THE PLAYERS

PCA Masters Squad 2013

Alex Tudor

Major Teams: England, England A, England Under-19s, Essex, Surrey 

Test Caps: 10

Highest Test Score: 99*

Best Test Bowling Figures: 5/44

Best First-Class Bowling Figures: 7/48

Highest First-Class Score: 144

Alex Tudor had all the natural attributes of a fast bowler, such as height, strength, and the ability to bowl fast and extract bounce from most wickets. His Test debut came in the 1998-99 Ashes Tour, where he chipped in with 18 and played impressively with the ball. He took 4 for 89 and won praise from the opposition skipper, Mark Taylor. Tudor retained his place for the first Test of the next home series, against New Zealand at Edgbaston. Although his bowling was not of his usual standard, it was his contribution with the bat that created headlines. He hit an unbeaten 99, as England beat New Zealand by seven wickets. It was the highest-ever score by an English nightwatchman, and helped win him the Cricket Writers' Club Young Cricketer of the Year Award.

Ali Brown

Major Teams: England, Nottinghamshire, Surrey

ODI Caps:16

Highest ODI Score: 118

First-Class Matches Played: 285

Highest First-Class Score: 295*

First-Class Average: 42.67

Ali Brown was one of the biggest crowd-pleasers in the county game, and has unfortunately been pigeonholed as a one-day player. In first-class cricket he has scored heavily and quickly, lofting the ball over the infield on the off side with a mixture of power and style, mauling anything pitched short of a length. He scored 268 in an astonishing match against Glamorgan at The Oval in 2002, achieving the highest score in a senior limited-overs game anywhere in the world.

Brown was a gem in Surrey's middle order – a sharp slip fielder and a good team player with a mischievous sense of humour. He may also have been one of the best modern-day batsmen in England not to play a Test. However, after a disappointing couple of years, he was released by Surrey at the end of the 2008 season. He found a new lease of life with Nottinghamshire, where helped them to the Championship in 2010, before extending his career into his 42nd year, but sadly 2011 became his final season.

Chris Schofield

Major Teams: England, Cheshire, Lancashire, Suffolk, Surrey

Test Caps: 2

International T20 caps: 4

First-Class Games Played: 103

First-Class Wickets Taken: 237

Best First-Class Bowling Figures: 6/120

Schofield first came to prominence when he played for the England Under-19 team, making his debut for them as a batsman at the age of 16 in 1995, before making his first-class debut for Lancashire in July 1998. Schofield became an integral part of the Lancashire side in the 1999 season, playing ten first-class games and finishing with 29 wickets, including his first five-wicket haul.

England's need for a leg spinner meant that he was fast-tracked into the senior side in 2000, and awarded one of the ECB's 12 central contracts, after just two seasons in county cricket and one tour.

Schofield was an innovative county no.8 batsman, not afraid to use the reverse-sweep or hook the quicks. After spells with Lancashire and Suffolk, in August 2006, he was registered by Surrey and was impressive enough to be offered a full contract for 2007. His good fortunes continued when, after being the leading wicket-taker during the group stages of the 2007 Twenty20 Cup, he was named in England's 15-man squad for the World Championship in South Africa. Schofield remained with Surrey until the end of the 2011 season.

Dean Headley

Major Teams: England, Kent, Middlesex 

Test Caps: 15

Highest Test Score: 31

Best Test Bowling Figures: 6/60

Best First-Class Bowling Figures: 8/98

Highest First-Class Score: 91

When his back wasn't playing up, Dean Headley could be as incisive as any seamer in England. He had a long run-up, unwound at the crease like a slimline Merv Hughes, and found lavish movement off the seam, particularly away from the left-handers. Headley took three hat-tricks for Kent in 1996 alone, and sliced through Australia at Melbourne in 1998-99. His batting wasn't quite in the same class as his grandfather, George, or father, Ron, but he was a handy nightwatchman.

Devon Malcolm

Major Teams: England, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire

Test Caps: 40 

ODI Caps: 10

Best Test Bowling Figures: 9/57

First-Class Games Played: 304

First-Class Wickets: 1054

Devon Malcolm was one of England's genuinely fast bowlers of the 1990s. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, he settled in England, making his first-class debut for Derbyshire in 1984 and qualifying to play for England in 1987. 

Malcolm’s cricketing style was all about rapid pace, which saw his inclusion into the England squads, however, it was at Test cricket that his spot was secured in the England team.  Playing 40 matches between 1989 and 1997, he starred when England headed to the Caribbean in 1989-90. Promising to fight fire with fire, he provided most of the ammunition, angling the ball in at high speed and occasionally swinging it away.  His best figures were 9-57 against South Africa in 1994, where he blew them away, and claimed the series for England.  He was voted Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1995.

During his 19-year county career, he represented Derbyshire, Northampshire and finally Leicestershire.  His first-class records speak for themselves – he took over 1000 first-class wickets, including nine 10-wicket hauls and he was only one short of 250 one-day wickets, including seven 5-wicket hauls.  A legend of the game, he widely acknowledged that batting was not his forte. His technique left much to be desired, providing amusement at the end of an innings.

Ed Giddins

Major Teams: England, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire

Test Caps: 4

Best Test Bowling Figures: 5/15

First-Class Games Played: 147

Best First-Class Bowling Figures: 6/47

First-Class Runs Scored: 25,376

Ed Giddins made his international debut against New Zealand at The Oval in August 1999, taking four wickets for 79 runs. He was not selected for the winter tour of South Africa, but was back in the side for the two Tests in England against Zimbabwe the following summer. England won the two-game series 1-0, owing much of this to Giddins, who scored his career-best international figures of five for 15 in the first Zimbabwe innings, which helped swing the match in England's favour.

Gladstone Small

Major teams: England, South Australia, Warwickshire

Test Caps: 17 

ODI Caps: 53 

First-Class Games: 315 

First-Class Runs: 4409

Highest First-Class Score: 70

Gladstone Small is one of the most improbable-looking Test cricketers, who’s moment of glory came when he helped England retain the Ashes title in 1986-87. Small was a last-minute replacement that stunned the Boxing Day crowd of 58,000 at the MCG, by splitting Australia's first innings wickets with Ian Botham. Small took 5 for 48 and left Australia rolled over for 141. When England won, Small was named Man of the Match. Small was known for his enthusiasm – he always made a whole-hearted effort, he was a committed team member and a delightful player.

Australia's unease was increased by Small's strange build – seemingly without a neck, he walked around as though he still had a coat hanger inside his jacket. He came to England from Barbados just after his 14th birthday, which was the cut-off date for automatic qualification to play for the country. The combination of his looks and his nerdish specs made the Lord's registration committee unsure of his chances of ever playing Test cricket, but they let him through anyway. Small might never have played for England because he was neither fast nor reliable, and he was an infuriatingly regular no-baller in his early career. He cut his run right down and settled for being a predominant outswing bowler, hostile enough to worry even the best batsmen, as Australia found again a week after the MCG, when he whipped through the middle order in Sydney. Like most players of that era, he drifted in and out of the England side, but took eight wickets in the defeat at Bridgetown in 1989-90 and was still a key figure for Warwickshire in their all-conquering year of 1994. 

Lou Vincent

Major teams: New Zealand, Auckland, Chandigarh Lions, ICL World XI, Lancashire, Mid West Rhinos, Northamptonshire, Worcestershire

Test Caps: 23 

ODI Caps: 102 

First-Class Games: 94 

First-Class Runs: 4992

Highest First-Class Score: 224

Lou Vincent had an outstanding start to his Test career, scoring a century and a half-century in Perth in the summer of 2001-02, but battled to repeat the performance. Part of the problem was his place in the batting order. He had originally opened in his first Test and subsequently did not play well enough to keep his place.

His first Test double-century, a superb 224 against Sri Lanka was then followed up with a good one-day series in South Africa in October 2005, where he returned home with his reputation intact, unlike many of his team-mates. The following season he signed for Worcestershire, but he then had a disappointing Champions Trophy and was overlooked for the home Test and one-day series against Sri Lanka.

When he returned to ODI as a replacement for Nathan Astle in the tri-series in Australia in early 2007, Vincent grabbed the chance with both hands and strung together an innings of 66, 76 and 90. It made him New Zealand's second-highest run-scorer for the tournament despite only playing half the games, which secured his ticket to the ICC World Cup in the Caribbean. He began with two ducks before finding his form with a century against Canada, but a broken wrist ended his tournament before the Super Eight stage.

His career nosedived after a poor performance during the tour of South Africa, and the Chappell-Hadlee Series that followed. Vincent was additionally dropped for the tour of Bangladesh, and he admitted to suffering from depression. He lost his contract with New Zealand Cricket after joining the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League.

He has since played in limited-overs cricket on the English county circuit, turning out for Lancashire in 2008, Northamptonshire in 2010 and Sussex in 2011. He also had a stint with the Zimbabwe domestic side, Mid West Rhinos, in the 2010-11 season, and returned to New Zealand domestic cricket, playing the one-day competition and HRV Cup for Auckland. In September 2011, he travelled with Auckland to the Champions League T20 in India.

Mal Loye

Major Teams: England, Lancashire, Northamptonshire

ODI Caps: 7

First-Class Games Played: 264

First-Class Runs Scored: 15,329

Highest First Class Score: 322*

A right-hand aggressive top-order batsman, Loye was particularly destructive in one-day cricket. Loye started his career at Northamptonshire, receiving his cap in 1994. In 1998 he made almost 1,200 first-class runs, including the county's individual scoring record of 322 not out against Glamorgan. In the same game he shared a stand of 401 with David Ripley, which beat the record of the highest fifth-wicket stand in England. He ended up with four hundreds that year, a new season best, and was named PCA Player of the Year to follow on from his 1993 award of PCA Young Player of the Year.

In 2003, Loye moved to Lancashire and made an immediate impression with back-to-back hundreds in his debut game.

Loye’s one-day international debut came in January 2007 against Australia, when he was called in to cover for the injured Michael Vaughan. Loye had an impressive start as England’s top scorer, with 36 runs for 26 balls, and he even had the confidence to sweep Brett Lee for six.

Mark Ramprakash

Major teams: England, Middlesex, Surrey

Test Caps: 52

Highest Test Score: 154

First class Games Played: 461

Highest First-Class score: 301*

First-Class average: 53.14

Mark Ramprakash was a batsman of rare talent, who combined a classically English technique with an un-English intensity, achieving status as a determined player of the county circuit for over 20 years. He was a star for Middlesex at age 17, and he captained the England Under-19 team.

Throughout his career, he has been a world-class fielder at cover and bat-pad, and a top county run scorer. He became even more prolific during his time at Surrey –  in 2006, his 20th county season, he scored 2,278 runs, averaging over 100. This remarkable form continued, and at county level he was head and shoulders above his peers. His only relatively lean patch came in 2008, when he was marooned on 99 first-class hundreds, but when he reached 100 – and he may well be the last man to reach that number – the floodgates opened again.

In the winter of 2006-07 he astonished team-mates and fans by taking part in Strictly Come Dancing, the BBC TV reality show which had been won the previous year by the much more extrovert Darren Gough. However, Ramprakash rose to the occasion, scoring a perfect 40 (10/10 from all four judges) for his salsa in the final, to win the series.

Martin Bicknell

Major Teams: England, Surrey

Test Caps: 4

ODI Caps: 7

First-Class Games Played: 292

Best First-Class Bowling Figures: 9/45

Highest First-Class Score: 141

Over the years, Martin Bicknell proved himself to be a prolific wicket-taker in county cricket, with an aggressive, upright ability to swing the ball both ways.

Making his debut in 1986, Bicknell was an effective medium-fast swing and seam bowler, who reached one thousand first-class wickets for his county, Surrey, in 2005. In 2000 he achieved match figures of 16-119 for Surrey against Leicestershire, the second-best match figures ever returned for the county.

He became an increasingly useful tail-end batsman as his career went on, verging on all-rounder status, with three first-class centuries to his name.

Bicknell was chosen for the 1990-91 Ashes Tour aged 21, but waited until 1993 for his Test debut. He played four Test matches for England, but played the last two against South Africa in 2003 – 10 years after the first two. The England team played 114 matches between his appearances, which is a record.

Bicknell was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2001. A series of injuries forced him to retire in 2006. 

Matthew Maynard

Major teams: England, Glamorgan, Northern Districts, Otago

ODI Caps: 14

Test Caps: 4 

First-Class Games:  395 

First-Class Runs: 24799

Highest First-Class Score: 243

Matthew Maynard burst onto the county scene at Swansea in 1985 scoring an amazing century on his first-class debut. Born in Lancashire, Maynard was brought up in North Wales, and after a short period with Kent, he joined Glamorgan in 1985, and thrilled the county's supporters with his dashing stroke play. He has set a host of batting records, including the county’s record century-maker in 2004. Back in 1986, he became the youngest-ever Glamorgan player to score 1000 runs. In 1988, further displays of such uninhibited batting drew the attention of England's selectors as he made his Test debut against the West Indies at The Oval. Maynard got a further taste of international cricket in 1989-90 as he toured South Africa with Mike Gatting's rebel side.

Maynard's quick-scoring talents were a key feature behind Glamorgan's success in one-day cricket in the 1990's, and in particular the Sunday League title in 1993. During that summer, Maynard also hit a century before lunch against the Australians at Neath, and was recalled to the England side for two Tests in the Ashes series. He also earned a place on the winter tour of the West Indies, where he won another Test cap and appeared in five one-day matches. By this time, Maynard was captain of Glamorgan and led them to the Championship title in 1997. 2000 was a memorable summer for Maynard as he led Glamorgan to their first appearance in a Lord`s Cup final since 1977, although later stood down. He was recalled to the England team for 2000 NatWest series, but made disappointing scores of 3 and 0. He was also awarded a benefit year with Glamorgan for the 2005 season. He was signed up in September 2004 to act as the England Assistant Coach, and the following season announced his impending retirement to concentrate on his new career. 

Michael Vaughan

Major Teams: England, Marylebone Cricket Club, Yorkshire

Test Caps: 82

ODI Caps: 86

Highest Test Score: 197

Highest ODI Score: 90*

Test Batting Average: 41.44

On September 12, 2005, Michael Vaughan secured his place in English sporting history by becoming the first captain to win an Ashes series since Mike Gatting in 1986-87. It was the culmination of a five-year journey for Vaughan, whose captaincy – calm, obdurate and ruthlessly effective – had become as classy and composed as the batting technique that briefly carried him to the top of the world rankings. A Test career average of over 40 is evidence of how crucial and effective he was to the team throughout his career.

Min Patel

Major Teams: England, Kent

Test Caps: 2

First-Class Games Played: 208

Best First-Class Bowling Figures: 8/96

First-Class Wickets Taken: 630

Highest First-Class Score: 87

Min Patel is a retired Indian-born cricketer, who made two appearances in Test cricket for England. He was a right-handed batsman and a slow left arm bowler, who primarily played for Kent.

Patel's first-class debut for Kent came at the tail-end of the 1989 English cricket season.  He became a regular in the Kent side over the following seasons, and in 1994 he was the leading wicket-taker in England, with 90 at a bowling average of 22.86.

Patel's career looked to be in jeopardy during 1997, when he sustained a combination of injuries while teaching physical education and batting for his club side, which ruled him out for most of the season. He returned the following season, and performed consistently for them through the following eight seasons, taking 30 five-wicket hauls during his career, nine 10-wicket hauls in a match, with a first-class average of just over 30.  Following a recurring elbow injury, he announced his retirement from first-class cricket at the start of the 2008 season. 

Neil Fairbrother

Major Teams: England, Lancashire, Transvaal

Test Caps: 10

ODI Caps: 75

Highest ODI Score: 113

First-Class Games Played: 366

Highest First-Class Score: 366

Fairbrother is small, tenacious and has a good eye for the sharp single. He derived his Christian name from another durable left-hander – and his mother's favourite cricketer – the former Australian Test batsman, Neil Harvey. Fairbrother carved out a career for himself as England's leading one-day batsman in the middle order for much of the 1990s, appearing at three World Cups. He had a renowned ability for picking the gaps with scientific precision, dabbing the ball behind square, occasionally hitting over the top on the leg side, and running like hell. He was the architect of several one-day triumphs at Lancashire, where he was captain in 1992, and remained one of their batting linchpins at first-class level, until his retirement at the end of 2002.

Paul Nixon

Major Teams: England, Delhi Giants, Kent, Leicestershire

ODI Caps: 19

ODI Batting Average: 21.21

First-Class Games Played: 355

Highest First-Class Score: 173*

Paul Nixon is one of many wicket-keeping batsmen who missed out on an international career. Despite lack of opportunity, he represented the England one-day side in Australia in 2006-07 and at the World Cup immediately afterwards, where he was solid with the bat.

Phil DeFreitas

Major Teams: England, Boland, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Leicestershire

Test Caps: 44

ODI Caps: 103

Best Test Bowling Figures: 7/70

First-Class Games Played: 372

First-Class Wickets: 1,248

At his peak, around 1991, Phil DeFreitas was one of England's most consistent seamers, combining away movement, inswing, leg cutters, and later adding off breaks to his repertoire. His early potential earned him a Test debut in Australia at the age of 21, and he went on to take 140 Test wickets from his 44 caps.  As a batsman, he took a while to mature – failing to score a Test fifty until his 22nd appearance – but proved to be an aggressive player at The Oval in 1994 and Adelaide the following winter with some fluent hitting over the top. In the field, his strong arm made him a natural cover sweeper. His long and prolific county career began at Leicestershire, and blossomed at Lancashire where he helped win several one-day trophies, before taking him to Derbyshire, and finally back to Leicestershire. His career finished in 2005 where it had all started in 1985 – at Grace Road – having taken 1,248 first-class wickets and scoring 10,991 first-class runs.

Richard Blakey

Major Teams: England, Yorkshire 

Test Caps: 2

ODI Caps: 3

First-Class Games Played: 348

First-Class Runs Scored: 14,674

Highest First-Class Score: 223*

Blakey was a fine wicket-keeper for Yorkshire, who made two Test appearances for England in 1992-93, during the tour of India. Blakey initially appeared in the Yorkshire team as a batsman in 1985, before replacing David Bairstow as the gloveman for the county. He scored a double century for England A in Zimbabwe on the 1989-90 tour, and a bright future as a specialist batsman seemed assured when he was named Cricket Writers' Club Young Cricketer of the Year in 1987.

Blakey remained a Yorkshire stalwart in all forms of the game for a decade and a half until 2000, taking 778 catches and completing 57 stumpings in 348 first-class games, and scoring 14,674 runs at 31.42.

Shaun David Udal

Major teams: England, Hampshire, Middlesex

ODI Caps: 11 

First-Class Games: 301

First-Class Runs: 7931

Highest First-Class Score: 117*

Shaun Udal made his international debut in 1994, and then finally made his Test debut at Multan at the age of 36, on England's tour of Pakistan in November 2005. As a steady performer for Hampshire, he had been drafted into the one-day squad for the Texaco Trophy matches against New Zealand – making his debut alongside Darren Gough. The arrival of Shane Warne at Hampshire had revived his career and turned him into a much better attacking bowler, and he continued to make valuable runs in the lower order. He retired from first-class cricket at the end of the 2007 season. However, in December at age 38, Middlesex lured him out of retirement to sign him on a two-year contract. Here, his career took another surprising twist when he was named captain part-way through the season, before being awarded the job full-time. He then announced his final retirement from first-class cricket at the age of 41.