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Little Paul Jarvis never quite fulfilled the promise he showed when he
first bowled for Yorkshire as a 16 year-old. He may not have been big,
but he was strong and with a low centre of gravity and an accurate line
and length he nipped away at batsmen's patience like a terrier. He was
chosen to go with Mike Gatting in 1986-87 on the long tour that went
from Pakistan, through the Test match to celebrate Australia's
Bi-centenary, then on to New Zealand. He did not get an international
chance until the quaintly named Bi-centennial One-Day International in
Melbourne in February 1988, when he had the unflattering figures of
0-42. His Test chance did not come until the Christchurch Test in New
Zealand, when he had figures of 2-43 and 1-30. In Auckland he was
entrusted with the new ball alongside Graham Dilley and came away with
figures of 2-74 and 1-54.
He played in the ODIs at the end of that
series, coming away from Auckland with figures of 4-33. In England in
1988 he played against West Indies at Trent Bridge, taking the wickets
of Greenidge and Haynes for 63 runs in the first innings, then 4-107 at
Lord's, whereupon he was dropped. He returned against Australia at
Lord's in 1989, taking 1-150 and not getting a single wicket in the next
three innings. At the end of that season he joined Mike Gatting's rebel
tour to South Africa. He played with them against South Africa at
Johannesburg in February 1990, taking 3-71 in the first innings. His
victims were Henry Fotheringham, Peter Kirsten and Richard Snell. He
returned to the Test team for Graham Gooch's India tour in 1992-93 and
played in the 1993 ODIs against Australia. (Bob Harragan)
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