SPIN December 2010 Sampler

DECEMBER 2010 £3.95

T HE I NDEP ENDEN T V O I C E O F CR I C K E T

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HOW THE BANGLAS

HOW THE ASHES WILL BE WON BY MIKE ATHERTON 9 771745 299042

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10 LEADING EDGEA chat with Sir Garfield Sobers and

Wes Hall; Kapil Dev in the Lancashire League. Plus: does cricket make you go bald?

16JAMES ANDERSON England attack spearhead on

conquering shyness, surviving the ’06 Ashes and the benefits of Peter Moores.

20BANGLADESH? LOOK OUT Did the Banglas’ 4-0 win over New

Zealand mean they have finally turned a corner? Bowling coach Ian Pont says, ‘Yes’.

30STEVEN FINN England pacer talks first cars, near-

hat-tricks and trips to Watford with Dirk Nannes. And does a bit of singing, too.

34INSIDE THE ASHES Was the pre-Ashes hype surrounding

England’s chances built on sand? SPIN weighs up a rollercoaster series.

38MICHAEL ATHERTON Sky Sports expert and ex-Ashes

captain considers some of the key points that will decide the series.

46ZULQARNAIN HAIDER The full story of the Pakistan wicket-

keeper and the latest chapter in cricket’s

match-fixing saga. Plus Jarrod Kimber on why no nation has cause for complacency.

52CRICKET IN CHINA Aminul Islam, the man behind the

mission to turn the world’s biggest nation onto cricket, speaks exclusively to SPIN.

56ALEC STEWART Why making him keep wicket was a

mistake – and why this England team is better than any he played in.

62ASHES GLORY, !"/!# STYLE The full story of Mike Gatting’s

victorious England team, in an extract from Huw Turbervill’s excellent new book.

REGULARS

24 SUBSCRIBE TO SPIN Brilliant offers. No catch. 68 BOOKS70 MASTERCLASS Gary Palmer on why the on-drive is the root of good technique74 CALENDAR76 ICC RANKINGS82 THE THIRD UMPIREFurther railing against lame cricket media from our man on the sofa.

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SUBSCRIBE TO SPIN, CALL 01283 742 970

Welcome to issue 58 of SPIN, the UK’s only independent cricket magazine. We’re in the midst of yet another nervewrangling, rollercoaster Ashes series: much of the pre-series hype was disproved in the first Test at Brisbane and the jury may well still be out until the final Test. So we’ve tried (unlike everyone else) to avoid predictions as, this issue, James Anderson, Steven Finn, Mike Atherton and Alec Stewart take us inside the series. We also look back at the last England side to win Down Under. Plus loads of other good stuff, detailed on the right there. Guarantee your SPIN every month with our offer on page 24. Join us at spincricket.com and on twitter. Enjoy the magazine! Message ends.

SPINDECEMBER 2010

Contents

THE TALE OF THE TAPETHE THIRD UMP’S MONTH IN CRICKET TV

biggest hit. “If this ain’t love, why does it feel so good?” Seriously!

19 mins We’re on the train to London, where Broad is going to do some celeb-type things. Stadlen: “So, when you decided to become an England cricketer, if that’s the right way of putting it, I don’t know, did you take into account there was going to be this fame thing as well?” Next question: “Are you living the dream?” The Richard Dimbleby de nos jours and no mistake.

24 mins And then – while we’re still on the train – the film ends! The ‘day’ in the day in the life is all over at teatime! I feel relieved and short-changed all at once. With Stadlen’s nervous non-questions cut out, there might have been a salvageable tightly-edited 10-minute featurette here. But Broad is poorly served by this limp home-movie, which, for producer/presenter Stadlen, has the air of a multi-media resignation letter.

25 mins A post-”credits” coda: Broad is asking Stadlen what grade he has his hair shaved on. If Stadlen had started production by drawing a Venn diagram, with “homo-erotic” and “pointless” as the two subsets – and who is to say that he didn’t? – he could now pretty safely colour in the intersection between the two. In black ink. Twice.www.twitter.com/thethirdumpire

As the whole grim 25 minutes of BBC News’ On the Road with Stuart Broad unfolds, one thing becomes all too clear:

with his weird vocabulary – “pleasing”, “thrive”, “fortunate” – and bland non-answers, Broad has apparently had more media training than hapless presenter Matthew Stadlen, his shakycam crew and their bland non-questions. Which is maybe the wrong way round. No?

1 min Stadlen and Broad are in a massive kitchen at, apparently, Loughborough (though we are never told). “Early start,” says Stadlen, looking slightly shifty, by way of a question. “Very early start, yeah, 6.30,” agrees Broad. “We’ve got to establish one thing right from the beginning,” insists Stadlen. “How tall are you, because I’ve got shoes on.” Gordon Bennett.

Broad says he’s 6ft6. We’re on the way! “I’ve noticed you’re on tea duties!” says

Stadlen, pointing to a load of cups lined up on the worktop. “Twelfth man duties!”

“I do enjoy my tea,” says Broad. “I probably have to start every morning with a cup of Tetleys. So I crack on and make it.”

Only 23 minutes and 39 seconds to go.

2 mins 23 Stadlen is grinning uneasily and shifting from foot to foot, fazed either by Broad’s good looks or by the fact that this ramshackle effort really is being funded by the BBC. He asks Broad about being young but having responsibilities on and off the field. “Yeah, it’s something I thrive on,” says Broad. “Thrive”? Who talks like this?

3mins 13 “Easy question this, I think,” posits the New Parkinson. “How much will it mean to you to win the Ashes in Australia this winter?” Is this an easy question? Or is it a rubbish question?

5mins 15. Broad gets out of his car. “So just talk me through the car,” says the BBC man, breathlessly. I know! These are the people striking for a 200k pension! Broad: “Yeah, we’re very fortunate [“fortunate”!] that Jaguar sponsor us and we all get a choice of what car we’d like and, being 24, I went for the sports car. It’s a beautiful car…” And on and on (“boot space”, “wouldn’t change it for anything” etc). Hmmmm.

6mins. “Talk us through what we’re doing now,” probes MS. Broad: “We’re at Stapleford Park: it’s a lovely country retreat, I’m a member at the golf course and the country club. I find golf a bit of an escape. It’s a beautiful area. It’s a Championship-style golf course. It’s a beautiful place to come.” Alright! We get it! Give us the number!

7 mins The boyz are in the changing room. “You spend a lot of your life in changing rooms,” says Stadlen grinning. Broady grins back. “Yeah, a lot! You get very close to your team-mates and you have a good laugh. It’s a great place to be. Experienced fellas, young fellas: we’re having a great time together and long may that continue.” As the shaven-headed Stadlen looks admiringly at goldilocks Broady, the whole set-up suggests nothing so much as an ad for a “men-only” spa, being shown in a local cinema. Except that that would be better produced.

8-13 mins. Gym session. Awkward male bonding brilliantly accompanied by an instrumental version of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s

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‘How tall are you, because I’m

wearing shoes?’ asks the New Parky

BACK PAGE THE THIRD UMPIRE’S CLUB

Broad: wistful at BBC production values. Possibly

LEADING EDGE

18 SPIN DECEMBER 2010

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FANS PARLIAMENT

game than they currently do, but a line would have to be drawn somewhere. There would perhaps be more scope for fan involvement with their counties as ticket prices, ground improvement, matchday experience etc should all be discussed more between clubs and paying fans than they are at the moment. I don’t think that there should be a fan representative on the ECB board, but instead more county involvement in the running of the ECB. This in turn would provide better links throughout the system because at the moment it does feel a bit like “us and them” in terms of fans and those in charge of the game.

Member for Lancashire Craig Tranter When I heard that the 2011 County season will have the same formats, I quite literally wanted to bang my head several times against a brick wall in sheer utter frustration. It’s quite clear that the ECB and the counties DO NOT listen to the paying public and I firmly do believe that the ECB should hire knowledgeable supporter representatives from each of the 18 first-class counties and somehow try and work together to improve all aspects of the county game, make watching county cricket more appealing, give proper value for money and make it affordable for all.

With the salary cap being introduced for next season, financially counties will find it tough to entice the top players and breed new talent and the only way to make alternative forms of revenue is by charging high ticket admission prices. In the current financial climate, for T20 group games especially, people will simply not turn up and gate receipts will be down.

Overall I wish the ECB revert back to four competitions (Leave the LVCC as it is; revert the T20 back to a three-week format, with no more than eight group games; play the CB40 as one division, with all matches played at weekends; and, finally, bring back a straightforward FA Cup-style 50-over knockout cup, with every county plays a minor county in the first round. Simples!

Member for Middx (west) Elizabeth AmmonWhilst I acknowledge that it’s an impossible task trying to please everyone the ECB seem to manage frequently to get themselves into a position where they don’t actually please anyone. Trying to cram three competitions into around five months is always going to be a tricky ask. However, it must be remembered that county cricket is a spectator sport. It doesn’t exist purely for the players or for the purposes of having a

successful national side. There are very few avenues for regular county cricket

spectators to give their views on the amount of cricket, the schedules or the formats. County cricket committees tend to be made of white middle age men, mostly ex-players, and are therefore not very representative of the type of people who come to watch cricket. At the very least the ECB and the counties need to find better ways of surveying not just county members but those who just come to watch the odd day or two.

What we have ended up with for 2011 is a situation where

Paying punters have their say on issues of the day

This month The 2011 county season will have the same structure as 2010. Are you happy? And should

supporters be represented on the ECB?

Member for Kent Sarah AnsellI’ve mixed feelings. I’m extremely relieved that the County Championship has been left alone but frustrated by the announcement that the Twenty20 has not reverted to its pre-2010 format. That worked for me. Irrespective of football World Cups etc, the economic climate dictates that most people simply can’t afford eight T20 matches plus the associated expenditure. Eight games dilutes the competition. Lower crowds make it harder to generate the kind of atmosphere that has made T20 so popular and attracted new cricket fans.

I’m particularly disheartened that the ECB has chosen to ignore the widespread criticism from both cricketers and supporters. Players have long called for a reduction in the fixture list. Returning the T20 to three groups of six would shave six days plus travelling time off the season – Kent v Glamorgan, for example, is hardly a local derby. It just smacks of arrogance that the people who matter most – the cricketers and the paying public – should be so little regarded. Respecting and nurturing the people who come to watch is essential for cricket to continue – alienate the fans and they won’t come through the gate.

Sarah blogs at Sarahcanterbury.com

Member for Hampshire Josh TaylorThe news that the county format was not going to be reviewed for 2011 was not exactly a surprise. I had hoped,, like many supporters, that the T20 would be reduced back to ten group games for each team but money and incompetence was always going to win out in the end – why would you leave a two-month gap between the end of a tournament and a review of it? At least the County Championship will remain the same and there are still a decent number of one-day matches.

I do think that fans should have more of a hand in running the

Finals Day was as big an occasion as ever – but have extra group games diluted the positive impact of T20?

DECEMBER 2010 SPIN 19

there was not a lot to lose in once again tinkering with the structure to produce a format that is best for cricket and best for the counties.

Technically, supporters run the game already. Members vote in their club’s officers and have the power to remove them if they are not representing the membership. But this system clearly hasn’t removed any power from the chief executive’s office and supporters continue to be ignored – an ECB poll a few years ago was so heavily weighted to providing the answer they wanted to hear: that there was demand for 50-over cricket to be scrapped. It shouldn’t need a supporter presence on the ECB board for supporters’ views to be heard – supporters voted with their feet last year.

To ignore a clear message that something isn’t right is the folly of the ECB. twitter.com/gloscccradio

Member for Northants Martyn SmithI think that fans should definitely have more say as the main aim of these tournaments is surely to attract crowds and generate revenue. There should be some consultation before the fixture list is decided. There should be club representatives involved as well and from this the fixture list could be decided – such as playing all Twenty20 games on a Friday night.I think with so many T20 home fixtures there needs to be a reduction in ticket prices or some better deals on offer than last season. I would be more encouraged to go more if this were the case – but £15 or more per match is not an attractive option.

Member for Essex Simon DewhurstIt seems to me that the ECB continue to be more concerned with their financial position than the good of the game in England. They have decided not to shorten the Twenty20 season despite widespread criticism from pundits and punters alike – surely this will only lead to greater apathy from the true cricket fans? The ECB should be looking at developing future England stars rather than pleasing the counties with financial incentives.

Despite the economic climate, there have been few attempts to stop counties going bust with many including Essex pushing ahead with expensive ground developments even though they have suffered large losses in the last 18 months.

The ECB board should consist of more people who are impartial followers of the game such as ex-players and supporters – this way the interests of England cricket would come before the priorities of the county chairmen all the time.

we have a 40-over competition that has no identity and has too many meaningless games, the “proper” cricket shoved into the cold ends of the season and 40million T20 fixtures. The ECB working party have time now to really consult properly with a wide range of stakeholders and have an opportunity to try and get this right. Whether they will or not is an entirely different matter. Lizzy blogs at legsidelizzy.com

Member for Middx Gareth BlakeWith cricket often seeming too complicated to follow by the masses, I always find it hard to understand why the ECB choose to change the county format every year making even the most diehard supporter unsure as to what they can expect in the next season. We shouldn’t count out stability as being a good thing, even if it has fallen within a structure that hasn’t been well received by supporters and even by players.

Both supporters and players, however, should not need a voice on the ECB’s Board to be heard and I make the obvious point that without either of them, there would be no county cricket at all. But even clear and negative signs such as falling attendances in the Twenty20 Cup and a number of players publically complaining that there are too many games, have not been effective. If the ECB continue to see more of that next season and they don’t act, it doesn’t seem a healthy situation for the sport overall.

But I will certainly be supporting Middlesex next season and I’m sure everyone reading this will continue to support their teams. I often see cricket as trying too hard to find a new audience – so even in these circumstances I find myself believing that no change, could actually make a (good) change.

Member for Gloucestershire Alex WinterKeeping the structure the same as last year is ludicrous. Absolutely nonsensical. No-one enjoyed the scheduling – players and supporters were both against it. For most counties, the structure didn’t lend itself to maximising revenues and didn’t allow players to perform to their best all the time. The cricket was cheapened and supporters were often short changed – particularly in the T20s.

The argument that it would be confusing to change the schedule again is also far-fetched. Supporters did not like last year’s structure. Not as many of them turned up, so why would any organisation persist with a format that they realise is unpopular purely on the basis of trying to provide some stability in the structure of the season? Stability won’t change the popularity of the structure.

Everyone takes it as given that cricket fixtures are a mess, so

fans parliament

Join the Fans Parliament at spincricket.com

Notts won the title –but are Championship games

properly scheduled?

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ALEC STEWARTMY LIFE IN CRICKET

England’s most capped player on the folly of making him keep wicket, why the class of 2010 is better than anything he played with… and whether it makes him sad to see Surrey struggling.

LIFE IN CRICKET STEWART


SPIN: You lost seven series against Australia. Does it frustrate you that you never won the Ashes? Not really. You play in the era you’re given. When I played, we weren’t a great side and Australia were the best side in the world by a mile. They were right up there alongside Clive Lloyd’s West Indies as the best side ever. I never started a game thinking I was going to lose. But, at the same time, I knew that, man for man, they were the better side. It’s hard to admit that, but you have to deal in facts. It didn’t stop me trying to win.

We had our moments on the tour where I was captain [1998-99]. We got out of jail in the first Test when it rained in Brisbane, then we lost in Perth and Adelaide. But then we won that great game in Melbourne [Stewart scored a century and England won by 12 runs] and went to Sydney with a great chance of levelling the series 2-2. Yes, they had retained the Ashes, but it would have been great to level the series and, after the win, we had great belief in the squad.

If Simon Taufel had given Michael Slater run-out – and replays show he was out by a couple of inches, or as you’d call it, 12 inches – I still believe, to this day, that we would have won that Test match. We lost by the number of runs that Slater went on to score [Slater scored 123 in all, England lost by 98]. There’s a big difference between 3-1 and 2-2, isn’t there? But I wouldn’t say I’m bitter about it. You get over it.

Have Australia lost their aura? They don’t have the aura they once had and they don’t have the match-changing players they once had. They’re still a fine side, but they’re not the side they were. I was playing club cricket out there in 1986/87, the last time England won the Ashes in Australia and I saw what it was like. Dad was manager then. We won everything: The Ashes; The Americas Cup; the Perth Challenge and then Sharjah. So I was able to give out plenty.

The public won’t suddenly turn on Australia if they lose one match, but if they lose again, the team will start to feel the pressure. And this England side is a lot better than the England side that I played in.

Is it? Man for man, yes. We had seven, eight, or sometimes nine top-class players – Atherton, Stewart, Thorpe, Fraser, Caddick, Hussain, Gough etc – but we didn’t have the strength in depth to cover if anyone was injured or out of form. You only get that with continuity of selection. In those days, players were out of the side if they had a bad Test or two. Now everything – such as central contracts and continuity of selection – is geared towards helping the England side. If Ramprakash and Hick had played now – with the support that the players enjoy – then they’d have averaged nearer 50. They had the ability to do that.

What do you think was the turning point for English cricket? Duncan Fletcher was quite outstanding. He didn’t get the credit he deserved because he didn’t play the media game, but his contribution to English cricket is massive. David Lloyd [coach 1996-99] started the improvement. His ideas were good, but there weren’t the finances in place to have central contracts. Then Duncan came in and helped force through central contracts. That was a very

important development. Now, nothing is left to chance.

Do you like the look of the current England squad? Yes, this England side covers all bases. For a start, they have great leadership. The England lads play for Andrew Strauss. He sets a fine example in the way he plays and the way he carries himself. Just look at the adult way he dealt with the idiot chairman of the PCB and his stupid comments.

They’ve the flamboyant players such as Pietersen, Bell and Morgan; the solid, dependable types such as Collingwood, Strauss and Cook; two wicket-keepers who can turn the game in a session with their strokeplay; a world-class spinner and nice variety in their pace bowling.

Where they’ve very good is that they’re used to winning but they play for each other. They know they have to perform, but they know that if they miss out, they’ll stay in the side. Mentally, that makes such a difference.

Are you worried about Alastair Cook? No. Mentally he’s very strong, but he’ll always have to fight his technique, particularly if the ball goes off the straight.

That’s quite a drawback for an opener... Well it is, but I think, this calendar year, he’s scored more Test hundreds than any other year in his career [Good stats: Cook has three centuries in 2010, including two in Bangladesh at the start of the year]. He averages over 40 – which is a good effort – and he’s shown he can score runs against good teams. Had he not scored that hundred against Pakistan, it would have really tested the selectors, but if his technique is right, I’m not worried.

What happens if he struggles? Good question. I think it would be a mistake to ask Trott to open. You don’t want to weaken a strength and he’s proved a solid, dependable No 3. That’s

‘If Ramprakash and Hick were playing now, with the support players get, they’d average closer to 50…’



FIRST & LAST

England new(ish) boy on the merits of G Swann’s comedy, Watford FC, and getting whacked on his second XI debut

First proper job?Middlesex County Cricket Club. I was lucky I got signed when I was 15 just turning 16, so that was the first time I got my national insurance number and I was being paid by Middlesex. I don’t know if you could call it a proper job. Lots of people would argue.

First match you were paid to play?I’ve never been paid by a club, so, it was strange actually being paid to do something I love whilst I was still doing my GCSEs. It was incredible. But I don’t think there was any pressure on a particular game. I didn’t suddenly feel it. The club [Langleybury] that I play for were always very welcoming and I still go back there now and everybody takes the piss out of me; I’m not put up on a pedestal at all. I’ve moved from there to West Herts, but even at West Herts… I enjoy playing cricket.

I like to think I haven’t been different. I always change my bags, take my kit out and put it in plain [non-England] bags and get a plain helmet and stuff.

Last thing you learned?I’ve learned a lot this summer, I’m learning all the time. It’s massively important to be patient and I think patience this summer has been the underlying key. At times I can become a little bit impatient and I think that works against me. Sitting back and reviewing everything I’ve done this summer, I think I could be a little bit more patient. I think every time you go out and play Test cricket you learn so much about different situations and you’re able to relate to those situations when you get put in

them again. Test cricket is hard. Strauss says it would be called ‘Easy Cricket’ if it wasn’t hard.

First time you bowled 500 overs in a season?In 2009 – and close to it again this summer. Since the end of the season, I’ve been doing a lot of running for endurance and becoming more robust, continuing the stuff I was doing in the middle of the season. Working hard on my fitness. Maybe not be quite as intense as before because I feel the need for a break after bowling nearly 500 overs. But it’s important I don’t rest on my laurels and I want to make myself a better cricketer.

How far did you go

on your last run?The last time I was

running was interval training, so it would

have been six reps of about 50-metre sprints. It’s 30 seconds, you run for seven seconds, as far as you can and

then you’ve 23 seconds to walk back

to the start, go again and do that six times.

Then do three sets of that, two minutes between sets.

First match-winning performance?For Hertfordshire under-12s: I took 5/23 against Buckinghamshire, I think. But don’t quote me on that.

First hat-trick?I was on a hat-trick in that under-12s game but didn’t get it. I got wicket, wicket, no-

ball, wicket. I’ve never taken a hat-trick.

Last professional sports event you paid to see?

I went to see Watford play against Chelsea at Stamford

Bridge in the FA Cup last year. Lost miserably [5-0]. I love

Watford. I had a season ticket when I was younger. The last game I

went to at Vicarage Road was the one where the ref gave the goal that didn’t go in the back of the net against Reading. It still stings. I took Dirk Nannes [maverick Middlesex and Australia fast bowler] to see that game actually; he loved it. It was his first-ever game of football. That was 2008.

First car?A Ford Fiesta, N-reg, purple, little tape recorder in it. 44,000 miles when I got it. Loved it.

Last music you bought?I bought something off iTunes the other day… Alexandra Burke’s new song... What’s it called? I remember how it goes… I can sing it...

First player to astonish you?In my first-ever second XI game when I was 16 [in July 2005] I was playing against a Kent team with [Martin] Saggers – this was the year that he played Test cricket – [Robbie] Joseph, [Alamgir] Sheriyar and [David] Stiff. I went into bat and I had two thigh guards on, a chest pad and Robbie Joseph hit me on the head and that was me.

I ducked straight into a length ball and it hit me on the back of the head and concussed me. I was retired out. I just

STEVE FINN

Top: Langer and Trescothick, the last players to astonish the young Finn. Above left: celebrating with England

FIRST & LASTwasn’t very experienced in batting then, it’s a big jump up from playing club cricket with guys bowling 70s to go in and face blokes bowling mid-80s. It was when I found out how quick professional bowlers could bowl.

…That’s it, the Alexandra Burke record’s called Start Without You!

Last player to astonish you?My first year in the first team, 2007, where I played my first lot of one-day games. I played against Somerset at Taunton and bowled at [Marcus] Trescothick and [Justin] Langer. I bowled quite well, I got 3/23 off eight overs, but the way they lined the ball up was extraordinary. I was 18, just left school and bowling at Langer and Trescothick…

Last thing that you Sky-plussed?The Inbetweeners on Monday night.

Last good joke that Graeme Swann told?Ohhhh. Has he ever told one? Swanny said something quite funny on Twitter the other day actually. I follow him, unfortunately. He said: “When going out to bat always wear a hat,” said a wise man. Advice that was obviously ignored by the queue of freshers at the clap clinic this morning.” And he saw it on the TV. He says.

Last thing you worked on with David Saker, the England bowling coach?Me and Sakes have worked on plans for batsmen rather than bowling actions. I like to think I’ve got a generally good technique and a pretty safe one. If you’re playing international cricket you’ve got something you’re offering the team that no-one else does. But I can still improve technically. A lot of it is based on strength.

The important thing is to work out the batsman. Everyone in the dressing-room is always having constant conversations as to how to work out who’s in and who’s coming in next. It’s about having a plan and then sticking to it, because if you fluctuate too much from a plan everything becomes a bit higgledy-piggledy: you have a plan and the second he gets to 20 you change the plan and when he gets to 40 you change again…

there’s nothing that’s constant, so I think it’s important to have the

consistency to stick to the plans and it’s up to the

captain to recognise the situation when the plan needs

to be changed.It’s about working out how to get

batsmen to play at a ball they don’t want to. If you can drag a batsman across his crease and trap him in front for instance.

With David before the match and during the breaks we’ll talk about plans but when it’s us on the pitch we have to recognise the situations. At Lord’s in the last Test this summer, Pakistan were struggling to pick up the fuller ball I was bowling, because it was coming out of the crowd so that’s when I started bowling fuller and I got Umar Akmal bowled and Amir LBW.

Last time you compared natural lengths with Stuart Broad? I’ve never measured it like that. I know when I feel it coming of my hand whether it’s going to land on the right length or not. I’d say maybe my length’s a little shorter than Broady’s, my natural length, because Broady swings it, I don’t really swing it, I rely on the nip. Because I do that and bowl

with a scrambled seam, I have to hit the deck very hard for it to move either way.

At times the seam will come down straight, at times it will come down scrambled; it’s a bit of a lottery at the moment! It’s up to me to control that later in my career but at the moment all I can focus on is where the ball lands, rather than what it lands on. But when I get more used to my body and bowl more overs and become more consistent I can start worrying about other things like that.

First coach?My first coach was a bloke called Mike

Dunn. He was my first county coach at Herts Under-11 and he was fantastic, I still speak to him every now and again. He’s one of my dad’s very good friends. My first-ever coaches were Lee Kirby and David Williams at Langleybury cricket club: they ran the under-8 colts. That’s where it started. They did it from 8 to 15. They let me open the batting, which was a bit of a crime. I love my batting and I actually work very hard on it, but it’s easy for me to mock it – so I do. I think I’ve showed this

summer that at times, if needed, I can hang around for people at the

other end. I know I need to improve, at the moment

I’m not the most accomplished batsman, but I’m backing myself in the future.

Last time that you bowled

90mph?A TV game against Essex at

Chelmsford. I got up to 93, I think. I’ve definitely added pace, but

it’s not been a conscious thing, it’s more getting to know my body and becoming more economical in my action and just bowling a lot helps massively.

Interview: Matthew Pryor. Steven Finn will play in the Ashes against Australia with the adidas Libro bat, perfect for the player who likes to attack off the back foot or play the ball on the rise. For stockists call 0870 240 4204

Finn with his Adidas Libro; inset, leading the way in training. Below: in action v Western Australia



ENGLAND’S LAST WIN DOWN UNDER

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Mike Gatting’s tourists were mocked on arrival in 1986. But, inspired by Ian Botham and Chris Broad, they brought back the urn in style, as this extract from Huw Turbervill’s new book shows.

England were glad to have Botham back. He had returned to play in the sixth Test of the summer after serving a three-month ban for admitting

he had smoked cannabis. He had his wife, Kathy, with him on tour, following his unhappy time in the Caribbean the winter before. Finally, on the eve of the first Test, a line was drawn under the socialising of the first weeks of the tour, and it was time to get serious. “The night before the Brisbane Test,’ said Gladstone Small, “Beefy, who had been culprit No. 1, said, ‘Right, the party is over’. We’d had our fun and games, now the senior players came together.”

Gatting was not convinced by all the negativity surrounding his party as they flew Down Under. He said: “I had a basic confidence in the side. All that stuff about our being the ‘worst team to leave England’s shores’ – how could it be when you had Botham, Gower, Lamb [and] Phil Edmonds?”

An Australian rebel tour to South Africa that winter had deprived the official side of Terry Alderman, Rodney Hogg and Carl Rackemann, and they also left out Lawson because he had played only two first-class games in ten months. Instead they opted for Merv Hughes and the two left-armers, Bruce Reid and Chris Matthews. The seamers had only nine Test caps between them. “The attack was really inexperienced,”

said Lawson. “I said to the selector, Greg Chappell, ‘Mate, I’m not pushing my own barrow here, but you’ve got it wrong’.”

They had indeed, as England won their first Test in 11 matches. To compound their errors in selection, Australia won the toss in Brisbane and put England in. At the end of day one the tourists were 198 for two. The next day, thanks to Botham’s 138, they reached 456. “The inexperience of the Australian faster bowlers clearly showed, fortunately for us,” said Gatting. Australia made 248 in reply, and, following on for the first time at home since 1965/66, they scored 282, Marsh holding up England with 110.

England then reached their victory target of 75 with only three wickets down. “The Australian media had been over-confident after their result in India [they ended a string of defeats by drawing the three-Test series 0–0],” said Chris Broad. “They felt England were not going to be a threat. Maybe we caught them cold. Botham’s innings was crucial. Gone was the bored, crabby team-mate of 1984; instead he was tremendously supportive, continually positive and resolutely determined to come out on top.”

Steve Waugh conceded: “[The dismissal] of England’s chances had been ridiculous when you consider they had players of such class as Lamb, Gatting, Gower, Botham and [Graham] Dilley, while we really had only one proven performer in Border.”

While England had upped their game for

(From left to right) Skipper Mike Gatting, keeper Jack Richards and legend Ian Botham celebrate Gladstone Small’s five-for in Sydney


the Tests, their approach to the state matches was still not what it might have been, judging by the subsequent eight-wicket defeat against New South Wales at Newcastle, in which they were dismissed for 82 in the second innings. But they maintained their Test form with a draw in Perth. England won the toss and made 592/8 declared, their second highest total in Australia. Broad announced himself with 162, and shared an opening stand of 223 with Bill Athey, who made 96. Gower, with 136, and wicket-keeper Jack Richards, 133 in only his second Test, took England out of reach.

It was Richards’s only Test century. “As a Cornishman, it was enough for me to play in one Test,” he said. “After Brisbane my nerves disappeared.” Australia did just enough to make the game safe, reaching 401, with Border scoring 125 and avoiding the follow-on with No. 11 Reid. England tried to set up a victory by making 199/8, but erred on the side of caution. Australia needed 391 on the final day, and although the pitch had sizeable cracks, the hosts finished on 197/4.

“Perth was an absolute belter,” said Broad. “It was perfect for me as a batsman – pure pace and bounce. Once you were through the new ball, it was ‘help yourself’. It was touch and go if Australia would save the game. The cracks were quite wide, but Border’s hundred was magnificent. You could tell how much saving the follow-on meant to him. He was absolutely delighted and didn’t disguise that.”

Emburey was full of praise for England’s openers. “We didn’t have [Graham] Gooch

on that tour, which everyone said was a huge loss, but the partnership Broad struck up with Athey came off .”

Gatting made a century in the third Test in Adelaide, which was also drawn. England were without Botham who had torn an intercostal muscle, ending a sequence of 29 Test appearances against Australia. Australia won the toss, and made 514 for five declared. England replied with 455 on a benign pitch, Broad making 116 and Gatting 100. The hosts made 201/3 declared, Border reaching another century. England finished on 39/2 to complete a match aggregate of 1,209 runs for 20 wickets. It had been mostly cool and cloudy over the five days and it was not an enthralling encounter: one female spectator even did her ironing on the

2Number of times England have won at Brisbane in 16 Tests since world War II – in 1978 and 1986


boundary’s edge on the fifth day!If Australia believed they were a match

for England after the second and third Tests, they threw the series away in Melbourne in the fourth Test, starting on Boxing Day. England won by an innings and 14 runs within three days to retain the Ashes.

Border had said, in a pre-match interview, that to resurrect their chances in the series, Australia had to play boldly. Maybe that explained their adventurous approach after England had won the toss. They collapsed to 141 all out with Botham and Small taking five wickets each. Waugh called it an “abysmal showing”, and said: “The worst part of our display was that Botham took five wickets on his reputation alone ... long hops were nicked to the keeper or chopped on to the stumps; it was the presence and aura of a great cricketer that had us spellbound.”

Broad said: “Australia threw it away, but we caught well all tour – Richards, Botham,

and led by the unsung hero Athey, at shortleg or short midwicket.”

Gatting was pleased that his hunch about Small had proved correct. He said: “Graham Dilley came up to me 20 minutes before I had to toss up and said, ‘I’ve done my knee in’, and we had to choose between Gladstone and Neil Foster. We chose Gladstone and after his first over, he’d hardly hit the mown track. I thought, ‘I’ve picked the wrong one here’.”

Small recovered in style, though. “It was my first Test in Australia and I’d been having a good tour. I was leading wicket-taker on the tour. My confidence was up. I didn’t think I was in the team, so I took part in the normal warm-up, then went back to the dressing room and started to mix the drinks. Gatt walked past and said, ‘Stoney, leave that, you’re playing’. There was no time to get nervous. I had played for South Australia the previous winter, so I had a taste and feel for the country; I had played at all the grounds, and I’d got Boonie [one of his five victims] out a couple of times when he was playing for Tasmania.

“Botham had a side strain, but he said, ‘We’re 1–0 up in the Ashes in Australia with two to play, there’s no way I’m missing it’, so the doctor stuck a couple of jabs in him.

“It was typical Melbourne,” Small continued, ‘it had been rainy and drizzly on Christmas Day, and nice and breezy on the

first day, so it was a no-brainer to put Australia in.”

A crowd of 58,000 had watched Australia’s capitulation, but there was only 20,000 on day two as England built a match-winning lead. They were 95/1 at the end of the first day, with Broad on 56. “I was standing in the old dressing rooms, and I told myself, ‘Right, Broady, we need to score a few more here’”. I knew we had to build a bigger lead. Unlike the other two centuries, I was nervous in the ’90s. I’m sure the MCG had something to do with it. It was a fantastic atmosphere there, like a bullring.” Broad reached 112, his third hundred in successive Tests, in England’s 349. Australia fared little better second time round, making only 194, to lose by an innings.

It was time for England to party again. “Behind the scenes was astonishing,’ said Broad. “There was Elton John, Phil Collins and George Michael all making appearances. Botham was close to Elton, calling him E.J. the DJ.” Botham said: “Elton was wonderful for me. I was able to discuss fully with him all the problems I had suffered at the hands of the media knowing that his experiences with the tabloid press meant he knew exactly what I was talking about.’

Emburey recalls a particularly memorable New Year’s Eve: “We had a party at Graeme Fowler’s house in Perth, and Elton took care of the food and music. I remember his new silk suit getting absolutely covered in champagne. Once he’d worked his way

“THE WORST PART OF OUR DISPLAY WAS THAT BOTHAM TOOK FIVE WICKETS ON HIS

REPUTATION ALONE… IT WAS THE PRESENCE AND AURA OF A GREAT

CRICKETER THAT HAD US SPELLBOUND.”

Botham’s century in Brisbane set the

tone for the series

Gatting: the two Test wins in ’86/’87 were his only victories as captain

Broad hit three tons in successive Tests – including the decisive game at the MCG


ourselves that it had to stop there and we made a pact that it wouldn’t ever be that bad again.”

It was time for England to trek to the west coast once more, for the Perth Challenge, a four-team tournament including Pakistan and the West Indies devised to celebrate the staging of the America’s Cup, 12 miles away in Fremantle. England appeared unstoppable in all forms of the game by now, and they beat Pakistan in the final. There was more humiliation for Australia, who suffered three straight defeats.

“At the time we didn’t realise what we had achieved,” said Jack Richards. “We certainly didn’t think England would have to wait this long again. But it’s wrong to say we won just because Australia were weak. Look how we did against the

through our music, he sent his driver back to get his own music. Everywhere we went, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, he seemed to have a concert. He was a lovely person, and he loved his sport. We didn’t hold back on having a few drinks on the tour. We partied like it was our last bloody tour.”

Defeat was hard to take for Border, and an Australian journalist asked him after the defeat: “So Allan, how does it feel to be the worst captain of the worst Aussie side ever?” Border admitted: “It was probably the lowest point for Australian cricket in my experience. I’ll never forget being in the sheds at the MCG when we were drowning our sorrows. Pat Cash was winning the Davis Cup for Australia on TV. Speaking at the tennis, the Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke said, ‘It’s a pity there weren’t more Pat Cashes at the MCG today’.

“There was this stunned silence and I thought a few beer cans would fly at the screen. Even the PM was having a go. After a thousand beers, we promised

“STANDING IN THE OLD MCG

DRESSING ROOMS, I SAID TO MYSELF:

‘RIGHT, BROADY. WE NEED TO SCORE

A FEW MORE RUNS HERE’ ”

57.52Ian Botham’s bowling average Tests after the 1986/87 Ashes. At the end of the series his career average was 27.21

Top: Gatting with Allan Border – described by one Australian hack as “the worst captain of the worst Aussie side ever”. Above: Ian Botham dives to catch Greg Matthews off Graham Dilley at Perth: England’s fielding gave them an edge throughout the series. Inset: England-win-Ashes headlines not to be seen again for nearly 20 years


brilliant West Indies in the Perth Challenge on one of the world’s fastest wickets.”

Gatting was having an impressive tour, first leading England to the Ashes, and now the one-dayers. “His man management was brilliant,” said Botham. “He understood we were all different and that we had our strengths and weaknesses, and he found a way of bringing out the best in us.”

The unusual schedule saw England not arriving in Sydney until the 13th week of the tour. They lost the fifth Test there by 55 runs. It was Australia’s first win in 14 matches, and signalled the start of the revival that Border had promised. Broad said: “It was a dead rubber, and history often shows that the side who win the series lose

that last match as there is nothing to play for. That said, we should have won it. It was our only blip on the entire tour.”

Jack Richards had already decided to leave the game, and he suggested that the amateur ethos that had bugged Ray Illingworth and his colleagues years earlier had not entirely dissipated. “There was too much old school tie. I’ll never understand why that Ashes team was dismantled. Players like Small, Broad and myself did not play much again, although Lamb, who had a mediocre tour, continued.”

Broad, the hero of 1986–87 played in only 25 Tests. “I’d like to think I would have had a longer international career these days,” he said. “Those kind of selectorial issues were partly why a lot of players went on rebel tours to South Africa. That Ashes win should have been a springboard for sustained success. We should have had a lot more success in the Eighties with all those talents. Gatting did a fine job on that tour – he was a real players’ leader – so why did England only win two Tests out of 23 under his leadership? You can’t blame everything

on facing a fantastic West Indies. It was appalling, a real mystery.”Extracted from The Toughest Tour: The Ashes Away Series Since The War by Huw Turbervill, published by Aurum. Readers can order the book at the special price of £14 (rrp.£16.99) with free p&p. To order please call 01903 828503 quoting ref AUR290.

David Gower averaged 57 for the series – but

England’s talented Ashes-winners did not

kick on as expected

IN BRIEFFIRST TEST, BRISBANE, 14-19 NOVEMBER 1986:England 456 (Botham 138, Athey 76, Gatting 61, Gower 51) & 77/3 Australia 248 (Marsh 56, G Matthews 56*, Dilley 5/68) & f/o 282 (Marsh 110, emburey 5/80).England won by seven wickets

SECOND TEST, PERTH, 28 NOVEMBER-3 DECEMBEREngland 592/8dec (Broad 162, Gower 136, Richards 133, Athey 96) & 199/8dec (Gatting 7-0, Waugh 5/69)Australia 401 (Border 125, Waugh 71) & 197/4 (Jones 69)Match drawn.

THIRD TEST, ADELAIDE, 12-16 DECEMBERAustralia 514/5dec (Boon 103, Jones 93, Waugh 79*, Matthews 73*, Border 70) & 201/3 dec (Border 100*)England 455 (Broad 116, Gatting 100, Athey 55) & 39/2.Match drawn.

FOURTH TEST, MELBOURNE, 26-28 DECEMBERAustralia 141 (Jones 59, Small 5/48, Botham 5/41) & 194 (Marsh 60).England 349 (Broad 112)England won by an innings and 14 runs

FIFTH TESTAustralia 343 (Jones 184*, Small 5/75) & 251 (Emburey 7/78)England 275 (Gower 72, Emburey 69, Taylor 6/78) & 264 (Gatting 96, Sleep 5/72).Australia won by 55 runs

LEADING RUNSCORERSAustraliaDean Jones Australia 511 runs @ 56.77 Chris Broad England 487 @ 69.57Allan Border Australia 473 @ 52.55 Geoff Marsh Australia 429 @ 42.90David Gower England 404 @ 57.71

LEADING WICKET-TAKERSAustraliaBruce Reid Australia 20 wickets @ 26.35John Emburey England 18 @ 36.83 Graham Dilley England 16 @ 31.93Phil Edmonds England 15 @ 35.86Gladstone Small England 12 @ 15.00

2Number of times Graham Dilley was on the winning side in 41 Tests: Headingley ’81 and Brisbane ’86.

Skipper Mike Gatting with the Perth Challenge trophy

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