Practice makes perfect for the unlikely batting hero (4 July 1999)

4 July 1999

Practice makes perfect for the unlikely batting hero

Paul Newman

Darrell Tudor was looking forward to today. He was planning to watch his son, Alex, play for England in a home Test match for the first time having been on duty on the gate at the Oval for the first three days of the Edgbaston game. Tudor the younger, however, put paid to those plans.

The one disappointing aspect of Tudor's brilliant 99 not out, apart from his failure to gain that extra all-important single, was that it came a day too early for his father to see it. Those who were present will not forget the sight of an England bowler crashing the New Zealanders to all parts in a hurry.

"I've always enjoyed my batting," said Tudor. "When I was younger, I was an all-rounder but I lost it a bit after concentrating on my bowling. I'd love to go as high in the order as possible."

Yet even the giddy heights of the lower middle order have been denied Tudor at Surrey this season because of the batting form of the likes of Ian Salisbury and Martin Bicknell. "I think I'll be back at number 10 just ahead of Saqlain when I go back," he smiled.

In truth, Tudor has been working hard on his batting and has made several journeys to Chelmsford this season for one-on-one sessions with Graham Gooch, England's caretaker coach.

"I took it upon myself to ask Graham for batting tips and he was delighted to help," said Tudor. "He's taught me to move my feet and use my height."

Tudor has also been spotted at 8.15 on each morning of this Test in the nets practising, with Mark Ramprakash as his tutor, those flourishing cuts, back-foot drives and flicks through midwicket that had the Edgbaston crowd chanting his name football-style yesterday.

How England have needed their bowlers to contribute more runs in the recent past. Tudor may not have had the best of games in his principal role, taking just one wicket in the match and being restricted to 16 overs, but he has ensured that he will continue his learning curve without undue pressure on his place, even with Darren Gough due to return.

The suspicion, when Tudor had the ball in his hand, was that he was still feeling the niggle in his left leg which raised a slight question mark over his participation at Edgbaston and had the speed gun registering his fastest deliveries in this Test at 85 miles per hour. In Sydney last winter he was recorded at 88 miles per hour.

Tudor, however, was quick to deny that he was injured and put a slight limp towards the end of his innings down to tiredness. "After all, I haven't batted for longer than 10 overs at all this season," he said. "I wasn't used to it."

But will he live to regret that failure to register the first hundred by a specialist England bowler since Chris Lewis in India in 1992?

"When Graham Thorpe came in he told me he would try to push ones and give me the strike," said Tudor. "But I said to him that all I wanted to do was win the game. That's the most important thing. Let's get it done. He told me I might not get a better chance than this to score a Test hundred but hopefully it will come again."

Both Nasser Hussain and Gooch, in their respective team talks yesterday morning, emphasised the need for someone to put their hand up and be counted with the bat.

As Hussain admitted, however, little did they think it would be their night-watchman. "I have got big scores before but never in first-class cricket," said Tudor. "I often tell the boys in the dressing-room about my hundreds - but it loses a bit of impact when I tell them they were in schools cricket. Another run would have been perfect today but I'll settle for this."

As for his approach to yesterday's particular task, he explained: "All I tried to do was get bat on ball. If they gave me width, I flayed the bat and more often than not it went for four."

Hussain, who had a close view of Tudor's style as he shared a stand of 98 with the Surrey man before being bowled by Geoff Allott, added that he was particularly pleased for Tudor because of the hard work he has put in on his batting. "Alex is a lovely lad," said Hussain. "Anyone who knows him and his family will tell you that no-one deserves this more than them."

Stephen Fleming, the New Zealand captain, had to sit alongside Tudor while he told the congregated media of his struggles with the bat this season.

"It is no real surprise that lower-order batsmen with no inhibitions were more likely to succeed on this pitch," said Fleming. "We strayed from our successful length and line of the first innings and Alex played some very good shots. We were in the driving seat but you cannot afford to lose seven wickets for 50-odd runs in your second innings and expect to win a Test match."

µFOR one unlucky punter, Alex Tudor's brilliant innings yesterday merely rubbed salt into his wounds. One man had a £10 double on Tudor and New Zealand's Adam Parore both top scoring in their respective first innings.

Parore delivered; Tudor was one run away from completing the bet when Alan Mullally and Phil Tufnell were dismissed in quick succession. He would have won £15,000.

Born: 23 October 1977, Kensington, London.
Height: 6ft 4in.
Weight: 13st 7lbs.
Major Teams: England, Surrey.
Junior overseas tours: England U-15 to South Africa 1992-93; England U-19 to Zimbabwe 1995-96, to Pakistan 1996-97.
County debut: 1995.
Test Debut: England v Australia at Perth, 2nd Test, 1998/99.
Best Test figures (in one innings): 4 for 89 v Australia at Perth, 1998/99.
Total Test wickets: 8 for 239 (average 29.87).
Highest Test score: 99 not out v New Zealand, Edgbaston 1999.
Total Test runs: 166 (average 55.33).
First-class 50s: 2.
Best first-class figures: 7 for 77 v Leicestershire, June 1999.
Highest first-class score before yesterday: 56 v Leicestershire, 1995.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)