FEATURES

Perhaps he didn’t turn out to be quite as good a batsman as his early career suggested he might become, but John Crawley certainly wasn’t helped by the way England teams were selected in the 1990s. In this feature Martin looks back at a career that might have disappointed at times, but which contained its share of highlights.

In this feature Martin remembers one of the leading English batsmen from his childhood, and one of his favourites; ‘Long’ Tom Graveney

By the mid-2000s, South Africa had been trying in vain to beat Australia in a Test series since readmission. Would their 2005/06 tour break the ice?

In 1912, the great South African all-rounder Aubrey Faulkner achieved something which would not be equaled for almost a century…and no one knew anything about it. Here Dave shines a light.

In this feature Martin looks at the life and times of a man England regards as the archetypal Australian captain, Warwick Armstrong

Mudassar Nazar was an excellent counterbalance to the more precociously talented members of the excellent Pakistani side that Imran Khan led in the 1980s. In this feature Martin tells his story

With the Cricketer publishing a review of England’s best ever captains, Dave does the same – and comes up with a similar answer.

In this feature Martin looks at the life and times of a man for whom the great bowlers of the 1950s and early 1960s were just a warm up act for the real challenges that lay ahead

Nothing reflects an average Pakistani’s fascination with heroes better than the position of the Pakistan cricket captain, the man who in the eyes of an average Pakistani stands up to the dysfunctional and archaic institution that is the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and produces scintillating performances on the ground despite the system while their nose at the tools of control — the manager, selection committee, chairman etc. This is why this is the most coveted job in Pakistan cricket.

We are given to understand that Martin has batted on several strips of turf where, not so many years previously, Gordon Greenidge had done the same. Sadly Martin scored many runs fewer than Greenidge, but he still thought it a good excuse to write about one of the most punishing opening batsmen to have played the game