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England players and officials - select an initial letter: Mark Ramprakash England
Full name Mark Ravin Ramprakash
A batsman of rare talent, combining a classically English technique
with an un-English intensity, Mark Ramprakash is nonetheless in danger
of ending up as unfulfilled as Graeme Hick, with whom he shared a Test
debut. A star for Middlesex at 17, he captained England Under-19. But
his international career became a monument to England selection
policies of the period, with five distinct phases: adhesive beginner
(1991), nervous wreck capable of shining only as a stand-in (1992-97),
solid achiever lacking only a top gear (1997-99), blatant scapegoat
(1999-2000) and seasoned spare part (2001-02). A better player abroad,
he has been selected twice as often at home. Only David Lloyd, with his
tender loving cheer, got the best out of him. Oddly, he always did well
against Australia, averaging 42. His stylish 133 against them at the
Oval in 2001, his first Test century in England, felt like a
breakthrough, but turned out to be a swansong as Nasser Hussain and
Duncan Fletcher lost patience after an indifferent tour of India and
New Zealand. All along, he has been a fielder of world class at cover
and bat-pad, and a county run-machine. When England gave up on him, he
became even more prolific for Surrey: in 2006, his 20th county season,
he was Bradmanesque, scoring 2,278 runs and averaging over 100. At the end of the season, he astonished team-mates and fans by taking part in Strictly Come Dancing, the BBC TV reality show which had been won the previous year by the much more extrovert Darren Gough. Ramprakash finally did what he hadn't done for England: he conquered his nerves, came out of his shell and rose to the big occasion, scoring a perfect 40 (10/10 from all four judges) for his salsa in the final. And he did it in a range of slinky shirts with not many buttons done up.
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