Mike SELVEY

Mike Selvey, the medium-fast opening bowler who later became one of the game's most perceptive journalists, came to prominence as a long-haired schoolboy when London Schools toured India in the late 1960s. He played for Surrey at first, but made just six appearances in three years before becoming a member of a multi-talented Cambridge University side lead by Majid Khan. His efforts there got him a contract with Mike Brearley's Middlesex just as they were building the successful side of the 1970s and 1980s, which at one time boasted 11 Test cricketers. A succession of injuries to England fast bowlers got him a place at Old Trafford in 1976, whereupon he dismissed Roy Fredericks for 0, Viv Richards for 4 and Alvin Kallicharan for 0 as West Indies were reduced to 26 for four.

Mike's remarkable introduction to Test cricket brought a wicket in his first over, 3-6 in 20 balls, and he finished with 4-41, but England were tumbled out for 71 and lost heavily. At the Oval he could not take a wicket on the flat pitch were Viv Richards fell just short of 300. Selvey toured India in 1976-77, taking 0-80 in 15 overs in the fifth Test, then took six wickets against Western Australia in the warm-up match for the Centenary Test. In Zimbabwe in October 1980 he took 7-45 for Middlesex against the national side. He toured Pakistan with an International XI lead by Rohan Kanhai later that year, and played in the first unofficial Test in Karachi, where Michael Holding was the leading new-ball bowler. Selvey moved to Glamorgan as captain in 1983 and 1984. He appeared for Orange Free State in the mid 1970s, and had his best year in county cricket in 1979 when he took 101 wickets at 19.09. (Bob Harragan)