Live Sport 9: Tale of Four Captains
I suppose I've messed up a bit here, both in that a) I'm writing about something in the same sport but a year earlier than the last post and b) I said I was aiming for variety and, look, it's more cricket from Lord's, I've already done one of those in Live Sport and mentioned it plenty elsewhere.
But it would be daft of me not include this, which was, though not epoch-shaking, the most straightforwardly exciting and wholly satisfactory sporting event I've had the pleasure to attend.
The first test vs New Zealand at Lord's in 2004. I was, in fact, lucky enough to attend two days, the 2nd and 5th, the 2nd, bought in advance, costing £35 and the 5th, on the morning, just £10. Good value for money. I'll talk about both days, but mainly the 5th. It was a really very good test match.
This was in the "up" period of English cricket. From late on in the summer of 2003 to the great summer of 2005, they won nearly all their test matches - Andrew Flintoff suddenly became a dominant test force, Steve Harmison was briefly one of the best bowlers in the world, Michael Vaughan was a great captain and batsman, Marcus Trescothick a great opener - it just all started to come together.
This was the first test of the 2004 summer, then, but, see here, it's really not the same team as the next year. There were three old lags coming towards the end of their career in the middle order - Mark Butcher, Graham Thorpe and Nasser Hussain. Perhaps one of them wouldn't have been playing but captain Michael Vaughan had a slight injury so had to miss the game. Marcus Trescothick captained the side and making his first appearance was the Middlesex opener Andrew Strauss.
The Four Captains of this post's title, then, are Vaughan (absent), Trescothick (temporary), Hussain (past) and Strauss (future). Hell, I could have called the post Six Captains as Mark Butcher and Andrew Flintoff, also in the side, also gave it a shot.
But there we go - it was Vaughan's team and we knew Tresco was just filling in. As for Nasser, he'd stood down one year previously, tired and pissed off, after a bad start to a series against South Africa, which Vaughan took over and turned round. Hussain was on borrowed time in the team - his batting had become turgid and hesitant, and it was clearly time for new blood to take over. Ex-captains are always a bit tricky to keep in the side. Strauss, though already in his later-20s, was part of this new blood, and had a good opportunity to make his debut at his home ground.
New Zealand had batted first and plodded to about 240 for 5 by the end of Thursday. Didn't have highest of hopes for Friday then. Could have been a dull day of accumulation.
It was a Friday, I was with several friends, and the atmosphere was jolly and got jollier as the day progressed. England took quick wickets, thankfully, but the NZ all-rounder Chris Cairns, played a remarkable innings, smashing the ball everywhere for 80odd in 40ish balls. Amazing. A few notable things about Cairns - he was a talented all rounder, whose father had also played test cricket. My friend Alex had a gut instinct of dislike for him. That day, boozed up England fans sang "Chris Cairns is a fudgepacker" at him, believing the hilariousness lay in the fact that his family did actually run a fudge business, so they could hence get away with the homophobic slur. "hahaha, no he actually does pack fudge", they'd repeatedly say throughout the day, as if they were subversive geniuses. Of course, what we now know, or are close to knowing, about Cairns is that they might have been better singing "Chris Cairns is a match-fixer" and, no, there is no double meaning to that, his family business is not repairing small wooden sticks with phosphorus heads. Alex's gut instinct was good.
Anyway, NZ were in and out quickly and it was Strauss's big moment. A fine test career was born. He batted as if to the manner born, and he and Trescothick batted untroubled through most of the day. A great moment near the end, he made his way to a century in debut. Both were out late on to be replaced by a sketchy Butcher and nightwatchman Hoggard.
Pretty good day. Not amazing, but good. The test progressed, Hussain looked horribly out-of-form making 30ish in the first innings and you could hear the impatience in the crowd from the TV, Flintoff made a rapid 50, NZ batted again and looked like getting out of sight when they got to about 200 for 1, but then Harmison and Giles caused a bit of a collapse, and they were setting England a testing but possible 280ish in a day.
This is the perfect set-up for anyone with a spare Monday hoping to watch some cheap test cricket. (Monday's never really sold out in advance, as such as is the variable nature of test cricket, you might get nothing, or you might get something completely meaningless - great 5ths day are not exactly rare, but they can't be banked on).
So I had high hopes for the day before it started, but in drama and meaning, it exceeded all expectations. Strauss and Trescothick started off, but Tres was out quickly, shortly followed by the out-of-form Butcher. Hussain, the past, to join Strauss, the future. Strauss, the Middlesex man, Hussain, the Essex man. Now they share the Sky commentary box and are 2 of the 3 fine England captains of the last 15 years. Neither ended up with absolutely top-class batting records, but both played 100ish tests and averaged late 30s/early 40s.
Hussain's role in England's cricketing resurgence, which followed the miserable 90s (and 80s, results-wise, actually, though we romanticize Gower, Botham, Lamb, Gatting etc, England were regularly hammered back then) is often underestimated. He was a cussed, rebellious figure in his youth, but made for a certain sort of captaincy. He was shrewd and wilful, and got some great results in his 4 year tenure, including unlikely wins on the sub-continent.
Still, by 2004, no one could really say why he was still in the team, hanging around like a bad smell, scratching around for the odd 20, dropping catches and generally getting in the way.
Now, in a run chase like this, you are really just as likely to lose as to win. On a last day pitch, wickets can fall quickly, panic can set in. Going gung-ho is a bad idea, and two early wickets had already fallen. So discerning fans could forgive Hussain for playing with the utmost caution. The crowd was not entirely made up of discerning fans though, and the impatience and irritation with Hussain's inelegant blockade was palpable and rather horrible. Strauss carried on seamlessly though, and was shaping up to begin his test career with a remarkable two centuries in the same test.
But then, something horrendous happened. Hussain, barely able to buy a run, dropped one at his feet and set off for a run that was never there. Strauss, on 83, the home boy, the bright hope, was run out by a mile and retreated to sympathetic, shocked applause. The crowd turned even further on Hussain. Never have I seen an England player, a distinguished one at that, so vilified by his own fans.
At least, now, he was joined by his old buddy Thorpe. Nasser's scratchy effort meant that the target was now a pretty unlikely one. But still, he didn't hurry up. He seemed to be batting for himself, just to find some form when what was needed was some momentum. The crowd wanted him out and Freddie in.
Finally, at about 5, he got to 50 in about 160 balls. Big deal, selfish bastard. We're going to draw and it's your fault.
Almost instantly, though, something changed, something lifted. Maybe that's when a big decision was made, a shrug of the shoulders and a "Fuck' em". Hussain suddenly went after everything and, finally, finally, it was coming out of the middle. England became more and more favourites, but he didn't slow down or play it safe.
Suddenly, the crowd was on his side, as if realising what was actually happening. The target shrunk as Hussain closed in on 100. Which would happen first? With a four, he took himself to 99 and the team to within one shot of victory. Without hesitation, next ball, he crunched another ball to the boundary, bringing up his century while sealing the victory. Adulation where only an hour or so earlier there'd been contempt. His mad, vindicated, emotional, reaction said it all.
It was no surprise that, almost immediately after the close of play, Nasser Hussain announced his retirement from test cricket. Who could possibly have a better ending than that?
Certainly not Strauss, perhaps the finest of those three fine captains, who ended up in poor form, beaten down by the Pietersen texting scandal, or Vaughan, in tears and terrible form halfway through the 2008 South Africa series.
That's the thing about test match batting. It's often at its best when it's entirely selfish. It's got to be. Hussain may have been entirely selfish that day, but in the end, that's what served the team, and that was the storybook ending he deserved.
But it would be daft of me not include this, which was, though not epoch-shaking, the most straightforwardly exciting and wholly satisfactory sporting event I've had the pleasure to attend.
The first test vs New Zealand at Lord's in 2004. I was, in fact, lucky enough to attend two days, the 2nd and 5th, the 2nd, bought in advance, costing £35 and the 5th, on the morning, just £10. Good value for money. I'll talk about both days, but mainly the 5th. It was a really very good test match.
This was in the "up" period of English cricket. From late on in the summer of 2003 to the great summer of 2005, they won nearly all their test matches - Andrew Flintoff suddenly became a dominant test force, Steve Harmison was briefly one of the best bowlers in the world, Michael Vaughan was a great captain and batsman, Marcus Trescothick a great opener - it just all started to come together.
This was the first test of the 2004 summer, then, but, see here, it's really not the same team as the next year. There were three old lags coming towards the end of their career in the middle order - Mark Butcher, Graham Thorpe and Nasser Hussain. Perhaps one of them wouldn't have been playing but captain Michael Vaughan had a slight injury so had to miss the game. Marcus Trescothick captained the side and making his first appearance was the Middlesex opener Andrew Strauss.
The Four Captains of this post's title, then, are Vaughan (absent), Trescothick (temporary), Hussain (past) and Strauss (future). Hell, I could have called the post Six Captains as Mark Butcher and Andrew Flintoff, also in the side, also gave it a shot.
But there we go - it was Vaughan's team and we knew Tresco was just filling in. As for Nasser, he'd stood down one year previously, tired and pissed off, after a bad start to a series against South Africa, which Vaughan took over and turned round. Hussain was on borrowed time in the team - his batting had become turgid and hesitant, and it was clearly time for new blood to take over. Ex-captains are always a bit tricky to keep in the side. Strauss, though already in his later-20s, was part of this new blood, and had a good opportunity to make his debut at his home ground.
New Zealand had batted first and plodded to about 240 for 5 by the end of Thursday. Didn't have highest of hopes for Friday then. Could have been a dull day of accumulation.
It was a Friday, I was with several friends, and the atmosphere was jolly and got jollier as the day progressed. England took quick wickets, thankfully, but the NZ all-rounder Chris Cairns, played a remarkable innings, smashing the ball everywhere for 80odd in 40ish balls. Amazing. A few notable things about Cairns - he was a talented all rounder, whose father had also played test cricket. My friend Alex had a gut instinct of dislike for him. That day, boozed up England fans sang "Chris Cairns is a fudgepacker" at him, believing the hilariousness lay in the fact that his family did actually run a fudge business, so they could hence get away with the homophobic slur. "hahaha, no he actually does pack fudge", they'd repeatedly say throughout the day, as if they were subversive geniuses. Of course, what we now know, or are close to knowing, about Cairns is that they might have been better singing "Chris Cairns is a match-fixer" and, no, there is no double meaning to that, his family business is not repairing small wooden sticks with phosphorus heads. Alex's gut instinct was good.
Anyway, NZ were in and out quickly and it was Strauss's big moment. A fine test career was born. He batted as if to the manner born, and he and Trescothick batted untroubled through most of the day. A great moment near the end, he made his way to a century in debut. Both were out late on to be replaced by a sketchy Butcher and nightwatchman Hoggard.
Pretty good day. Not amazing, but good. The test progressed, Hussain looked horribly out-of-form making 30ish in the first innings and you could hear the impatience in the crowd from the TV, Flintoff made a rapid 50, NZ batted again and looked like getting out of sight when they got to about 200 for 1, but then Harmison and Giles caused a bit of a collapse, and they were setting England a testing but possible 280ish in a day.
This is the perfect set-up for anyone with a spare Monday hoping to watch some cheap test cricket. (Monday's never really sold out in advance, as such as is the variable nature of test cricket, you might get nothing, or you might get something completely meaningless - great 5ths day are not exactly rare, but they can't be banked on).
So I had high hopes for the day before it started, but in drama and meaning, it exceeded all expectations. Strauss and Trescothick started off, but Tres was out quickly, shortly followed by the out-of-form Butcher. Hussain, the past, to join Strauss, the future. Strauss, the Middlesex man, Hussain, the Essex man. Now they share the Sky commentary box and are 2 of the 3 fine England captains of the last 15 years. Neither ended up with absolutely top-class batting records, but both played 100ish tests and averaged late 30s/early 40s.
Hussain's role in England's cricketing resurgence, which followed the miserable 90s (and 80s, results-wise, actually, though we romanticize Gower, Botham, Lamb, Gatting etc, England were regularly hammered back then) is often underestimated. He was a cussed, rebellious figure in his youth, but made for a certain sort of captaincy. He was shrewd and wilful, and got some great results in his 4 year tenure, including unlikely wins on the sub-continent.
Still, by 2004, no one could really say why he was still in the team, hanging around like a bad smell, scratching around for the odd 20, dropping catches and generally getting in the way.
Now, in a run chase like this, you are really just as likely to lose as to win. On a last day pitch, wickets can fall quickly, panic can set in. Going gung-ho is a bad idea, and two early wickets had already fallen. So discerning fans could forgive Hussain for playing with the utmost caution. The crowd was not entirely made up of discerning fans though, and the impatience and irritation with Hussain's inelegant blockade was palpable and rather horrible. Strauss carried on seamlessly though, and was shaping up to begin his test career with a remarkable two centuries in the same test.
But then, something horrendous happened. Hussain, barely able to buy a run, dropped one at his feet and set off for a run that was never there. Strauss, on 83, the home boy, the bright hope, was run out by a mile and retreated to sympathetic, shocked applause. The crowd turned even further on Hussain. Never have I seen an England player, a distinguished one at that, so vilified by his own fans.
At least, now, he was joined by his old buddy Thorpe. Nasser's scratchy effort meant that the target was now a pretty unlikely one. But still, he didn't hurry up. He seemed to be batting for himself, just to find some form when what was needed was some momentum. The crowd wanted him out and Freddie in.
Finally, at about 5, he got to 50 in about 160 balls. Big deal, selfish bastard. We're going to draw and it's your fault.
Almost instantly, though, something changed, something lifted. Maybe that's when a big decision was made, a shrug of the shoulders and a "Fuck' em". Hussain suddenly went after everything and, finally, finally, it was coming out of the middle. England became more and more favourites, but he didn't slow down or play it safe.
Suddenly, the crowd was on his side, as if realising what was actually happening. The target shrunk as Hussain closed in on 100. Which would happen first? With a four, he took himself to 99 and the team to within one shot of victory. Without hesitation, next ball, he crunched another ball to the boundary, bringing up his century while sealing the victory. Adulation where only an hour or so earlier there'd been contempt. His mad, vindicated, emotional, reaction said it all.
It was no surprise that, almost immediately after the close of play, Nasser Hussain announced his retirement from test cricket. Who could possibly have a better ending than that?
Certainly not Strauss, perhaps the finest of those three fine captains, who ended up in poor form, beaten down by the Pietersen texting scandal, or Vaughan, in tears and terrible form halfway through the 2008 South Africa series.
That's the thing about test match batting. It's often at its best when it's entirely selfish. It's got to be. Hussain may have been entirely selfish that day, but in the end, that's what served the team, and that was the storybook ending he deserved.
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