but they were an exception. I say to
youngsters ‘if you catch more with your
right hand, practise catching more with the
left than the right. And practise to the lefthanded batsman twice as much as a righthander’. Strengthening your weakness is
the only way to improve.

p 2021
50th Village Cu

up 2021
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WEST INDIES
VS

ENGLAND

I am delighted to be joining the
Spectate team in the Caribbean
for England’s eagerly anticipated
tour of the West Indies next
year. The Caribbean has always

• CELEBRITY-HOSTED CRICKET TOURS •

been one of my favourite touring
destinations. Such passion paired
with sunshine, music, beautiful

JAN - FEB 2022

MAR 2022

scenery and friendly people makes
for one of the best atmospheres in
the world for watching the sport.

5 TWENTY20s

3 T E ST M ATC H E S

Mike Gatting, OBE

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