The Reverse Sweep

Hedley Verity - a proper hero with 'no breaking point'

In an era where footballers, pop stars, actors and for heaven's sake reality TV nonentities are too easily accorded hero status, it is worth remembering that there was a time when some of our sports stars were really worthy of being called heroes - and not just because of what they did on the field of play either.

One such man was Hedley Verity of Yorkshire, England and the Green Howards who was born this week in 1905 and who is the subject of our latest piece for All Out Cricket's rather fab web site.

Read Cricket Hero In The Field: Tribute to Hedley Verity to find out why the unyielding master of spin puts today's pampered 'stars' in the shade.

Where next?

Cricket XIs: A team of cricketers that died young

All-time England Ashes XI - Spinner

Heroes - Douglas Jardine

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Responsibility and Misbah-ul-Haq

 
Responsibility. Some thrive on it, others crumble under its weight.

Being made captain of an international cricket side is certainly a responsible position. Being made captain of Pakistan in the wake of the Lord’s spot-fixing scandal that had consumed the previous skipper Salman Butt had even more responsibility attached to it.

Such was the burden placed on Misbah-ul-Haq’s shoulders.

Pakistan could easily have imploded. But it didn’t and Misbah must take a lot of credit for that.

At the Reverse Sweep, we find it absurd that Misbah attracts so much criticism from Pakistan cricket followers on blogs and Twitter.

His captaincy may be defensive and over-cautious at times, but Misbah has proved to be the steady pair of hands that the good ship Pakistan needed to prevent it from sinking to the bottom of the sea.

Since taking over the captaincy, Pakistan have drawn against South Africa, won in New Zealand and Zimbabwe, drawn in the Caribbean and have just beaten Sri Lanka in Test, ODI and T20 series' in the UAE.

When you consider that this has been achieved without the disgraced Lord’s trio and for the most part their two premier batsmen in Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf, it is a pretty impressive record.

Misbah’s batting has been like his captaincy: cautious, steady and unspectacular; yet remarkably effective and consistent. His Test scores have been as follows: 9, 76*, 77, 58*, 62, 99, 70*, 2, 52, 25, 102* 66, 6*, 46, 41, 89 and 9 not out. 889 runs at an average of 80.81 and a fairly sedate strike rate of 42.

As we said at the start, some thrive on responsibility. Thankfully for Pakistan, Misbah-ul-Haq is one of those people.

Where next?

Historic India-Pakistan summit flounders due to cricket diplomacy

Revealed: New Pakistan Player Code of Conduct

Cricket Zeroes: Salman Butt

Mohammad Aamer: the waste of an irrepressible talent

Check out all our Reverse Sweep heroes and zeroes including Kamran Akmal, Salman Butt, Shoaib Malik and Younis Khan

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Cricket Zeroes: John Emburey (a.k.a. Val Doonican)

 
Back in the wastelands of the 1980s, spinners were generally about as exciting as chamber music, especially to a young Reverse Sweep fascinated by the rock and roll on offer from a legion of brilliant fast bowlers.

The epitomy of this was John Emburey. Oh how we groaned when the Middlesex off-spinner came on to bowl. Whereas Bob Willis, all hair and arms, looked mentally unhinged when he ran in and Ian Botham was the ultimate cricket comic book hero, Emburey was the bowling equivalent of Val Doonican. He was boring and just like Doonican with his fetish for bright jumpers and log fires, Emburey was insipidness personified.

Granted spinners weren't exactly helped much by pitches in the 1980s, but was that any excuse for Emburey's negative tactic of boring batsmen (and spectators) out? Abdul Qadir showed how exciting spin bowling could be, but thanks to the fact that the opportunity to see him on television screens in the UK was only fleeting, his appearances were as brief as the fuss created by the New York Dolls.

Being boring was only one negative aspect of Emburey - who at this point it should be mentioned did take 147 wickets in his 64 Tests at 38 and 1608 first-class wickets.

Cricketers in the 1980s weren't paid what they are today, so the temptation to make a quick buck was probably higher, but that does not excuse Emburey's unique participation in not one but two rebel tours to South Africa.

Going for the first time in 1982 was bad enough - although it did mean that we didn't have to tolerate Emburey featuring in the England side again until 1985. But taking the soiled rand for the second time was unforgiveable especially as the Apartheid regime was on its knees by 1989 and even more desperate for any opportunity to legitimise it. 

Of course the misconception that spin bowling was boring was cast aside by the arrival of a blonde Victorian leg spinner. Warne's arrival was akin to the revolution of a tired music scene by The Sex Pistols, The Clash and Punk Rock in 1976. It made Emburey seem even more like a dinosaur - albeit a toothless, docile and grass eating one.

NB: Occasionally, one of our readers (or should that be reader?) nominates an unwilling victim to be a Reverse Sweep zero. This was the case here, so thanks to @PaulFrame85 for reminding us just how boring Mr Emburey was.

Where next?

An XI of Cricket Heroes

Cricket Heroes: Graham Dilley R.I.P

Ashes 100-1: 81 - Botham's Ashes

Cricket Heroes: Bob Willis

10 reasons why Ian Botham may have worn sunglasses at the premiere of 'From the Ashes'

Check out all our other Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes 

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

The ICC: More U-Turns than Nick Clegg and David Cameron put together

In terms of the number of u-turns it presides over, the ICC would make the likes of Nick Clegg, David Cameron and perhaps even Tony Blair blush with embarrassment.

But this week they have surpassed even themselves by making not one, but two major u-turns.

The announcement that they have gone back on their decision three months ago to make the Decision Review System mandatory is no great surprise given India’s sustained opposition. That doesn’t make it right of course, but what the BCCI wants, the BCCI usually gets.

However, the likely delay of the World Test Championship from 2013 to 2017 did come as a shock and major disappointment, particularly as the prospect of such an event was a) almost universally welcomed, and b) seemed intrinsic to the manifesto of Haroon Lorgat.

The reason for its postponement is certainly cause for some concern. It seems that the ICC’s contracted broadcaster ESPN Star Sports does not see the merits of a World Test Championship, with the ICC releasing a statement saying:

"Without the support and consent of the ICC's broadcast partner, ESPN Star Sports, the financial implications on the members and the development of the game would be significant."

Whilst this may or may not be true, one might have thought that the ICC would have sought ESPN’s opinion BEFORE announcing its detailed plans for the Championship. Imbecilic is the word that comes most readily to mind.

And what do we get instead? Why the Champions Trophy, of course. A tournament that nobody cares for but that refuses to die. If the world suddenly suffered a holocaust, it is probably safe to bet that the cockroaches and any other survivors would form themselves into teams, don some coloured clothing and play for the Champions Trophy on what remains of Lord’s Cricket Ground.

We’ve stopped being exasperated by the ICC at the Reverse Sweep because it is simply futile, but we will garner that if the ICC was to develop a car, it would probably have four reverse gears and only one forward one.

Where next?

Abolishing runners in international cricket: has the ICC joined the Health & Safety brigade?

Dhoni’s no-ball and the case for or against technology

Arrogant ICC takes the magic out of the World Cup by killing the Associates

Netherlands 1 ICC 0

Revealed: The ICC's new plans for the 2015 Groundhog Day Cricket World Cup

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes 

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

An XI of Cricket Heroes

 
This week saw the publication of our 1000th post since we started The Reverse Sweep in 2009, which we suppose is cause for some mild celebration.

Cricket Heroes & Zeroes is perhaps the most prominent feature of this blog, so here is a team of our cricket heroes to muse over whilst we sip our celebratory glass of Bollinger (and no Doug, we don't mean you).

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Jack Hobbs

The Master. We were in awe of his staggering accomplishments as a youngster and we still are.

See Cricket heroes: Jack Hobbs

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Victor Trumper

The thinking man's Bradman. Stylish, effervescent and with all the strokes. The first batsman to hit a Test hundred before lunch.

See All-time Australian Ashes XI: The Openers

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Viv Richards

Sachin acolytes will doubtless disagree, but King Viv is the not only the most destructive but the best batsman we've seen in 30 plus years of watching cricket.  And what about that swagger?

See Cricket heroes: Viv Richards

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David Gower

Our first cricket memory that really resonates was our boyhood hero Gower nonchalantly dispatching his first ball in Test cricket to the boundary.

See cricket heroes: David Gower

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Douglas Jardine (Captain)

England's greatest captain and the foe of Bradman in the notorious (and ultimately successful) Ashes expedition of 1932/33.

See cricket heroes: Douglas Jardine

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Keith Miller

Flamboyant cricketer? Check. War hero? Check. Alleged dalliances with Princesses? Check. What's not to like?

See Keith Miller: Champion all-rounder, war hero & raconteur

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Ian Botham

He may divide opinion as a commentator, but for any English born, cricket loving child of the late seventies and early eighties, Beefy was the original comic book hero.

See All-time England Ashes XI - All-rounder, plus Botham's Ashes and 10 reasons why Ian Botham may have worn sunglasses at the premiere of 'From the Ashes'

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Henry Blofeld

Don't laugh. Until he lost an argument with a bus, Blofeld was a promising enough schoolboy wicketkeeper to be talked about as a future Test player. But it is Blofeld's eccentric, irreverent and unmissable commentary on Test Match Special that gets him in here.

See cricket heroes: Henry Blofeld

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Hedley Verity

England's greatest ever spinner died a hero leading his men into battle in the Allied invasion of Italy in 1943.  1956 first-class wickets at an incredible 14.90 is the ultimate evidence of Verity's genius.

See cricket heroes: Hedley Verity

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Malcolm Marshall

If Richards is the best batsman we've ever seen, then Marshall is the best bowler. Marshall had everything. Express pace, a nasty bouncer (just ask Mike Gatting and Andy Lloyd) and the ability to swing the ball both ways.

See cricket heroes: Malcolm Marshall

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Harold Larwood

Bodyline's scapegoat is reputed to have been the fastest bowler ever and he certainly executed Jardine's cunning plan to the letter. His dignified response to being ostracised by the establishment proved he was as brilliant a man as he had been the most fearsome of fast bowlers.

See All-time Ashes XI and also Bodyline and nine other Ashes controversies

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Where next?

Cricket Heroes: Graham Dilley R.I.P

Check out all our other Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Cricket Heroes: Graham Dilley R.I.P

 

You know that you are getting old when your childhood heroes start to die and that’s exactly how we felt at The Reverse Sweep yesterday when we heard the deeply sad news that former England, Kent and Worcestershire great Graham Dilley had passed away at the age of just 52.

Dilley starred in perhaps the most famous Test match of them all at Headingley in 1981 when his 117 run partnership with Ian Botham started the most improbable of comebacks. We will remember that innings – where Dilley was as much the aggressor as Botham - with fondness until we are grey and old.

If that wasn’t enough then Dilley also caught a difficult skier off Bob Willis the next day to dismiss Rodney Marsh and help confirm Australia’s humiliation.

However, it was Dilley’s classical elegant bowling action that we remember most from our childhood – in many senses his elegant run-up and leap was the bowling equivalent of David Gower’s batting.

But for injury, Dilley could well have staked a claim to be one of England’s best fast bowlers since the War, but in the end had to be content with 138 Test wickets from his 41 Tests at an average of 29.78 – still a decent enough return.

His bad luck with injuries extended to his win bonuses for England, which he only enjoyed twice in his 41 Tests (making his overall figures even more impressive) – the aforementioned Headingley Test of 1981 and Brisbane 1986, where his first-innings five for 68 went a long way to propelling Australia to defeat.

Where next?

Ashes 100-1: 81 - Botham's Ashes

10 reasons why Ian Botham may have worn sunglasses at the premiere of 'From the Ashes'

Sir Alec Bedser R.I.P

Trevor Bailey R.I.P

The 25 Greatest Ashes Tests - Part 1/3

The 25 Greatest Ashes Tests - Part 2/3

The 25 Greatest Ashes Tests - Part 3/3

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes 

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

County Cricket 2011 Heroes: The Tiflex cricket ball

This post could just as easily have been about David Masters or even Tim Murtagh or Tim Linley, but given the confirmation last week of its untimely demise we'll instead declare the Tiflex cricket ball - something each of the aforementioned three owe some of their success to - a County Cricket hero of 2011.

Cricket was hitherto an equal battle between bat and ball, but that notion has been increasingly eroded as pitches, packed fixture lists and yes, even cricket balls have been heavily weighted towards the batsmen.

The Tiflex cricket ball (perhaps inadvertently) had helped to redress this since it was introduced to Division 2 of the County Championship in 2009. For three seasons now batsmen haven't had it all their own way and a good thing to.

But batsmen do like a good grumble and boy how they have moaned and whined about the Tiflex. 

You see the Tiflex seemed to swing and seam excessively early in an innings - certainly compared to the Dukes ball that has been used in Division 1.

Whilst most of us would be tempted to say diddums and have little or no sympathy for their predicament, the ECB has relented and from next season Dukes balls will be used in both divisions.

This is a shame because one could strongly argue that the Tiflex ball provides a better test of a batsman's technique and perhaps therefore prepares them for facing the better standard of bowler they would encounter should they ever play international cricket. James Taylor for instance may reap the dividends of his three seasons combating the Tiflex if and when he makes his Test debut.

For Masters, Murtagh, Linley and other bowlers of their ilk who put the ball in the right place and wobble it about a bit at around 80 miles per hour, the death of the Tiflex is tantamount to a disaster. Masters took 93 wickets in Division 2 this season at a rather impressive 18.13. One would guess that the odds of him improving on this just got a whole lot longer.

We'll leave the final word to Rob Key who on hearing the news of the Tiflex's demise sent a joyous Tweet to some of his fellow batsmen:

"Ding dong the tiflex is dead @MarkRamprakash @Stevo208 @joed1986 @Gojones623 @ravibopara we can come out of hiding now." 

The Tiflex cricket ball RIP.

Where next?

County Cricket 2011 Heroes: Marcus Trescothick

County Cricket 2011 Heroes: Rory Hamilton-Brown

County Cricket 2011 Heroes: Michael Carberry

County Championship XI of the season

County Championship Division 1 XI of the season

County Championship Division 2 XI of the season

Read all of our County Cricket coverage

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes 

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

County Cricket 2011 Heroes: Marcus Trescothick

 
We wouldn't normally contemplate making a cricketer a Reverse Sweep hero twice, but with Marcus Trescothick we have to make an exception.

In naming our heroes of the 2011 County Cricket season, it would be impossible to leave out the Somerset captain, who last week was named PCA player of the year for the third time.

Trescothick certainly had another extraordinary season hitting 2518 runs in all competitions. He scored close to 300 Championship runs more than anyone else despite missing Somerset's last three matches due to an ankle injury. He also  fell just 22 runs short of achieving the Holy Grail of 1,000 runs before the end of May.

We've already heralded Trescothick's England achievements as well as the bravery and honesty he demonstrated in tackling the black dog of depression- see Heroes: Marcus Trescothick - so there is no need to repeat ourselves here.

But since arriving back from Australia in a desperate state in November 2006, Trescothick's phenomenal consistency in the County Championship deserves to be lauded. In those five years, his Championship returns have been:

2011: 1673 runs at 79.66 with six hundreds

2010: 1397 runs at 58.20 with four hundreds

2009: 1817 runs at 75.70 with eight hundreds

2008: 1258 runs at 46.59 with three hundreds

2007: 1315 runs at 62.61 with four hundreds

Overall that amounts to nearly 7,500 runs at an average of 64 with 25 100s and just confirms our assertion last week that Trescothick has usurped Mark Ramprakash as the outstanding batsman plying his trade in County Cricket today.

The only thing missing from Trescothick's season was the failure of Somerset to shed its bridesmaid's tag. Runners-up finishes in both the CB40 and Friends Life t20 this season added to the woe of finishing second in every competition last season.

Hopefully, Somerset will go one step further in at least one competition next summer and Trescothick will finally get to hold a trophy aloft. If he does, it won't just be Somerset fans that will be as pleased as punch.

Where next?

Read all our other pieces featuring Marcus Trescothick

County Cricket 2011 Heroes: Rory Hamilton-Brown

County Cricket 2011 Heroes: Michael Carberry

County Championship XI of the season

County Championship Division 1 XI of the season

County Championship Division 2 XI of the season

Read all of our County Cricket coverage

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes 

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep 

County Cricket 2011 Heroes: Rory Hamilton-Brown

We all know what it's like to spend an absolute fortune at the supermarket and then having unpacked everything at home realised we have forgotten something fundamental such as the milk.

Rory Hamilton-Brown had to cope with this and a whole heap of other challenges on succeeding to the Surrey captaincy at the beginning of the 2010 season.

If it wasn't enough that he was given what appeared to be a poisoned chalice for one so young with only a handful of first-class matches under his belt, Hamilton-Brown also had to contend with inverse snobbery of the worst kind with barbs regularly being aimed at his name, his public school background and even scurrilous rumours that his father dropped him off by helicoptor.

So when Chris Adams went shopping at the sales and came back with a whole new team minus any opening batsmen, Hamilton-Brown could have been forgiven for accepting that his task of rejuvenating Surrey was as impossible as climbing Everest in a Hackett shirt, a pair of boating shoes and a broken oar.

But Hamilton-Brown proved to be a tougher and shrewder leader than anyone could have predicted. He took on the added responsibility of opening the batting himself and topped 1,000 runs in the Championship. Moreover, he inspired raw charges such as Tom Maynard, Jason Roy, Tim Linley and Stuart Meaker to fully demonstrate their abilities. 

Surrey's charge to promotion was also made without the usual banker of runs aplenty from Mark Ramprakash. That is another string in Hamilton-Brown's bow.

The cherry on the cake was Surrey's deserved success in the Clydesdale Bank Trophy where perhaps fittingly it was the skipper's 78 off just 62 balls that saw Somerset deprived of a trophy once again.

Old Grizzly Adams reckons that Hamilton-Brown will captain England one day. We're not too sure about that, but the Surrey skipper has proved once and for all that he is a talented cricketer and a natural leader of men. He may just want to accompany Adams next time he goes shopping to ensure that he has an opening batsman at his disposal next summer.

Where next?

See our other posts featuring Rory Hamilton-Brown 

County Cricket 2011 Heroes: Michael Carberry

County Championship XI of the season

County Championship Division 2 XI of the season

Read all of our County Cricket coverage

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes 

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

County Cricket 2011 Heroes: Michael Carberry

A long-standing feature on this blog has been our Cricket Heroes & Zeroes series, which has brought together the likes of Douglas Jardine, Hedley Verity, Charles Colville and Matthew Hayden to be celebrated or mocked in accordance with our wishes.

Over the next few days, we'll be looking at some of the heroes and villains of the 2011 County Cricket season, and we start with perhaps the biggest hero of the lot - Michael Carberry.

Carberry's feats on the cricket field were impressive enough, but it was the dignity and determination he showed in coming back from a life-threatening illness that made his inclusion as a County Cricket 2011 Hero pretty much automatic.

As most of you will know, Carberry was diagnosed with blood clots on his lungs back in November last year and as recently as June, his participation for Hampshire this season and even his career were still in the balance.

Although Carberry's condition was extremely serious, he dealt with it in a matter-of-fact stoical fashion, saying in June that “When your life is at threat, it does make you look at things differently.  I could have continued doing something I love and then dropped dead at the wicket. That would have been heartbreaking for my family and the guys who play with me day in, day out." The master of understatement.

The doubts over whether he would play this season centred around the drug he was given to aid his recovery - Warfarin: a side effect of which meant that the patient can cut or bruise easily - hardly suitable for facing a hard round cricket ball.

But happily Carberry did finally make a comeback at Hove on mid-July, scoring 2 and 59 as Hampshire slipped to a five wicket defeat.

And it didn't take him long to get back in the driving seat either when in his third match back against Yorkshire at the Rose Bowl he had the ride of his life with a career best 300 not out as he and Neil Mckenzie wrote themselves into the record books with a mammoth 523 run partnership.

Carberry maintained his scintillating form until the season's finale, where his final day hundred went a long way to denying Warwickshire the Championship and handing the crown to Lancashire.

He finished up with 793 runs from his nine matches at an impressive 56.64. Carberry's return also coincided with a remarkable upturn in Hampshire's performances that saw them win three of their last six matches.

Sadly, the revival came too late to save them from relegation, but a quick return to Division 1 cannot be ruled out, especially if Carberry - unquestionably a County Cricket hero of 2011 - has anything to do with it.  

We'll leave the last words to Carberry, who said of his illness:

“When something like this happens the important thing is not to spend your time moping around but to stay positive and just be pleased you’re alive."

A lesson to us all.

Where next?

County Championship XI of the season

County Championship Division 1 XI of the season

10 reasons why neutrals should be glad Lancashire won the County Championship

Read all our County Cricket coverage

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi - a Tiger with vision R.I.P

 
Whilst reading the obituaries of former Indian skipper Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, a number of things struck us about the man they called ‘Tiger’.

The most notable of these of course was the fact that his 46 Test career and 2,793 runs at a respectable average of 35 was achieved with just one eye. That is pretty amazing given how fundamental it is for a batsman to be able to see a cricket ball. Given that amongst other achievements prior to his injury, Tiger had beaten Douglas Jardine’s runs record at Winchester, it is highly likely that but for his impaired vision he would have been in the top echelon of Indian batsmen ever.

Like his fellow Wykehamist Jardine, Pataudi was an outstanding captain who led India in 40 of his 46 Tests and pioneered their usage of a three (and sometimes four) pronged spin attack, which for a short time in the early 1970s made them the top Test side in the world. Given that they had been one of the whipping boys of international cricket prior to Tiger’s ascent to the captaincy, it can be said that Indian cricket today owes a lot to the vision of Pataudi.

Finally, we also recognised that he was the only member of the BCCI’s governing council to admit culpability in the furore leading up to the sacking of Lalit Modi and the bloody aftermath that followed judging that the Board had: "failed in its role to monitor the IPL's administration and be more questioning of decisions taken."  This was a mantra he continued to preach until he died.

Tough, brave, visionary and incorruptible.

Sounds like a bloody good bloke to us.

Of all the losses suffered by Indian cricket this summer, the death of Tiger is unquestionably the worst.

Where next?

What next for Lalit Modi?

Are the BCCI about to solve its biggest 'problem'?

Heroes: Douglas Jardine

An XI of cricketers that died young

Historic India-Pakistan summit flounders due to cricket diplomacy

The best Indian test XI of the last 30 years

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Heroes: Marcus Trescothick

We may be Sussex fans, but we were urging Somerset on in the County Championship and the two limited overs finals in 2010. Even if the Cidermen ended up being left at the alter in all three events, our admiration for their skipper Marcus Trescothick remains undimmed.

Of all the players that have retired from England duty over the last few years it is Trescothick that England miss most, and in all three forms of the game too. His stand and deliver style, whacks over the top and rapid run scoring would unquestionably make England a much better ODI and T20 side.

Indeed, he has scored more one day hundreds (12) for England than any other player leaving second placed Graham Gooch in his wake with eight tons. And it is a left-handed Gooch that Trescothick most resembles. Like Gooch, the Somerset opener struggled against the Australians with McGrath and Gillespie rather than Alderman proving his nemeses in the 2001 and 2002/03 series.

But Trescothick bounced back in the infamous 2005 Ashes where his more aggressive approach paid dividends with 431 runs in the series. He may not have made that elusive test hundred against England's oldest foes, but the fast starts he provided proved critical in the final reckoning.

Sadly, Trescothick's battle with depression curtailed his international career prematurely. Nevertheless, it is hard not to admire the way he has dealt with his illness and the honesty he expressed in his 2008 book Coming Back To Me - one of the few autobiographies of recent times that is actually worth reading. There is no doubt that without this illness Trescothick would still be in the England side and he has now usupred Mark Ramprakash as the best English qualified batsman plying his trade in county cricket.

He may no longer wear the England cap, but Trescothick leaves many happy memories of his international career with the 219 at The Oval 2003, a brutal 180 at Johannesburg in 2005, the pivotal 90 at Edgbaston 2005 and his 193 at Multan in 2005 prominent within a test career, which yielded 5825 runs from 76 tests at 43.79.

Where next?

Zeroes: Graham Gooch

Our 2010 County Team of the Season

England's 10 best Test performances of the noughties

Cricket heroes: Rahul Dravid - The impenetrable wall

 
Unsurprisingly a plethora of eulogies have been written about Rahul Dravid following his marvellous performances this summer – we particularly enjoyed those penned by King Cricket and Rob Smyth on the Guardian’s excellent weekly cricket blog ‘The Spin’.

India’s house of straw may have been blown down by England’s big bad wolves, but the little piggy Dravid built his wall of bricks even higher than usual and was consequently more impenetrable than ever.

Indeed we’ve always had a sense that Dravid is the most important of India’s quartet of stellar batsmen.

All of them are great players: Sehwag can turn or take a game away from the opposition in an instant, the elegant Laxman has developed a penchant for delivering in tricky run chases and Sachin is, well Sachin is Sachin. But it is Dravid who invariably gets the runs at the most crucial times most notably when conditions favour the bowlers and when India’s backs are up against the wall.

On India’s featherbed pitches, Dravid averages a respectable but hardly earth shattering 50.75. However, this increases to 54.71 away and a Bradmanesque 68.80 in England where Dravid has scored six centuries in 13 Tests.

At home, it’s almost as if Dravid subconsciously relaxes in the knowledge that others are going to fill their boots in favourable conditions. However, when the pitches are bouncier and more conducive to swing and seam, Dravid knows that India’s hopes generally rest with him and his sense of purpose is imbued accordingly.

Make no mistake, India were absolutely hammered in this series. In our view that makes Dravid’s performance all the more extraordinary. Three hundreds in four Tests including two in the emergency opener role he despises tells you everything you need to know.  No other Indian batsman reached 100 even once and Dravid scored nearly a quarter of his side’s runs in the series.

He may not have added to his long roll of honour of playing a key role in significant Indian victories overseas – such as he did at Johannesburg in 1997, Headingley in 2002 and Adelaide in 2003 – but he showed once and for all that rumours of his demise had been completely exaggerated.

Sachin may have the more glamorous Test batting records for most runs and most centuries, but it is typical of Dravid that he has the blue collar rolled up sleeves record of being the batsman that has faced the most balls in the history of Test cricket after being the first to pass the 30,000 barrier during the England series.

Rahul Dravid – for discipline, application and sheer-bloody minded stubbornness in the face of England’s blitzkrieg attack  - is belatedly given the accolade of a Reverse Sweep cricket hero. May his wall stand as long as Hadrian’s.

Where next?

Rahul Dravid - India's man for a crisis

England v India: India series marks out of 10

England v India: England series marks out of 10

The best Indian test XI of the last 30 years

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Heroes: Dennis Lillee

 
As a Pom, we don't exactly have many living Australian heroes. There's Rolf Harris and...er not really anyone else.

Dennis Keith Lillee is an exception to that rule. It may be because we are a child of the 1970s and 80s and the sight of footage of Lillee tearing into the crease giving everything brings back some happy memories. It certainly reminds us of the Ashes series in 1981, which despite Lillee's best efforts, England won - see Botham's Ashes.

But there is more to our appreciation of Lillee than that. First, he was indisputably one of the all-time great fast bowlers and to us it doesn't matter which country's emblem someone wears on their chest if they are a legend of the game. Allied to this, Lillee had bags of character and real personality - something perhaps missing from the modern game.

Lillee had many other ingredients. He was blindingly honest and wasn't afraid to court controversy, such as in his famous spats with Javed Miandad and Mike Brearley. We particularly remember the latter, where Brearley sporting a beard that made him look like the Ayatollah, objected to Lillee's use of an aluminium bat - neither was prepared to give an inch and the memory of Lillee slinging said bat across the ground when the umpires sided with the England captain still makes us smile. We tried to emulate it in the garden, much to our father's chagrin.

Lillee played hard, both on and off the pitch and like most cricket followers was fond of a beer and a bet. Who can forget Lillee and Rod Marsh, in more innocent times, putting a stake on England at the infamous Headingley Test of 1981 when the home side's odds had slipped to 500/1. England miraculously won of course but no doubt could ever be placed against Lillee who strained every sinew in an effort to not collect his winnings.

Finally, Lillee is what we would expect from an Australian cricketer. Tough, ultra-competitive and full of 'advice' on the pitch, but one for a beer and camaraderie once he is off the field of combat.

DK Lillee, all-time great fast bowler with 355 wickets in only 70 tests and a rare Australian Reverse Sweep hero.

Where next?

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, if Lillee don't get you Thommo must

Seven reasons why the Poms love Shane Warne

See David Lloyd get castrated by Thommo

Heroes: Justin Langer

 
Yeah, yeah, we know. It is strange for an Englishman to regard such a dyed-in-the-wool Australian like Justin Langer as a cricket hero, but please bear with us.

Like with Paul Collingwood, we admire that Langer wrung out every ounce of his talent in order to be a very successful test match cricketer. It's difficult not to admire someone who works that hard and allies supreme determination and good hard yakka to produce results that are greater than the sum of its parts. What Mark Ramprakash and Graeme Hick amongst others would have given to have had the mental strength and work ethic of a Langer.

But whilst we admire Langer's achievements as a batsman - his 5654 runs in partnership with Matthew Hayden (definitely not a Reverse Sweep hero as we posted at the weekend - see Zeroes: Matthew Hayden), his average of 45 in 105 tests and the fact he is the record Australian first class run scorer - it is not this that qualifies him for hero status.

No, in a time when most books or diaries by active cricketers say absolutely nothing, Langer's regular submissions to the BBC's websitewere honest and provided a fascinating insight into what it was to be part of one of the most successful teams in cricket history. Especially during the 2005 Ashes, Langer's diary entries described how the series unfurled and how a supremely confident Australian side were rattled and ultimately beaten by a resurgent England side. Elsewhere he tackled some of the major issues facing cricket head-on and explained exactly what he thought. As the written words were exactly how Langer spoke, we would also guess that he actually wrote the column, which is rare. 

We didn't have a problem with the infamous dossier that emerged during the 2009 Ashes series. For a start, Langer's observations seemed pretty accurate and did anyone really expect that a patriotic Australian like Langer was not going to pass on any advice that might be helpful to his former team-mates? 

In any case, Langer was a loyal servent to county cricket first to Middlesex and then as an astute leader on and off the field at Somerset. When he took the reins, Somerset were a struggling Division 2 side. When he left they were firmly established as one of the top sides in the country and even experienced a Champions League jolly in India. Their near-success this season is down to the legacy that Langer left and when James Hildreth and Jos Buttler eventually play for England, the influence of Langer will very much be there. 

Langer had his flaws and some of his words about the camaraderie in the Australian team and his worship of Steve Waugh were whimsical to say the least. But for honesty, not being afraid to have something to say, hard work and for being an antidote to Matthew Hayden, Langer is a Reverse Sweep hero. 

Where next?

Check out all our other Reverse Sweep heroes and zeroes

Inspiration for England to win the Ashes 5-0

Geoffrey Boycott's glorious comeback

Zeroes: Matthew Hayden

 
As if anyone needed any further reason to dislike former Australian opener and bully boy Matthew Hayden, this weeks sees the publication of his autobiography 'Standing My Ground.'

We've never cared for Hayden here at the Reverse Sweep as like all the worst bullies, Hayden always seemed prepared to dish out the verbals but struggled to take it when he was the target such as the Simon Jones incident in 2005. Never have two things gone together better than Hayden and the Mongoose, which he wielded to some effect in this year's IPL.

The same 'give it but can't take it approach' could be argued for Hayden's batting, which although dominant when things were in his favour tended to be less impressive when the pressure was on such as in the 2005 Ashes. That said, 30 hundreds in 103 tests at an average over 50 is pretty impressive.

So why where do we start as to why Hayden is a zero? Well, he has a tendency to spout crap both on and off the field such as when he called India a third world country, Harbhajan Singh an "obnoxious little weed" - ok, maybe that was fair enough - and then inviting the then 19 year old Ishant Sharma to a boxing bout and imitating his Indian accent. Gee, you're brave Hayden.

Then there is the fact that he thinks he is Australia's answer to Gordon Ramsay with his cookery books - two books that will not now and will not ever be on the Reverse Sweep bookshelf.  We don't have a problem with Hayden being religious, but we do find his motto of "When I’m in trouble, I ask: ‘What would Christ do?'" annoying and ever so hypocritical. Jesus healed the sick and fed the five thousand whilst Hayden poisoned them with his recipes. No comparison there.

We're not sure either that Jesus would have stooped to the level of Hayden's on-field sledges and he certainly turned the other cheek when he faced abuse. Hayden on the other hand reported an elderly woman for delivering "one of the fiercest tirades I've ever copped" as he walked back to the SCG dressing room once. After he'd cooled down he spoke to her, got her membership number, told her the behaviour was unacceptable and then reported her. "It's so disappointing at a ground I love and respect," he said without irony. What a complete arse.

And we haven't even got onto the on-pitch meditations yet. But before this becomes a tirade of abuse, we'll leave it here and say simply that Matthew Hayden is a Reverse Sweep zero extraordinaire. If you don't believe us, check out our fellow bloggers King Cricket and Cricket With Balls for their views on the bully boy.

Where next?

Check out all our other Reverse Sweep heroes and zeroes

All-time Australian Ashes XI - The Openers

Bully Boy downs Delhi Daredevils with his Mongoose

Cricket Heroes: Arthur Carr

 
Arthur Carr was a good enough cricketer to captain England and led Nottinghamshire to the County Championship in 1929. And as we have found from reading the excellent biography of Harold Larwood by Duncan Hamilton, Carr was quite a character:

“(Carr was) essentially a rakish but entirely lovable and charming rogue – a toffish jack-the-lad who gave the impression of being one of those slightly disreputable characters with his elbow on the drawing room mantelpiece, always a dry martini close by, in a Noël Coward play.”

How could you not want to find out more after a tribute like that?

Thought so. As a batsman, Carr was a talented and forceful front foot player who accumulated over 21,000 first-class runs and hit 45 hundreds. He played 11 Tests and captained England on several occasions, including for the first four tests of the 1926 Ashes series before being controversially replaced by Percy Chapman for the series decider at The Oval.

Carr has also been credited for devising with Douglas Jardine the 'fast leg theory' strategy to combat Bradman in the infamous Bodyline series of 1932/33. Indeed, under Carr's direction, Bill Voce and Larwood employed - and perfected - the method in English county cricket during 1932, before sailing out to Australia.

As a leader Carrwas a shrewd and considerate captain who played to win. He morphed Notts into a formidable unit and his clever management of Larwood and Voce (which basically involved giving them an endless supply of ale) ensured his reign was a successful one. Indeed, during the sixteen years of his captaincy, Nottinghamshire won the Championship for only the second time since 1886, were nine times in the first four and never held a double-figure position

But Carr is mainly a Reverse Sweep hero for the many wonderful anecdotes attributed to him – most of which involved significant amounts of alcohol.

Our favourite comes from 1921, when after a particularly poor trot with the bat, Carr decided to get heinously drunk the night before Notts were due to play Essex at Leyton. Despite a gargantuan hangover and double vision, Carr managed to drag himself to the ground and promptly reasoned "what you want is a hair of the dog that bit you - that's your only help". He promptly went to the pavillion bar and downed three whisky and sodas in quick succession and then went and made a double hundred and "saw the ball perfectly".

Another one we enjoyed was Carr's reaction to receiving his call-up papers for World War I whilst batting against Surrey at The Oval. Carr, in a manner not too unlike Sir Francis Drake when hearing of the imminent arrival of the Spanish Armada, calmly asserted that "I'll have my innings first".

This calmness in the face of adversity saved Carr's bacon on more than one occasion such as when he was stopped at the wheel by the police after a long bender and asked to recite "sister Susie's sewing shirts for soldier" to check if he was inebriated. "Damn it", said Carr "I can't say that when I am stone cold sober".

What a shame they don't make our cricket heroes like Arthur Carr anymore.

Where next?

Check out all our other Reverse Sweep heroes and zeroes

Bodyline & other Ashes controversies 

Don Bradman & the summer that changed cricket forever

Cricket Heroes: Hedley Verity

It is 79 years this week that the late and great Hedley Verity took 10/10 for Yorkshire against Nottinghamshire at Headingley - a good excuse (if any was required) to replay our eulogy to a cricket and real-life hero...

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Hedley Verity of Yorkshire, England and the Green Howards was more than just a cricketing hero given that he paid the ultimate sacrifice in laying down his life for King and Country in World War II.

Since we were young, we've always been fascinated by the 'Bodyline' series of 1932/33 and the careers of its main protagonists. Our appreciation of notables like Jardine, Bradman and Larwood is well documented on this site, and in our pantheon of heroes Verity stands alongside them all. During that series he provided the control at one end as Larwood and Voce wreaked havoc at the other.

A slow-left armer who took a "longish run to the crease and bowled usually faster than Rhodes - at a pace comparable to Underwood", Verity was a magnificent bowler as evidenced by his stats. In all first-class cricket he took 1956 wickets at an incredible 14.90, whilst in 40 tests Verity took 144 wickets at 24.37. He took five wickets in an innings 164 times and 10 wickets in a match 54 times - equivalent to once in every seven first-class matches he played in. He wasn't a bad batsman either, averaging over 20 in tests and even being used as an opener on occasion by the shrewd Jardine.

In the history of English spinners, Verity has a claim to being the best and he certainly stands alongside the likes of Rhodes (his Yorkshire and England predecessor), Laker and Underwood at the very pinnacle. Twice he took all 10 wickets in an innings both times at Headingley; in 1931, against Warwickshire for 36 runs in 18.4  overs and then a year later against Nottinghamshire, for 10 runs in 19.4 overs with 16 maidens - a world record in first-class cricket for the fewest number of runs conceded by a bowler taking all 10 wickets in an innings, and it included a hat-trick.

Verity also holds the record for most test wickets in a day - 14 against Australia (and Bradman) at Lord's in 1934 (the last time until 2009 that England won a test against Australia at HQ). In all he had match figures of 15 for 104. A barometer of Verity's brilliance is the respect with which he was held by Bradman who once said of Verity's bowling "I think I know all about Clarrie (Grimmett), but with Hedley I am never sure. You see, there's no breaking point with him."

In each of his nine full English seasons, Verity averaged 185 wickets having had to wait until 1930 and the retirement of the great Rhodes to secure a spot in the Yorkshire side. Then World War II cut his career and ultimately his life short. He left the perfect cricketing epitaph when in the final match before the outbreak of War in 1939, Verity took seven wickets for nine runs against Sussex to confirm his position at the top of the first-class averages. He took a wicket with his last ball.

During the War, Captain Verity served with the Green Howards and saw action in a series of countries before joining the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943. He was mortally wounded during the Eighth Army's advance on Catania and was taken prisoner by the Germans. After being handed to the Italians, he died on 31 July 1943 reportedly acknowledging that "I think I have played my last innings for Yorkshire." Wisden's obituary describes the heroism that Verity demonstrated in his final battle being more worried about the survival of his men then himself despite having been shot.

As we said at the start, he was a true hero. One day we will write the definitive biography of Hedley Verity, but for now he is a Reverse Sweep hero.

Where next?

Heroes - Douglas Jardine

10 reasons why Don Bradman is the greatest of them all

England win the Ashes 5-0

Cricket heroes: Henry Blofeld

 
He may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the splendidly eccentric Henry Blofeld is an unadulterated commentary hero here at the Reverse Sweep.

Whilst Test Match Special remains the pinnacle of sports broadcasting in our view, it has lost some of its intrinsic character in recent times. That could be something to do with the sharp increase in the percentage of its team who have recently played international cricket. Selection seems to be based on this more than on the skill of actually commentating.

However, its lustre is quickly recaptured whenever ‘Blowers’ makes one of his all too irregular stints in the TMS commentary box. Blofeld, who was actually a decent cricketer at Eton and was even tipped to play for England until he lost an argument with a bus whilst riding his bike, is a shining example of why not all commentators should have played the game at the highest level (obviously Charles Colville isn't). 

Charisma, character and hi-jinks drip from almost every word and whether it is his quaint references to pigeons or London buses, or his many gaffes and mistaken identities, Blowers could never be accused of being boring.

Unfortunately, with the inverted snobbery that is all too sadly prevalent in today’s society, Blofeld’s privileged background, education at Eton, clipped vowels and old-school eccentricity are all seized upon and sneered at by the critics.

But not by us and the more we get to hear Blofeld’s japes and unique brand of joviality in the TMS box, and general 'splendid form' the better.

Where next?

Cricket Heroes: Test Match Sofa

Cricket Zeroes: Charles Colville

Cricket Zeroes: Bill Lawry

Check out all our other Reverse Sweep heroes and zeroes

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Cricket Heroes: Wally Hammond

 
As maybe England’s finest batsman ever with the notable exception of Jack Hobbs, Wally Hammond has always been regarded as a hero in the Reverse Sweep household.

Hammond reached the peak of his powers in the 1928/29 Ashes series in Australia - which Percy Chapman’s team won by the resounding scoreline of 4-1, where he broke records that only Don Bradman would subsequently beat.

Coming into the 4^th Test at the Adelaide Oval, Hammond had already scored 251 at Sydney and 200 at Melbourne as England had secured an unassailable 3-0 lead. Here at Adelaide he added two more hundreds – 119 not out and 177 – and as England won a tight match by 12 runs Hammond was clearly the difference between the sides.

In the first innings, Hammond scored 72 of the last 88 runs after England suffered a mid-innings collapse, but he topped this in the second innings with an innings described by Wisden as thus: “in the circumstances in which it was played, this was probably his best innings of the tour”. Given that he scored 905 runs – a series total only surpassed by Bradman - in the series at 113.12 that is some compliment.

Alastair Cook was rightly lauded after his double hundred at Brisbane especially as it was only the sixth time (see full list here) that an England batsman had passed 200 in an Ashes Test in Australia. Hammond has half of those having also scored 231* at Sydney in 1936.

Unsurprisingly, Hammond easily made our all-time England and Combined England-Australia Ashes XIs and despite being a poor England captain, is without a shadow of a doubt a Reverse Sweep hero.

Where next?

Check out all our other Reverse Sweep heroes and zeroes

All-time composite Ashes XI

All-time England Ashes XI: The Openers, Number 3, 4 and 5, All-rounder, Wicketkeeper, Fast bowlers, Spin King