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Kim Barnett, Derbyshire's long serving captain - he reigned from 1983 to
1995 - came late to Test cricket despite a youthful career that saw him
as a regular with English schools and youth sides. He toured New
Zealand in 1979-80 with an England under 23 side, lead by Chris Cowdrey
and including future internationals like Bill Athey, Jack Richards,
Dipak Patel and Nick Cook. Despite his early promise Barnett was not
looked at by the selectors until the turmoil of 1988 when Cowdrey chose
him for the fifth Test against the West Indies.
The delay in his
promotion to higher honours was partly caused by his peculiar way of
addressing the ball, taking guard well outside leg stump then moving
rapidly across to the off side, in defiance of orthodox batting
principles; and partly through the loss of his youthful leg breaks,
barely used in county cricket. In the end foot and hand injuries caused
him to pull out of that Test, and neither he nor his mentor Cowdrey
played. He was remembered by new captain Gooch and made his debut in the
one-off Test against Sri Lanka at Lords that year, scoring 66 and
following up with 84 in the ODI which followed at the Oval. Barnett was
chosen for the cancelled tour of India in 1988-89, and kept his place
against Australia in 1989, scoring 80 and 34 in the first Test at
Headingley.
Thereafter his form declined, and he was left out of the
team after agreeing to join the unofficial tour of South Africa in
1989-90. He scored 0 and 24 in the only unofficial Test in Johannesburg.
(Bob Harragan)
1979–1998 Derbyshire
1982–1988 Boland
1984–1987 Impalas
1999–2002 Gloucestershire
Kim Barnett played in 479 matches, scored 28,593 first-class runs at an average of 40.38, with 61 centuries and a top score of 239 not out, made against Leicestershire.
He passed 1000 runs in a season 16 times, including eleven consecutive seasons between 1983 and 1993.
He was coach of the Minor Counties side, Staffordshire, and played for them on occasion.
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