Schofield's long road back

Second chance: Chris Schofield's career has been revived by the opportunities offered to him by Surrey © Getty Images

Seven years after he was in named in Duncan Fletcher's first batch of central contracts, Chris Schofield has made the final 15 of the Twenty20 World Championship. It's been one hell of a journey since he played the last of his two Tests in 2000.

There is a saying that you have to hit rock bottom before you can start the long climb back up. In the space of five years, Schofield went from Test match bowler to Minor Counties journeyman. "In cricketing terms, the Chris Schofield story is one of the best stories," said England's chairman of selectors David Graveney.

"In terms of what's happened to him, the downwards trend that happened having played for England, when he was perhaps too young in hindsight, and with Lancashire, and the way in which he has fought back as an individual, to get his life back together again. It's one of the great stories to be told."

Two years ago Schofield was finished as a first-class cricketer. He'd slowly been pushed to the fringes of Lancashire's first team, eventually playing as a specialist batsman, and at the end of the 2004 season, he was released. It wasn't a clean break, either. The issue went to an employment tribunal where Schofield eventually won an acrimonious court case, but it was a hollow victory.

Schofield spoke positively of finding another county, but he now came with baggage. His reputation as a difficult character preceded him and the added problem he had was that a struggling legspinner didn't seem a value-for-money signing, especially with Kolpak cricketers starting to work their way into the game. He went for Second XI trials with Durham and Sussex, but didn't do enough to earn a contract. In the end he plied his trade with various unfashionable sides such as Suffolk and Ormskirk, a small town in Lancashire, where he even gave up his legspin for some medium-pace.

"It's been a big rollercoaster for me. To be announced in the 30 was fantastic, a big confidence boost, and this is even better," he said. "Playing with Cheshire and Suffolk was a fantastic year. I was living up in Littleborough at the time and did a lot of miles up and down the country. I used a lot of my own money, just savings I had to keep me going, and a bit of painting and decorating."

Schofield's tale is a warning of the dangers of having too much, too soon - something that must be remembered when the latest legspinning hope, Adil Rashid. Schofield didn't react well to his sudden elevation in 2000, and reacted even worse to his subsequent rapid demotion. The taste of success had gone to his head.

But not everything was his fault. After being encouraged during his early days at Lancashire, under Dav Whatmore, Schofield soon found his opportunities decreasing, firstly when the county signed Muttiah Muralitharan, and then when he struggled to form a successful pairing with Gary Keedy. He would be thrown in for the occasional game and then banished to the boundary as soon as the first long-hop had been dispatched.

During the 2004 season it became a painful experience watching Schofield bowl - and also a rare one as he sent down just 26.3 first-class overs and took one wicket. Most of his deliveries pitched either half-way down or not at all.

"I still thought I had a lot to offer the game, but I knew I needed to be bowling - people would only pick me as an out-and-out bowler," he said. "Unfortunately in my last years at Lancashire people only saw me as an out-and-out batter at No. 6. I didn't get the ball in my hand, no-one wanted to sign me as a batter so I had to go away and find my bowling again."

Once again, English cricket had shown a lack of understanding about how to handle and tutor legspin - as Shane Warne said, the breed needs a lot of love. It was no coincidence that Schofield's most successful seasons in 1999 and 2000 came under foreign coaches - Whatmore and Bob Simpson - who knew the value of legspin and how to nurture the talent. This is why his recent saviours, the Alan and Mark Butcher combination at The Oval, deserve huge credit for, firstly, offering Schofield his second chance and then providing an environment in which he could flourish.

"Mark Butcher and Surrey have looked after Sals [Ian Salisbury] over the years and know how to deal with legspin bowling and look after them," said Schofield. "It's good that they've actually thrown me the ball and given me an opportunity to bowl a lot of overs."

Last season's early results at Surrey didn't set the world alight - eight Championship wickets in two matches - but this summer Twenty20 has rejuvenated his career. Schofield was the leading wicket-taker in the group stages with 17 scalps.

However, regardless of the set-up, it is largely down to how much the player wants to keep fighting. Schofield tried anything to keep his cricket career alive, once playing more than two weeks without a break, while scraping together a living by helping out with a decorating business. Following his taste of international cricket there was a feeling he didn't work hard enough to keep himself near the top, but in trying to get back there he has left no stone unturned.

Schofield's tough road will certainly have left him well prepared for any more challenges that come his way. After living out of the boot of his car as he covered hundreds of miles searching for anyone who would give him a game, the sight of a batsman trying to launch him into the Harleyford Road (or even towards Table Mountain) probably doesn't seem too daunting.