Phil Edmonds was a spin bowler with the temperament of a fast bowler - in one Test he fired in successive bouncers at an obviously rattled Richard Hadlee. Sometimes, though, the fire was turned on his own captains, so he played less Test cricket than he should have. Twice, in India with Pat Pocock and with John Emburey against Australia, he won the series by bowling long, miserly spells that tied batsmen in knots and forced them to take too many risks against the quicker bowlers. Edmonds was from an exotic background. He came from Lusaka in what was then Northern Rhodesia. His proper name was Phillipe and he had a brother called Pierre, although both played their early cricket in the less exotic village games of Kent. Phil captained Cambridge University and was first pulled out of the Middlesex team to play for England in 1975, when he marked his debut by taking 5-28, dismissing Ian Chappell and Ross Edwards with successive balls and ripping the heart out of the Australian innings. He did not return to the side until Mike Brearley was captain in Pakistan in 1977-78, when he took 7-66 in Karachi and had Mudassar caught by an unlikely substitute - Ian Botham. He took 4-6 against Pakistan at Lord's in 1978, while in contrast he bowled 66 overs in an innings against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1985. At his best he would barely concede two runs an over. He was also a fearless short leg. Batsmen would say that if they danced down the wicket to the spinners Edmonds the fielder would follow them. (Bob Harragan)