Friday 6 July 2012

Prolific, Unfulfilled, Finished

December 29th 1998.  Australia need 175 runs to go 3-0 up in the Ashes series against the Old Enemy, and seem to be well on their way to doing so.  After both openers had been dismissed with only 41 runs on the board, Justin Langer and Mark Waugh have forged a partnership that seems to have taken the sting out of the England attack.  The 105th delivery faced by the obdurate Langer is bowled by Alan Mullally, and is short.  Right in the slot for Langer's pull shot, which he plays with power and authority.  All eyes turn to the boundary, where the ball must surely be heading.  But the ball is not there.  The ball is instead in the hands of the square leg fielder, who incredibly reversed course and dived back to his right to take a wonderful catch.  The wicket transforms the match, as the Aussies collapse to a 12 run defeat.

For all of his 35,659 runs, his 114 first class centuries, his 261 first class catches, it is this moment that I will always remember when I think of the name Mark Ramprakash.

Ramps retired from first class cricket on Thursday July 5th, after 25 years at the highest level.  His 2012 season had not been a success, and he had found himself out of the Surrey Championship XI.  A conversation had taken place between Ramps and the Surrey management regarding his "future", which seemed to a way of hastening the end of one of the most prolific domestic run scoring careers of the modern age.

Ramp's appetite for runs against county attacks was insatiable.  In 2006, his twentieth season on the county circuit, he averaged over 100 and scored over 2000.  Against Yorkshire at Headingley in 2008, he became only the 25th (and more likely than not, the last) player to register 100 first class centuries.  As impressive (and damn near incredible) these stats are, it should be noted that they took place five and seven years after the last of his 52 test matches, a spell that saw him score only two hundreds and average 27.32 against a career first class average of 53.14.

His debut test series came against the still awesome West Indies side in 1991.  He made 27 in both innings of a match best remembered for Graham Gooch's superb 154*, and in the remaining seven innings he only failed to reach twenty twice.  However, he only bettered 27 once, and then only by two runs.  The Windies would be his most frequent opponents for England, playing in 16 Tests against them.  His first, and many hoped coming of age, England hundred came in Bridgetown in 1998, a test match he scored 64* against the same opponents.  These would prove to be the only two times he would pass 50 against them.

Perhaps hinting at an aptitude for the big occasion, his best England days came against the Australians.  He averaged 42.40 against England's oldest foes, with one century (his last, at the Oval in 2001) and six 50s.  His average IN Australia jumped further, just a tick under 50, and five of his 50s were on Australian soil.  However,  his average against all other opponents ranged from 31.80 (versus India) to 7.75 (his record in three matches against Pakistan).

Many "experts" use the excuse that Ramprakash was not helped by the England regime at the time, showing little sympathy for this prodigious talent and quickly cutting him aside after every "failure".  Indeed, he did begin his international career in an era that most who played in it would agree that individuals worried more about their personal achievements rather than the teams.  It is noticeable perhaps that his most consistent time in an England shirt came just as the powers that be began to instill a notion of "Country First" in the players, and under the captaincy of Alec Stewart and Nasser Hussain.  But this argument fails to take into account that he did keep "failing", and just couldn't score the mountains of runs against national attacks that he feasted on every summer in England.  Interestingly, Ramps won 16, lost 22 and drew 14 of his 52 tests.  He averaged 22.15 in wins, 25.95 in defeat, and 38 in drawn matches.  He was never a match winner for his country, but he was more than able to help save them.  Maybe this was down to a nagging knowledge that defeat would require scapegoats, and scapegoats usually meant him.

The game will never see the likes of Ramps again, the amount of first class cricket played these days simply will not allow a player to get up to 100 centuries.  But also, with the new "Team England" mentality, a player as talented and special will never go as unappreciated by his management.  But I have a feeling this last point will offer little comfort to a man who leaves the first class cricket scene for the last time.

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