The Top Ten England Cricket Captains
10. Peter May…
Longest serving skipper until a grudging Athers almost apologetically sneaked past him, May presided over a golden era of English cricket, inheriting Hutton’s by then great side & personally developing into a classical strokeplayer without equal. Tragic then, that with all going so swimmingly and with England hot favourites to retain the Ashes he saw the ‘best side ever to leave these shores’ get done 4-0 in 58/59. The press moaned about his fiancée being on tour, and soon after they’d married May lost all interest in the game. Better known by his initials - always a good sign.
9. WG Grace…
'They’ve come to watch me bat, not you bowl!’ That’ll do for us.
8. Mike Gatting…
Pugnacious. The word could almost have been invented for Fat Gatt. Ask Shakoor Rana. OK, OK, he only won two tests, but hey New Zealand were pretty damn hot in the mid-80s and as for India…
The unlikely Ashes win in 1986-87 was never supposed to be the equal millstone and medal it became. Indeed since retirement most people have assumed he was called ‘Last English skipper to win the Ashes Mike Gatting’. Suppose it’ll be back to ‘NPower Fancy Dress Judge Mike Gatting’ now?
Don’t mention barmaids or rebel tours though (still).
7. Ray Illingworth…
Forget all that palaver with Devon Malcolm and Athers when he bought the rights to the word ‘curmudgeonly’ – our Ray was as crafty as an old fox with an honours degree when it came to outwitting the opponents of the late 60s and early 70s. Hit the ground running against a decent West Indies side and was the man to finally regain the Ashes after a decade-long Australian hegemony, relying on solid openers and John Snow to get him there.
First defeated as a captain after 20 tests, Illy’s contributions of run-throttling field placings, miserly off-spin & spirited lower middle-order batting were as worthy as any of the more naturally gifted in a very good England side.
6. CB Fry…
Charles Burgess Fry was truly an all-rounder in the fullest sense of the phrase. He was undefeated as a mere England cricket captain; he played football for England against Ireland in 1901; he was at full-back for Southampton in the FA Cup Final of 1902; and was World Long Jump Record Holder from 1892 until 1913 (23ft 5in). Oh, and he polled 20,000 votes as Liberal candidate for Brighton despite long having ceased to live in Sussex and was seriously considered as King of Albania (he couldn’t stump up the ten grand they needed). That’s Top 10 stuff in anyone’s book.
5. Sir Len Hutton…
The only Knight of the Realm on our list, Len became England’s first professional captain in 1952. An underachieving England side were suddenly transformed into world-beaters as his no-nonsense Yorkshire grit inspired the young Trueman and experienced Surrey backbone alike to take on and finally beat Australia after an agonising 20 year wait. Averaging 55 in that low-scoring series, with no one else reaching 40, he confirmed what many had thought over the years – that he was worthy of a place alongside Hobbs as the Greatest Ever English Batsman. Ashes retention in 54/55 was unexpected yet more gratefully received as a consequence.
4. Percy Chapman…
Only defeated in 2 of his 17 tests as captain, Percy Chapman was a swashbuckling all-rounder who grabbed his chance for the limelight with both hands. Imagine the Kennington scene - It’s 1926 & in an all-too familiar scenario England’s last grasp on the urn is fading from living memory. After four draws, erstwhile skipper Arthur Carr suffers a nasty touch of tonsillitis, so up steps our Perce to lead the Hobbs & Sutcliffe-inspired chaps to victory at The Oval and its Pimms and Charlestons all round! Took things to another level with the closest we’ve ever been to an Ashes whitewash in 1928/29.
3. Michael Vaughan…
Well the stats stack up don’t they? Only in the heat of St Johns and the gloom of Durban did England falter in their annus mirabilis of 2004. Listen to everyone tell you (including MPV himself, self-effacing love that he is) how Nasser laid the groundwork, only forgoing the job when he knew Vaughan was ready, roll it up & throw it in the bin. The pragmatism that featured so heavily on the Hussain CV was discarded for a strutting belief that found willing disciples in the pivotal Harmison and Flintoff. The seeds of an Ashes victory were laid, and the harvest duly gathered. As the Gasometer pleaded in September, England were now ‘Going for it’ rather than ‘hanging in there’.
2. Mike Brearley…
Provoking the Aussies always helps, so in addition to recording England’s best ever Ashes result (5-1 in 78/79), and two other series victories in thrilling circumstances the uber-cerebral Brearley played the ‘I know I can’t bat, bowl or field but I’m just too brainy for you convicts’ card to the max. Even had the balls to grow an Ayatollah beard for the 79/80 tour before taking a sabbatical to become what Basil Fawlty would call ‘someone whose job it is to poke around in other people’s business’. The comeback in ’81 just rubbed their noses in it.
1. Douglas Jardine…
The guv’nor. Only interested in one thing – beating Australians. Not only beating them, but pummelling them into submission. Thrived on the locals disdain for his haughty manner, mind-numbingly dull grinding of the willow & individual taste in headwear (the Harlequin cap causing apoplexy in the outer on numerous occasions during the seminal Bodyline tour). Treated the press and fans with equal indifference. Stuck to a game plan and regained the urn with a match to spare – crybaby ACB cabled the Mother Country to moan. Doesn’t get any better than that.