Mark Ravin Ramprakash was born on September 5, 1969. He was educated at Gayton High School in Harrow (also attended by Angus Fraser), and at Harrow Weald Sixth Form College (also attended by me!). He has, in his time, played for Parkfield, Bessborough, Stanmore, Middlesex, and Surrey cricket clubs, as well as representing England. He was voted best under-15 schoolboy in 1985 (the year he hit 204 during the National Cricket Association Festival), best young cricketer in 1986, and most promising player of the year in 1988. He made his first team debut for Middlesex at the age of 17, and on his debut in the NatWest Trophy, in the Final, he won the man of the match award for a match-winning 56.
To date, he has scored 66 first-class hundreds, nine double hundreds, and has passed 1000 runs in a season ten times. In 2003, he hit 110 for Surrey against Middlesex to become the first batsman ever to have scored a championship century against all 18 first-class counties, and made his highest first-class score, 279 not out, against Nottinghamshire, the sixth time he had gone past 100 in the season.
Recently, Alec Stewart named Ramps as the most talented batsman he has played with for England. Perhaps the most naturally gifted batsman in the country and arguably the best technically-equipped, Ramprakash nevertheless struggled to impose himself as a Test batsman throughout an international career which began in 1991 and figured at least one Test in each year since (Click here for record). Part of his problem appeared to be a lack of mental strength in the glare of the big arena, but he was not helped by circumstances. Often coming in to bat when England were in deep trouble, when Ambrose or Donald was steaming in having just taken two quick wickets, Ramps typically found himself struggling as he attempted to withstand the onslaught. His difficulties made worse by a selection policy that chopped and changed the side almost by the match, it is perhaps not so surprising that Ramps appeared to develop some kind of mental block - a complete inability to play his usual confident, attacking, technically solid game - whenever he stood out in the middle at a Test ground.
1995 - A False Dawn
A breakthrough seemed to have come at Perth in February 1995 when he hit 72 and 42 in the final Test against Australia, but then a difficult series against the West Indies in the summer, when he suffered a tortured pair in the second Test at Lord's, set him back again. He reacted to the disappointment of his failure at Lord's by launching into a period of glorious domestic success, scoring 1,628 runs in 15 first-class innings for Middlesex at an average of 116.29. This included nine hundreds, three of them doubles, including his highest first-class score, 235, against Yorkshire. He finished the season with the best first-class average in the country, 77.86, and a Championship average almost double that of the next highest, at 93.35. The details of his season.
1996 - Misery against South Africa
It was hoped that his destructive domestic form of the summer of 1995 would translate into positive international performances against South Africa over the winter. Unfortunately, despite a good start to the tour, when he was averaging over 100 in the warm-up games and receiving the support of manager Ray Illingworth to make the England No. 3 spot his own, things went horribly sour for Ramprakash once the Tests began. He appeared to be struck down by a kind of nervous paralysis, withdrawn and strokeless, never looking happy for a moment in the glare of the big arena. He was comprehensively bowled every time he went to the crease, and looked a forlorn and disillusioned figure as he sat out the rest of the series, having scored just 13 runs at 4.33.
This seemed to be Ramprakash's final chance to make it at Test level. As Christopher Martin-Jenkins wrote at the time: "The verdict must be, alas, that it was a mistake to go back to Ramprakash for this tour, despite his blazing success last summer ... His intensity has simply proved unsuited to Test cricket. It is a tragedy for him and a pity for us all."
1997 - A New Determination?
However, another chance did come after the destruction of English batting talent perpetrated by the Australians in the summer of 1997. After being awarded the Middlesex captaincy at the beginning of the season, Ramprakash had batted superbly throughout the championship, averaging in the high 60s, and winning the Whyte & Mackay Best Batsman award for the season. He was picked for the final Ashes test at the Oval, and after a failure in the first innings, played steadily and skillfully for 48 in the second, at last giving the home Test audience a view of his real talent.
1998 - The Breakthrough
Constant net practice as Ramps waits
Following this performance, Ramprakash was included in England's squad for the winter Test tour against the West Indies. It seemed that if he was to cement himself a place in the England batting lineup, he was going to have to do it against the side that had in the past proved to be his nemesis. He was hardly given a chance to prove himself, however, as the first three Tests went by and he had not yet faced a ball on the tour. Given one opportunity, in the match against Guyana, he took it, rescuing England from 52 for 4, with a stylish 77 in the first innings.
Scoring with a sweep against Guyana
This brought him back into the Test side, where he again showed the new maturity that captaining Middlesex had brought him, scoring an attacking 64 not out in the first innings, again rescuing England, and guiding the tail home to save the follow-on. For really the first time in a Test, he looked confident out in the middle, as Mark Nicholas put it seeming "more like a batsman expecting to parade his talent than a batsman hoping he might." Like most of the England batsmen, Ramprakash took advantage of the superb Bridgetown wicket in the match against Barbados, giving him ample opportunity to go into the fifth Test in top form, a match England needed to win to keep the Wisden Trophy series alive.
Hoisting Hooper
Once the Test began, another England collapse gave Ramprakash the chance to go out and bat quite a bit earlier than he might have expected. This time, England were 55 for 4, with Thorpe also back in the pavilion having retired injured, when Ramps came to the crease, yet another rescue act required of him. He responded to the situation, guiding his team into clearer waters such that by the close of the first day they had recovered to 229 for 5. Ramps had batted confidently for an unbeaten 80, already his highest Test score, driving and cutting with confidence and aggression, even at one stage striding down the wicket to hoist Hooper over long on.
Ramps celebrates his maiden century
If anybody thought Ramprakash might tamely succumb with the new morning, they were put right as, supported by a now rejuvenated Thorpe, he launched forward in only the second over and drove McLean through the covers for four. Although he stuttered when his
score was in the nineties, Ramps reached his long-awaited maiden Test century with a crashing backfoot boundary on the off-side. The manner in which he celebrated his century will long be recalled. His helmet off, his head thrown back, he abandoned himself to the joy of the moment he had believed might never happen. As one, the crowd stood and roared their approval, and West Indies captain Brian Lara was the first to shake his hand. It took some time for Ramps finally to regain his composure, but he realised that the job was not complete and continued to bat in the same aggressive manner throughout the day, eventually being caught and bowled by McLean for 154. This was undoubtedly the most important innings of his career - the one that would hopefully herald a new assurance at this, the ultimate level. [See scorecard]
Now assured (for the moment at least) of his place in the Test side, Ramprakash found it difficult throughout the series against South Africa to assert himself and play his usual attacking game. In the second Test at Lord's, he was fined and given a suspended one-match suspension after a display of dissent at umpire Darrell Hair's decision to give him out caught behind off Allan Donald. Obviously furious at the decision, Ramps lingered at the crease and, as he walked off, was seen to make some remark to the umpire. Fortunately, he was able to pick himself up from this disappointment to become one of the heroes at Old Trafford as Atherton, Stewart, Ramprakash and finally Croft batted for two days to save the third Test. He also played his part in the wonderful (and long overdue) success in the fourth and fifth Tests which England won, resulting in their first major series victory for a decade.
As the season drew to a close, Ramprakash shared in a record partnership with Hick in the first innings of the one-off Test against Sri Lanka, and then batted resolutely but ultimately in vain in an attempt to save the match on the final day. He managed not to let Middlesex's abysmal form during the season affect his own batting, and was one of the more straightforward decisions when it came to consideration of batsmen for the Ashes tour party in the winter. Ramps had always done comparatively well against Australia (he averaged 39 in Tests), so there were hopes that this series would be the opportunity for him to cement his place in the side for some time to come.
1998 - A Fine Ashes Tour
A fierce cut during the record partnership
He started relatively well, scoring 81 in England's opening first-class match of the tour against Western Australia. Then, on the final day of the match against South Australia with England on the brink of an embarrassing defeat, he shared in an unbroken stand of 377 with Graham Thorpe for the fifth wicket to save the match. In a ruthless batting display that lasted six hours, Ramprakash scored 140 not out and Thorpe 233 not out (his highest first-class score). They plundered 194 runs between lunch and tea, and when play was eventually brought to a halt by rain, had broken the record for the highest partnership by any touring side for any wicket in Australia.
Ramps hits out in the 3rd Test
Ramprakash's initial involvement in the first Test at Brisbane came late on the third day, after Australia had made 485 and Mark Butcher had struck a century in England's reply.
Arriving at the crease with England on 240-4, he was still there at the end of the innings, some 60 overs later, having made a stout-hearted unbeaten 69. Like most of England's batsmen, he didn't fare so well in the second innings, however, comprehensively stumped off the leg-spin of Stuart MacGill for 14. The second Test at Perth saw a rout of the England batsmen in both innings. Ramprakash made 26 in the first, then 47 in yet another steely unbeaten innings in the second, in a vain attempt to save the match. He batted longer than anyone in both the England innings, just as he did with Nasser Hussain in the third Test, scoring 61 and 57. He and Hussain were the only England batsmen to make contributions in both innings, amid the carnage of England's otherwise inept batting display as they once more surrendered the Ashes to Australia.
With England yet again seeming to be heading for defeat in the rain-affected fourth Test, it was a stunning diving catch by Ramprakash at square leg that turned the match. Having scored 63 in the first innings and 14 in the second, Ramps found himself taking off and plucking out of the air a fierce pull by Justin Langer as Australia seemed to be strolling towards their victory target. Inspired, England proceeded to tear through the remaining batsmen, Dean Headley taking six wickets to set up a memorable victory. Following the fourth Test, Ramprakash had scored 351 runs in the series, at an average of 59, the highest of the England batsmen. Though he failed to score heavily in the fifth Test, his performances throughout the Ashes series left him with a career Test average of 49 against Australia - better than Brian Lara and Aravinda de Silva. Furthermore, in the thirteen Test matches he played in in 1998, he scored 961 runs (the 5th highest runs aggregate in all Test cricket that year) at an average of 48, reflected in his rise up the rankings to no. 26.
1999 - The Whole Team Struggles
A sweep off Vettori during the 3rd Test
With Alec Stewart finding himself out of favour after a disastrous World Cup, Ramprakash was one of two candidates interviewed to become the new England captain, the 13th in 19 seasons. The selectors went with Nasser Hussain, a batsman with more international experience than Ramps, and with a more assured place in the batting line-up. Things did not begin well for the new captain, however, with the whole team underperforming worryingly throughout the Test series against New Zealand. They were saved in the first Test only by an inspired 99* from nightwatchman Alex Tudor, and lost the second at Lord's by a hefty margin, with Hussain out having broken a finger. England played some of the worst cricket yet seen in the Lord's match, with Ramprakash's scores of 4 and 24 indicative of the lack of application shown by all the batsmen. Ramps has never played well in Tests at his home ground, averaging just eight runs from five matches played.
The third Test saw yet another new captain, Mark Butcher, standing in for the injured Hussain. England batted first on a cracked looking Old Trafford wicket and struggled throughout the first day in between rain breaks to finish on 108-5. Things were slightly less arduous by the second day, and Ramprakash played one of his most resolute Test innings on an English ground, inching steadily to 69* before he ran out of partners. It was another innings of great character from the Middlesex captain, again reminding the selectors of his value to the England team. Unfortunately, the England batting failed spectacularly once again in the final Test of the summer, losing the match on the fourth day by 83 runs. They lost eight wickets for 39 runs in such a dire manner that many observers felt they fully deserved the accolade accorded them by Wisden of worst Test team in the world.
Bearing in mind the abject failure by all the top order batsmen during the summer Test series, and the fact that Ramprakash topped the batting averages in Australia the previous winter and in the West Indies the year before, it was surprising that his was the only established name missing from the squad to tour South Africa. At the end of a miserable season, in which Middlesex found themselves condemned to life in the second division of county cricket next year, Ramprakash resigned as captain of the county. Despite scoring an unbeaten 209 against Surrey - his third double century against the champions - in the penultimate match of the season, Ramps made it clear he did not want to remain captain. Mike Gatting, the Middlesex coach, admitted it had not been "a pleasant two years in charge" for Ramprakash. "The last straw was his England omission from the tour to South Africa," he said. "He's pretty upset about it and wants his place back."
2000 - Back in the Frame
Preparation for the England opening role
After sitting out the winter tour, Ramprakash found himself once again part of England's plans when 12 central England player contracts were announced by the ECB. David Graveney, Chairman of Selectors, said that Ramps had been recalled to give the selectors more options at the top of the batting order. "Mark has batted at three for England before and consideration will be given to him fulfilling the opening role," he said at a press conference. More good news for Ramps was that Middlesex chose to award him a benefit year in 2000. He began the season well in his new incarnation as Middlesex's opener, scoring 93 in the first championship match of the summer. His first attempt at opening the batting in a Test, against Zimbabwe at Lord's, was not so auspicious, however. Ramprakash was adjudged lbw to Streak after he had scored just 15. His form was much improved in the second Test, with a solid first innings 56, peppered with occasional sparkling off-drives, out of a first wicket stand of 121 with Michael Atherton. Unfortunately, the team did not take advantage of the solid start and the match was drawn. Read Simon Hughes's early assessment of the new opening partnership.
Things did not start well in the series against the West Indies later in the same summer. Batting on an uneven Edgbaston wicket, none of the England batsmen was able to find an answer to the devastating bowling of Walsh and Ambrose. Ramprakash made just 18 runs in the match and, inevitably, found his place in the England side in doubt once more. There was no improvement in the second Test, at Lord's, either. Ramps contributed a duck and a two to England's cause, although the team subsequently went on to win the match thrillingly on the evening of the third day. Ramprakash's domestic form, which saw him make 446 runs in five innings in between Tests, was not enough to save him; his name was absent from the teamsheet announced for the third Test. Other, fresher, faces were brought in to contribute to England's steadily improving form, culminating in a momentous Test series victory over the West Indies, the first for 38 years. Consistency of selection, which developed under the management regime of Duncan Fletcher and Nasser Hussain meant that, despite averaging 64 in the county championship, there was no place for Ramprakash in the winter touring parties to Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
2001 - A Fresh Start
In the field for Surrey
After being overlooked for England's victorious tours to Pakistan and Sri Lanka - their first there for many years, Ramprakash asked to be released a year early from his Middlesex contract, believing that a move offered him the best chance of regaining his Test place. After an acrimonious exchange, he was finally permitteded to leave in January 2001, after 14 years of service to the club and over 19,000 runs. Several first division clubs were reported to be interested in him but, in the end, it was champions Surrey who secured his services. For Ramprakash, it was a move that made a lot of sense for his future career. "By playing with Surrey at the highest level," he said, "I hope to have a chance to fight for an England place again."
A debut century for Surrey
He certainly began his Surrey career in fine fashion, hitting an elegant 146 against Kent in the first Championship match of the season. The Test match success of younger batsmen like Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick, however, meant that, barring injury, the 31-year-old Ramprakash was unlikely to receive another international opportunity in the near future. His blistering form for Surrey in the early part of the summer did see him included in the squad for the first Ashes test as cover for the injured Graham Thorpe. Ramprakash's Test match experience, and his past success against Australia (he averages over 40 against them), saw him chosen over exciting prospects like Owais Shah. Unfortunately for Ramprakash, he was forced to withdraw from the squad a few days before the first Test at Edgbaston after aggravating a hamstring injury playing for Surrey.
A fierce cut during the 4th Test
He was fit for the second Test at Lord's, and injuries to first-choice batsmen like Nasser Hussain saw him back in the side at No. 5. Undone by Brett Lee in the first innings, Ramps shared in a fine second-innings rear-guard with Mark Butcher before England crumbled on the fourth day. His form against the powerful Australians stuttered a little in the Third test at Nottingham, as he got starts in both innings but failed to go on and post the big score that England needed if they were to avoid surrendering the Ashes once again. His battling qualities were better displayed in the fourth Test at Headingley, with 40 in the first innings followed by a sterling 32 in support of Butcher's imperious 173 not out as England memorably won the match by six wickets.
Celebrating his first home Test century
It was in the final Test, with the Ashes already gone, that Ramprakash showed that his technique and, perhaps more importantly, his temperament were up to the job of being a Test batsman. With Warne and McGrath throwing everything they could at him, he batted magnificently for over six hours, falling eventually for 133. It was not enough to save the follow-on, or ultimately the match, but the determined innings capped a largely successful return to the Test side. Despite England's generally poor performances as a team during the Ashes series, Ramps benefited personally as he went some way towards reestablishing himself as an England player. His performances during the summer booked him a place on the autumn one-day international tour to Zimbabwe, where he played a part with bat and ball as England halted their recent poor one-day form with a 5-0 whitewash. The tours to India and New Zealand awaited in the winter, where it was hoped that Ramprakash's technique and recent positive attitude would allow him to do well.
Ramps relaxes during the India tour
As the India tour began, he appeared a far more relaxed figure than in previous years, making every effort to escape the confines of his hotel room to explore the Indian culture, and making time for the press he often previously strove to avoid. This new-found calm and lack of inhibition was also seen in his batting, as he began well against quality spin opposition in the first two tour matches, scoring 58* and a fine 105. Things were bound to be more difficult against Kumble and Singh during the Test series, and so they proved, with Ramprakash finding life as difficult as the other England batsmen as the first Test was lost by ten wickets. He improved, as did the rest of the team, in the second Test, scoring a quick-fire 37 in the first innings, and sharing in a century partnership with Michael Vaughan in the third Test, scoring a combative 58. But these were not the commanding scores that had been promised during the warm-up matches, and Ramprakash's place in the side was once again less than certain.
2002 - Time Running Out?
A powerful sweep against the spinners
After sitting out the one-day series, Ramprakash flew into New Zealand for the three-match Test series not entirely confident of his place in the side. One look at the green wicket at Christchurch won him the nod over Craig White, though, and after a nightmarish start with England at 0-2 after the first over, he soon found himself at the wicket. He hung around, playing some combative strokes and supporting skipper Nasser Hussain who went on to make a memorable hundred, but Ramps was eventually given out caught behind off his thigh-pad for 31. He missed out in the second innings, as Thorpe and Andrew Flintoff shared an astonishing sixth-wicket stand of 281, and did not get much of an opportunity in the second Test as affairs on the field were overshadowed by the tragic death of teammate Ben Hollioake. A poor shot in the first innings of the final Test, and an unlucky ball that kept low in the second, saw Ramprakash make just 9 and 2 in the match, ensuring that his place in the side for the upcoming summer was again uncertain.
Indeed, when the central contracts for the summer were announced, Ramprakash's name was not present, with attention being drawn by younger players with time more on their side. He did his best to remain in the selectors' minds, scoring heavily for Surrey, including a rampage in July that saw 481 runs in three first-class innings, with two consecutive double hundreds. He was overlooked during the summer as well as for the winter's Ashes squad and, even when Graham Thorpe pulled out of the Australia tour and the call went up for an experienced replacement, the selectors looked elsewhere.
Whatever may happen in the future, the home Ashes century in 2001 ensured that the hundred in Barbados was not the sole lasting memory of Ramprakash's Test match success. His England days are now surely behind him, but his continued domestic success remains a potent reminder of the player many consider to possess the finest batting technique in the country.
