Graeme Hick

Few players divided opinion like Graeme Hick. With 57 first-class hundreds under his belt he arrived on the international scene in 1991 as England's Great White Hope, was dropped four tortuous Tests later, and was in and out for the next decade, until dropped for good at the end of England's triumphant tour to Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 2000-01. All the while he remained a colossus at county level, where he continued to churn out the centuries for Worcestershire in his sleep. John Bracewell called Hick a flat-track bully, and though that may be harsh, he has rarely dominated the best attacks and can be psyched out, as Merv Hughes will testify. He was a gentle giant who murdered medium pace and occasionally savaged the spinners. From his breakthrough century in India in 1992-93 to England's tour of South Africa three years later, Hick averaged in excess of 45, and was beginning to look the part at Test level. But England's new chairman of selectors, Ray Illingworth, was less convinced. Hick was also an under-used offbreak bowler and a second-slip fielder of flawed brilliance. Many would have quietly retired once their international career ended, but Hick's appetite for runs remained undiminished and he scored heavily at county level, chipping away at the records as he went. After a - by his standards - poor 2005 and an uncertain start to 2006, in June some started preparing his cricketing obituary. He bounced back with a hundred, went on to score 1000 runs in an English summer for the 19th time, and signed a new contract with Worcestershire to underline that there was still life in the old dog. In 2008, Hick became the most prolific run-scorer in all cricket, with more than 64,000 runs to his name, and his tally of 136 first-class hundreds places him eighth on the all-time list. Later that season, he announced his retirement from the game, ending the remarkable career of a cherished English enigma.
Cricinfo staff September 2008