THE GOOGLY: England In The 90s

FOLLOW HUW TURBERVILL @HUWZAT

England In The 90s, the documentary on Sky narrated by Mark Butcher, is hugely watchable. Lots of people have seen it, including Joe Root, who told The Cricketer he found it eye-opening.

The programme’s thesis is that the running of the England team in the 1990s is the prototype example of how not to run an international side. It is slightly unfortunate that they then disprove that theory over the following hour, as I expected they would.

The 1980s was far worse. In those 10 years, England had wonderful, once-in-a-generation world-class talent in Ian Botham and David Gower. They also had Graham Gooch, who would be listed with the other two if he had not wasted so much time in South Africa on rebel tours. They also had Mike Gatting and Allan Lamb, and a pair of genuine world-class spinners in John Emburey and Phil Edmonds.

Yet they won so little. A great series win in India (1984/85), and the Ashes of 1985 and 1986/87 (in fact, the two Tests down under at Brisbane and Melbourne were Gatting’s only wins as skipper).

With fewer world-class talents in the 1990s (Mike Atherton, Alec Stewart and, at times, Angus Fraser and Devon Malcolm) England achieved quite a bit (Ashes series against one of the finest sides of all time excepted).

The 90s mob certainly produced some outstanding displays, expecially in one-off Tests. Stewart’s twin hundreds at Barbados in 1994. Adelaide 1994/95. A 2-2 home draw with West Indies in 1995. Atherton’s heroics at Johannesburg in 1995/96. Winning in New Zealand in 1991/92 and 1996/97. A series win over South Africa in 1998. Melbourne 98/99.

The 90s certainly brought England’s problems to a head – namely, that their fast bowlers were being flogged into the ground in county cricket. And that the ideal preparation for a Test was not finishing a four-dayer at Headingley, then driving to The Oval for a Test the next day.

Atherton pleaded for central contracts. His successor Nasser Hussain (via Stewart’s relatively short-lived reign) benefitted from them. And two divisions.

One fascinating dialectic in the documentary was the clash between Atherton and Ray Illingworth, the supremo of the England team in the mid-90s. It was a respectful rivalry, but their ideologies differed. Illy thought age was no barrier to class (recalling, of course, his triumphant 70/71 Ashes tour), so he plumped for Peter Lever and John Edrich as coaches, and Gatting and Gooch as (veteran) batters for the 94/95 Ashes. Atherton wanted younger, hungrier, fitter players.

The other great feature of the documentary was the unfulfilled international careers of Graeme Hick and Mark Ramprakash, who would – possibly – have been more at home in the days of central contracts. Dean Headley said they were the best batsmen he bowled to.

A fine documentary from Sky, and let’s hope they explore other decades soon.