Story England in the 90's - Correcting wrongs/ Copy rights and selector arguments (collaborative International Cricket)

[Welwyn]

Opening post... Will Contain Stats:

GOOCH'S BRAVE NEW WORLD
​

The TCCB's reaction to England's 4-0 trashing to Australia in this summer's Ashes has been to sweep out huge remnants of the last decade of England cricket. David Gower is not only out as captain but finds himself not even on the tour to the West Indies as new captain Graham Gooch, alongside team manger Mickey Stewart and the new secretive two man selection committee have rung numerous changes with seven players out of the twenty in the squad for the Caribbean who played no role in the Ashes series.

Also out is Ian Botham, whilst rumours suggest that the decision to appoint Allan Lamb as vice-captain comes as part of a plan for Lamb to take greater responsibility on and off the field without his two great friends on the tour with him to help out with what is a hugely inexperienced squad that has four people in it who would be making a Test debut in the Caribbean. These include the manager's son, Alec Stewart, who is on the tour both as an opening bat and the reserve wicket keeper. There has been some discussion that there was a disagreement in the selection committee with one member wanting to take advantage of Stewart's versatility and the other wanting Stewart to concentrate on being a top-order batsman and wanting a second specialist keeper behind Jack Russell in the twenty man squad.

One of the other main arguments seemed to revolve on one of the other potential debutants, Surrey's Keith Medlycott, with the 24-year old finding his way into the squad ahead of Middlesex's Phil Tufnell. It seems his cleaner cut image has seen him win out, in keeping with a squad that has seen other figures like Gower, Gatting and Botham jettisoned. His lower order batting is also an advantage but it seems it was nowhere near close to an unanimous decision.

The most exciting uncapped player is undoubtedly Chris Lewis, the 21-year-old from Guyana has taken 45 first class wickets in 1989 at just 21.91 and the Leicestershire man is seen as the long-term replacement for Ian Botham as the primary all-rounder. Meanwhile the final uncapped player is another 21-year-old, Essex's Nasser Hussain, who has scored 990 runs in the summer at an average of over 47. However, the expected place for another youngster, Graham Thorpe, seems to have gone to Lancashire's Neil Fairbrother. The Surrey man, who only turned 20 in August, scored well over 1,000 runs this summer at an average of over 45 but has lost out to Fairbrother, who was the linchpin of the red rose county's middle order in winning the Sunday League.

By far the most unusual of the seven new faces is 36-year-old Wayne Larkins. The Northamptonshire opener played the last of his six tests way back in 1981, but has earned a recall on the back of some hugely destructive knocks throughout the summer, but in a squad that looks so much towards the future, picking a man out of the wilderness like Larkins who is in the autumn of his career, seems out of character with the rest of the squad. Especially when their are other younger options like Martyn Moxon, Darren Bicknell and prospective 1989 Wisden Cricketer of the Year, Kim Barnett.

TCCB 20-man squad for the tour of the Caribbean

G.A.Gooch (c)
M.A.Atherton
W.Larkins
A.J.Stewart (wk)
R.A.Smith
A.J.Lamb (vc)
N.Hussain
R.J.Bailey
N.H.Fairbrother
D.J.Capel
R.C.Russell (wk)
C.C.Lewis
D.R.Pringle
P.J.Newport
K.J.Medlycott
E.E.Hemmings
P.A.J.DeFreitas
G.C.Small
A.R.C.Fraser
D.E.Malcolm

EDITOR NOTE: In this timeline the rebel tour squad doesn't get announced until November.

 

[Welwyn]

Gatting's Rebels snare Wisden Cricketer of the Year
​

Mike Gatting's rebel tour of South Africa have managed to get one of Wisden's 1989 cricketers of the year to sign on in Derbyshire's Kim Barnett. Barnett, who also played the first three Ashes tests this summer, scoring two fifties in the process, was rumoured to have been looked at by the new England selection committee as being an option for the tour of West Indies but it is unknown whether he signed up before or after the full squad was announced.

The rebel tour squad was announced the day after the TCCB announced that the squad would not be banned from playing in the County Championship and discussions are continuing over the length of the players international ban. With anything from 1-5 years being muted. The announcement also completely overshadowed the naming of the England 'A' squad for the winter tour of Zimbabwe which also happened yesterday afternoon. That press release was delayed by several hours after the rebel tour announcement in the morning, leading to questions that several names on that list then had to be removed due to the TCCB being unaware they had chosen to go to the Cape.

Leicestershire's James Whitaker seemed surprised when asked by the Observer for comment of his selection for the 'A' tour, leading to suggestions that both him and Mark Ramprakash were only called up yesterday to replace Alan Wells and Matthew Maynard when the latter two were announced as part of Gatting's squad. It has also now been suggested that Phil DeFreitas only pulled out of the rebel tour when he received assurances from the selectors that he was guaranteed a place on the Test tour (which he was named to last week).

Gatting is not the only former England captain to be off to South Africa as both John Emburey and Chris Cowdrey have also been named to the squad, that is due to play two 'Test' matches and five One-Day games against a South African side.

Wayne Larkins' surprise recall to the full England squad now seems to make more sense after the rebel announcement with not only Barnett, but a huge swath of top order options being named in the squad. Player of the Series from England's last ashes tour, Chris Broad; Tim Robinson, who replaced Barnett during the summer and Broad's partner in that Ashes series, Bill Athey, all having signed up to tour South Africa this winter.

As a whole though, the England 'A' squad seems to fit with the full squad in terms of looking towards the future, with the entire squad only having 14 tests to their name. Martyn Moxon having 10 of those himself, which again raises questions as to whether he should be going to the West Indies instead of Larkins, something that looks like a muddled selection in context. There are also 16 names rather than the expected 18, leading to suggestions that both Jonathan Agnew, who David Gower apparently wanted to play in the sixth Ashes test this past summer, and Phil Tufnell, who was rumoured to be close to the full-test squad, turning down the 'A' tour. Agnew turning down the vice-captaincy to concentrate on his off-season role at BBC Radio Leicester and Tufnell in order to go on holiday.

Rebel Tour Squad of South Africa
MW Gatting (c)
BN French (wk)
CWJ Athey
KJ Barnett
BC Broad
CS Cowdrey
GR Dilley
RM Ellison
JE Emburey
NA Foster
DA Graveney
KBS Jarvis
MP Maynard
RT Robinson
JG Thomas
AP Wells

England 'A' Tour of Zimbabwe
D.J.Bicknell
J.P.Stephenson
M.D.Moxon (vc)
J.J.Whittaker
M.C.J.Nicholas (c)
G.P.Thorpe
M.R.Ramprakash
R.J.Blakey (wk)
S.J.Rhodes (wk)
R.K.Illingworth
J.A.Afford
N.A.Mallender
M.P.Bicknell
S.L.Watkin
A.P.Igglesden
D.V.Lawrence

 

[Slowcoach]

England in West Indies 1989/90 - Tour Schedule

4 day match v Leeward Islands - at Warner Park, Bassettere
4 day match v Windward Islands - at Arnos Vale Playing Field, Kingstown
4 day match v Jamaica - at Sabina Park, Kingston
1st Test v West Indies - at Sabina Park, Kingston
4 day match v Guyana - at Bourda, Georgetown
2nd Test v Guyana - at Bourda, Georgetown
4 day match v Trinidad and Tobago - at Queen's Park Oval, Port-of-Spain
3rd Test v West Indies - at Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain
4 day match v West Indies Board President's XI - at Guaracara Park, Point-a-Pierre
4 day match v Barbados - at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown
4th Test v West Indies - at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown
4 day match v Young West Indies at Mindoo Phillip Park, Castries
5th Test v West Indies - at Antigua Recreation Ground, St Johns
4 day match v West Indies Board XI at Windsor Park, Roseau
6th Test v West Indies - at Arnos Vale Playing Field, Kingstown
50 over match v Young West Indies - at Mindoo Phillip Park, Castries
50 over match v West Indies Board President's XI - at Guaracara Park, Pointe-a-Pierre
1st ODI v West Indies - at Georgetown, Guyana
2nd ODI v West Indies - at Sabina Park, Kingston
3rd ODI v West Indies - at Bourda, Georgetown
4th ODI v West Indies - at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown
5th ODI v West Indies - at Antigua Recreation Ground, St Johns
6th ODi v West Indies - at Arnos Vale Playing Field, Kingstown
7th ODI v West Indies - at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica

 

[Slowcoach]

England A in Zimbabwe 1989/90 - Tour Schedule

50 over match v Zimbabwe Country Districts - at Harare
50 over match v Zimbabwe - at Harare
50 over match v Zimbabwe - at Bulawayo
50 over match v Zimbabwe - at Harare
50 over match v Zimbabwe - at Bulawayo
50 over match v Zimbabwe - at Harare
3 day match v Young Zimbabwe - at Bulawayo
3 day match v Zimbabwe B - at Harare
4 day match v Zimbabwe - at Harare
3 day match v Zimbabwe B - at Bulawayo
4 day match v Zimbabwe - at Bulawayo
4 day match v Zimbabwe - at Harare

 

[Slowcoach]

Leeward Islands v England XI - 4 day match - at Antigua Recreation Ground, St Johns, Antigua - 1989/90 - Match Preview

Pitch: 54 - Rather green looking and should assist the seamers until the wicket dries out.
Should play easily in the middle days of the match but there could be help for the spinners on the final day.

Weather Forecast: Day 1 - Hot and Sunny, Day 2 - Hot and Sunny, Day 3 - Humid (aids Swing), Day 4 - Humid (aids Swing)

Injuries: M.A.Atherton - Severe Shoulder Strain (miss 2 matches), D.J.Capel- Badly Bruised Hand (miss 1 match)

Leeward Islands:

A.L.Kelly
S.C.Williams
R.B.Richardson
K.L.T.Arthurton SLA
I.V.A.Richards (c) OB
R.M.Otto
L.L.Harris (wk)
E.A.E.Baptiste RFM
W.K.M.Benjamin RF
N.C.Guishard OB
C.E.L.Ambrose RF

England XI:

G.A.Gooch (c) RM
W.Larkins
R.A.Smith
A.J.Lamb
N.H.Fairbrother
R.C.Russell (wk)
D.R.Pringle RM
C.C.Lewis RFM
P.J.Newport RFM
K.T.Medlycott SLA
G.C.Small RFM

An England XI face a strong looking Leeward Islands team in the first 4 day match of the Tour at St Johns, Antigua.
The pitch looks Green and should favour the seamers for the 1st Day before becoming easier to bat on on Day 2, some Humid conditions on Day 3 and 4 will aid Swing.
Leeward Islands will be captained by Viv Richards and also features Richie Richardson and Curtly Ambrose with all 3 players expected to play a big role in the Test series.
The England XI have chosen a balanced attack with Keith Medlycott preferred as the spinner for this one and set to play his first game in an England XI.
Allrounder Chris Lewis on his 1st Tour also gets a game and will no doubt be keen to impress the Test selectors in conditions which should suit him.
The England XI batting has an experienced look to it and should stand up well on what looks a pretty good pitch for batting for most of the match after some early life for the quicks.
An important Toss to win as both teams are likely to want to Bowl first.



Warner Park, Bassetere, St Kitts hosts the 1st game of the England Tour of West Indies in 1989/90

 

[Slowcoach]

Leeward Islands v England XI - 4 day match - at Antigua Recreation Ground, St Johns, Antigua - 1989/90 - Leeward Islands 1st Innings

Toss: England XI, who elected to Bowl first

The England XI won what seemed an important Toss and elected to bowl first on a Green pitch ideal for seam bowling.
The Leeward Islands lost experienced opener Luther Kelly for a duck to Gladstone Small in the 1st over of the game and the England XI bowlers maintained their advantage throughout.
Small picked up a minor injury which kept him off the field after his 10th over but the other bowlers picked up the slack and the Leeward Islands were all out for 252.
Leeward Islands keeper Livingstone Harris showed a good defensive technique in making a fighting unbeaten half century to take his side to what seemed a par score in the conditions.
Wickets were shared around by the England XI attack with medium pacer Derek Pringle the pick of the attack with 3-53 off 22 accurate overs.
The England XI begin their innings with a tricky 40 minutes to bat until Stumps on Day 1 against a Test strength seam attack on a Green pitch that will flatten out on Day 2.

Leeward Islands Vs England XI
Leeward Islands 1st Innings 252/10 All Out (Overs 77)

Batsman	Fieldsman	Bowler	Runs	Min	Bls	4s	6s
AL Kelly		b GC Small	0	11	10	0	0
SC Williams		b PJ Newport	26	43	33	2	1
RB Richardson	c RC Russell	b DR Pringle	46	80	46	5	1
KLT Arthurton		b DR Pringle	37	74	58	2	0
IVA Richards*	c W Larkins	b KT Medlycott	3	5	7	0	0
RM Otto		b DR Pringle	43	95	75	4	0
LL Harris+	not out		53	196	151	4	0
EAE Baptiste	lbw	b KT Medlycott	11	28	24	0	0
WKM Benjamin	c RC Russell	b CC Lewis	15	30	20	0	1
NC Guishard	c NH Fairbrother	b CC Lewis	3	21	15	0	0
CEL Ambrose		b PJ Newport	2	37	29	0	0
extras		(b4 lb3 w1 nb5)	13
TOTAL		10 wickets for	252

FOW
1-4(AL Kelly) 2-46(SC Williams) 3-100(RB Richardson) 4-103(IVA Richards)
5-122(KLT Arthurton) 6-181(RM Otto) 7-198(EAE Baptiste) 8-229(WKM Benjamin)
9-241(NC Guishard) 10-252(CEL Ambrose)

Bowler	Overs	Maid	Runs	Wkts
GC Small	10	1	37	1
PJ Newport	14	2	42	2
CC Lewis	17	2	67	2
DR Pringle	22	5	53	3
KT Medlycott	14	2	46	2

Medium pacer Derek Pringle was the pick of the England XI attack with 3-53 off 22 accurate overs

 

[Slowcoach]

Leeward Islands v England XI - 4 day match - at Antigua Recreation Ground, St Johns, Antigua - 1989/90 - England XI 1st Innings

Graham Gooch and Robin Smith made half centuries to get the England XI innings off to a good start but when they were out and Allan Lamb and Neil Fairbrother fell cheaply the visitors were under pressure.
England XI keeper Jack Russell and allrounder Derek Pringle made important 50s to dig their side out of trouble and there were some useful runs to Chris Lewis as the visitors gained a lead of 104.
Coming together with the score a tricky 157/5 Russell and Pringle added 106 for the 6th wicket to take their side into the lead before a wagging tail extended the advantage.
Fast bowler Curtly Ambrose warmed up for the Tests with an impressive 6-73 and looks set for a big series, offspinner Noel Guishard his main support with 3-109 off 47 overs.

Leeward Islands Vs England XI
England XI 1st Innings 356/10 All Out (Overs 142.3)

Batsman	Fieldsman	Bowler	Runs	Min	Bls	4s	6s
GA Gooch*	c LL Harris	b CEL Ambrose	50	144	116	3	0
W Larkins	c KLT Arthurton	b NC Guishard	24	103	63	2	0
RA Smith	c RB Richardson	b NC Guishard	50	147	116	3	0
AJ Lamb	c RB Richardson	b EAE Baptiste	5	39	27	0	0
NH Fairbrother	c KLT Arthurton	b NC Guishard	14	90	63	2	0
RC Russell+		b CEL Ambrose	59	172	125	4	0
DR Pringle	c IVA Richards	b CEL Ambrose	57	181	120	6	0
CC Lewis	not out		36	169	126	4	0
PJ Newport	lbw	b CEL Ambrose	18	55	44	0	0
KT Medlycott	c LL Harris	b CEL Ambrose	27	50	46	4	0
GC Small	c NC Guishard	b CEL Ambrose	1	30	19	0	0
extras		(b4 lb1 w3 nb7)	15
TOTAL		10 wickets for	356

FOW
1-68(W Larkins) 2-92(GA Gooch) 3-108(AJ Lamb) 4-149(RA Smith) 5-157(NH Fairbrother)
6-263(RC Russell) 7-271(DR Pringle) 8-298(PJ Newport) 9-345(KT Medlycott)
10-356(GC Small)

Bowler	Overs	Maid	Runs	Wkts
CEL Ambrose	34.3	11	73	6
WKM Benjamin	27	4	83	0
EAE Baptiste	28	4	71	1
NC Guishard	47	10	109	3
IVA Richards	4	0	12	0
KLT Arthurton	2	1	3	0

Leeward Islands fast bowler Curtly Ambrose warmed up for the Test series with an impressive 6-73

 

[Slowcoach]

Leeward Islands v England XI - 4 day match - at Antigua Recreation Ground, St Johns, Antigua - 1989/90 - Leeward Islands 2nd Innings

With the Leeward Islands 2nd innings score at 209/8 and the lead just 105 with plenty of time left the England XI appeared headed for a win before being thwarted by a captain's innings by Viv Richards.
The West Indies captain made an excellent unbeaten 140* and added a vital unbroken century stand for the 9th wicket with tail ender Noel Guishard to frustrate the visitors and take their side to safety.
Much like the 1st innings all the England XI bowlers contributed and seemed to have done enough for a win before Richards had the final say.
A declaration about 30 minutes before Tea on Day 4 leaves the England A top order some batting practice on a pitch which remains Normal and decent for batting.

Leeward Islands Vs England XI
Leeward Islands 2nd Innings 310/8 Declared (Overs 82)

Batsman	Fieldsman	Bowler	Runs	Min	Bls	4s	6s
AL Kelly	c RC Russell	b PJ Newport	13	23	19	0	0
SC Williams		b KT Medlycott	38	116	93	2	1
RB Richardson		b DR Pringle	20	76	53	1	0
KLT Arthurton		b KT Medlycott	8	32	21	0	0
IVA Richards*	not out		140	215	167	20	3
RM Otto		b PJ Newport	25	64	50	2	0
LL Harris+		b GC Small	1	6	8	0	0
EAE Baptiste		b CC Lewis	6	17	17	0	0
WKM Benjamin		b DR Pringle	18	34	28	2	0
NC Guishard	not out		25	71	42	1	0
CEL Ambrose	dnb
extras		(b4 lb6 w5 nb1)	16
TOTAL		8 wickets for	310

FOW
1-17(AL Kelly) 2-72(RB Richardson) 3-77(SC Williams) 4-91(KLT Arthurton)
5-150(RM Otto) 6-151(LL Harris) 7-161(EAE Baptiste) 8-209(WKM Benjamin)

Bowler	Overs	Maid	Runs	Wkts
GC Small	17	5	47	1
PJ Newport	19	1	62	2
CC Lewis	13	1	54	1
DR Pringle	22	4	75	2
KT Medlycott	11	1	62	2

Leeward Islands captain Viv Richards scored a century to see his side to safety

 

[Slowcoach]

Leeward Islands v England XI - 4 day match - at Antigua Recreation Ground, St Johns, Antigua - 1989/90 - England XI 2nd Innings

Match Drawn

Man of the Match: I.V.A.Richards

The England XI lost 3 early wickets to fast bowler Winston Benjamin in their short 2nd innings before Allan Lamb and Neil Fairbrother got in some decent batting practice.
The match was left Drawn but the England XI players had all got in some good practice and their side had the better of the game for the most part raising hopes of a close Test series.
The abiding memory of the game was the batting of Leeward Islands and West Indies captain Viv Richards whose unbeaten 140* certainly saved his team from defeat.

Leeward Islands Vs England XI
England XI 2nd Innings 111/4 Closed (Overs 39)

Batsman	Fieldsman	Bowler	Runs	Min	Bls	4s	6s
GA Gooch*		b WKM Benjamin	4	8	7	0	0
W Larkins	c CEL Ambrose	b WKM Benjamin	26	78	41	2	0
RA Smith	c IVA Richards	b WKM Benjamin	9	22	19	1	0
AJ Lamb		b NC Guishard	48	125	83	4	1
NH Fairbrother	not out		20	88	78	2	0
RC Russell+	not out		0	9	8	0	0
DR Pringle	dnb
CC Lewis	dnb
PJ Newport	dnb
KT Medlycott	dnb
GC Small	dnb
extras		(b2 lb0 w1 nb1)	4
TOTAL		4 wickets for	111

FOW
1-5(GA Gooch) 2-23(RA Smith) 3-45(W Larkins) 4-111(AJ Lamb)

Bowler	Overs	Maid	Runs	Wkts
CEL Ambrose	8	2	17	0
WKM Benjamin	10	1	35	3
EAE Baptiste	6	0	17	0
NC Guishard	10	5	13	1
IVA Richards	3	0	15	0
KLT Arthurton	2	0	12	0

Fast bowler Winston Benjamin took 3 cheap wickets in the England XI 2nd innings and may play a role in the Tests

 

[Slowcoach]

Leeward Islands v England XI - 4 day match - at Antigua Recreation Ground, St Johns, Antigua - 1989/90 - Match Summary

Toss: England XI

Drawn

Man of the Match: IVA Richards

Leeward Islands Vs England XI

2-Innings Match Played At Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts, 01-Jan-1990, First Class Tour Match

Match Drawn

Leeward Islands 1st Innings 252/10 All Out (Overs 77)

SC Williams 26 RB Richardson 46 KLT Arthurton 37 RM Otto 43 LL Harris 53* PJ Newport 2/42 CC Lewis 2/67 DR Pringle 3/53 KT Medlycott 2/46

England XI 1st Innings 356/10 All Out (Overs 142.3)

GA Gooch 50 W Larkins 24 RA Smith 50 RC Russell 59 DR Pringle 57 CC Lewis 36* KT Medlycott 27 CEL Ambrose 6/73 NC Guishard 3/109

Leeward Islands 2nd Innings 310/8 Declared (Overs 82)

SC Williams 38 RB Richardson 20 IVA Richards 140* RM Otto 25 NC Guishard 25* PJ Newport 2/62 DR Pringle 2/75 KT Medlycott 2/62

England XI 2nd Innings 111/4 Closed (Overs 39)

W Larkins 26 AJ Lamb 48 NH Fairbrother 20* WKM Benjamin 3/35

 

[Welwyn]

SELECTOR NOTES:
Interesting that backup seamer, Phil Newport, was so good in both innings. Good performance from Keith Medlycott puts pressure on Eddie Hemmings before the 1st Test.

Meanwhile:

TUFFERS' IS GATTINGS NEW REBEL​

Phillip Tufnell's reasons for turning down a place on the England 'A' tour to Zimbabwe are apparently because he is mulling over an offer to join Mike Gatting's rebel tour to South Africa. Tufnell, who some suggested was upset not to have been selected to the tour to the Caribbean, is questioning if the new, clean cut Graham Gooch regime would ever accept anyone with even the slightest personality in the squad. This is after the likes of David Gower and Ian Botham were also ignored for Gooch's first series as captain.

As a result, Tuffers is seriously considering whether any kind of international ban would even be deterrent if, as he fears, the fun-loving 23-year-old would not be in Gooch's plan for the rest of his tenure as skipper.

Dermot Reeve, who this paper has recently revealed has been caught doing cocaine, is also being chased by Gatting and those organising the rebel tour. The Warwickshire all-rounder is considered by some as a perfect limited overs specialist for the 1992 World Cup but it may well be that his face also doesn't fit with the current regime.

The worries for Reeve in this regard will have grown with the announcement that the TCCB are flying out two additional all-rounders in Gloucestershire's Phil Bainbridge and Essex youngster Nadeem Shahid to Zimbabwe to join the 'A' tour. Bainbridge is a very similar player to Reeve, who is both older and, to most observers, a poorer version of Reeve with both bat and ball.

 

[Slowcoach]

Zimbabwe Country Districts v England A - 50 over match - at Harare Sports Club, Harare - 1991/2 - Match Preview

Pitch: 2A - Dry and Grassless (good for batting)

Weather: 9 - Chance of Thunderstorms

Injuries: M.C.J.Nicholas - Feeling Unwell (miss 1 match)

Zimbabwe Country Districts

N.P.Hough
K.J.Arnott
R.D.Brown (wk)
C.M.Robertson
G.A.Paterson
I.P.Butchart RM
A.J.Mackay RM
J.Blackmore RM
A.C.I.Lock RM
T.D.Coughlan LBG
D.F.Dolphin SLA

England A

D.J.Bicknell
J.P.Stephenson
M.D.Moxon (c)
G.P.Thorpe RM
M.R.Ramprakash OB
N.Shahid LBG
S.J.Rhodes (wk)
M.P.Bicknell RFM
N.A.Mallender RFM
S.L.Watkin RMF
J.A.Afford SLA

England A face Zimbabwe Country Districts in the 1st game of their tour, a 50 over game at Harare,
With Mark Nicholas feeling unwell after one too many wines Tour vice captain Martyn Moxon takes over the captaincy for this game.
Zimbabwe Country Districts have a number of experienced players but the bowling looks weak and England A should be too strong here.
Interestingly Zimbabwe allrounder Gus Mackay appears in this game and doesn't appear again after this season in top level cricket until 1998/9.
The game also features the only recorded match of James Blackmore who scored 3* and took 0-11 off 2 overs in the real life game.



Harare Sports Club, Harare hosts the 1st game of the England A tour of Zimbabwe in 1989/90

 

[Slowcoach]

Zimbabwe Country Districts v England A - 50 over match - at Harare Sports Club, Harare - 1991/2 - Zimbabwe Country Districts Innings

Toss: Zimbabwe Country Districts

After winning the Toss and batting first on wicket that looked good for batting the Zimbabwe Country Districts were given a decent start by opener Nigel Hough and keeper batsman Robin Brown.
When those two were out in the 40's the later batting fell away against some accurate bowling and the home side were all out for 165 off 48 overs.
Right arm fast medium bowler Martin Bicknell was the pick of the England A attack with 3 wickets in a good first up bowling performance by the tourists.

Zimbabwe Country Districts Vs England A
Zimbabwe Country Districts 1st Innings 165/10 All Out (Overs 48)

Batsman	Fieldsman	Bowler	Runs	Min	Bls	4s	6s
NP Hough	c SJ Rhodes	b NA Mallender	45	64	51	8	0
KJ Arnott	c N Shahid	b MP Bicknell	12	29	20	3	0
RD Brown+	lbw	b JP Stephenson	48	81	60	3	0
CM Robertson	c MR Ramprakash	b MP Bicknell	1	4	5	0	0
GA Paterson	c JP Stephenson	b SL Watkin	3	15	17	0	0
IP Butchart		b JP Stephenson	5	30	10	0	0
GJ Mackay	c MR Ramprakash	b JA Afford	23	47	45	4	0
J Blackmore	not out		17	82	54	0	0
ACI Lock		b SL Watkin	0	3	1	0	0
TD Coughlan	c SJ Rhodes	b MP Bicknell	4	20	15	0	0
DF Dolphin*		b NA Mallender	2	17	13	0	0
extras		(b2 lb0 w0 nb3)	5
TOTAL		10 wickets for	165

FOW
1-34(KJ Arnott) 2-75(NP Hough) 3-76(CM Robertson) 4-83(GA Paterson) 5-117(RD Brown)
6-120(IP Butchart) 7-154(GJ Mackay) 8-155(ACI Lock) 9-162(TD Coughlan)
10-165(DF Dolphin)

Bowler	Overs	Maid	Runs	Wkts
NA Mallender	9	1	28	2
MP Bicknell	10	0	30	3
SL Watkin	10	0	37	2
JP Stephenson	8	0	33	2
JA Afford	9	3	27	1
N Shahid	1	0	4	0
MR Ramprakash	1	0	4	0

Martin Bicknell took 3-30 off 10 overs to help restrict the home side

 

[Slowcoach]

Zimbabwe Country Districts v England A - 50 over match - at Harare Sports Club, Harare - 1991/2 - Zimbabwe Country Districts Innings

England A won by 4 wickets

Man of the Match: J.P.Stephenson

England A opener John Stephenson scored a blazing 70 off 56 balls to set up the chase before the visitors slipped to 123/6 giving Zimbabwe Country Districts a chance.
Keeper Stephen Rhodes and Number 8 Martin Bicknell saw their side home with an unbroken partnership of 45 for the 7th wicket to give their side a 4 wicket win.
Allrounder Iain Butchart and experienced legspinner Terence Coughlan had bowled well for the home side to share 6 wickets but the other bowlers were poor, letting England A off the hook.

Zimbabwe Country Districts Vs England A
England A 1st Innings 168/6 Closed (Overs 34.4)

Batsman	Fieldsman	Bowler	Runs	Min	Bls	4s	6s
DJ Bicknell	lbw	b TD Coughlan	16	42	34	1	0
JP Stephenson	c RD Brown	b TD Coughlan	70	79	56	12	0
MD Moxon*		b IP Butchart	4	19	16	0	0
GP Thorpe	lbw	b IP Butchart	8	9	11	0	0
MR Ramprakash	c RD Brown	b TD Coughlan	6	14	11	0	0
N Shahid	c NP Hough	b IP Butchart	15	18	14	2	0
SJ Rhodes+	not out		25	46	32	2	0
MP Bicknell	not out		19	37	39	2	0
NA Mallender	dnb
SL Watkin	dnb
JA Afford	dnb
extras		(b0 lb0 w3 nb2)	5
TOTAL		6 wickets for	168

FOW
1-68(DJ Bicknell) 2-84(MD Moxon) 3-96(GP Thorpe) 4-100(JP Stephenson)
5-109(MR Ramprakash) 6-123(N Shahid)

Bowler	Overs	Maid	Runs	Wkts
ACI Lock	6	0	19	0
GJ Mackay	6	2	19	0
IP Butchart	9	1	44	3
J Blackmore	2	0	22	0
DF Dolphin	3.4	0	24	0
TD Coughlan	8	0	40	3

England A opener John Stephenson set up the win with a blazing 70 off 56 balls

Zimbabwe Country Districts v England A - 50 over match - at Harare Sports Club, Harare - 1991/2 - Match Summary

Toss: Zimbabwe Country Districts

England A won by 4 wickets

Man of the Match: J.P.Stephenson

Zimbabwe Country Districts Vs England A

Zimbabwe Country Districts 1st Innings 165/10 All Out (Overs 48)

NP Hough 45 RD Brown 48 GJ Mackay 23 NA Mallender 2/28 MP Bicknell 3/30 SL Watkin 2/37 JP Stephenson 2/33

England A 1st Innings 168/6 Closed (Overs 34.4)

JP Stephenson 70 SJ Rhodes 25* IP Butchart 3/44 TD Coughlan 3/40

 

[Slowcoach]

Zimbabwe v England - 1st 50 over match - at Harare Sports Club, Harare - 1989/90

Pitch: 5 - Normal

Weather: Sunny with Some Cloud

Injuries: G.P.Thorpe - Hamstring Trouble (miss 1 match), J.A.Afford - Sprained Wrist (miss 1 match)

Zimbabwe

C.M.Robertson
G.A.Paterson
A.Flower (wk)
A.J.Pycroft
D.L.Houghton (c)
I.P.Butchart RM
J.P.Brent RM
E.A.Brandes RFM
A.J.Traicos OB
M.P.Jarvis LMF
K.G.Duers RMF

England A

D.J.Bicknell
J.P.Stephenson RM
M.D.Moxon
M.C.J.Nicholas (c)
J.J.Whitaker
M.R.Ramprakash OB
S.J.Rhodes (wk)
R.K.Illingworth SLA
M.P.Bicknell RFM
N.A.Mallender RFM
S.L.Watkin RMF

England A face Zimbabwe in the 1st match of a 5 game 50 over series at Harare Sports Club, Harare.
The Zimbabwe side has an experienced look to it and should put up a fight with wicket keeper batsman Andy Flower and captain David Houghton looming as key figures.
England A look full strength apart from the injured Graham Thorpe and will be keen to start the series with a win.



Harare Sports Club, Harare, hosts the 1st 50 over match of a 5 game series between Zimbabwe and England A in 1989/90