Chris TAVARE

Chris Tavare, in Test cricket the most notorious stonewaller of the modern era, could transform himself into an attractive strokemaker in one-day cricket, as he showed when he first played for England in ODIs against the West Indies in 1980. His reputation was made against Australia in 1981, when his stubborn batting in support of Ian Botham transformed the Old Trafford Test. In many of his earlier Tests he found himself batting in company with Geoff Boycott, which produced some of the slowest scoring of all time. In that Old Trafford Test Tavare scored 69 and 78. He toured India in 1981-82, scoring 56 in Bombay and 149 in New Delhi, when he opened with Graham Gooch after Boycott returned home. He made 85 in the second innings of the inaugural Test involving Sri Lanka in Colombo. Against India in 1982 he was promoted to opening batsman to make way for Allan Lamb. He scored 75 not out against India at the Oval and 82 against Pakistan at Lord's. His low, locked-wrist stance brought him problems in Australia in 1982-83, although he scored 89 in Perth and 89 at Melbourne. At the Oval in 1983 he made 45 and 109 at the Oval, but was dropped on the tour of New Zealand and Pakistan in 1983-84 after two Tests. He was recalled to play against Australia at Edgbaston in 1989, but only made 2. In the World Cup of 1983 he opened with Graeme Fowler, his best score being 58 against Pakistan at Old Trafford. (Bob Harragan)