Playthrough - England in the 1990s... and beyond

Aislabie

Test Cricket is Best Cricket
Moderator
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PlanetCricket Award Winner
Joined
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Location
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I should ask: what is your plan with Ben in this game? We all know the sad story in real life...
If he's performing well enough to make the squad for the NZ tour, he'll keep going potentialy until about 2010-2012. If not then real life will sadly take its course.

I saved Syd Lawrence's knee earlier on too
 

Prashanth S Kharche

Club Captain
Joined
Apr 13, 2020
Wow! @Aislabie This is one of the best series and I'm hooked on it. How did you manage to start a career from 1990? Or are you playing "custom series mode" and updating stats separately?
 

Aislabie

Test Cricket is Best Cricket
Moderator
Ireland
PlanetCricket Award Winner
Joined
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Location
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:eng: England vs Australia :aus: - First Test at Edgbaston

England XI
:eng: :bat: Mike Atherton
:eng: :bat: Alec Stewart
:eng: :bat: Robin Smith
:eng: :bat: Graeme Hick :c:
:eng: :bat: Graham Thorpe
:eng: :ar: Craig White
:eng: :wk: Jack Russell
:eng: :bwl: Andy Caddick
:eng: :bwl: Dean Headley
:eng: :bwl: Phil Tufnell
:eng: :bwl: Alan Mullally

Australia XI
:aus: :bat: Mark Taylor :c:
:aus: :bat: Matthew Elliott
:aus: :bat: Greg Blewett
:aus: :bat: Mark Waugh
:aus: :bat: Steve Waugh
:aus: :bat: Michael Bevan
:aus: :wk: Ian Healy
:aus: :bwl: Jason Gillespie
:aus: :bwl: Shane Warne
:aus: :bwl: Michael Kasprowicz
:aus: :bwl: Glenn McGrath

- - -

England win the toss and choose to bat

- - -

This is the sort of Ashes series that could mark the changing of eras; the reigning number one Test team in England comes up against the fast-rising Australian team looking to win back the Ashes for the first time in a decade. The last time Australia won the Ashes, they had to beat Botham; this time, they have to win against White. If anything, the Australians come into this series as slight favourites, with McGrath and Warne and all the rest.

Indeed, even the first use of the batting conditions couldn't save England from wrath of Mike Kasprowicz; his early wickets of Stewart and Smith put England on the back foot, and despite an aggressive captain's innings of 77 from Graeme Hick, there was little joy for England fans - not just because of the regular fall of wickets, but also because when wickets weren't falling, Michael Atherton was at the crease the whole time. The first day finished with Atherton's wicket - the last of the England innings - for 87, to round out a disappointing innings of 235 all out. He was also Kasprowicz's last wicket en route to a career-best six for 47.

The second morning dawned overcast, prime conditions for England's almost entirely fast-medium bowling attack. Their efforts were met by a determined batting performance by the Australians: Steve Waugh's 90 was stellar, despite being somewhat overshadowed by a brutal short ball from Craig White that hit Greg Blewett flush on the glove. The Australian went down like a sack of spuds and did not return to bat again later. Headley, meanwhile, made full use of the conditions to really get the ball swinging and claim his first-ever Test five-for. His victims were Elliott, Bevan, Gillespie, Warne and Kasprowicz; not exactly an all-star haul, but all wickets that someone else would have had to take if he didn't.

Being behind in the game, England needed a good start from their batsmen. What they got instead was another stellar spell from Kasprowicz; he took the first four wickets of the innings (Stewart, Smith, Atherton, Thorpe) to complete ten for the match, before returning later to complete a second five-for with the wicket of Tufnell. Far from a match-turning comeback, the English batting was limp: only Atherton (32) passed thirty, although Russell may well have done had he not run out of partners. But run out of partners he did, leaving England with fewer than 100 runs to defend.

In fairness to them they put up a great fight: Headley and Mullally took four of the five wickets between them, unexpectedly exposing the tail with another 20 runs to get. Unfortunately for England, the remaining recognised batsman was Michael Bevan, who - as so often in one-day cricket - steered his team home with the absolute minimum of fuss. 1-0 Australia.

1622465156902.png

I'm also adding a Player of the Season award in the style of the Allan Border Medal - the Barrington Medal.

Drawn or lost match
Best player - 3 points
2nd best player - 2 points
3rd best player - 1 point

Won match
Best player - 5 points
2nd best player - 3 points
3rd best player - 2 points
4th best player - 1 point

Standings
1. Dean Headley - 3 points (+3)
2. Michael Atherton - 2 points (+2)
3. Graeme Hick - 1 point (+1)
 

Aislabie

Test Cricket is Best Cricket
Moderator
Ireland
PlanetCricket Award Winner
Joined
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Location
Derbyshire
:eng: England (0) vs (1) Australia :aus: - Second Test at Lord's

England XI
:eng: :bat: Mike Atherton
:eng: :bat: Alec Stewart
:eng: :bat: Robin Smith
:eng: :bat: Graeme Hick :c:
:eng: :bat: Graham Thorpe
:eng: :ar: Craig White
:eng: :wk: Jack Russell
:eng: :bwl: Dean Headley
:eng: :bwl: Angus Fraser
:eng: :bwl: Phil Tufnell
:eng: :bwl: Alan Mullally

Australia XI
:aus: :bat: Mark Taylor :c:
:aus: :bat: Matthew Elliott
:aus: :bat: Justin Langer
:aus: :bat: Mark Waugh
:aus: :bat: Steve Waugh
:aus: :bat: Michael Bevan
:aus: :wk: Ian Healy
:aus: :bwl: Paul Reiffel
:aus: :bwl: Shane Warne
:aus: :bwl: Michael Kasprowicz
:aus: :bwl: Glenn McGrath

- - -

England win the toss and choose to bat

- - -

After a statement of serious intent from the touring Australians at Edgbaston, the second Test dawned with one change for each team, both coming in the form of rotation in the fast bowling department. For England, Ashes veteran Angus Fraser replaced Caddick after an unfortunate performance in the first Test; for Australia, Reiffel came in in place of Gillespie. Both teams clearly confident with their overall formula, but wanting to make small tweaks to their input values. For Australia, there was also an enforced change: with Blewett not recovered from his blow to the hand in the first Test, Justin Langer replaced him at number three.

Like the first Test, Graeme Hick opted to bat first after winning the toss, and there appeared to be no real venom in the pitch that would make batting any more difficult. Of course, it was already difficult against the likes of McGrath, Reiffel and Kasprowicz. The pick of the seam attack was Kasprowicz yet again - this time delivering 16 overs, four for 24 including the wickets of Thorpe, Russell, Fraser and Tufnell. He has formed a formidable partnership with McGrath, and even if you see them off like Atherton managed, you've got to face Shane Warne. And that was how Atherton, despite batting for four and a half hours and being the last recognised batsman, Atherton still fell marginally short of his half-century: caught Healy, bowled Warne. The MCC Members were not amused to see England take nearly three sessions to crawl to 145 all out.

You may remember the earlier point about this being a particularly benign Lord's batting wicket. While that did not particularly appear to be the case after England had batted, the Australian response served as more than an adequate reminder. Langer did a more than adequate job replacing Blewett at number three, grinding out 94 understated runs while both Waughs and Bevan carried on with much more expansive half-centuries of their own. Indeed, the English bowlers did particularly well to get the Australians out even after they had become set, but the damage was done. Even a typically energetic three-wicket burst from White couldn't make any difference to the fact that Australia had nearly tripled the English total.

Faced with little alternative, the message to the English batsmen was clearly to play as positively as they could. So positively in fact that on one occasion, Michael Atherton could be spotted swatting Steve Waugh's medium-pace for six. Not that this made a great deal of difference: McGrath, Kasprowicz and Warne were still McGrath, Kasprowicz and Warne. Thorpe and Russell both made impressive half-centuries, but could only drag England to a relatively insignificant lead of 49 runs.

This posed no problem whatsoever for the Australians, although Tufnell did impress for the first time in the series with a couple of cheap wickets. The game finished, however, when Angus Fraser misfielded a ball on the cover boundary and it consequently trickled for the four match-winning runs.

1622500804718.png

I'm also adding a Player of the Season award in the style of the Allan Border Medal - the Barrington Medal.

Drawn or lost match
Best player - 3 points
2nd best player - 2 points
3rd best player - 1 point

Won match
Best player - 5 points
2nd best player - 3 points
3rd best player - 2 points
4th best player - 1 point

Standings
=1. Dean Headley - 3 points
=1. Phil Tufnell - 3 points (+3)
=3. Michael Atherton - 2 points
=3. Graham Thorpe - 2 points (+2)
=5. Graeme Hick - 1 point
=5. Craig White - 1 points (+1)
 

Aislabie

Test Cricket is Best Cricket
Moderator
Ireland
PlanetCricket Award Winner
Joined
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Location
Derbyshire
:eng: England (0) vs (2) Australia :aus: - Third Test at Old Trafford

England XI
:eng: :bat: Mike Atherton
:eng: :bat: Alec Stewart
:eng: :bat: Nasser Hussain
:eng: :bat: Graeme Hick :c:
:eng: :bat: Graham Thorpe
:eng: :ar: Craig White
:eng: :wk: Jack Russell
:eng: :ar: Ben Hollioake (debut)
:eng: :bwl: Darren Gough
:eng: :bwl: Dean Headley
:eng: :bwl: Phil Tufnell

Australia XI
:aus: :bat: Mark Taylor :c:
:aus: :bat: Matthew Elliott
:aus: :bat: Greg Blewett
:aus: :bat: Mark Waugh
:aus: :bat: Steve Waugh
:aus: :bat: Michael Bevan
:aus: :wk: Ian Healy
:aus: :bwl: Paul Reiffel
:aus: :bwl: Shane Warne
:aus: :bwl: Jason Gillespie
:aus: :bwl: Glenn McGrath

- - -

Australia win the toss and choose to bat

- - -

Arriving at Old Trafford two down with three to play, there was a sense of panic stations in the England camp as they made three changes to their starting XI: the underperforming Robin Smith made way for Nasser Hussain, while the lower order was bolstered by debutant Ben Hollioake and the returning Darren Gough in place of Fraser and Mullally. Given the disarray displayed by England, Australia took the opportunity to rotate their quicks again - this time resting Kasprowicz to make way for Gillespie. They also showed confidence in their incumbent player by bringing back the fit-again Blewett.

This time, it was Australia who won the toss and claimed first use of a good batting track, so England's refreshed bowling attack knew that they would have to be on top of their game. Gough and Headley both started impressively, offering scarcely a bad ball to the Aussie openers before Gough was rewarded with the breakthrough: Taylor, clean bowled. The first-morning headlines did not belong to Gough though, but to the debutant Hollioake who stole the show in a single over: from the first ball he trapped Greg Blewett LBW for 17, then used the remaining five balls to torment Mark Waugh before he too fell leg-before. What a way to announce your arrival on the Test scene. His breakthroughs set the platform for Dean Headley to bowl another pair of top-quality spells: the first of which contained the wickets of Steve Waugh and Ian Healy in the space of two balls, and the second of which came after Hollioake had broken the Bevan-Reiffel stand and took the scalps of Warne, Bevan and McGrath: his second Ashes five-for.

With only 245 Australian runs to overcome, there was less scoreboard pressure than usual for the England players: they responded with an excellent team batting effort. An 87-run opening stand between Atherton (33) and Stewart (59) gave Graeme Hick to score freely on his way to an excellent 61. Meanwhile, Nasser Hussain looked at home as England's number three, putting in a suitably gritty 60 of his own. Not content with that, Craig White then played like a proper Test batsman on his way to an unbeaten 85, during which he found support from Hussain, Hollioake (32) and - unexpectedly - Tufnell (21). Between them, the England batsmen put on 381 runs, with the help of a further 20 extras to cross the 400 threshold. Without Kasprowicz, this definitely didn't look like the same Australian bowling attack.

Buoyed by a significant first-innings lead, the English bowlers were clearly motivated to make that position count. Removing Australia's entire top four before the Australian deficit had been overturned was an excellent effort, but one that was somewhat thwarted by the exceedingly wide bat of Steve Waugh (and support from Bevan). Their partnership lasted two and a half hours of play, a fact nearly as important as the runs they put on. Ultimately, both lost their wickets to Phil Tufnell, who offered a timely reminder of why he is considered one of England's greatest ever bowlers with another dominant fourth- and fifth-day bowling performance. His spin was instrumental in England needing only 199 runs to win across the last two sessions of play - but if his batting were to be similarly essential then something would have to have gone terribly wrong.

England do have in their ranks an opening batsman whose Ashes has so far been virtually scoreless, but whose reputation is built upon stellar fourth-innings performances. Alec Stewart, the Surrey right-hander, delivered under pressure yet again with a stellar 80 runs: starting relatively slowly in the afternoon session, his pace of scoring raced towards a crescendo after the break before he was pinned leg-before by Warne. At this point, England still needed another 78 to win, and it looked like time was against them. Graham Thorpe stepped on the gas pedal, picking gaps and running hard, but Ben Hollioake was the player to really turn things around. He was at the crease for less than ten minutes, but in that time scored 17 runs including a scalded six over the leg side from the bowling of Gillespie. From that point, it was never really in doubt and Thorpe saw the side home with a half-century from fewer than 50 balls. Not that this was without drama - a late burst of wickets from Warne threatened to claim a third-straight Test victory for Australia.

But with this win, England's hopes of retaining the Ashes will at least be raised, even if the road to an outright series triumph is not a straightforward one.

1622544941009.png

I'm also adding a Player of the Season award in the style of the Allan Border Medal - the Barrington Medal.

Drawn or lost match
Best player - 3 points
2nd best player - 2 points
3rd best player - 1 point

Won match
Best player - 5 points
2nd best player - 3 points
3rd best player - 2 points
4th best player - 1 point

Standings
=1. Alec Stewart - 5 points (+5)
=1. Graham Thorpe - 5 points (+3)
=1. Phil Tufnell - 5 points (+2)
4. Dean Headley - 3 points
5. Michael Atherton - 2 points
=6. Graeme Hick - 1 point
=6. Ben Hollioake - 1 point (+1)
=6. Craig White - 1 points
 

Aislabie

Test Cricket is Best Cricket
Moderator
Ireland
PlanetCricket Award Winner
Joined
Sep 3, 2010
Location
Derbyshire
:eng: England (1) vs (2) Australia :aus: - Fourth Test at Headingley

England XI
:eng: :bat: Mike Atherton
:eng: :bat: Alec Stewart
:eng: :bat: Nasser Hussain
:eng: :bat: Graeme Hick :c:
:eng: :bat: Graham Thorpe
:eng: :ar: Craig White
:eng: :wk: Jack Russell
:eng: :ar: Ben Hollioake
:eng: :bwl: Dean Headley
:eng: :bwl: Phil Tufnell
:eng: :bwl: Alan Mullally

Australia XI
:aus: :bat: Mark Taylor :c:
:aus: :bat: Matthew Elliott
:aus: :bat: Greg Blewett
:aus: :bat: Mark Waugh
:aus: :bat: Steve Waugh
:aus: :bat: Ricky Ponting
:aus: :wk: Ian Healy
:aus: :bwl: Paul Reiffel
:aus: :bwl: Shane Warne
:aus: :bwl: Jason Gillespie
:aus: :bwl: Glenn McGrath

- - -

England win the toss and choose to bat

- - -

With the green shoots of a comeback starting to show for England, all eyes were on Headingley for the fourth Test of the series. England had made one change to their team by bringing back the left-arm angle of Alan Mullally whilst sticking with Nasser Hussain over Robin Smith at number three; Australia had made the brave call to bring in the exciting Ricky Ponting in place of Michael Bevan at number six despite Bevan's excellent record against England in recent years. Will Ponting be the first batsman in this entire Ashes series to reach three figures? If he does, he'll have to wait until the England have batted as Hick wins his third toss in four Tests.

And sure enough, none of the English batsmen would make a century in the first innings. The excellent Australian bowling, helped by a lively Leeds surface, posed genuine problems to all of the English batsmen. The only three to really get on top of it were Michael Atherton (with a characteristically obdurate 41), Graeme Hick (with a captain's innings of 72) and Jack Russell (with an unbeaten 50); everyone else fell cheaply to one of Gillespie, McGrath or Warne as England were sent packing for 265 all out. If Hollioake (who made 24) can also continue bowling well, he could be a very valuable addition to the team at number eight: England added another 114 runs after the fall of the sixth wicket, something that didn't look possible when Fraser or Headley has batted in that position.

With a tricky ten-over session before lunch on the second day, Australia would certainly have been hoping to get through that period without losing any wickets. Thanks to the excellence of Headley and Mullally, the opposite occurred: both Elliott and Blewett were back in the position before the food was fully cooked. Taylor and Waugh began to rebuild with a 50 partnership, only for Action Man Craig White to leap into the game by dismissing both Waugh brothers in consecutive deliveries: Mark caught in close by Nasser Hussain and Steve pinned in front of his stumps for a golden duck. England could rightly consider themselves to be just one wicket away from a huge opportunity in the game, but the 22-year-old Ponting had other ideas. Always recognised as a hugely gifted player, he leapt into the English bowling with one of the best counter-attacking innings in recent Ashes history. He breezed to 78 at almost four runs per over, only to be stopped short of a century by a bit of Ben Hollioake magic: the perfect away swinger just clipping the top of middle and off. Hollioake struck again a few overs later, this time getting one to go through Mark Taylor's gate from around the wicket. If it hadn't been for a flashing fifty from Paul Reiffel, England might even have escaped with a first-innings lead, but 34 is not a huge deficit.

Facing the kind of batting conditions where every innings has an expiry date, Hick's England team did what Hick's England team often does and went on the attack: not only did Michael Atherton score at more than three runs per over en route to his 73 (eventually playing on trying to cut Paul Reiffel), but Graham Thorpe made a stellar century with the sort of strokeplay that will be talked about for years to come. His eighteen boundaries were littered with wristy cuts and pulls, not offering a single chance to the Australian fielders. Apart from those two batsmen, only Graeme Hick (25 off 25) passed fifteen, but so well did Thorpe play that England, defending a target of 239, may now be favourites in the match.

Sure enough, the combination of heavy northern cloud and bumpy Headingly wicket was heavily favourable to the four English seam bowlers. Dean Headley immediately made that count by dismissing Matthew Elliott for a three-ball duck, but most of the Australians guarded their wickets more dearly. Indeed, every Australian apart from Elliott and Glenn McGrath either reached double figures or faced at least 30 balls so they all got in - but the English bowlers then also got them out again. With the score on 40, Mullally bowled Mark Taylor through the gate, then took a stellar caught-and-bowled from Greg Blewett seven runs later. Mark Waugh became White's first wicket, caught at slip for 22. He was followed by his brother (LBW to White) and Ponting (bowled trying to slog Tufnell) and Australia were reeling with 110 runs still to get and only four wickets to carry them there.

One of those wickets was Paul Reiffel; his bowling has been awfully off-colour with only five wickets in three Tests, but his batting has been delivering far beyond expectations. This was another such time as he made another excellent contribution with an unbeaten 46. Throw in another few extras, and the remaining 60-ish runs would have to come from Healy and co. The wicket-keeper was clean bowled by Mullally for 15, and the innings of Warne (LBW to a Hollioake yorker for 11), Gillespie (LBW to White for nine) and McGrath (bowled Hollioake for a duck) were not enough.

England had come back from the brink to level the series at two Tests apiece.

1622554462368.png

I'm also adding a Player of the Season award in the style of the Allan Border Medal - the Barrington Medal.

Drawn or lost match
Best player - 3 points
2nd best player - 2 points
3rd best player - 1 point

Won match
Best player - 5 points
2nd best player - 3 points
3rd best player - 2 points
4th best player - 1 point

Standings
1. Graham Thorpe - 10 points (+5)
=2. Michael Atherton - 5 points (+3)
=2. Alec Stewart - 5 points
=2. Phil Tufnell - 5 points
=5. Dean Headley - 3 points
=5. Graeme Hick - 3 points (+2)
7. Craig White - 2 points (+1)
8. Ben Hollioake - 1 point
 

Aislabie

Test Cricket is Best Cricket
Moderator
Ireland
PlanetCricket Award Winner
Joined
Sep 3, 2010
Location
Derbyshire
:eng: England (2) vs (2) Australia :aus: - Fifth Test at The Oval

England XI
:eng: :bat: Mike Atherton
:eng: :bat: Alec Stewart
:eng: :bat: Robin Smith
:eng: :bat: Graeme Hick :c:
:eng: :bat: Graham Thorpe
:eng: :ar: Craig White
:eng: :wk: Jack Russell
:eng: :ar: Ben Hollioake
:eng: :bwl: Dean Headley
:eng: :bwl: Phil Tufnell
:eng: :bwl: Alan Mullally

Australia XI
:aus: :bat: Mark Taylor :c:
:aus: :bat: Matthew Elliott
:aus: :bat: Greg Blewett
:aus: :bat: Mark Waugh
:aus: :bat: Steve Waugh
:aus: :bat: Ricky Ponting
:aus: :wk: Ian Healy
:aus: :ar: Shaun Young
:aus: :bwl: Shane Warne
:aus: :bwl: Mike Kasprowicz
:aus: :bwl: Glenn McGrath

- - -

England win the toss and choose to bat

- - -

Who could have seen this coming two Tests ago? A winner-take-all clash to decide the Ashes between two of the very best teams in the world. On the Australian side, changes were in order: firstly, Mike Kasprowicz came back into the side after his two stellar performances at the start of the series, and secondly the selectors proved they'd been taking plenty of drugs by picking Shaun Young to solve all their problems. On England's side, Robin Smith came back into the team for what will be his final Test match, while the talk of Darren Gough coming in to complete a rare all-seam attack under grey London skies ultimately came to nothing and Tufnell rightly retained his place.

The deciding Test started horribly for England when, before lunch on the opening day, Alan Mullally pulled up with an injured hamstring. To be without a front-line bowler so early on in the series-deciding Test was a horrible blow. Effective though they've been, neither Hollioake nor White is a new ball specialist, putting a huge workload on the oft-injured shoulders of Dean Headley. Fortunately, Tufnell came to the rescue: his 24-and-a-bit overs were profoundly fruitful: four wickets for 53 were an excellent haul for the first four sessions of a Test match. White and Hollioake struggled with their greater workload though, letting Mark Waugh and surprisingly Ian Healy run riot. Australia's benchmark of 344 was well-earned, but did come at the cost of Young, hit in the mouth by a vicious bouncer that ended his Test debut almost before it had begun.

In reply, England fared badly. Of the first six wickets to fall, only Alec Stewart (26) made it past ten. Not among those six wickets though was the England captain. Graeme Hick stood alone, a solitary batting colossus who made the game look easy - as if Australia's three main bowlers weren't McGrath, Kasprowicz and Warne. Only once did he get away with a chance, with a flashy cut-drive flying to gully's right hand but also falling safely to the grass. He hit no fewer than 22 boundaries out of the entire team's 32, and finished the disappointing innings of 222 all out on an unbeaten 126.

When the Australian openers strode out for their second innings under blazing Day Three sun, the English bowlers looked exhausted. They didn't bowl badly, but they also didn't look at any point like taking a wicket. When one of them (Tufnell) finally did, it was Mark Taylor for a determined 167. The other half of that historic, possibly series-winning triple-century opening partnership was Matthew Elliott: hitherto without so much as a fifty, he chose the perfect moment to add a one to the front of that. As soon as he had reached the milestone, Taylor declared, offering some respite to the wicketless trio of still-fit seamers.

The run-chase (a monstrosity of well over 400) was never a realistic target, but 120 overs to bat out for the draw just might have been. The usual specialists in such a situation (Atherton and Smith) failed to deliver however: the former fell in the first over to Glenn McGrath, the latter caught at slip off Kasprowicz for a career-ending 10. An inauspicious end to a stellar career, and an end that brought the England captain to the crease. He picked up where he had left off in the first innings, making all of his fellow batsmen look like amateurs by comparison. Even Shane Warne was made to look ordinary: from the 84 balls he faced off the fearsome leggie, he plundered 70 runs including thirteen boundaries (one of them a six). The only other player to show anything like that confidence came out in the penultimate session of the Test: young Ben Hollioake, the last man standing between the Australians and England's dubious tail, played excellently to reach a maiden Test fifty. He trusted his shots just as much as his defence, and on this occasion it paid dividends - but even he ultimately fell to Warne.

But Hick did not. Hick, with his second vital century of the match, saved The Ashes for England. Hick, unbeaten scorer of 298 runs across 531 balls in the Test match, saved The Ashes for England. He was the obvious man of the match, although in his post-match interview he chose to pay tribute to the retiring Robin Smith as a "modern legend of English batting."

1622585487973.png

I'm also adding a Player of the Season award in the style of the Allan Border Medal - the Barrington Medal.

Drawn or lost match
Best player - 3 points
2nd best player - 2 points
3rd best player - 1 point

Won match
Best player - 5 points
2nd best player - 3 points
3rd best player - 2 points
4th best player - 1 point

Standings
1. Graham Thorpe - 10 points
=2. Graeme Hick - 6 points (+3)
=2. Phil Tufnell - 6 points (+1)
=4. Michael Atherton - 5 points
=4. Alec Stewart - 5 points
=6. Dean Headley - 3 points
=6. Ben Hollioake - 3 points (+2)
8. Craig White - 2 points

Despite Hick's legendary performance, the Barrington Medal points system instead smiled on Graham Thorpe, who won the honour for the first time.

1622587158004.png

:eng: :bat: Robin Smith (Ret)
Two-time Barrington Medal winner

Debut: :eng: v :wi: (4), 1988
Last Test: :eng: v :aus: (5), 1997
:bat: 6662 runs @ 49.34 (19 centuries, best 204 vs :aus:) in 82 matches
 

Aislabie

Test Cricket is Best Cricket
Moderator
Ireland
PlanetCricket Award Winner
Joined
Sep 3, 2010
Location
Derbyshire
Records

Highest Innings Score
for :eng:
589 for 6 dec vs South Africa, Headingley 1994
vs :eng: 571 all out, Australia, Adelaide Oval 1991

Lowest Innings Score
for :eng:
74 all out vs Australia, The WACA 1995
vs :eng: 62 all out, India, Trent Bridge 1996

Highest Innings
for :eng:
294, Graham Gooch vs West Indies, The Oval 1991
vs :eng: 239*, Brian Lara, West Indies, Kensington Oval 1994

Best Innings Bowling
for :eng:
8 for 47, Peter Such vs India, Calcutta 1993
vs :eng: 8 for 79, Javagal Srinath, India, Lord's 1996

Best Match Bowling
for :eng:
12 for 173, Phil Tufnell vs Sri Lanka, Colombo, 1993
vs :eng: 12 for 152, Javagal Srinath, India, Lord's 1996

All-Time Record for Most Runs in a Series
1016 - Graham Gooch vs West Indies, 1991

Tied Test Match
:aus: Australia vs England :eng:, The WACA 1995

Partnerships
1. 323 - Mike Atherton & Alec Stewart vs India :ind: 1996
2. 262 - Graham Gooch & Mike Atherton vs New Zealand :saf: 1994
3. 325 - Graham Gooch & Robin Smith vs West Indies :wi: 1991
4. 247 - Robin Smith & Graeme Hick vs Pakistan :pak: 1992
5. 176 - Graeme Hick & Jack Russell vs West Indies :wi: 1991
6. 137 - Mike Atherton & Chris Lewis vs South Africa :saf: 1994
7. 174 - Chris Lewis & Phillip DeFreitas vs Australia :aus: 1993
8. 110 - Jack Russell & Dominic Cork vs South Africa :saf: 1995
9. 95 - Robin Smith & Dominic Cork vs Australia :aus: 1995
10. 61 - Graham Thorpe & Peter Such vs West Indies :wi: 1994

Most Test Runs for England
1. :eng: :bat: Graham Gooch - 11,242 runs @ 48.04 (28 centuries, best 294)
2. :eng: :bat: David Gower - 8,506 runs @ 42.96 (15 centuries, best 215)
3. :eng: :bat: Geoffrey Boycott - 8,114 runs @ 47.72 (22 centuries, best 246*)

Most Test Wickets for England
1. :eng: :ar: Ian Botham - 400 wickets @ 28.13 (27 5WI, best 8/34)
2. :eng: :bwl: Bob Willis - 325 wickets @ 25.20 (16 5WI, best 8/43)
3. :eng: :bwl: Phil Tufnell - 310 wickets @ 27.85 (24 5WI, best 8/114)

Honours Board
:bat:
:wi: vs :eng:, 1989-90
Graham Gooch - 112
Robin Smith - 101
Robin Smith - 112
Graham Gooch - 100

:eng: vs :nzf:, 1990
Graham Gooch - 127
Rob Bailey - 196

:eng: vs :ind:, 1990
none

:aus: vs :eng:, 1990-91
Robin Smith - 110
Graham Gooch - 170

:eng: vs :wi:, 1991
Robin Smith - 127
Graham Gooch - 175*
Graeme Hick - 108*

Graham Gooch - 165
Graham Gooch - 294
Robin Smith - 145


:eng: vs :sri:, 1991
Alec Stewart - 166
Graeme Hick - 100


:nzf: vs :eng:, 1991-92
Alec Stewart - 126*
Graham Gooch - 124
Graeme Hick - 107


:eng: vs :pak:, 1992
Graham Gooch - 103
Robin Smith - 132
Graeme Hick - 147

Graham Gooch - 150*

:ind: vs :eng:, 1992-93
Graham Gooch - 132
Alec Stewart - 151*

Mike Atherton - 147
Robin Smith - 137


:sri: vs :eng:, 1992-93
Alec Stewart - 137
Robin Smith - 102*


:eng: vs :aus:, 1993
Alec Stewart - 132
Alec Stewart - 111
Graham Gooch - 139
Chris Lewis - 114*

:wi: vs :eng:, 1993-94
Graham Gooch - 143
Alec Stewart - 156
Graham Gooch - 167
Mike Atherton - 127
Graham Thorpe - 111


:eng: vs :nzf:, 1994
Mike Atherton - 117
Alec Stewart - 132
Mike Atherton - 105

Robin Smith - 191

:eng: vs :saf:, 1994
Graham Gooch - 241
Graham Gooch - 175
Mike Atherton - 242

Graeme Hick - 101
Graeme Hick - 131


:aus: vs :eng:, 1994-95
Robin Smith - 106
Alec Stewart - 159

Robin Smith - 134
Alec Stewart - 115

Mike Atherton - 157*
Robin Smith - 100

Graham Gooch - 205
Robin Smith - 204

:eng: vs :wi:, 1995
Alec Stewart - 162
Graham Gooch - 117
Graham Gooch - 135
Robin Smith - 129*

Alec Stewart - 115
Graham Gooch - 159
Mark Ramprakash - 100*


:saf: vs :eng:, 1995-96
Robin Smith - 118*
Michael Atherton - 109
Graeme Hick - 106
Graham Thorpe - 107*

Michael Atherton - 108
Graeme Hick - 113
Graham Thorpe - 114*


:eng: vs :ind:, 1996
Alec Stewart - 200
Mike Atherton - 129

Robin Smith - 117*

:eng: vs :pak:, 1996
Alec Stewart - 149
Alec Stewart - 153

Robin Smith - 104*

:zim: vs :eng:, 1996-97
Nick Knight - 247
Graham Thorpe - 106


:nzf: vs :eng:, 1996-97
Graeme Hick - 110
Craig White - 104*

:eng: vs :aus:, 1997
Graham Thorpe - 116
Graeme Hick - 126*
Graeme Hick - 172*


:bwl:
:wi: vs :eng:, 1989-90
Angus Fraser - 5 for 47
Gladstone Small - 5 for 72

Chris Lewis - 6 for 70

:eng: vs :nzf:, 1990
none

:eng: vs :ind:, 1990
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 116
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 72


:aus: vs :eng:, 1990-91
Angus Fraser - 5 for 116
Devon Malcolm - 6 for 75

:eng: vs :wi:, 1991
Steve Watkin - 5 for 56
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 138
Devon Malcolm - 5 for 47
Angus Fraser - 5 for 86

:eng: vs :sri:, 1991
none

:nzf: vs :eng:, 1991-92
Angus Fraser - 5 for 51
Phil Tufnell - 7 for 57

:eng: vs :pak:, 1992
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 100
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 31
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 45


:ind: vs :eng:, 1992-93
Phil Tufnell - 8 for 114
Peter Such - 8 for 47

Phil Tufnell - 5 for 72
Phil Tufnell - 6 for 167

Phil Tufnell - 7 for 171

:sri: vs :eng:, 1992-93
Phil Tufnell - 6 for 102
Phil Tufnell - 6 for 71


:eng: vs :aus:, 1993
Phil Tufnell - 7 for 105
Phillip DeFreitas - 5 for 19
Phillip DeFreitas - 5 for 62


:wi: vs :eng:, 1993-94
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 141
Peter Such - 6 for 119
Angus Fraser - 5 for 21
Phillip DeFreitas - 5 for 98

:eng: vs :nzf:, 1994
Darren Gough - 5 for 50
Phillip DeFreitas - Hattrick
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 71


:eng: vs :saf:, 1994
Phil Tufnell - 7 for 124
Phil Tufnell - 6 for 117

:aus: vs :eng:, 1994-95
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 79
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 122
Phil Tufnell - 6 for 96

:eng: vs :wi:, 1995
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 97
Devon Malcolm - 7 for 86

Devon Malcolm - 5 for 68
Devon Malcolm - 5 for 46

:saf: vs :eng:, 1995-96
Devon Malcolm - 6 for 76
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 79

Angus Fraser - 6 for 68

:eng: vs :ind:, 1996
none

:eng: vs :pak:, 1996
Andy Caddick - 5 for 69
Darren Gough - 5 for 117

:zim: vs :eng:, 1996-97
Alan Mullally - 6 for 94
Andy Caddick - 7 for 53

Craig White - 7 for 63

:nzf: vs :eng:, 1996-97
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 83

:eng: vs :aus:, 1997
Dean Headley - 5 for 75
Dean Headley - 5 for 49
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 92
Career Statistics
Includes all players who debuted before 1990 and played from that date onwards either in real life or in this universe.


Cap Numbers
Player#DebutLast Test
:eng: :bat: Graham Gooch461:eng: v :aus: (1), 1975:eng: v :wi: (5), 1995
:eng: :ar: Ian Botham474:eng: v :aus: (3), 1977:eng: v :ind: (3), 1990
:eng: :bat: Mike Gatting477:pak: v :eng: (3), 1977-78:ind: v :eng: (2), 1992-93
:eng: :bat: David Gower479:eng: v :pak: (1), 1978:eng: v :wi: (2), 1991
:eng: :ar: John Emburey480:eng: v :nzf: (3), 1978:eng: v :aus: (4), 1989
:eng: :bat: Wayne Larkins484:aus: v :eng: (3), 1979-80:eng: v :ind: (1), 1990
:eng: :bat: Allan Lamb494:eng: v :ind: (1), 1982:wi: v :eng: (4), 1989-90
:eng: :ar: Derek Pringle495:eng: v :ind: (1), 1982:eng: v :aus: (6), 1989
:eng: :bwl: Eddie Hemmings497:eng: v :pak: (1), 1982:wi: v :eng: (5), 1989-90
:eng: :bwl: Neil Foster502:eng: v :nzf: (3), 1983:eng: v :pak: (1), 1992
:eng: :bat: Tim Robinson511:ind: v :eng: (1), 1984:eng: v :wi: (5), 1991
:eng: :bwl: Gladstone Small521:eng: v :nzf: (2), 1986:eng: v :sri:, 1991
:eng: :ar: Phillip DeFreitas522:aus: v :eng: (1), 1986-87:saf: v :eng: (1), 1995-96
:eng: :bat: Neil Fairbrother525:eng: v :pak: (1), 1987:nzf: v :eng: (3), 1987-88
:eng: :ar: David Capel526:eng: v :pak: (3), 1987:eng: v :aus: (6), 1989
:eng: :bwl: Paul Jarvis527:nzf: v :eng: (1), 1987-88:eng: v :pak: (5), 1992
:eng: :bat: Robin Smith530:eng: v :wi: (4), 1988:eng: vs :aus: (5), 1997
:eng: :bat: Rob Bailey531:eng: v :wi: (5), 1988:eng: v :wi: (4), 1991
:eng: :bat: Matt Maynard532:eng: v :wi: (5), 1988only Test
:eng: :bwl: Syd Lawrence534:eng: v :sri:, 1988:eng: v :sri:, 1991
:eng: :bwl: Phil Newport535:eng: v :sri:, 1988:eng: v :aus: (1), 1989
:eng: :wk: Jack Russell536:eng: v :sri:, 1988:eng: vs :aus: (5), 1997
:eng: :bwl: Angus Fraser537:eng: v :aus: (3), 1989:eng: vs :aus: (2), 1997
:eng: :bat: Mike Atherton538:eng: v :aus: (5), 1989:eng: vs :aus: (5), 1997
:eng: :bwl: Devon Malcolm539:eng: v :aus: (5), 1989:eng: v :pak: (3), 1996
:eng: :bwl: Alan Igglesden540:eng: v :aus: (6), 1989only Test
- - - - - - - - - -- - -- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -
:eng: :bat: Alec Stewart542:wi: v :eng: (1), 1989-90:eng: vs :aus: (5), 1997
:eng: :bwl: Phil Tufnell543:wi: v :eng: (1), 1989-90:eng: vs :aus: (5), 1997
:eng: :ar: Chris Lewis544:wi: v :eng: (4), 1989-90:eng: v :pak: (3), 1996
:eng: :bat: Graeme Hick545:wi: v :eng: (5), 1989-90:eng: vs :aus: (5), 1997
:eng: :bwl: Martin Bicknell546:eng: v :ind: (3), 1990:nzf: v :eng: (4), 1991-92
:eng: :bwl: Steve Watkin547:eng: v :wi: (1), 1991:eng: v :wi: (2), 1991
:eng: :bwl: Peter Such548:eng: v :wi: (3), 1991:zim: v :eng: (3), 1996-97
:eng: :bwl: Ian Salisbury549:ind: v :eng: (1), 1992-93only Test
:eng: :bat: Mark Ramprakash550:ind: v :eng: (2), 1992-93:zim: v :eng: (2), 1996-97
:eng: :ar: Dermot Reeve551:ind: v :eng: (3), 1992-93only Test
:eng: :bwl: Andy Caddick552:eng: v :aus: (2), 1993:eng: vs :aus: (1), 1997
:eng: :bat: Nasser Hussain553:eng: v :aus: (3), 1993:eng: vs :aus: (4), 1997
:eng: :bwl: Mark Ilott554:wi: v :eng: (4), 1993-94only Test
:eng: :bat: Graham Thorpe555:wi: v :eng: (4), 1993-94:eng: vs :aus: (5), 1997
:eng: :bwl: Darren Gough556:eng: v :nzf: (1), 1994:eng: vs :aus: (3), 1997
:eng: :ar: Dominic Cork557:eng: v :nzf: (2), 1994:zim: v :eng: (3), 1996-97
:eng: :wk: Richard Blakey558:eng: v :nzf: (3), 1994:zim: v :eng: (3), 1996-97
:eng: :ar: Glen Chapple559:aus: v :eng: (4), 1994-95:zim: v :eng: (1), 1996-97
:eng: :bwl: Richard Johnson560:eng: v :wi: (2), 1995only Test
:eng: :ar: Mark Alleyne561:eng: v :wi: (5), 1995:zim: v :eng: (3), 1996-97
:eng: :ar: Robert Croft562:saf: v :eng: (5), 1995-96:zim: v :eng: (3), 1996-97
:eng: :bat: Nick Knight563:saf: v :eng: (5), 1995-96:nzf: v :eng: (3), 1996-97
:eng: :bat: Mark Butcher564:zim: v :eng: (1), 1996-97:zim: v :eng: (3), 1996-97
:eng: :bwl: Alan Mullally565:zim: v :eng: (1), 1996-97:eng: vs :aus: (5), 1997
:eng: :bat: John Crawley566:zim: v :eng: (2), 1996-97:zim: v :eng: (3), 1996-97
:eng: :bwl: Dean Headley567:zim: v :eng: (2), 1996-97:eng: vs :aus: (5), 1997
:eng: :ar: Craig White568:zim: v :eng: (2), 1996-97:eng: vs :aus: (5), 1997
:eng: :ar: Ben Hollioake569:eng: vs :aus: (3), 1997:eng: vs :aus: (5), 1997

Captains
PlayerMatWTDLFirstLast
:eng: :bat: Graham Gooch552211616:eng: v :wi: (5), 1988:aus: v :eng: (5), 1994-95
:eng: :bat: Graeme Hick2915077:ind: v :eng: (2), 1992-93:eng: vs :aus: (5), 1997

Batting & Fielding
PlayerMatInnNORunsAvg100s50sBestCtSt
:eng: :ar: Mark Alleyne4729519.00-156*4-
:eng: :bat: Mike Atherton :slvo:561058423243.6391824235-
:eng: :bat: Rob Bailey1528181530.191219615-
:eng: :bwl: Martin Bicknell4406516.25--482-
:eng: :wk: Richard Blakey48216627.67-150*11-
:eng: :ar: Ian Botham (RET)1081767565633.471425208135-
:eng: :bat: Mark Butcher2406917.25--442-
:eng: :bwl: Andy Caddick1821225813.58--37*3-
:eng: :ar: David Capel (RET)1118029316.27-2984-
:eng: :ar: Glen Chapple3517318.25--301-
:eng: :ar: Dominic Cork1419335021.88-1728-
:eng: :bat: John Crawley2405814.50--37--
:eng: :ar: Robert Croft33011137/00-154--
:eng: :ar: Phillip DeFreitas :slvo::slvo:3656678615.72-1827-
:eng: :ar: John Emburey (RET)608918154021.49-87533-
:eng: :bat: Neil Fairbrother44051.25--33-
:eng: :bwl: Neil Foster (RET)39601260012.50--42*13-
:eng: :bwl: Angus Fraser5879116439.46--349-
:eng: :bat: Mike Gatting (RET)7012114403737.7391920753-
:eng: :bat: Graham Gooch :slvo::slvo::slvo: (RET)131244101124248.042860294147-
:eng: :bwl: Darren Gough1926826614.78--35*1-
:eng: :bat: David Gower (RET)12421517850642.96154721575-
:eng: :bwl: Dean Headley915511011.00--24--
:eng: :bwl: Eddie Hemmings (RET)1319333220.75-1954-
:eng: :bat: Graeme Hick661219467741.761126172*93-
:eng: :ar: Ben Hollioake36015025.00-1561-
:eng: :bat: Nasser Hussain915134024.29-26818-
:eng: :bwl: Alan Igglesden1112---2*1-
:eng: :bwl: Mark Ilott12226---25*--
:eng: :bwl: Paul Jarvis1015418917.18--35*1-
:eng: :bwl: Richard Johnson11011.00--1--
:eng: :bat: Nick Knight47041859.71112475-
:eng: :bat: Allan Lamb (RET)601059322433.58912137*53-
:eng: :bat: Wayne Larkins (RET)1019034818.31--435-
:eng: :bwl: Syd Lawrence22063.00--4--
:eng: :ar: Chris Lewis569012197325.2917114*61-
:eng: :bwl: Devon Malcolm3750132336.30--21*11-
:eng: :bat: Matt Maynard120136.50--10--
:eng: :bwl: Alan Mullally9104467.67--152-
:eng: :bwl: Phil Newport2307023.33--361-
:eng: :ar: Derek Pringle (RET)2136351215.51-2667-
:eng: :bat: Mark Ramprakash17322104734.9019100*1-
:eng: :ar: Dermot Reeve120126.00--6--
:eng: :bat: Tim Robinson (RET) :slvo:41716236236.3341217514-
:eng: :wk: Jack Russell8514232361332.85120128*22322
:eng: :bwl: Ian Salisbury1102121.00--21--
:eng: :bwl: Gladstone Small (RET)2026738220.10-2592-
:eng: :bat: Robin Smith :slvo::slvo: (RET)8215217666249.32193420420-
:eng: :bat: Alec Stewart :slvo::slvo:591155507846.16151720015-
:eng: :bwl: Peter Such12157475.88--14*5-
:eng: :bat: Graham Thorpe :slvo:25457170544.875711618-
:eng: :bwl: Phil Tufnell :slvo::slvo:6886163815.44--3618-
:eng: :bwl: Steve Watkin2405513.75--27--
:eng: :ar: Craig White :slvo:1017353844.8314104*3-

Bowling
PlayerMatOvrRunsWktsAvgEcon5WI10WMBest
:eng: :ar: Mark Alleyne41093071030.702.8--2/27
:eng: :bat: Mike Atherton :slvo:561445001338.463.9--3/32
:eng: :bat: Rob Bailey1543175287.504.1--1/0
:eng: :bwl: Martin Bicknell41914691142.632.5--3/72
:eng: :wk: Richard Blakey4--------
:eng: :ar: Ian Botham (RET)10837791122340028.133.02748/34
:eng: :bat: Mark Butcher2--------
:eng: :bwl: Andy Caddick1876520826333.042.72-7/53
:eng: :ar: David Capel (RET)112096281252.333.0--2/13
:eng: :ar: Glen Chapple3128398666.333.1--3/99
:eng: :ar: Dominic Cork1452214923938.262.9--4/138
:eng: :bat: John Crawley2--------
:eng: :ar: Robert Croft377252550.403.3--2/74
:eng: :ar: Phillip DeFreitas :slvo::slvo:361324353010433.942.7415/19
:eng: :ar: John Emburey (RET)602371510513836.992.16-7/78
:eng: :bat: Neil Fairbrother4290-4.5---
:eng: :bwl: Neil Foster (RET)391451390211533.932.7518/107
:eng: :bwl: Angus Fraser582364580817633.002.55-6/68
:eng: :bat: Mike Gatting (RET)70125317479.252.5--1/14
:eng: :bat: Graham Gooch :slvo::slvo::slvo: (RET)1313067401743.532.4--2/12
:eng: :bwl: Darren Gough1976320535041.062.72-5/50
:eng: :bat: David Gower (RET)124620120.003.3--1/1
:eng: :bwl: Dean Headley939210013528.602.62-5/49
:eng: :bwl: Eddie Hemmings (RET)1351314543146.902.8--4/90
:eng: :bat: Graeme Hick661986551350.383.3--3/38
:eng: :ar: Ben Hollioake3122335937.222.7--3/47
:eng: :bat: Nasser Hussain9--------
:eng: :bwl: Alan Igglesden137146348.673.9--2/91
:eng: :bwl: Mark Ilott1381271127.003.3--1/106
:eng: :bwl: Paul Jarvis1035910692641.123.0--4/50
:eng: :bwl: Richard Johnson1441550-3.5---
:eng: :bat: Nick Knight4--------
:eng: :bat: Allan Lamb (RET)60523123.004.6--1/6
:eng: :bat: Wayne Larkins (RET)10--------
:eng: :bwl: Syd Lawrence268223455.753.3--2/74
:eng: :ar: Chris Lewis561580426612334.682.71-6/70
:eng: :bwl: Devon Malcolm371292419513730.623.26-7/86
:eng: :bat: Matt Maynard1--------
:eng: :bwl: Alan Mullally93268213225.662.51-6/94
:eng: :bwl: Phil Newport292339937.663.7--4/87
:eng: :ar: Derek Pringle (RET)2162518074837.642.92-5/95
:eng: :bat: Mark Ramprakash17120-2.0---
:eng: :ar: Dermot Reeve114390-2.8---
:eng: :bat: Tim Robinson (RET) :slvo:41100-0.0---
:eng: :wk: Jack Russell85--------
:eng: :bwl: Ian Salisbury113760-5.9---
:eng: :bwl: Gladstone Small (RET)2078419806033.002.53-5/48
:eng: :bat: Robin Smith :slvo::slvo: (RET)82--------
:eng: :bat: Alec Stewart :slvo::slvo:59--------
:eng: :bwl: Peter Such1257216695033.382.92-8/47
:eng: :bat: Graham Thorpe :slvo:25--------
:eng: :bwl: Phil Tufnell :slvo::slvo:683170918632927.932.92558/114
:eng: :bwl: Steve Watkin264223544.603.51-5/56
:eng: :ar: Craig White :slvo:103488773922.492.51-7/63

Well would you look at that - I've finally updated the career stats from June. This series is back on the road
 

Aislabie

Test Cricket is Best Cricket
Moderator
Ireland
PlanetCricket Award Winner
Joined
Sep 3, 2010
Location
Derbyshire
England Tour of West Indies, 1997-98

Itinerary

29 Jan 1998 - :wi: West Indies vs England :eng: at Sabina Park :jam: - England won by 4 wickets
13 Feb 1998 - :wi: West Indies vs England :eng: at Queen's Park Oval :bar: - Match drawn
27 Feb 1998 - :wi: West Indies vs England :eng: at Bourda :guy: - England won by 57 runs
12 Mar 1998 - :wi: West Indies vs England :eng: at Kenisington Oval :tat: - England won by 8 wickets
20 Mar 1998 - :wi: West Indies vs England :eng: at Antigua Recreation Ground :wi: - England won by 347 runs

England Squad

:eng: :bat: Graeme Hick :c:

:eng: :bat: Mike Atherton
:eng: :bat: Mark Butcher :redo:
:eng: :bat: Nick Knight
:eng: :bat: Mark Ramprakash
:eng: :wkb: Alec Stewart
:eng: :bat: Graham Thorpe

:eng: :wk: Paul Nixon :redo:
:eng: :wk: Jack Russell

:eng: :ar: Robert Croft
:eng: :ar: Ben Hollioake
:eng: :ar: Craig White

:eng: :bwl: Andy Caddick
:eng: :ar: Dominic Cork
:eng: :bwl: Darren Gough
:eng: :bwl: Dean Headley
:eng: :bwl: Alan Mullally

:eng: :bwl: Phil Tufnell

There are a few changes to the England squad after the close-run Ashes series. After Robin Smith's retirement and Nasser Hussain's horror form, there is one new and one returning face in the batting department: Mark Ramprakash makes another comeback to the Test squad, while Surrey opener Mark Butcher finds himself in an England squad for the first time in his career. Meanwhile, Angus Fraser and Devon Malcolm have made way from the Test squad as younger fast bowlers become the focus of English selection policy: Caddick, Cork, Gough, Headley, Hollioake and Mullally is a promising pace battery, all of whom are still in their 20s and are seen as the future. Speaking of the future, Paul Nixon has been called up to the Test side, for the first time since I stopped using him as a meme at Steve Rhodes' expense. He may well be able to look forward to a Test debut this series as Jack Russell's hips start to complain about his incredible workload. Robert Croft is preferred to Peter Such as England's selectors prefer their second spinner to be able to bat a bit.
 
Last edited:

Aislabie

Test Cricket is Best Cricket
Moderator
Ireland
PlanetCricket Award Winner
Joined
Sep 3, 2010
Location
Derbyshire
:wi: West Indies vs England :eng: - First Test at Sabina Park

West Indies XI
:wi: :bat: Stuart Williams
:wi: :bat: Sherwin Campbell
:wi: :bat: Brian Lara
:wi: :ar: Carl Hooper
:wi: :bat: Shivnarine Chanderpaul
:wi: :bat: Jimmy Adams
:wi: :wk: David Williams
:wi: :bwl: Nixon McLean
:wi: :bwl: Ian Bishop
:wi: :bwl: Curtly Ambrose
:wi: :bwl: Courtney Walsh

England XI

:eng: :bat: Mike Atherton
:eng: :bat: Alec Stewart
:eng: :bat: Mark Butcher (debut)
:eng: :bat: Graeme Hick :c:
:eng: :bat: Graham Thorpe
:eng: :ar: Craig White
:eng: :wk: Jack Russell
:eng: :ar: Ben Hollioake
:eng: :bwl: Dean Headley
:eng: :bwl: Phil Tufnell
:eng: :bwl: Alan Mullally

- - -

West Indies win the toss and choose to bat

- - -

Quite unlike real life, the two teams arrived at Sabina Park to find that the groundsman had done an excellent job of preparing the wicket for two top-quality Test teams to compete. The England team lines up with only one enforced change from how they finished the Ashes series: Mark Butcher got the nod to make his Test debut ahead of Nick Knight and Mark Ramprakash, occupying Robin Smith's vacated number three spot. There can be few scarier propositions than making your Test debut against Ambrose, Bishop and Walsh, so he will have been relieved to hear the news that Brian Charles Lara of Trinidad and Tobago had won the toss and chosen to bat first.

Williams and Campbell started frenetically, with plenty of playing and missing to the bowling of Dean Headley in particular. Despite this, the openers managed to bat for most of the morning session before an in-ducker from Craig White finally put paid to the partnership. Of course this brought the talismanic Lara to the crease, so it was quite popular with the home fans; the left-hander breezed to an utterly untroubled half-century before a moment of magic from the world's best spinner managed to get him to snick a ball outside off stump, unfussily pouched by Jack Russell. When Campbell gave the Middlesex man a caught-and-bowled from a leading edge, a dominant 168 for one had wobbled to a precarious 169 for three. A couple more wickets, one each for Tufnell and Hollioake, were enough to expose the start of West Indies' diplodocus tail. Jimmy Adams and the unimposing David Williams each made half-centuries; for the Trinidadian keeper, it was his first at the international level. Their shocking 150 partnership will have greatly frustrated the English bowlers, especially as once they broke it the rest of the tail rolled over just as they would have expected it to.

After studiously avoiding risks before tea on the second day, Atherton and Stewart had laid the platform for one of their trademark opening partnerships. Even against the fearsome fast foursome, neither batter looked troubled before a seaming short ball on the third morning was enough to draw Stewart's outside edge and fly through to Lara at slip. Despite the lack of scoreboard pressure, Mark Butcher's maiden Test innings was not hugely eye-catching as he lasted 45 minutes before edging Courtney Walsh into the slips cordon. As the English middle order fell apart, the West Indians looked comfortably ahead in the game before England had a sparkling recovery partnership of their own: Ben Hollioake (60) played superbly from number eight to partner Jack Russell (66 not out) in rescuing the innings. To trail by only 12 runs after the first innings meant that England still had every chance of forcing a positive result from the game.

Those chances were further improved by a fiery opening spell by Dean Headley in which he forced both opening batsmen into mistakes early in their innings: both were caught behind. As Lara and Hooper rebuilt the situation, a moment of magic from Hollioake broke that partnership too: Carl Hooper, clean bowled. He was promptly hit out of the attack by a ferocious Lara, playing without fear but also without an ounce of support from the other end. As the wickets kept falling, the long tail was exposed again and this time the West Indies were punished as Hollioake picked up the wickets of Williams, McLean, Bishop and Ambrose with a minimum of fuss: along with Carl Hooper earlier in the innings, they made up his maiden Test five-for.

As a result, the target for England was a mere 249 runs to win: testing against these bowlers on the fifth day, but not out of reach for a team that has become known for their last day heroics in recent years. Atherton and renowned run-chaser Stewart both fell cheaply before lunch, but after the interval Mark Butcher lent some much-needed stability to proceedings with his maiden Test half-century. Though it did not appear to be a match-winning effort, it was certainly an innings that made an England loss the least likely outcome of the match.

In the final session of the Test match, England needed 139 runs while the West Indies needed seven wickets. It would have been easy to protect the draw and live to fight another day, but that's not how Hick's England plays their cricket. Instead, Butcher and the new batsman Thorpe tried their best to be positive; immediately, Butcher became Bishop's third victim. Undaunted, Thorpe and White assembled a breezy partnership of 60 that was nonetheless slower than the rate required. With White's dismissal to Nixon McLean, it would again have been easy to write off the run-chase and bat for the draw, but Hick instead promoted Ben Hollioake to number seven: the 20-year-old made his team's intentions evident by launching McLean for an enormous six before trying and failing to do the same to Carl Hooper.

England's last recognised batsman, Jack Russell joined Thorpe in the middle. Surely, the draw? But Thorpe continued to cut loose, ramping an upper-cut for six off McLean. But that was a mere appetiser before the main course that was Carl Hooper's 13th (and final) over: first, Thorpe played a strong sweep shot for four. He then followed it with a deft square-cut. Hooper, evidently rattled, then lost his run-up and delivered a no-ball that was driven high over extra-cover for six. A further pulled six from the final ball of the over consigned Hooper to the indignity of conceding 23 runs from a single over: just two runs short of Ian Botham's Test record for a bad set of six. From this point, England were back in the driving seat and it took only one more boundary from Thorpe's bat (and some excellent running from both he and Russell) to deliver the win with only twelve minutes of play remaining.

A truly captivating Test match that absolutely could have gone either way.

1637944148156.png

I'm also adding a Player of the Season award in the style of the Allan Border Medal - the Barrington Medal.

Drawn or lost match
Best player - 3 points
2nd best player - 2 points
3rd best player - 1 point

Won match
Best player - 5 points
2nd best player - 3 points
3rd best player - 2 points
4th best player - 1 point

Standings
1. Graham Thorpe - 5 points (+5)
2. Ben Hollioake - 3 points (+3)
3. Jack Russell - 2 points (+2)
4. Dean Headley - 1 point (+1)
 

Aislabie

Test Cricket is Best Cricket
Moderator
Ireland
PlanetCricket Award Winner
Joined
Sep 3, 2010
Location
Derbyshire
:wi: West Indies (0) vs (1) England :eng: - Second Test at Queen's Park Oval

West Indies XI
:wi: :bat: Stuart Williams
:wi: :bat: Sherwin Campbell
:wi: :bat: Brian Lara
:wi: :ar: Carl Hooper
:wi: :bat: Shivnarine Chanderpaul
:wi: :bat: Jimmy Adams
:wi: :wk: David Williams
:wi: :bwl: Nixon McLean
:wi: :bwl: Kenny Benjamin
:wi: :bwl: Curtly Ambrose
:wi: :bwl: Courtney Walsh

England XI
:eng: :bat: Mike Atherton
:eng: :bat: Alec Stewart
:eng: :bat: Mark Butcher
:eng: :bat: Graeme Hick :c:
:eng: :bat: Graham Thorpe
:eng: :ar: Craig White
:eng: :wk: Jack Russell
:eng: :ar: Ben Hollioake
:eng: :bwl: Dean Headley
:eng: :bwl: Phil Tufnell
:eng: :bwl: Alan Mullally

- - -

West Indies win the toss and choose to bat

- - -

After an unforgettable first Test match, there was only one change out of the 22 players: Kenny Benjamin coming into the West Indian team in place of Ian Bishop. Every other player across both teams was adjudged to have done more than enough to keep their place. Indeed, once Lara won the toss and again opted to bat first, it seemed that everything was set up for a carbon copy of the series' first match.

The West Indies lost only one early wicket (Stuart Williams again clean bowled by Dean Headley) before Brian Lara stamped his authority on the game. After a session in which the hosts had barely crept past 50 runs, he took full advantage of a speculative over from Tufnell to ensure that it was they who went into the lunch interval with all the momentum. He kicked on early in the afternoon session to pass 50 with nine boundaries to his name, then breezing past his century an hour later with nine more boundaries. It was not until the very end of that session that Sherwin Campbell finally passed his own half-century. The masterclass was finally ended on 115 when the bounding Ben Hollioake bowled a bouncer that just got too big on the left-hander, taking the shoulder of the bat and flying high to gully's left.

The end of that partnership marked a sea-change for the English bowlers, as they (and in particular Hollioake and White) really asserted themselves on the second day. The 20-year-old all-rounder made it back-to-back five-fors by adding the wickets of Sherwin Campbell, David Williams, Jimmy Adams and Courtney Walsh to his bag, serving as Hick's go-to man to the extent that his overs may have to be carefully managed in the second innings. Again though, the West Indies' long tail counted against them in much the same way that England's used to in the dark days of Angus Fraser batting at number eight.

As a batter, there must be few things more frustrating than surviving the hostility of Walsh and Ambrose, only to job out to Nixon McLean. Unfortunately for him, that was the story of Mark Butcher's innings: trying to repair the damage of county teammate Alec Stewart's early dismissal, he ground out a stoic 19 before unexpectedly playing around a McLean half-volley. Remarkably, his 19 and Stewart's five were the two lowest scores in England's top eight as everybody got stuck in to contribute. Of particular note among the smaller contributions were a pair of 40s from all-rounders White and Hollioake, the latter coming at a run a ball pace and including a towering six of McLean. As the pitch deteriorated to the point that even Carl Hooper's off-breaks looked dangerous, these contributions and the 14-run lead the facilitated seemed invaluable.

One great perk of being head and shoulders above the rest of the batters in your team is that if you're in a tricky spot then you can just run them out instead of being run out yourself. So it was when Lara drove a ball straight to cover and started to run; rather than committing to the errant call, he sacrificed his partner Campbell so that he could carry on batting. One might argue this to be selfish, but it was also proven to be the right decision for the team as Lara breezed to an astonishing unbeaten 152. His contribution was the backbone of his team's 301 for four declared, which left England with a pretty unattainable 287 runs to score in just over two sessions. Despite Alan Mullally's excellence, the rest of the English bowling was pretty ropey, in particular Phil Tufnell from whom more has come to be expected on the fourth and fifth days of Test matches.

There was no question of England chasing the win on such a worn surface, especially not against the West Indian pace foursome. Surprisingly, the main breakthroughs came not from Ambrose and Walsh (though they did share three between them), but from Nixon McLean and in particular Kenny Benjamin, who bowled a truly outstanding ten-over spell. England had only two notable partnerships in their entire innings: the first was a century stand between the Graemes, Hick making an accomplished 60, Thorpe a nuggety 45. The other was a tenth-wicket stand between Jack Russell and Alan Mullally. Russell, a noted stonewaller, had been promoted to number six for his blocking powers. When Mullally arrived at number eleven, Russell had only progressed to one not out, such was the abject collapse of the English lower order (six wickets crumbled away for a mere seven runs). It would be a horribly difficult 12 overs for the last pair to try to survive.

BUT THEY ONLY WENT AND BLOODY DID IT... for eleven overs. Until Russell didn't quite manage to shield Mullally from Curtly Ambrose. The huge Antiguan dug in a ferocious short ball that Mullally poked at. It flew to Chanderpaul at gully who... dropped it. That was the West Indies' one with the cricketing gods, and even Courtney Walsh couldn't break the partnership. England escaped with the hairiest of draws, and the West Indies could consider themselves exceptionally hard done by not to be 2-0 up.

1638037215221.png

I'm also adding a Player of the Season award in the style of the Allan Border Medal - the Barrington Medal.

Drawn or lost match
Best player - 3 points
2nd best player - 2 points
3rd best player - 1 point

Won match
Best player - 5 points
2nd best player - 3 points
3rd best player - 2 points
4th best player - 1 point

Standings
1. Graham Thorpe - 6 points (+1)
2. Ben Hollioake - 5 points (+2)
=. Jack Russell - 5 points (+3)
4. Dean Headley - 1 point
 

Aislabie

Test Cricket is Best Cricket
Moderator
Ireland
PlanetCricket Award Winner
Joined
Sep 3, 2010
Location
Derbyshire
:wi: West Indies (0) vs (1) England :eng: - Third Test at Bourda

West Indies XI
:wi: :bat: Stuart Williams
:wi: :bat: Sherwin Campbell
:wi: :bat: Brian Lara
:wi: :bat: Shivnarine Chanderpaul
:wi: :ar: Carl Hooper
:wi: :bat: Jimmy Adams
:wi: :wk: David Williams
:wi: :bwl: Ian Bishop
:wi: :bwl: Curtly Ambrose
:wi: :bwl: Courtney Walsh
:wi: :bwl: Dinanath Ramnarine

England XI
:eng: :bat: Mike Atherton
:eng: :bat: Alec Stewart
:eng: :bat: Mark Butcher
:eng: :bat: Graeme Hick :c:
:eng: :bat: Graham Thorpe
:eng: :ar: Craig White
:eng: :wk: Jack Russell
:eng: :ar: Ben Hollioake
:eng: :ar: Robert Croft
:eng: :bwl: Phil Tufnell
:eng: :bwl: Alan Mullally

- - -

England win the toss and choose to bat

- - -

As one of the all-time great Test series continues, both teams made changes to suit the local Guyanese conditions. For the West Indies, leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine came into the team in place of McLean, while Kenny Benjamin made way for the returning Ian Bishop despite his stellar Day Five spell. For England, meanwhile, Robert Croft came into the team in place of Dean Headley as the team chose to pick two spinners - a strategy that worked particularly well when they had Peter Such at their disposal. Graeme Hick then backed up that decision by winning the all-important toss and choosing to bat first for the first time in the series.

Of course, winning the toss and batting first means sending out your batters to go and face Curtly Ambrose, a proposition that did not work out well for Alec Stewart or Mark Butcher who were both dismissed by the end of the third over. At five for two, this was the perfect moment for a captain's innings and Hick did not disappoint: a near five-hour innings in which no clear-cut chances were offered was enough to see Hick to his twelfth Test century and wrest the day back to net win for England. He did so with the support of Graham Thorpe, who is rapidly becoming England's best and most consistent run-scorer. Once they were both dismissed the innings crumbled as it so often does, but it is a huge credit to them that it did so from a position of strength, the tourists eventually finishing on a roughly par 333 all out.

Not for the first time, Ben Hollioake stepped up when needed with the ball, his twelfth wicket of the series breaking an opening partnership that had already passed 50. That said, Brian Lara at number three makes this something of a double-edged sword; on the one side, you've dismissed a set opener, but on the other hand you've just brought the world's most dangerous player to the crease. For some time, it looked as if Lara was destined for a third Test century in as many innings, only to be undone by a gloved sweep shot to the bowling of Tufnell: it ballooned up to keeper Russell, sending Lara back to the pavilion for a mere 43. This was a sign of things to come as the Test became increasingly spin-centric: between them, Tufnell and Croft shared six vital wickets as even the most dogged of Jimmy Adams half-centuries couldn't drag the hosts past 300. There was even a maiden Test wicket for Mark Butcher, brought on to bowl his medium-pace at the last wicket pair and immediately dismissing Walsh with a straight yorker half-volley.

So often in the past, Alec Stewart's finest innings have come when conditions are at their most treacherous and this Bourda Test proved no different. Accompanied most of the way by a stoic yet strokeless Michael Atherton, a sublime Stewart survived several some strong shouts for leg-before and then made his opportunity count to the fullest extent. By the end of his marathon eight-and-a-half hour innings, he had accumulated an unbeaten and unparalleled 159 runs as the West Indians tried no fewer than eight bowlers to see if they could dismiss him. They could not. After Stewart had led the players off at the end of Day Four with bat aloft, much of the talk in the media centre was about how many more runs England would need on the fifth morning before they declared.

The answer, it turned out, was no more runs. Graeme Hick bravely decided that the West Indies would not be able to chase down 297 runs on a Day Five pitch, and rolled the dice by announcing his declaration mere minutes before the scheduled start of play. This clearly unsettled the openers, with Sherwin Campbell falling for just one run in Mullally's third over. Unexpectedly, this would prove to be the only wicket to fall to a seam bowler in the fourth innings, as Robert Croft turned out to be the unlikely bowling hero with a five-wicket haul that included the essential wicket of Brian Lara as well as Chanderpaul, Stuart Williams, Adams and David Williams. Tufnell then added three tail-end scalps to his earlier wicket of Carl Hooper to secure the win with 57 runs and 40 minutes of play to spare.

A comfortable win in the end, and the first game where England could say with some confidence that they were on top throughout.

1638053274265.png

I'm also adding a Player of the Season award in the style of the Allan Border Medal - the Barrington Medal.

Drawn or lost match
Best player - 3 points
2nd best player - 2 points
3rd best player - 1 point

Won match
Best player - 5 points
2nd best player - 3 points
3rd best player - 2 points
4th best player - 1 point

Standings
1. Graham Thorpe - 8 points (+2)
2. Ben Hollioake - 5 points
=. Jack Russell - 5 points
=. Alec Stewart - 5 points (+5)
5. Graeme Hick - 3 points (+3)
6. Robert Croft - 1 point (+1)
=. Dean Headley - 1 point
 

Aislabie

Test Cricket is Best Cricket
Moderator
Ireland
PlanetCricket Award Winner
Joined
Sep 3, 2010
Location
Derbyshire
:wi: West Indies (0) vs (2) England :eng: - Fourth Test at Bridgetown

West Indies XI
:wi: :bat: Clayton Lambert
:wi: :bat: Philo Wallace
:wi: :bat: Brian Lara
:wi: :bat: Shivnarine Chanderpaul
:wi: :bat: Roland Holder
:wi: :ar: Carl Hooper
:wi: :wk: David Williams
:wi: :bwl: Nixon McLean
:wi: :bwl: Ian Bishop
:wi: :bwl: Curtly Ambrose
:wi: :bwl: Courtney Walsh

England XI
:eng: :bat: Mike Atherton
:eng: :bat: Alec Stewart
:eng: :bat: Nick Knight
:eng: :bat: Graeme Hick :c:
:eng: :bat: Graham Thorpe
:eng: :bat: Mark Ramprakash
:eng: :wk: Jack Russell
:eng: :ar: Ben Hollioake
:eng: :bwl: Darren Gough
:eng: :bwl: Phil Tufnell
:eng: :bwl: Alan Mullally

- - -

England win the toss and choose to bat

- - -

As England go into the fourth Test needing only to take home a draw to clinch the season, they've made a couple of changes in order to do so. Out are Mark Butcher and Craig White, who both struggled for runs in the first three Tests, and in are Nick Knight and Mark Ramprakash to reinforce the batting. Also out is Robert Croft, who was not preferred to a third seamer - though many were surprised that it was Darren Gough who was preferred to Dean Headley as his replacement. Meanwhile, the home side did that thing they sometimes do where they panic and replace half of the batting order in some sort of elaborate tantrum: in this case, Clayton Lambert, Philo Wallace and Roland Holder have all been parachuted in for... some reason. They also set aside spinner Ramnarine for a return of Nixon McLean.

Brian Lara didn't miss a beat after winning the toss, immediately choosing to bat first as if he personally wanted best use of the pitch. Shockingly though, it was quite some time before he got to do so: the opening partnership was unbroken until the 29th over of the game, when Ben Hollioake angled a ball into Lambert that the left-hander turned straight into the waiting hands of Atherton in the leg-side. It was at this point that Graeme Hick's gameplan became explicitly clear: from the very first ball of the Trinidadian's innings, boundary riders were sent out and he was offered the option of a single. Not that he always took it: in yet another masterful display, he launched 22 fours and four sixes en route to a 167-ball 159 that utterly dominated the West Indian innings in which nobody else could reach 30. The English bowlers were relentless at the other end, in particular the excellent Mullally who was rewarded with excellent figures of three for 57 from his 21 and a bit overs. And all in all, the gameplan worked: the West Indies were bowled out for 316 just before the end of the first day.

The English batters knew they had two jobs: firstly to bat long, and secondly to pick up runs while they did so. If there's one person in the world who that suits perfectly, it's Michael Atherton. His innings was diametrically opposite to Lara's free-flowing masterclass, but ultimately if you bat for over eight hours against an attack that features Ambrose, Bishop and Walsh then you're doing a whole lot right. En route to his hundred, he found excellent support from Nick Knight (78), Graeme Hick (38), and Graham Thorpe (57). Once Jack Russell, Darren Gough and even Phil Tufnell had hung around for a little while, the West Indies must have been deeply regretting the lack of a specialist spinner just to take some of the overs away from the big fast bowlers. In fact, the only batter who didn't hang around was the returning Mark Ramprakash: his innings lasted just one ball, which he wafted feebly at to be caught behind.

Five and a half overs into the West Indian second innings came the biggest moment of the entire series: having already dismissed Phil Wallace caught behind, the fired-up Darren Gough had Brian Lara in his sights. He ran in hard and dug in a short, fast delivery. The fearless batter went to hook it. There was a crunch, and he went down. It was immediately obvious to all concerned that he would not be in a fit state to continue batting, and with him out of the way England were free to attack at both ends. Gough and Tufnell both absolutely starred with ball in hand: the fast man returned figures of three wickets (not including the maiming of Lara) for just 20 runs, while the spinner brought up his 26th Test five-wicket haul. For the WIndies, it was a sorry display: nobody in their top-six contributed more than Carl Hooper's 15, and if not for another surprising contribution from David Williams they would have lost comfortably by an innings.

With just 24 runs needed to win, England sent out Nick Knight and Mark Ramprakash for a little bit of a confidence booster. Ramprakash didn't get the memo at all: instead of notching up a nice 10 not out, he missed the first ball he faced from Ambrose to be trapped LBW for a king pair. Knight too was dismissed before England reached their target, trying to drive the winning runs on the up, but an eight-wicket victory to secure the series win is absolutely not to be sniffed at.

Now that the series is comfortably in the bag and Brian Lara is out of commission, it will be interesting to see which players if any the England team management choose to rest up.

1639131279769.png

I'm also adding a Player of the Season award in the style of the Allan Border Medal - the Barrington Medal.

Drawn or lost match
Best player - 3 points
2nd best player - 2 points
3rd best player - 1 point

Won match
Best player - 5 points
2nd best player - 3 points
3rd best player - 2 points
4th best player - 1 point

Standings
1. Graham Thorpe - 8 points
2. Darren Gough - 5 points (+5)
=. Ben Hollioake - 5 points
=. Jack Russell - 5 points
=. Alec Stewart - 5 points
6. Michael Atherton - 3 points (+3)
=. Graeme Hick - 3 points
8. Phil Tufnell - 2 points (+2)
9. Robert Croft - 1 point
=. Dean Headley - 1 point
=. Alan Mullally - 1 point (+1)
 

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