The Hundred: 50 to 41

 50: Imran Khan

Martin Crowe may have enjoyed a great 1992 World Cup, but it was 39 year-old Imran Khan who ultimately held the trophy aloft. In the mid-‘70s I remember him as a top-class batsman for Oxford University and Worcestershire but he quickly developed his fast bowling with no adverse effect on his ability to score runs. I saw him only once, bowling Gooch for a duck at Chelmsford for the Pakistan tourists in ’87. In his thirties his pace and control were as superb as ever and history should recognise him as one of the top three Test all-rounders of the past fifty years. 

49: Tony Cottey

Harry Pilling may have been shorter but, at 5 foot 4, Tony Cottey was the superior batsman. He even played pro football for his home club, too (but not as West Ham’s Tony Cottee!). The son of Swansea was a vital cog in the Glamorgan middle-order through most of the Nineties, helping them to the County Championship in 1997. I enjoyed watching him at the crease, including his sprightly 20 not out in a 40-over rout of Hampshire at Sophia Gardens in ’95. He saw out his career at Sussex where he won another league title, but missed out on an England call-up. 

48: Glenn McGrath

OK, so he wasn’t as exciting to watch as fellow Aussies Lillee, Thomson, Johnson or Hughes, but Glenn McGrath was the finest seam bowler of his generation. His metronomic accuracy rendered him almost impossible to score from, and until Anderson pipped him recently, had more Test wickets than any other paceman in history. His career average of 21.64 is, however, considerably better than the Englishman’s and achieved in thirty fewer matches. I witnessed first-hand his 8-38 at Lord’s in 1997 when in his absolute pomp. 

47: Moeen Ali

I feel a bit sorry for Moeen Ali. As a youngster playing in the second flight initially for Warwickshire he won plaudits for his stylish batsmanship but it was only when he produced outstanding stats as a slow bowler in one Championship game (he was in my Fantasy side) that England began to take note. Forced to focus more on his twirling, his red-ball batting suffered although he remains devastating in limited over cricket. Observing him in an ODI at Cardiff I was touched by the huge affection in which he was held by fans, but only Pakistani fans! At least they recognise his talent. 

46: Curtly Ambrose

It was hard not to admire Curtly. You certainly couldn’t miss him. At 6 foot 8 his stride ate up the ground and his ability to routinely dig ‘em in just short of a length and extract unseemly bounce was legendary. I remember enjoying him tickle the ribs of Nasser Hussain at Chelmsford in ’91 with astonishing consistency and accuracy. I doubt that the Essex captain felt the same. Two years later he claimed 7-1 in a single spell against the Aussies, one of the most remarkable ever. Forget the extraordinary bowling figures: Curtly was the ultimate cool icon in a frantic world. 

45: Brian Lara

Had BC Lara been born twenty years earlier he’d probably have topped this list but his heyday fell in the era in which my exposure to cricket was abysmally low. However, in 1994, there was no avoiding him. In April he broke the world Test innings record then, at Warwickshire, he enjoyed a patch so purple Prince would have sued out of jealousy. He scored six centuries in seven innings before thrashing the highest score in any professional cricket, 501 not out. Sadly in the only time I saw him play in the flesh he made just , but merely the sight of his distinctive follow-through flourish made it memorable. 

44: Steve Smith

In contrast, Steve Smith’s batting technique seems to have been plucked from the pages of a joke book. And yet in the past few years, apart from his twelve months in enforced exile, the Aussie skipper has been the most prolific Test batsman in the world, keeping his nation in the 2019 Ashes series almost singlehandedly. Originally he was just a gangly leg-spinner who could bat a bit. I was in the Oval crowd in 2013 when Steve scored his maiden century with a straight six, and he hasn’t looked back. 

43: Mike Smith

Over the years there have been three of my namesakes in county cricket. MJK had been England’s captain but I recall his bespectacled face batting for Warwickshire in the ‘70s, while MJ opened for Middlesex for ages. Then in the Nineties came AM. This Mike Smith bowled left-arm fast-medium for Gloucestershire and, being only 5 foot 9, relied on skiddy swing to worry batsmen. His county form finally won him an Ashes appearance in ’97 but he went wicketless and that was that. An unsung hero of county cricket. 

42: Wasim Akram

There’s nothing unsung about Wasim Akram. He was initially the apprentice to Imran’s master before eclipsing him, at least in the one-day format. I once saw him accompany his old skipper against Essex, in which he produced a typical all-round performance. A devastating batsman he was primarily a fast left-arm bowler whose run-up suggested a befuddled schoolboy but once the ball left his hand….. The ‘Sultan of Swing’ could move it both ways, produce a brutal bouncer or a lethal yorker, making him one of the most complete fast bowlers in my lifetime. 

41: Allan Border

I wasn’t particularly enamoured of his legendary rude bloody-mindedness as Aussie captain but there’s no denying Allan Border’s effective innings building or his success at turning the Baggy Greens into the best cricketing outfit in the world. However, before he became the infamous grouch, I remember him best as a fresh 25 year-old whose refusal to lose his wicket made his team-mates look awful during the 1981 Ashes tour, where he averaged 59 batting at six. People remember Botham but I haven’t forgotten the gutsy little left-hander and his short-arm pull shots.

The curse of Brisbane strikes again?

It's 27 years since England last beat Australia at the Gabba in a Test match, and already they require a meteorological miracle of a stupendous rearguard batting performance by Cook, Pietersen, Root and Bell if the barren spell isn't to continue.

Back in 1986, Ian Botham and Graham Dilley set up a seven-wicket victory, with Chris Broad still there as the winning runs were struck. History tells us that Mike Gatting's England proceeded to clinch the Ashes that winter and that the tourists were to suffer for the next few decades. What happens in Brisbane usually indicates the Ashes series outcome, making a good start so important.

In 1990 the pace bowlers were totally dominant. No innings topped 200 but Bruce Reid, Merv Hughes and ultimately Terry Alderman did the most and the Taylor/Marsh opening partnership racked up the 157 needed to win inside three days. Four years later, Michael Slater and Mark Waugh took control on day one before Craig McDermott took 6-53. Taylor didn't enforce the follow-on, with the result that Shane Warne ran riot on a spinning wicket on day five.

Australia were in the driving seat in 1994, too, but centuries from Steve Waugh, Ian Healy and Slater again were not quite enough as thunderstorms and a flooded outfield wiped out the final session to save England blushes. However, the next two Gabba clashes produced Aussie slaughters.

In 2002, England won the toss for a change but, having inserted Waugh's team, Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting made hay early on. Hayden struck another brisk hundred second time around and, facing a massive target of 464, England collapsed to a pathetic 79 all out thanks to Messrs Warne and McGrath. Ponting was in charge by 2006 but the first innings total passed 600 as the captain amassed 196, ably supported by Justin Langer, Mike Hussey and Michael Clarke. McGrath's 6-50 left Australia with a huge lead which Langer extended to 647 by the end of the third day. Pre-echoes of 2013 as England lost two early wickets but there was to be no fairytale fightback by Cook, KP and Collingwood and they lost by 277 runs.

Can they do better tomorrow....?

Why are Aussie fast bowlers always injured?

Maybe it's a case of selective memory but the journey from pitch to treatment table for fast bowlers does seem to be equipped with a revolving door these days, especially in Australia. Of course the pacemen are, and always have been, prone to impact injuries such is the explosive nature of their action. Dennis Lillee's career was almost over before it began yet he learned to bowl at a less fearsome pace, with greater control and he retired as the world's leading Test wicket-taker, and with 882 first-class dismissals under his belt. Brett Lee and Terry Alderman were absent for long periods, as indeed was the somewhat slower Shane Warne. Glenn McGrath had a similar first-class record to Lillee but of course played many more Test matches over a longer period.

McGrath was, of course, part of one of the greatest teams in cricketing history, in an era when physios, dieticians and such like began to form an integral part of the professional squad. As in England, central contracts have reduced intenational cricketers' commitments to their counties or states, supposedly to keep them fresher and off the treatment table. So why does every young Aussie 'quick' fail to play more than a handful of Tests before succumbing to stress fractures, ankle, knee or shoulder problems?

No doubt the ACB doctors could supply the medical details so my question is more rhetorical. However, given that many promising fast bowlers win 'green baggy' call-ups on the basis of barely a dozen first-class matches, some grade cricket and a few Big Bashes, that inexperience would appear to be a potential cause worth exploring. Maybe the selectors have to take a look at themselves, too. With James Pattinson, Pat Cummins, Mitch Johnson, Peter Siddle, Mitch Starc, Trent Copeland, Jackson Bird, Moises Henriques and James Faulkner all having shown great promise, taking plenty of wickets, often at sub-25 averages, why haven't they been given a longer run in the side? Yes, injuries have played a part, yet they have all too often been jettisoned too quickly and therefore have few opportunities to increase strength, stamina and experience to play at the top level. Michael Hogan, now in his 30s and looking an excellent bowler for Glamorgan in T20, actually retired from Aussie cricket to come to Britain on a UK passport to further his career.

The West Indian pace stars of the '70s, '80s and '90s were world-beaters, yet played relentless cricket for their islands, the Windies and, more often than not, English counties. Indeed, Clive Lloyd and the management of those times would recommend young fast men to play for counties or league cricket before they would break into the international side. Courtney Walsh played more than 400 first-class games and took 1800 wickets, more than Lillee and McGrath put together. England looked to Australia's system of a very brief domestic system as a means of emulating the latter's success in Test cricket. They are still pushing to slash the County Championship, a move which thankfully has been resisted.

England did finally attain number one Test status and they remain one of the top nations in all forms of cricket. It was hailed as vindication of the central contract scheme. However, in my mind that owes more to a settled side with very good players and being relatively injury-free than to perceived previous over-playing. Finn and Tremlett have suffered long spells injured in recent years, and Simon Jones has played very little cricket in the past five seasons. Yet the sequence of young Aussies playing and failing physically goes on despite a dearth of top-level appearances. I suspect that the focus on T20 has much to do with it. When used to bowling four overs a day, a few times a week, no wonder the Pattinsons of this world struggle with a 20-over workload.

In the end, I reckon that a successful bowling attack relies on that blend of hard work, raw talent and good coaching. England have succeeded with a number of good individuals and one who has slowly developed into a world-beater, Jimmy Anderson. Ten to twenty years ago, the Aussies boasted a fabulous batting line-up along with not one but three or four special bowlers, McGrath, Kasprowicz, Lee and Gillespie alongside Mr Warne. Were they better because they were fitter, rested more often, pre-T20 era or none of the above? I'm not sure, but on paper Australia is blessed with another squad of excellent fast bowlers capable of emulating the aforementioned superstars. It's now down to the coaches, selectors and the players themselves to resist the temptation to concentrate on T20 riches and get themselves in the right physical and mental conditions to prosper at Test level. They might even get to win a few Ashes Tests in the next twelve months! Mind you, to achieve that, they need to focus on the batsmen, too....

Australia - West Indies Classic Encounters - 2

Yesterday I recalled the groundbreaking encounters between Australia and the West Indies in the 1970s. After World Series Cricket ended with a deal between Kerry Packer and the ACB, Test cricket once more featured some of the most exciting cricketers in the world. Sadly for the Aussie public, most of them were wearing the maroon caps and not the green baggies. Actually, most were wearing the new-fangled helmets, apart from the peerless Viv Richards, who always stuck bravely to his cap, trusting his skill with the bat and reactions to avoid trouble.

Although Clive Lloyd handed on the baton to Viv then Richie Richardson, the West Indies didn't lose a series for an incredible fifteen years, home or away. Between 1983 and 1993, their accomplishments included five consecutive series victories over Australia, winning 13-4 in individual matches. By March 1995, Mark Taylor's side had a pretty good look about it. Slater, Taylor, Boon, Mark and Steve Waugh made for a formidable top five, and youngsters Warne and McGrath joined Paul Reiffel and Brendan Julien in the attack. They went to Barbados ready for business and Richie Richardson's team were rolled over within three days!

Antigua saw a more even contest, but rain prevented a result. In Trinidad, however, the game was over well inside three days as bowlers ruled the roost. Steve Waugh ran out of partners as Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh dismissed the Aussies for 128, only for McGrath to respond with 6-47, reducing the Windies lead to just eight runs. On the third morning, Ambrose, Walsh and Kenny Benjamin whistled through that great batting line-up in only 36 overs, leaving Williams, Richardson and Lara to knock off the 98 needed with no problem at all.

One apiece, and on to Jamaica for the decider. The West Indies were back in the series and, remember, hadn't lost for many years. None of the players had ever tasted a series defeat. Richardson won the toss and opted to bat. While his opening partner Stuart Williams lasted a mere two balls, the skipper went on to reach three figures. However, only Lara kept him company for any time and they were bowled out for 265 on day one. At 73-3, the West Indies looked back in business, but when Steve Waugh joined his brother Mark at the crease, fortunes swung right back to Australia. They put on 231 for the fourth wicket, and Steve was at his brilliant best, forcing constant shuffling of the bowling attack, including Carl Hooper and two part-time spinners to rest the wilting pacemen. Kenny Benjamin was apparently reduced to tears in one interval! Ambrose, Walsh et al tried all the old tricks, with short-pitched deliveries galore, but Waugh remained unfazed. He gave no chances, played some splendid pulls and drives and was last out having reached 200 for the first time.

The home team needed to score 266 to avoid an innings defeat but they were too shell-shocked from two knackering days in the field. Reiffel claimed much of the top order and Warne polished off the tail. They had done it! A decade and a half of Caribbean mastery had finally been overturned. Two years later, the Aussies retained the Frank Worrell Trophy on their own soil and in 1999 shared the spoils 2-2. However, by 2000-1, the fortunes had been well and truly reversed. McGrath, Lee, Gillespie and the spinners McGill and Miller were utterly dominant. Even without Shane Warne, Australia completely outplayed Jimmy Adams' team, completing a 5-0 whitewash at Sydney.

Since then, the West Indies have struggled against almost all teams but I really hope they can discover some of the old spark, some flair and some steel, too, in giving the old rivals a bit of competition. The one-dayers provided some hope but five-day cricket may prove too much for them. Neither are top dogs in Tests these days but lets hope both can offer some bark and bite in tne current series.