How do you even pick a favourite cricketer? One can think about all sorts of qualities or statistics. But at the end of the day, while these things all matter, a choice of a favourite is not scientific at all. It is all about how a player ‘made you feel’. One stipulation I did make is that I wanted to focus on players I have seen. Whilst it was tempting to pick Ian Botham, I never saw the best of Botham, except on the old videos. Eventually, I pick 2 favourites.
Winning in Australia eventually was all it takes to be a favourite.
When Andrew Strauss came on the scene in 2004, he scored lots of centuries. Between May 2004 and September 2005, he scored 7 centuries. Adding Strauss to Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick, it suddenly felt like England had a serious batting line up that could get big scores. Strauss was the only person to score 2 hundreds in the 2005 Ashes series, and I will always remember the image of him celebrating his hundred at Old Trafford which the bloody tissue on his ear, having been hit on the head early on. For me, Strauss was the obvious choice of captain in 2006/7 but it probably worked out better for him longer term that he was overlooked. Early on Strauss seemed a fairly free scoring player, but I feel that Strauss became a slightly different player later in his career, more of an accumulator. His high point as a batsman was probably 2009 – both the West Indies tour and home Ashes series, though the two centuries in the match against India in Chennai was a significant achievement.
Strauss’ moment was as captain. Even though Strauss won the Ashes twice as captain and took England to number one in the world, many were critical of his tactical captaincy. Sometimes Strauss was perhaps conservative, particularly in the West Indies in 2009. However, you do not win the Ashes in Australia with a tactically inept captain. It was as a man manager that Strauss was most successful. He became captain after the total breakdown between Kevin Pietersen and Peter Moores, and my view is that Pietersen never quite got over that. Strauss held the dressing room together, including Pietersen, until the Headingly test match against South Africa in 2012, when Pietersen and some text messages contrived to end Strauss’ career. He should not have been left to finish his career in that way. His team was to fall apart spectacularly a year later in Australia – yes Cook was captain by then, but it was Strauss’ team – without Strauss.
Most importantly, Strauss won the Ashes in Australia – 24 years after Mike Gatting. He broke England’s ‘duck’ since 1986/7, though since 2011 the pattern of Australian home dominance has resumed. Indeed, it is astonishing to think that England have only won 4 test matches in Australia this millennium – Strauss won 3 of those, the other was won by Nasser Hussain in 2003. Winning in Australia eventually was all it takes to be a favourite.
Sarah Taylor is responsible for my interest in ladies’ cricket. Growing up, I had always seen the ladies as rather dull – but I did not watch enough ladies cricket to know if this was real or perception. However, since 2006 Sky have shown more and more ladies cricket, and whatever the standard used to be, it has improved greatly. I cannot remember when I first watched Taylor, but I know she scored a century. Looking back at Taylor’s record, I think it might have been in 2008 when she made 129. I certainly do remember watching Taylor in 2009 when she broke a record for the highest score by an Englishwoman against Australia. As I watched Taylor bat, I started to watch other players like Charlotte Edwards and Anya Shrubsole, but I did need something to spark my initial interest. By 2020, it is just cricket to me.
Sarah Taylor is responsible for my interest in ladies’ cricket
Taylor has clearly had a tough time with her mental health. Though she spoke bravely about it, I do not really know much about what she went through. I am not sure it is any of my business. What I do know is that she made a comeback, and a successful one. It was an amazing achievement.
It was fantastic that she was able to return and play a starring role in the 2017 World Cup. By 2017 I was watching her wicket keeping, and I realised that she was one of the best wicket keepers I have ever seen, up with Jack Russell. Sometimes, it seems like Taylor was able to remove the bails before the ball got to her. If she made a mistake, it would generally be an easy catch that would go down before then doing something truly remarkable. Taylor was also great fun to watch – though occasionally she would get carried away! That is part of the appeal – and I think that was also the role she was asked to play. In 2019 it was more and more apparent that Amy Jones was going to, at some point, replace Taylor, and so I think Taylor made the right decisions. We will always remember those stumpings!
Enjoy some memories below!
Cricketed 