Why Tudor can be the kingpin for England (27 June 1999)

27 June 1999

Why Tudor can be the kingpin for England

Michael Atherton

Every morning at the main gates of the Oval, Darryl Tudor, Alex's father, watches the multicultural mix that is Kennington go by. He is the gateman and, unlike some you could mention at the capital's other ground, is as friendly as could be.

On the first morning of last week's four-day game against Surrey, I greeted him with the usual "morning Mr T". He politely inquired whether I was playing and, after I replied in the affirmative, he came back, quick as you like "then don't treat my boy too rough!"

Don't treat him too rough! As I faced my first ball in first-class cricket for six months from this tall, gangling, but rapid opening bowler, I wondered whether the request ought to have been put the other way round. As it happens my eyesight and reflexes had not dulled too much with the lay-off, and I survived the skirmishes each innings.

Tudor's two Test outings in Australia last winter suggested he was, in racing parlance, a highly promising juvenile destined for better things. His performances this term insist that he has trained on. Against Lancashire, despite the pitch, which was a fast bowler's graveyard, he was good enough to dismiss Fairbrother (twice), Flintoff (twice) and Lloyd among others and was one of the leading architects behind Surrey's continuing push for the Championship, under the excellent leadership of Mark Butcher.

To be a successful bowler in Test cricket you need two of three things: pace, movement and accuracy. Although not in the same league as Shoaib Akhtar, he is pacy enough. And as he develops physically he will surely get quicker. He doesn't want to waste his quickest overs on the county scene, however, and should take a leaf out of a former Surrey opening bowler who, like Tudor, first toured Australia as a teenager. Bob Willis went on to take over 300 Test wickets, but only by realising where his priorities lay.

Tudor is surprisingly accurate. I say surprisingly because as he reaches the crease his action is quite jerky, almost as if his limbs have outgrown his youthful years and don't quite belong. Perhaps the current surfaces at the Oval, as slow as the M25 during rush hour, will help him in this strict and severe discipline.

It helps that he is tall. To be short, skiddy and successful you have to be out of the ordinary and during my time I can think of only Marshall and Gough who have overcome this handicap. A bowler who has bounce can constantly hit the splice, rather than the drive, of the bat on the days in Test cricket - and there are many - when the bat dominates the ball. He is tall, then pacy and surprisingly accurate and, with increasing knowledge and more movement, will come all the ingredients that make a successful Test match bowler.

He will need to get nastier on the field. By this I don't mean sledge every minute. A fast bowler needs to make a batsman feel intimidated both by the quality of his bowling and his body language. At the moment Tudor's walk is very slow, more often than not with his head down, as if he is making sure he doesn't trip over his oversized shoes.

Eye contact and what David Lloyd used to call a menacing look are all part of a fast bowler's armoury. If he studies the great fast bowlers down the years he will learn that it pays to be nice off the field and nasty on it.

The road ahead is rocky, of course, and full of pitfalls. Some, like injuries, cannot be helped, but mostly you are in control of your destiny. As he becomes more successful he will have to be wary of believing his own press.

The obsession in England with finding quick-fix heroes can be a problem for a young player. Accordingly, there has been born a generation of Nescafe cricketers, instant but of dubious quality.

To counter these dangers it is important that he maintains a level-headedness and a good attitude. Strong management and good people around him are also essential. Swimming around with the Surrey showboats, despite their current lofty status, may not be a good thing and the arrival of England contracts to dovetail in with his career may be beneficial.

Following England's untimely exit from the World Cup there has been the usual clamour for youth. Contrary to public perception, England are not slow to throw in their young players. In fact, some have been thrown in too early. The proviso should always be that they are good enough and of the ones I have seen at the moment only Flintoff and Tudor fit the bill.

England's pace bowling is, in fact, in better hands than it has been for many years with Tudor complementing an impressive trio of Gough, Headley and Mullally. Tudor should play every Test this summer and the selectors should avoid a 'horses for courses' policy with him. If you only ever play a fast bowler on quick wickets he would rarely play and Walsh and Ambrose have become great bowlers and learnt to be successful in all conditions by playing in all conditions.

On the last day of Lancashire's four-day game against Surrey, I walked past Darryl Tudor with my usual greeting. It was Royal Ascot week and he asked me if I had any tips. I gave him a speculative nag, which duly got beaten by 20 lengths.

Instead, I should have given him my nap of the day: that his boy is a good 'un, potentially very good, and can go on to lead England's attack successfully for many years. He really can.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)