1988 - Summer of Four Captains

[TopCat]

Not sure how many on here will remember this when we lost 4-0 v West Indies and selected 4 different captains across the 5 tests. I came across a great story told by Chris Cowdery (Captain No.3) about his one and only test in charge....

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On the first morning Cowdrey walked out for the toss. He was dressed immaculately: England blazer and flawless whites. The only thing missing was a cravat. He made it to the middle in almost total silence… and waited. After about 20 minutes, he remembers, he heard a hum of anticipation round the ground which quickly turned into cheering. It was Viv Richards, the opposing captain, coming down the pavilion steps. He was dressed in a T-shirt, rasta armbands and maroon West Indies tracksuit bottoms. As Richards sauntered out to the middle, chewing his gum, with that familiar rolling arrogant gait, the applause reached a crescendo. Then the toss: Viv won. ‘What you want to do, man?’ he said. Well, we’d like to bat, said Cowdrey. ‘OK man, you bat.’ England lost by 10 wickets and Cowdrey never played for them again.

 

[Twisted]

Not sure how many on here will remember this when we lost 4-0 v West Indies and selected 4 different captains across the 5 tests. I came across a great story told by Chris Cowdery (Captain No.3) about his one and only test in charge....

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that is pure class

 

[Andy Reids Love Chil]

 

[TopCat]

I can imagine many would see that as being arrogant and disrespectful but I think it just summed up the uber confidence of that WI team (and the below average ability of England)

 

[Aidan11]

I remember it well. It was a total face and indicitive of the headless way our cricket was run back then.

Trouble is we could easily be going back to those days under the current clueless regime.

 

[The Omega Man]

I was talking about the subject of who the England captain should be and pointed out that perhaps the best post war captain we had, man management wise, was Mike Brearley. He wasnt even test class and any runs he got was a complete bonus. However what he was able to do was man manage people like Botham and got the best out of him. Perhaps we should forget about equating being England captain with being a great player and merely pick someone, from perhaps the county circuit, who is a great captain and motivator.

 

[TopCat]

I was talking about the subject of who the England captain should be and pointed out that perhaps the best post war captain we had, man management wise, was Mike Brearley. He wasnt even test class and any runs he got was a complete bonus. However what he was able to do was man manage people like Botham and got the best out of him. Perhaps we should forget about equating being England captain with being a great player and merely pick someone, from perhaps the county circuit, who is a great captain and motivator.

OR take the Aussie approach - pick your best 11 players and pick a captain from them. There shouldn't be too much on the field captaincy required when you have experienced bowlers bowling to a series of plans