Dean HEADLEY

Dean Headley, son and grandson of Test cricketers, was a late developer in both Test and first class cricket, but proved himself a heavy wicket-taker when his chance came. Headley made his mark in the 1997 Ashes series when he regularly troubled Australian captain Mark Taylor and his fellow left handers. On his debut on a sandy wicket at Old Trafford, he had Taylor caught at slip for 2 then took four wickets in each innings. At Trent Bridge in the same series, he took 4-87 and 2-56. He had begun his county career as an all-rounder, and his batting helped England win the second match in Trinidad on the 1998 tour of West Indies, when his 7 not out backed up a stubborn innings from Mark Butcher to give England victory by 3 wickets. He also took 4-77 in the second innings of that game.

Dean also had six wickets in Guyana and 3-64 in Barbados. In 1998 he took two wickets in the second innings of the Lord's Test against South Africa, but made little mark on that series. In Australia in 1998-99 he took 4-97 and 1-78 in Adelaide then, in an inspired spell on the last afternoon in Melbourne took 6-66 to bundle Australia to an unexpected defeat. He took four wickets in each innings at Sydney. Against New Zealand in 1999 he took 3-74 at Lord's and batted at number seven at Old Trafford when England fielded a collection of some of the worst tail-end batsmen seen in recent Test cricket. Headley was one of the first set of players contracted solely to England in 2000 but, sadly, he failed to overcome a serious back injury sustained in April of that year and anounced his premature retirement in March 2001. (Bob Harragan).

Dean Headley is pictured above during his Test match debut against Australia at Old Trafford, Manchester in July 1997. He enjoyed a splendid match with the ball, taking 4 wickets in each innings, but it was not enough to stop Australia recording a 268 run victory. Dean fared better than most bowlers against Australia in the 1990s, his 6 Tests against them yielding 35 wickets at an average of 24.77.