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

[Aislabie]

England (0) vs (1) Pakistan - Second Test at Lord's

England XI
Graham Gooch
Mike Atherton
Alec Stewart
Robin Smith
Graeme Hick
Jack Russell
Chris Lewis
Paul Jarvis
Angus Fraser
Phil Tufnell
Devon Malcolm

Pakistan XI
Aamer Sohail
Ramiz Raja
Asif Mujtaba
Javed Miandad
Saleem Malik
Inzamam ul-Haq
Wasim Akram
Moin Khan
Mushtaq Ahmed
Waqar Younis
Aqib Javed

- - -

Pakistan win the toss and choose to bat

- - -

The teams arrived at Lord's with one change each among their ranks: the nearly-rebel Paul Jarvis earned a recall to the ranks for the first time since 1989 in place of the ineffective Foster, while Pakistan strengthened their team by bringing in Wasim Akram in place of Atta ur-Rahman. Pakistan won the toss and batted first again, but Gooch looked up at the skies and said that "it might not be a bad toss to lose."

And as it happened, Gooch would be proven right: Paul Jarvis came on first change, and took advantage of the pressure built by Fraser to take two wickets for six runs from his first seven overs back in Test cricket. Those inroads paved the way for the rest of the attack to reap its rewards: Chris Lewis claimed Raja and Malik, Malcolm claimed Mushtaq Ahmed, but the other five wickets fell to the remarkable Phil Tufnell, who combined his incisive wicket-taking form with economy as his eighteen overs leaked only 31 runs. It appears that he has matured into a world-class Test spinner - able to run through teams even on day one of the Test match.

However, by bowling Pakistan out so quickly England left themselves a tricky ten overs against Wasim and Waqar - ten overs which they did not escape unscathed. Both Atherton and Stewart were dismissed for single figures by the marauding Wasim, and they finished the first day on 22 for two. Indeed, only Graham Gooch was able to make a meaningful contribution against such excellent seam and swing bowling. He received helpful support from Smith (25) and Jarvis (23), but England's entire innings depended upon his 103. Once he became Wasim's fifth wicket, the end was nigh for England, though a couple of edged boundaries from Fraser and Malcolm added a dozen frustrating runs to the English lead.

Even as thick and occasionally rain-bearing cloud made swing bowling of the old-fashioned English sort a very valuable commodity, Gooch wasted little time in getting Phil Tufnell into the attack. After coming on first-change he was able to benefit from Malcolm's dismissal of Sohail, and settled straight back into his impeccable first-innings form. His best-performing colleague was Paul Jarvis; taking on a heavy workload, the Yorkshireman performed excellently again. By the time they had bowled out Pakistan for 186, Jarvis had accumulated excellent figures of four for 50. Tufnell, however, was better still: this time, 33.4 overs brought him five wickets for only 45 runs; thereby giving him the cheapest ten-wicket match haul by a spinner in England since Derek Underwood nearly two decades before.

144 to win would not be a formality against Wasim and Waqar, but the composure of the English openers made it look as if it had been. Gooch added a fluent 52 to his first-innings century, but the stoic, strokeless Atherton was the unfashionable star: he may have a Test-best of only 71 after fifteen matches, but his ability to occupy the crease and not give up his wicket when the pressure is on is a true strength. He brought up his sixth Test fifty and England's series-levelling win with the same shot: a block that fell into a gap for a scurried single. Well batted.

Spoiler: Barrington Medal Points

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

Spoiler: Points system

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

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

Standings
1. Phil Tufnell - 6 points (+5)
2. Graham Gooch - 5 points (+3)
3. Alec Stewart - 3 points
4. Mike Atherton - 2 points (+2)
5. Paul Jarvis - 1 point (+1)

 

[Aislabie]

England (1) vs (1) Pakistan - Third Test at Old Trafford

England XI
Graham Gooch
Mike Atherton
Alec Stewart
Robin Smith
Graeme Hick
Jack Russell
Chris Lewis
Paul Jarvis
Angus Fraser
Phil Tufnell
Peter Such

Pakistan XI
Aamer Sohail
Ramiz Raja
Asif Mujtaba
Javed Miandad
Saleem Malik
Inzamam ul-Haq
Moin Khan
Wasim Akram
Mushtaq Ahmed
Waqar Younis
Aqib Javed

- - -

Pakistan win the toss and choose to bat

- - -

Despite the Tufnell-inspired rout that occurred in the Second Test, Pakistan arrived at Old Trafford unchanged. England, however, took the opportunity to rest Devon Malcolm on what looked likely to be a turning pitch, which also gave them the chance to take another look at how Peter Such's game is developing ahead of the winter's tour of the Indian subcontinent, upon which spinners will most definitely be the order of the day.

Gooch and England lost yet another toss, being sent out to field first yet again - a move that may somewhat negate the effect of picking a second spinner. Once Fraser had made big inroads with the new ball (both Raja and Mujtaba being dismissed early), the Pakistani duo of Sohail and Miandad stabilised things. Their 153-run partnership was the largest of the innings, and meant that Gooch got through all five of his bowlers. It was when he rotated back to Jarvis that the partnership was broken: Miandad, LBW for 91. Saleem Malik soon followed before the seamers were given a pre new ball breather. Once England took it, it gave a second lease of life to Fraser who finally broke through Sohail's defences. On such a receptive surface for spin, it was odd to see Gooch put so much faith in seam, especially once his spinners made short work of the tail - including Test-best figures for Such in his short career thus far.

When Gooch and Stewart were both dismissed early, the responsibility fell to Smith and Atherton to be the lynchpins of the English batting. They took up the task with relish until Atherton fell to the part-time spin of Mujtaba for 37. This brought Hick to the crease, and while you can never really call his style of play "lynchpin", it was undoubtedly very effective. He soon accelerated past Smith's tally, scoring 147 highly impressive runs out of an equally impressive partnership of 245. Besides Smith and Hick, the only English batsman to pass 50 was Chris Lewis, who made a fine 51 - many of which were scored with the tail for company. The net result was an important English lead of 125 runs.

Everyone expected the spinners to be key, especially after the Pakistani spinners shared seven wickets between them, but before Gooch even had cause to throw the ball to a spinner, Angus Fraser blew the game wide open. He bowled a typical Fraser spell - simultaneously tired-looking and tireless, removing three of the top four at a cost of only 21 runs. A spinner of Tufnell's class doesn't waste an opportunity like that, but it was not he who grabbed the wickets. Instead, Peter Such feasted on four lower-order victims at a cost of only 20, significantly bettering his Test bowling average, and rushing England to a scarcely-believable innings victory before the close of the fourth day's play.

I wouldn't want to be the captain telling one of those two spinners that they're dropped for the next game.

Spoiler: Barrington Medal Points

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

Spoiler: Points system

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

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

Standings
1. Phil Tufnell - 6 points
=2. Graham Gooch - 5 points
=2. Graeme Hick - 5 points (+5)
=4. Robin Smith - 3 points (+3)
=4. Alec Stewart - 3 points
=6. Mike Atherton - 2 points
=6. Peter Such - 2 points (+2)
=8. Angus Fraser - 1 point (+1)
=8. Paul Jarvis - 1 point

 

[Aislabie]

England (2) vs (1) Pakistan - Fourth Test at Headingley

England XI
Graham Gooch
Mike Atherton
Alec Stewart
Robin Smith
Graeme Hick
Jack Russell
Chris Lewis
Paul Jarvis
Angus Fraser
Phil Tufnell
Peter Such

Pakistan XI
Aamer Sohail
Ramiz Raja
Asif Mujtaba
Javed Miandad
Saleem Malik
Inzamam ul-Haq
Wasim Akram
Moin Khan
Waqar Younis
Mushtaq Ahmed
Aqib Javed

- - -

Pakistan win the toss and choose to bat

- - -

Both teams came to Headingley with a selection headache: for the Pakistanis, they had been absolutely blown to bits at Old Trafford, but had only one player who might have strengthened the team. They opted not to bring in Shoaib Mohammad, so they would be unchanged for the second time in a row. As for England, they had just obliterated Pakistan, but you just don't play two spinners at Headingley. But how can you drop Peter Such after taking seven for 69 in the game? Well, England didn't. They chose to go in with two spinners again, and to leave Malcolm out again.

Yet another lost toss sent England out into the field on the first day; maybe Gooch should stop guessing heads? Regardless, the first day of the Test was dominated by nobody: Pakistan racked up a precarious 277 for five, none of their players making it to three figures. The English bowlers shared the wickets equally between them: one each, no exceptions. A big second morning for either side would go a long way to defining the Test match, and indeed it did: Chris Lewis' dismissal of Wasim seemed to awaken Inzamam, who raced to his first hundred of the tour and pushed Pakistan up well past 400 in the progress. Whether the lack of Devon Malcolm really made much difference is a moot point, but a big performance will be needed by the English bowlers in the second innings.

That was assuming of course that the English got to bowl in a second innings, as the the evening session on the second day raised serious doubts on the topic. With Atherton gone already for four, a lot depended on Gooch and Stewart. Although they looked up to the task for the duration of their 80-run partnership, the loss of both in quick succession prompted the loss of England's four main wickets in the space of 38 runs. With the customary long tail to protect, this left a huge burden on the shoulders of Russell and Lewis. Too huge a burden; both fell to Akram, and England were left to follow on, 259 runs behind.

259 was a hop, skip and a jump too far for the English batsmen. Stewart made an impressive 78, but he became one of seven victims for Wasim Akram. Gooch, Stewart, Lewis, Russell, Fraser, Tufnell and Such all fell to the great Pakistani left-armer, who swung the ball around corners regardless of the clear blue skies. Absolutely catastrophic for England, who saw all their momentum from the second and third Tests gone in the space of 135 overs of batting.


Apologies - I failed to include the screenshot of the match summary

Spoiler: Barrington Medal Points

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

Spoiler: Points system

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

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

Standings
1. Graham Gooch - 7 points (+2)
=2. Alec Stewart - 6 points (+3)
=2. Phil Tufnell - 6 points
4. Graeme Hick - 5 points
5. Robin Smith - 3 points
=6. Mike Atherton - 2 points
=6. Peter Such - 2 points
=8. Angus Fraser - 1 point
=8. Paul Jarvis - 1 point
=8. Chris Lewis - 1 point (+1)

 

[Aislabie]

England (2) vs (2) Pakistan - Fifth Test at The Oval

England XI
Graham Gooch
Mike Atherton
Alec Stewart
Robin Smith
Graeme Hick
Jack Russell
Chris Lewis
Paul Jarvis
Angus Fraser
Phil Tufnell
Devon Malcolm

Pakistan XI
Aamer Sohail
Ramiz Raja
Shoaib Mohammad
Javed Miandad
Saleem Malik
Asif Mujtaba
Wasim Akram
Rashid Latif
Waqar Younis
Mushtaq Ahmed
Aqib Javed

- - -

England win the toss and choose to bat

- - -

Despite their recent innings defeat, there was good news for England on their arrival at The Oval: Inzamam ul-Haq was out for the last Test, presumably with some kind of injury. His replacement, Shoaib Mohammad, is a good player - but crucially, not fresh off the back of a match-defining century. England also made a change by bringing back Malcolm in place of Peter Such. Better still, Gooch finally won a toss! It was tails.

The choice to bat first was a big statement of confidence in his batsmen, one that he and Atherton took responsibility for living up to. Both scored half-centuries in their century stand, but while Atherton fell for 51 to Waqar Younis, his captain just kept on batting. Even a classic England collapse (no-one batting below number four even managed a dozen runs) couldn't stop him: when the dust settled on the second morning, Graham Gooch was still stood firm in the middle of it, unbeaten on 150. Just to think what could have been if he'd had... well, any kind of support.

With the pitch offering absolutely nothing for spinners, it was clear that a great deal would depend on the four fast men. It is a shame then, that they didn't particularly get the memo: Aamer Sohail and Javed Miandad were able to bat with very little pressure as they racked up a near-double century partnership. Both batsmen scored centuries, and neither had any great trouble with the challenges thrown their way by the English seamers. Wickets would prove a little more forthcoming once Malcolm had claimed Miandad's wicket, but even Aqib Javed managed to burgle a quick 20 runs. Not encouraging, and England again found themselves a long way behind on first innings.

Another century stand between Gooch (68) and Atherton (71) took England a huge amount of the way to parity, but a flurry of wickets around that time left them the equivalent of three for three with an hour left on the fourth day. The job for Smith and Hick was an obvious one, but difficult: bat for absolutely as long as they could. For Hick, that was a shade under three hours, but long enough to add 64 runs to his growing career tally. For Smith, that was at least four and a half hours - the point at which he ran out of partners. In a familiar tale for an English batsman, he found very little support from the lower-order, and was stranded on a stoic 66.

The match, therefore, was fascinatingly poised: Pakistan needed 183 to win, but had less than 40 overs to chase it down. Would they manage? Would they even go for it? Early signs suggested that they might - needing 150 from the final session of a Test isn't easy, but having ten wickets in hand helps. First Ramiz Raja went on the attack - caught out for 37 from 43. Then it was Sadiq Mohammad's turn - LBW for 33 from 40. Miandad took it into the next gear with 22 from 18, but when he and anchor Aamer Sohail (50 off 75) fell, Pakistan were still 30 runs short of victory with time running out. Gooch was having bowler problems though - Tufnell was bowling well, but each of his seamers had been hit out of the attack. Did he risk sticking with Chris Lewis, or did he throw the ball back to Fraser? Ultimately, he would try an over of each. The decisive moment came not from a moment of brilliance (like the in which Fraser took two wickets and then almost a third) but a moment of catastrophe as Paul Jarvis misfielded at mid-on to concede the winning runs in the Test and the series with only nine balls to spare.

Spoiler: Barrington Medal Points

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

Spoiler: Points system

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

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

Standings
1. Graham Gooch - 10 points (+3)
=2. Alec Stewart - 6 points
=2. Phil Tufnell - 6 points
4. Graeme Hick - 5 points
=5. Mike Atherton - 4 points (+2)
=5. Robin Smith - 4 points (+1)
6. Peter Such - 2 points
=8. Angus Fraser - 1 point
=8. Paul Jarvis - 1 point
=8. Chris Lewis - 1 point

The Barrington Medal was awarded Graham Gooch for the third time, but it was deeply bittersweet for the England captain: nobody likes accepting an award after their team loses a series that they shouldn't have.

 

[Aislabie]

Records

Highest Innings Score
for 571 for 5 dec. vs West Indies, The Oval 1991
vs 571 all out, Australia, Adelaide Oval 1991

Lowest Innings Score
for 122 all out vs New Zealand, Edgbaston 1990
vs 93 all out, Pakistan, Old Trafford 1992

Highest Innings
for 294, Graham Gooch vs West Indies, The Oval 1991
vs 156*, Carl Hooper, West Indies, Lord's 1991

Best Innings Bowling
for 7 for 57, Phil Tufnell vs New Zealand, Wellington 1992
vs 7 for 66, Wasim Akram, Pakistan, Headingley 1992

Best Match Bowling
for 10 for 76, Phil Tufnell vs Pakistan, Lord's 1992
vs 11 for 137, Wasim Akram, Pakistan, Headingley 1992

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

Partnerships
1. 190 - Graham Gooch & Tim Robinson vs Australia 1991
2. 154 - Graham Gooch & Robin Smith vs New Zealand 1990
3. 325 - Graham Gooch & Robin Smith vs West Indies 1991
4. 247 - Robin Smith & Graeme Hick vs Pakistan 1992
5. 176 - Graeme Hick & Jack Russell vs West Indies 1991
6. 106 - Graham Gooch & Chris Lewis vs West Indies 1991
7. 92 - Jack Russell & Martin Bicknell vs New Zealand 1992
8. 47 - Jack Russell & Phil Tufnell vs India 1990
9. 69 - Gladstone Small & Angus Fraser vs Australia 1990
10. 29 - Gladstone Small & Devon Malcolm vs New Zealand 1990

Honours Board

vs , 1989-90
Graham Gooch - 112
Robin Smith - 101
Robin Smith - 112
Graham Gooch - 100

vs , 1990
Graham Gooch - 127
Rob Bailey - 196

vs , 1990
none

vs , 1990-91
Robin Smith - 110
Graham Gooch - 170

vs , 1991
Robin Smith - 127
Graham Gooch - 175*
Graeme Hick - 108*
Graham Gooch - 165
Graham Gooch - 294
Robin Smith - 145

vs , 1991
Alec Stewart - 166
Graeme Hick - 100

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

vs , 1992
Graham Gooch - 103
Robin Smith - 132
Graeme Hick - 147
Graham Gooch - 150*


vs , 1989-90
Angus Fraser - 5 for 47
Gladstone Small - 5 for 72
Chris Lewis - 6 for 70

vs , 1990
none

vs , 1990
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 116
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 72

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

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

vs , 1991
none

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

vs , 1992
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 100
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 31
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 45

Career Statistics

Batting & Fielding

Player	Mat	Inn	NO	Runs	Avg	100s	50s	Best	Ct	St
Mike Atherton	18	33	3	1070	35.67	-	8	71	5	-
Rob Bailey	15	28	1	815	30.19	1	2	196	15	-
Martin Bicknell	4	4	0	65	16.25	-	-	48	2	-
Ian Botham (RET)	108	176	7	5656	33.47	14	25	208	135	-
Phillip DeFreitas	16	24	2	309	14.05	-	-	43*	4	-
Angus Fraser	29	39	3	363	10.08	-	-	34	2	-
Neil Foster	39	60	12	600	12.50	-	-	42*	13	-
Graham Gooch	103	189	7	8084	44.42	18	47	294	113	-
David Gower (RET)	124	215	17	8506	42.96	15	47	215	75	-
Eddie Hemmings	13	19	3	332	20.75	-	1	95	4	-
Graeme Hick	14	24	1	1039	44.17	4	3	147	25	-
Paul Jarvis	10	15	4	189	17.18	-	-	35*	1	-
Allan Lamb (RET)	60	105	9	3224	33.58	9	12	137*	53	-
Wayne Larkins (RET)	10	19	0	348	18.31	-	-	43	5	-
Syd Lawrence	2	2	0	6	3.00	-	-	4	-	-
Chris Lewis	24	37	5	717	22.41	-	3	56	23	-
Devon Malcolm	21	30	7	130	5.65	-	-	14*	6	-
Tim Robinson	41	71	6	2362	36.33	4	12	175	14	-
Jack Russell	37	62	16	1714	37.26	1	10	128*	98	8
Gladstone Small	20	26	7	382	20.10	-	2	59	2	-
Robin Smith	38	70	6	3056	47.75	8	17	145	11	-
Alec Stewart	10	19	1	732	40.61	2	2	166	3	-
Peter Such	3	4	1	5	1.67	-	-	3	-	-
Phil Tufnell	22	31	7	117	4.87	-	-	36	3	-
Steve Watkin	2	4	0	55	13.75	-	-	27	-	-

Bowling

Player	Mat	Ovr	Runs	Wkts	Avg	Econ	5WI	10WM	Best
Mike Atherton	18	66	275	9	30.56	4.2	-	-	3/32
Rob Bailey	15	43	175	2	87.50	4.1	-	-	1/0
Martin Bicknell	4	191	469	11	42.63	2.5	-	-	3/72
Ian Botham (RET)	108	3779	11223	400	28.13	3.0	27	4	8/34
Phillip DeFreitas	16	548	1588	31	48.12	2.9	1	-	5/86
Angus Fraser	29	1213	2934	92	31.89	2.4	3	-	5/47
Neil Foster	39	1451	3902	115	33.93	2.7	5	1	8/107
Graham Gooch	103	306	740	17	43.53	2.4	-	-	2/12
David Gower (RET)	124	6	20	1	20.00	3.3	-	-	1/1
Eddie Hemmings	13	513	1454	31	46.90	2.8	-	-	4/90
Graeme Hick	14	39	147	5	29.40	3.8	-	-	3/38
Paul Jarvis	10	359	1069	26	41.12	3.0	-	-	4/50
Allan Lamb (RET)	60	5	23	1	23.00	4.6	-	-	1/6
Wayne Larkins (RET)	10	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Syd Lawrence	2	68	223	4	55.75	3.3	-	-	2/74
Chris Lewis	24	697	1920	48	40.00	2.8	1	-	6/70
Devon Malcolm	21	768	2465	82	30.06	3.2	2	-	6/75
Tim Robinson	41	1	0	-	-	0.0	-	-	-
Jack Russell	37	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Gladstone Small	20	784	1980	60	33.00	2.5	3	-	5/48
Robin Smith	33	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Alec Stewart	10	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Peter Such	3	99	313	13	24.07	3.1	-	-	4/20
Phil Tufnell	22	906	2654	95	27.93	2.9	7	2	7/57
Steve Watkin	2	64	223	5	44.60	3.5	1	-	5/56

​

Next up is that India tour, but it's very interesting to see how some of our players are developing. Tufnell currently has the best average for an English spinner since Derek Underwood and is already approaching the very elite tier of English spin bowlers. Peter Such has also shown surprising ability, and four of our top five have batting averages of over 40. Honestly, we should be doing much better than we are

 

[Ed Smith]

Make sure everyone has a shave

 

[ddrap14]

How do you grab screenshots in the game? When I try with either Windows default snip tool or Gyazo, it does weird things and the snip never comes out right.

 

[Aislabie]

How do you grab screenshots in the game? When I try with either Windows default snip tool or Gyazo, it does weird things and the snip never comes out right.

I've been using the snipping tool, so I'm afraid I've got no real insight on to add

 

[Aislabie]

Career Statistics
Includes all players who debuted before 1990 and played from that date onwards either in real life or in this universe.

Cap Numbers

Player	#	Debut	Last Test
Graham Gooch	461	v (1), 1975	v (5), 1992
Ian Botham	474	v (3), 1977	v (3), 1990
Mike Gatting	477	v (3), 1977-78	v (2), 1989
David Gower	479	v (1), 1978	v (2), 1991
John Emburey	480	v (3), 1978	v (4), 1989
Wayne Larkins	484	v (3), 1979-80	v (1), 1990
Allan Lamb	494	v (1), 1982	v (4), 1989-90
Derek Pringle	495	v (1), 1982	v (6), 1989
Eddie Hemmings	497	v (1), 1982	v (5), 1989-90
Neil Foster	502	v (3), 1983	v (1), 1992
Tim Robinson	511	v (1), 1984	v (5), 1991
Gladstone Small	521	v (2), 1986	v , 1991
Phillip DeFreitas	522	v (1), 1986-87	v (3), 1990
Neil Fairbrother	525	v (1), 1987	v (3), 1987-88
David Capel	526	v (3), 1987	v (6), 1989
Paul Jarvis	527	v (1), 1987-88	v (5), 1992
Robin Smith	530	v (4), 1988	v (5), 1992
Rob Bailey	531	v (5), 1988	v (4), 1991
Matt Maynard	532	v (5), 1988	only Test
Syd Lawrence	534	v , 1988	v , 1991
Phil Newport	535	v , 1988	v (1), 1989
Jack Russell	536	v , 1988	v (5), 1992
Angus Fraser	537	v (3), 1989	v (5), 1992
Mike Atherton	538	v (5), 1989	v (5), 1992
Devon Malcolm	539	v (5), 1989	v (5), 1992
Alan Igglesden	540	v (6), 1989	only Test
- - - - - - - - - -	- - -	- - - - - - - - - -	- - - - - - - - - -
Alec Stewart	542	v (1), 1989-90	v (5), 1992
Phil Tufnell	543	v (1), 1989-90	v (5), 1992
Chris Lewis	544	v (4), 1989-90	v (5), 1992
Graeme Hick	545	v (5), 1989-90	v (5), 1992
Martin Bicknell	546	v (3), 1990	v (4), 1991-92
Steve Watkin	547	v (1), 1991	v (2), 1991
Peter Such	548	v (3), 1991	v (4), 1992

Batting & Fielding

Player	Mat	Inn	NO	Runs	Avg	100s	50s	Best	Ct	St
David Capel	11	18	0	293	16.27	-	2	98	4	-
John Emburey	60	89	18	1540	21.49	-	8	75	33	-
Neil Fairbrother	4	4	0	5	1.25	-	-	3	3	-
Mike Gatting	68	117	14	3870	37.57	9	18	207	51	-
Alan Igglesden	1	1	1	2	-	-	-	2*	1	-
Matt Maynard	1	2	0	13	6.50	-	-	10	-	-
Phil Newport	2	3	0	70	23.33	-	-	36	1	-
Derek Pringle	21	36	3	512	15.51	-	2	66	7	-

Bowling

Player	Mat	Ovr	Runs	Wkts	Avg	Econ	5WI	10WM	Best
David Capel	11	209	628	12	52.33	3.0	-	-	2/13
John Emburey	60	2371	138	36.99	2.1	6	-	7/78
Neil Fairbrother	4	2	9	0	-	4.5	-	-	-
Mike Gatting	68	125	317	4	79.25	2.5	-	-	1/14
Alan Igglesden	1	37	146	3	48.67	3.9	-	-	2/91
Matt Maynard	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Phil Newport	2	92	339	9	37.66	3.7	-	-	4/87
Derek Pringle	21	625	1807	48	37.64	2.9	2	-	5/95

​

I have also updated the stats page with the adjusted records of the players whose careers did not continue after I took over control of the Test side, as well as some new cap numbers

 

[Aislabie]

England Tour of India, 1992-93

Itinerary
29 Jan 93 - India vs England - First Test at Calcutta - England won by 222 runs
11 Feb 93 - India vs England - Second Test at Madras - England won by 100 runs
19 Feb 93 - India vs England - Third Test at Bombay - India won by an innings and 47 runs

England Squad

Graham Gooch

Mike Atherton
Mike Gatting
Graeme Hick
Mark Ramprakash
Robin Smith
Alec Stewart

Richard Blakey
Jack Russell

John Emburey
Chris Lewis
Dermot Reeve

Angus Fraser
Paul Jarvis
Devon Malcolm

Ian Salisbury
Peter Such
Phil Tufnell

There's no way around it, this is a very different England squad to the one that just lost to Pakistan. But there is method behind the madness: Gatting, although he has been out of the England side for a long time, has racked up eighteen first-class centuries in three years and is arguably England's best player of spin. Emburey has been out of the side just as long, but the England management felt as though they needed a senior spinner in the party who had played in India before to provide guidance to the very young spin attack. Potential debuts are still on the cards for Ramprakash, Reeve and Salisbury, although it is expected that as usual, Blakey is unlikely to be anything other than a back-up keeper to Russell.

 

[Aislabie]

India vs England - First Test at Calcutta

India XI
Manoj Prabhakar
Navjot Sidhu
Vinod Kambli
Sachin Tendulkar
Mohammad Azharuddin
Pravin Amre
Kapil Dev
Kiran More
Anil Kumble
Rajesh Chauhan
Venkapathy Raju

England XI
Graham Gooch
Alec Stewart
Mike Gatting
Robin Smith
Graeme Hick
Jack Russell
Chris Lewis
Ian Salisbury (debut)
Angus Fraser
Phil Tufnell
Peter Such

- - -

England win the toss and choose to bat

- - -

Make no mistake, this is a very good Indian team. And there's a pretty clear argument that this isn't a very good England team. For one thing, it's very different to what they usually select: three spinners take the field, including the debutant leg-spin of Ian Salisbury. For another, Mike Gatting hasn't been considered good enough to make the England team for the last three years, so expectations should be moderated with regards to him. Regardless, he comes in in place of Atherton with Stewart promoted to open the batting.

After winning the toss and batting, it was important that Gooch and Stewart lay a strong foundation for England; the less runs they need to score off the Indian spinners in the second innings, the easier their lives are going to be. They, along with Gatting, did exactly that: by the end of the first day, Stewart (34) was the only wicket to fall - the veterans Gooch and Gatting had added a remarkable unbeaten partnership of 155. Though Gooch could not be stopped from achieving his nineteenth Test century (equal to Len Hutton), Gatting did fall short of his tenth: caught at silly point from the bowling of Kumble for an excellent 98. After that, the England batting offered only moderate resistance: Russell added another of the unbeaten fifties that have defined his career so far, while Peter Such struck a career-best five off nine balls.

It was obvious that by the third day, the English seamers would likely only be used with the new ball. This meant lots of bowling for Tufnell in particular, and he absolutely rose to the occasion with a career-best eight for 114. His wickets included Prabhakar, Sidhu, Azharuddin, Amre, Kapil, More, Kumble and Raju: a truly fantastic haul from one of the world's best spinners. At the other end of the spectrum, debutant Ian Salisbury had a shocker: in thirteen disappointing overs, he leaked fourteen boundaries out of a total of 76 runs. His lack of impact or control was a large part of why England's first innings lead was only 23, though admittedly any bowler would have struggled against Kambli on this kind of form, even Tufnell.

In Stewart and Gooch though, it looks as if England have found an opening pair of real promise: an opening stand of 144 included 72 by the ageless Gooch, but once he was out Stewart kept on going. It took until the 79th over of the innings, but he became the first England opener not called Gooch to score a Test century since Chris Broad five years prior. In that time, Gooch has scored twelve hundreds of his own. A rapid half-century from Hick on the fifth morning allowed England to declare from a position where their risk of losing the game was absolutely minimal: India's target, 383; India's spinners, wicketless (partly because Cricket Captain refused to use Chauhan).

With only just over two sessions to chase the win, England needed to start well. A wicket each from Fraser and Lewis in the seven overs before lunch were exactly what the doctor ordered. After the break, it was not Tufnell but Such who had India in a spin: Tufnell toiled, but it was Such who struck gold with the wickets of Tendulkar, Azhar, Amre, Kambli and Kapil before the game reached the final hour. A final hour for which India had only three wickets left, and for which England usually had six men around the bat. Such claimed a sixth - Kiran More bowled through the gate. Then a seventh - Chauhan in the same way. Finally, Such claimed his eighth and England's tenth wicket to take home the best figures by an England spinner since Jim Laker, and the first time in Test history that two different spinners have taken eight-fors for the same team in the same Test.

What a performance by England - possibly their best in a Test in India, ever.

Spoiler: Barrington Medal Points

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

Spoiler: Points system

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

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

Standings
1. Peter Such - 5 points (+5)
2. Phil Tufnell - 3 points (+3)
3. Graham Gooch - 2 points (+2)
4. Alec Stewart - 1 point (+1)

 

[Aislabie]

India (0) vs (1) England - Second Test at Madras

India XI
Manoj Prabhakar
Navjot Sidhu
Vinod Kambli
Sachin Tendulkar
Mohammad Azharuddin
Pravin Amre
Kapil Dev
Kiran More
Anil Kumble
Rajesh Chauhan
Venkapathy Raju

England XI
Michael Atherton
Alec Stewart
Mike Gatting
Robin Smith
Graeme Hick
Mark Ramprakash (debut)
Jack Russell
Chris Lewis
Angus Fraser
Phil Tufnell
Peter Such

- - -

England win the toss and choose to bat

- - -

Ahead of the toss, there was some big news for England: just one game after they finally found an opening partnership for the future, one of those openers found himself unable to play - instead, he was to be found glued to the lavatory as the victim of a "dodgy prawn curry". That man was Graham Gooch, which meant England had bigger issues than just who should open the batting (for that, Atherton replaces him). They also needed a captain, and there was no other obvious candidate in the team. In the end, it had to come down to one of the two most established batsmen in the team: Hick or Smith. In the end, Hick got the nod after Smith purportedly asked not to be considered for the role. Mark Ramprakash also got the nod for a Test debut after Ian Salisbury got dropped on the back of his disastrous spell, a departure from the usual balance of the England team. India, meanwhile, went unchanged.

Upon winning his maiden toss as captain, Hick chose to bat first despite the absence of the team's totemic opener. A couple of early wickets to Prabhakar must surely have raised alarm bells, but a stoic rebuilding effort from Smith and the strokeless Atherton avoided a total derailment. By the end of the first day, both batsmen had centuries to their credit - serenely unbothered by the slow scoring, and also by the Indian spinners, which might be because Cricket Captain's match engine refuses to use them properly. Further down the order, a fine debut fifty by Ramprakash showed off his promise, with further positives from the contributions of Russell and Lewis down the order. By the time England had finished batting, the game was into its third day.

Chris Lewis again stepped up to the task of taking the new ball by taking the wicket of Prabhakar before the spinners got involved. When they did, the Tufnell and Such show resumed with gusto, despite the pitch taking noticeably less turn than the one in Calcutta. Tufnell breezed to yet another five-wicket haul, ably supported by Such who took four. Can we perhaps utter the unimaginable? Namely that this England spin attack is actually really good. Only one Indian batsman managed to reach 50, that being Sachin Tendulkar at number four. Everyone from Azharuddin downwards just subsided.

Despite the big lead, Hick chose not to enforce the follow-on, opting instead to give his bowlers and fielders a rest from the scorching Madras sun. England did not hang around with the bat, using their position of strength to set a deeply improbable target of 478 runs for India to win from four and a half sessions of cricket. The selflessness of the English batsmen was heartening, with nobody taking the easy route of merely playing for their average.

Yet another excellent spell from Lewis brought scant reward, but Fraser, Tufnell and Such shared three wickets between them in the evening session to leave India with only seven wickets left to last the fifth day. Much was dependant on Tendulkar and Azhar, but neither could weather the English spin threat. The star of the show was Tufnell yet again: with so many fielders around the bat the runs did flow a bit, but so did the wickets. Six of them to be precise, taking his series tally to nineteen compared to Such's sixteen. The two have been undoubted stars of the show, although they have been far from the only stars with unexpectedly good performances coming from England's batsmen too.

With one match to play, England have secured an unassailable 2-0 lead.

Spoiler: Barrington Medal Points

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

Spoiler: Points system

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

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

Standings
1. Phil Tufnell - 8 points (+5)
2. Peter Such - 6 points (+1)
3. Michael Atherton - 3 points (+3)
=4. Graham Gooch - 2 points
=4. Robin Smith - 2 points (+2)
5. Alec Stewart - 1 point

 

[Aislabie]

India (0) vs (2) England - Third Test at Bombay

India XI
Navjot Sidhu
Manoj Prabhakar
Vinod Kambli
Sachin Tendulkar
Mohammad Azharuddin
Pravin Amre
Kapil Dev
Kiran More
Anil Kumble
Rajesh Chauhan
Venkapathy Raju

England XI
Michael Atherton
Alec Stewart
Graham Gooch
Robin Smith
Graeme Hick
Mark Ramprakash
Jack Russell
Chris Lewis
Dermot Reeve (debut)
Phil Tufnell
Peter Such

- - -

India win the toss and choose to bat

- - -

With Gooch back from his literal potty break, he returned as captain but in the unaccustomed batting position of number three. When asked to explain why, he said that "we can expect Atherton and Stewart to bat together for years so they should get a head start now". There was also a third debutant of the series in the form of Dermot Reeve. "He's earned the right for an opportunity," Gooch said, whilst indicating that he would rather his seamers not be forced to bowl in the Madras heat.

Spoiler: Lost this progress after the game crashed at tea

It was immediately obvious before a ball was bowled that this Bombay surface would be an absolute road. Azharuddin will therefore have been delighted to win the toss and get the opportunity to bat on it first. He will have been less delighted though to see four wickets fall to spin before lunch on the first day: three of them to Such, one to Tufnell. What's more, there was a fifth: a run-out. There looked to be a real fear factor with the English spinners after the damage they have inflicted so far in the series.

It was immediately obvious before a ball was bowled that this Bombay surface would be an absolute road. His batsmen set about taking full advantage: a brilliant 165 from Kambli playing a huge part in India reaching stumps on the first day at 313 for two. Tufnell was particularly ineffective, returning figures of none for 100 from the first day's play. This made it all the more surprising, therefore, to see him absolutely tear through the batsmen on the second day, adding seven more wickets to his enviable series tally. Of course, this wasn't enough to stop India breezing past 500, but it did wrest back some much-needed momentum for England.

When presented with the opportunity to bowl at batsmen who had been cooked for a couple of days in the field, Anil Kumble finally found his stride for the first time in the series. His seven wickets showed the value of giving overs to the spinners, Cricket Captain as well as highlighting a couple of ever-present weaknesses in English batting, such as the inability to pick a googly. The only batsmen not to get out to the leg-spinner were Gooch, Russell and Such (who did not bat due to an injury sustained while bowling). The main resistance came from Robin Smith, who again put aside his difficulties against spin to accumulate an admirable 86. It was not enough to prevent the follow-on though.

It is safe to suggest, I think, that the experiment of Graham Gooch batting at three will be consigned to the cricketing dustbin. As will the Test career of Dermot Reeve. Though it would be unfair to place the blame for England's innings defeat squarely at his door, there is no escaping the fact that he did not even resemble a Test cricketer during this match. One person who did resemble a Test cricketer was Mark Ramprakash: his calm and chanceless unbeaten 76 could have reached three figures if Reeve had been prepared to hang around with him. Instead, the Hong Kong born Warwickshire man swung a ball into the leg-side to pass that responsibility on to Phil Tufnell. Never mind, hey.

At least it was a dead rubber.

Spoiler: Barrington Medal Points

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

Spoiler: Points system

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

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

Standings
1. Phil Tufnell - 10 points (+2)
2. Peter Such - 6 points
3. Robin Smith - 5 points (+3)
4. Michael Atherton - 3 points
5. Graham Gooch - 2 points
=6. Mark Ramprakash - 1 point (+1)
=6. Alec Stewart - 1 point

The Barrington Medal isn't quite all over yet though - with one more Test this winter against Sri Lanka, it is theoretically possible for Such to steal it.

 

[Aislabie]

Records

Highest Innings Score
for 571 for 5 dec. vs West Indies, The Oval 1991
vs 571 all out, Australia, Adelaide Oval 1991

Lowest Innings Score
for 122 all out vs New Zealand, Edgbaston 1990
vs 93 all out, Pakistan, Old Trafford 1992

Highest Innings
for 294, Graham Gooch vs West Indies, The Oval 1991
vs 185, Vinod Kambli, India, Calcutta 1993

Best Innings Bowling
for 8 for 47, Peter Such vs India, Calcutta 1993
vs 7 for 66, Wasim Akram, Pakistan, Headingley 1992

Best Match Bowling
for 11 for 239, Phil Tufnell vs India, Madras 1993
vs 11 for 137, Wasim Akram, Pakistan, Headingley 1992

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

Partnerships
1. 190 - Graham Gooch & Tim Robinson vs Australia 1991
2. 187 - Graham Gooch & Mike Gatting vs India 1993
3. 325 - Graham Gooch & Robin Smith vs West Indies 1991
4. 247 - Robin Smith & Graeme Hick vs Pakistan 1992
5. 176 - Graeme Hick & Jack Russell vs West Indies 1991
6. 106 - Graham Gooch & Chris Lewis vs West Indies 1991
7. 92 - Jack Russell & Martin Bicknell vs New Zealand 1992
8. 47 - Jack Russell & Phil Tufnell vs India 1990
9. 69 - Gladstone Small & Angus Fraser vs Australia 1990
10. 29 - Gladstone Small & Devon Malcolm vs New Zealand 1990

Honours Board

vs , 1989-90
Graham Gooch - 112
Robin Smith - 101
Robin Smith - 112
Graham Gooch - 100

vs , 1990
Graham Gooch - 127
Rob Bailey - 196

vs , 1990
none

vs , 1990-91
Robin Smith - 110
Graham Gooch - 170

vs , 1991
Robin Smith - 127
Graham Gooch - 175*
Graeme Hick - 108*
Graham Gooch - 165
Graham Gooch - 294
Robin Smith - 145

vs , 1991
Alec Stewart - 166
Graeme Hick - 100

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

vs , 1992
Graham Gooch - 103
Robin Smith - 132
Graeme Hick - 147
Graham Gooch - 150*

vs , 1992-93
Graham Gooch - 132
Alec Stewart - 151*
Mike Atherton - 147
Robin Smith - 137


vs , 1989-90
Angus Fraser - 5 for 47
Gladstone Small - 5 for 72
Chris Lewis - 6 for 70

vs , 1990
none

vs , 1990
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 116
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 72

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

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

vs , 1991
none

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

vs , 1992
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 100
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 31
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 45

vs , 1992-93
Phil Tufnell - 8 for 114
Peter Such - 8 for 47
Phil Tufnell - 5 for 72
Phil Tufnell - 6 for 167
Phil Tufnell - 7 for 171

Career Statistics
Includes all players who debuted before 1990 and played from that date onwards either in real life or in this universe.

Cap Numbers

Player	#	Debut	Last Test
Graham Gooch	461	v (1), 1975	v (3), 1992-93
Ian Botham	474	v (3), 1977	v (3), 1990
Mike Gatting	477	v (3), 1977-78	v (2), 1992-93
David Gower	479	v (1), 1978	v (2), 1991
John Emburey	480	v (3), 1978	v (4), 1989
Wayne Larkins	484	v (3), 1979-80	v (1), 1990
Allan Lamb	494	v (1), 1982	v (4), 1989-90
Derek Pringle	495	v (1), 1982	v (6), 1989
Eddie Hemmings	497	v (1), 1982	v (5), 1989-90
Neil Foster	502	v (3), 1983	v (1), 1992
Tim Robinson	511	v (1), 1984	v (5), 1991
Gladstone Small	521	v (2), 1986	v , 1991
Phillip DeFreitas	522	v (1), 1986-87	v (3), 1990
Neil Fairbrother	525	v (1), 1987	v (3), 1987-88
David Capel	526	v (3), 1987	v (6), 1989
Paul Jarvis	527	v (1), 1987-88	v (5), 1992
Robin Smith	530	v (4), 1988	v (3), 1992-93
Rob Bailey	531	v (5), 1988	v (4), 1991
Matt Maynard	532	v (5), 1988	only Test
Syd Lawrence	534	v , 1988	v , 1991
Phil Newport	535	v , 1988	v (1), 1989
Jack Russell	536	v , 1988	v (3), 1992-93
Angus Fraser	537	v (3), 1989	v (2), 1992-93
Mike Atherton	538	v (5), 1989	v (3), 1992-93
Devon Malcolm	539	v (5), 1989	v (5), 1992
Alan Igglesden	540	v (6), 1989	only Test
- - - - - - - - - -	- - -	- - - - - - - - - -	- - - - - - - - - -
Alec Stewart	542	v (1), 1989-90	v (3), 1992-93
Phil Tufnell	543	v (1), 1989-90	v (3), 1992-93
Chris Lewis	544	v (4), 1989-90	v (3), 1992-93
Graeme Hick	545	v (5), 1989-90	v (3), 1992-93
Martin Bicknell	546	v (3), 1990	v (4), 1991-92
Steve Watkin	547	v (1), 1991	v (2), 1991
Peter Such	548	v (3), 1991	v (3), 1992-93
Ian Salisbury	549	v (1), 1992-93	only Test
Mark Ramprakash	550	v (2), 1992-93	v (3), 1992-93
Dermot Reeve	551	v (3), 1992-93	only Test

Captains

Player	Mat	First	Last
Graham Gooch	32	v (5), 1988	v (3), 1992-93
Graeme Hick	1	v (2), 1992-93	only Test

Batting & Fielding

Player	Mat	Inn	NO	Runs	Avg	100s	50s	Best	Ct	St
Mike Atherton	20	37	3	1274	37.47	1	8	147	6	-
Rob Bailey	15	28	1	815	30.19	1	2	196	15	-
Martin Bicknell	4	4	0	65	16.25	-	-	48	2	-
Ian Botham (RET)	108	176	7	5656	33.47	14	25	208	135	-
David Capel	11	18	0	293	16.27	-	2	98	4	-
Phillip DeFreitas	16	24	2	309	14.05	-	-	43*	4	-
John Emburey	60	89	18	1540	21.49	-	8	75	33	-
Neil Fairbrother	4	4	0	5	1.25	-	-	3	3	-
Angus Fraser	31	42	4	381	10.03	-	-	34	2	-
Neil Foster	39	60	12	600	12.50	-	-	42*	13	-
Mike Gatting	70	121	14	4037	37.73	9	19	207	53	-
Graham Gooch	105	193	7	8333	44.80	19	48	294	116	-
David Gower (RET)	124	215	17	8506	42.96	15	47	215	75	-
Eddie Hemmings	13	19	3	332	20.75	-	1	95	4	-
Graeme Hick	17	30	2	1167	41.68	4	4	147	29	-
Alan Igglesden	1	1	1	2	-	-	-	2*	1	-
Paul Jarvis	10	15	4	189	17.18	-	-	35*	1	-
Allan Lamb (RET)	60	105	9	3224	33.58	9	12	137*	53	-
Wayne Larkins (RET)	10	19	0	348	18.31	-	-	43	5	-
Syd Lawrence	2	2	0	6	3.00	-	-	4	-	-
Chris Lewis	27	42	6	840	23.33	-	3	56	25	-
Devon Malcolm	21	30	7	130	5.65	-	-	14*	6	-
Matt Maynard	1	2	0	13	6.50	-	-	10	-	-
Phil Newport	2	3	0	70	23.33	-	-	36	1	-
Derek Pringle	21	36	3	512	15.51	-	2	66	7	-
Mark Ramprakash	2	4	1	135	45.00	-	2	76*	-	-
Dermot Reeve	1	2	0	12	6.00	-	-	6	-	-
Tim Robinson	41	71	6	2362	36.33	4	12	175	14	-
Jack Russell	40	67	17	1870	37.40	1	11	128*	110	9
Ian Salisbury	1	1	0	21	21.00	-	-	21	-	-
Gladstone Small	20	26	7	382	20.10	-	2	59	2	-
Robin Smith	41	76	6	3403	48.61	9	19	145	11	-
Alec Stewart	13	25	2	995	43.26	3	2	166	3	-
Peter Such	6	6	1	16	3.20	-	-	6	2	-
Phil Tufnell	25	35	8	122	4.52	-	-	36	5	-
Steve Watkin	2	4	0	55	13.75	-	-	27	-	-

Bowling

Player	Mat	Ovr	Runs	Wkts	Avg	Econ	5WI	10WM	Best
Mike Atherton	20	73	305	9	33.89	4.2	-	-	3/32
Rob Bailey	15	43	175	2	87.50	4.1	-	-	1/0
Martin Bicknell	4	191	469	11	42.63	2.5	-	-	3/72
Ian Botham (RET)	108	3779	11223	400	28.13	3.0	27	4	8/34
David Capel	11	209	628	12	52.33	3.0	-	-	2/13
Phillip DeFreitas	16	548	1588	31	48.12	2.9	1	-	5/86
John Emburey	60	2371	5105	138	36.99	2.1	6	-	7/78
Neil Fairbrother	4	2	9	0	-	4.5	-	-	-
Angus Fraser	31	1260	3113	94	33.12	2.5	3	-	5/47
Neil Foster	39	1451	3902	115	33.93	2.7	5	1	8/107
Mike Gatting	70	125	317	4	79.25	2.5	-	-	1/14
Graham Gooch	105	306	740	17	43.53	2.4	-	-	2/12
David Gower (RET)	124	6	20	1	20.00	3.3	-	-	1/1
Eddie Hemmings	13	513	1454	31	46.90	2.8	-	-	4/90
Graeme Hick	17	46	170	5	34.00	3.7	-	-	3/38
Alan Igglesden	1	37	146	3	48.67	3.9	-	-	2/91
Paul Jarvis	10	359	1069	26	41.12	3.0	-	-	4/50
Allan Lamb (RET)	60	5	23	1	23.00	4.6	-	-	1/6
Wayne Larkins (RET)	10	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Syd Lawrence	2	68	223	4	55.75	3.3	-	-	2/74
Chris Lewis	27	754	2087	52	40.13	2.8	1	-	6/70
Devon Malcolm	21	768	2465	82	30.06	3.2	2	-	6/75
Matt Maynard	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Phil Newport	2	92	339	9	37.66	3.7	-	-	4/87
Derek Pringle	21	625	1807	48	37.64	2.9	2	-	5/95
Mark Ramprakash	2	1	2	0	-	2.0	-	-	-
Dermot Reeve	1	14	39	0	-	2.8	-	-	-
Tim Robinson	41	1	0	0	-	0.0	-	-	-
Jack Russell	40	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Ian Salisbury	1	13	76	0	-	5.9	-	-	-
Gladstone Small	20	784	1980	60	33.00	2.5	3	-	5/48
Robin Smith	41	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Alec Stewart	13	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Peter Such	6	276	806	31	26.00	2.9	1	-	8/47
Phil Tufnell	25	1094	3263	121	26.97	3.0	11	3	8/114
Steve Watkin	2	64	223	5	44.60	3.5	1	-	5/56

​

Stats and records updated after that tour. Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed - I'd really been building up to that tour, and then when I get there I find that the Cricket Captain match engine decides to give Rajesh Chauhan only one over across an entire three-Test series. Maybe it was foolish, but I was expecting better. A three-man attack of Kumble, Prabhakar and a 34-year-old Kapil Dev (Raju took only one wicket all series, though he at least bowled nearly a hundred overs) isn't going to cause anyone any trouble.

I am happy though to squeeze in Test debuts for two of the 90s dodgiest Test players: Ian Salisbury and Dermot Reeve will doubtless stand the test of time as one-Test wonders. I was also very much enjoying Mike Atherton, the opener with no centuries. It's kind of sad that that stat is gone now.

 

[Aislabie]

England Tour of Sri Lanka, 1992-93

Itinerary
13 Mar 93 - India vs England - Only Test at Colombo - England won by 243 runs

England Squad

Graham Gooch

Mike Atherton
Graeme Hick
Mark Ramprakash
Robin Smith
Alec Stewart

Jack Russell

Chris Lewis

Angus Fraser
Paul Jarvis
Devon Malcolm

Peter Such
Phil Tufnell

No major headlines here - just one last Test on the way home. On the bright side, Peter Such has recovered from his injury in the third India Test, and will be playing in the Sri Lanka Test. Gatting, Salisbury and Reeve all played in the India Tests but won't be playing against Sri Lanka; Emburey and Blakey didn't play and will continue not to play. The Sri Lankan team is starting to evolve a little bit though - apparently they have this off-spinner called "Muralitharan" who has played six Tests and has a bowling average of just under 35. Probably just some scrub, but apparently he has a weird bowling action.