Graeme Hick - A Very English Enigma

[fredfertang]

CW Features
Graeme Hick - A Very English Enigma

In this feature we take a look at the career of Graeme Hick and try to work out why the man whose entrance to the international game was so eagerly anticipated, failed to match up to the nation's expectations

 

[Shoggz]

Interesting article.

I remember the tangible excitement of Hick making his début as if it was yesterday..

How time flies.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Yep it was so hyped and seems like yesterday.Flopped as dramatically as the kid who made his debut in the same series.Arguably the 2 most gifted English players in the last 20 years but neither had any bottle.

 

[Woodster]

Good read, enjoyed. Was a big Hick fan and was very disappointed he never fully cracked it at the highest level. Personally I think the ridiculous number of times was a big reason he was never able to replicate his county form. Everytime he went out to bat he must have felt he was always one bad innings away from the drop. Tough conditions for anyone to perform in as regularly as he had to.

 

[Hurricane]

CW Features
Graeme Hick - A Very English Enigma

In this feature we take a look at the career of Graeme Hick and try to work out why the man whose entrance to the international game was so eagerly anticipated, failed to match up to the nation's expectations

I this is your article it is most excellent.

 

[stumpski]

Good read, enjoyed. Was a big Hick fan and was very disappointed he never fully cracked it at the highest level. Personally I think the ridiculous number of times was a big reason he was never able to replicate his county form. Everytime he went out to bat he must have felt he was always one bad innings away from the drop. Tough conditions for anyone to perform in as regularly as he had to.

All that could have been said about Ramprakash as well though tbf. My feeling at the time they were dropped was usually that it was a tough but fair call, given the competition for middle-order places though the 90s.

 

[wfdu_ben91]

MEENNNNNTTTALLLLLYYYYYY WEEEAAAAAKKKKK!!

Gotta love Big Merv.

 

[Woodster]

All that could have been said about Ramprakash as well though tbf. My feeling at the time they were dropped was usually that it was a tough but fair call, given the competition for middle-order places though the 90s.

Absolutely, the same can be applied to Ramprakash, I think he suffered too due to the inconsistency of selection through this period. If these players could have been assured of continued selection while they found their feet, allowed to play their own free-flowing game without the fear of the chop after every innings, then I'm sure they would have gone some way to fulfilling their potential.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Seems strange though how Crawley had a better test record than both Hick and Ramps and was given far fewer chances though.Sums up the stupid regimes we had in charge through the 90's.

 

[stumpski]

Absolutely, the same can be applied to Ramprakash, I think he suffered too due to the inconsistency of selection through this period. If these players could have been assured of continued selection while they found their feet, allowed to play their own free-flowing game without the fear of the chop after every innings, then I'm sure they would have gone some way to fulfilling their potential.

Is it fair for anyone though, however talented, to be 'assured of continued selection?' Is that fair on others on the outside trying to force their way in, who may be in much better form? Fact was that with Stewart, Atherton and Thorpe usually an automatic pick, it wasn't possible for Hussain, Crawley, Hick and Ramprakash to play in the same side. Never mind the claims of fringe players such as Maynard, Maddy and Gallian.

 

[slippy]

Hick never had any luck look in the era he had to play test cricket in, against bowlers like
Ambrose
Wasim Akram
Waqar Younis
Walsh
Ian Bishop
Donald
Pollock
McGrath
Gillespie
Mcdermott
Merv Hughes
Kumble

All these bowlers where at the peak when Hick started playing.

 

[wfdu_ben91]

McGrath was a fine bowler during the 90s but by no means did he peak until post 2000.

 

[wpdavid]

MEENNNNNTTTALLLLLYYYYYY WEEEAAAAAKKKKK!!

Gotta love Big Merv.

Yeah, it takes a really big man to hurl a truck-load of abuse at a guy who's just been dismissed. I'm not entirely sure what you're suggesting Hick should have done in that particular scenario - maybe used his bat to relocate merv's dental faculties?

 

[fredfertang]

MEENNNNNTTTALLLLLYYYYYY WEEEAAAAAKKKKK!!

Gotta love Big Merv.

I must confess that one place I didn't bother to look when researching the feature was Merv's biography though I have looked at it now.

According to that at the Oval in 1993 when, finally, Hick got a few runs against Merv (he scored 80 and 36 and Merv didn't get him in either innings) dear old Merv was allegedly the first to congratulate him.

Merv's biographer also quotes Hick as saying that one of his greatest regrets in the game came when he had a bowl at Merv in that game - by all accounts Merv got a snick and was caught but didn't move and nor did the umpire's finger - Hicky desperately wanted to sledge him and knew he ought to but couldn't think what to say so said nothing.

 

[Furball]

Excellent article.

Hick seems to have been even more unfairly treated in his ODI career, where he was an excellent middle order bat. Or is his lack of ODI game time simply as a result of England not playing much ODI cricket until the late 90s?

 

[Woodster]

Is it fair for anyone though, however talented, to be 'assured of continued selection?' Is that fair on others on the outside trying to force their way in, who may be in much better form? Fact was that with Stewart, Atherton and Thorpe usually an automatic pick, it wasn't possible for Hussain, Crawley, Hick and Ramprakash to play in the same side. Never mind the claims of fringe players such as Maynard, Maddy and Gallian.

I don't think you can continue picking players for any great length of time if indeed they look out of their depth, but these guys were undoubtedly the most talented players of their era, and perhaps it is a degree of hindsight now, to say that they should have a more generous run in the side.

Being assured of selection for how long though ? I'm not talking indefinitely, until the day they retire, but I'm sure they would have benefitted to have known that they were going to be selected for a complete tour or two depending on schedules.

 

[GuyFromLancs]

I remember the whole Hick thing well. The beginning of his test career was around about the time I started watching cricket - but I never really watched the County game too much so I never bought into the whole "why is this guy not the next Don Bradman" vibe like some seemed to based on his domestic exploits. So I never really rated him based on what I saw.

Overall he was treated pretty badly by the selectors as were a few back then. In test cricket you need to be confident that you won't be dropped after a single bad series and a number of players never believed themselves that they had that backing.

Overall though, you have to concede that Hick's test career was poor. A batting average of 31 puts him below Botham and Flintoff to name a couple and this isn't good for a specialist batsman by any stretch.

 

[slippyslip]

The part I took most interest in was

He missed the opportunity to develop through the usual route of England's "Under 19" and "A" sides

I think playing in those sides do mentally prepare a player for the future by playing in games at an international level even if they aren't senior games. Also, he would have got a look at a lot of the future bowlers he would be facing at senior level. He would have faced the pressures of holding down a spot in in a format where you play less matches and have to make them count. He fails in one game for Worcestershire? Thats ok, theres always next week. Failing at an U-19 or A level would have made him think about his spot - something he never had to do at Worcestershire.

You can always single out county performances against a good bowler. But as the old saying goes "bowlers bowl in partnerships" and quite often domestic first class attacks lack the depth to fully expose a batsmen.

 

[chasingthedon]

Great article, Martin - have to say that, if Zola Budd could get UK citizenship in 9 days in 1984, why did Hick have to wait so long? Having said that, he would of course have had to have faced Windies 1984-88. But, he would have had so much more Test experience at a younger age.

 

[zaremba]

Classy article, Martin.