|
| |
English
|
| |
England
|
| |
ENG
|
| |
Mark Butcher
|
| |
Cricket_no_picpng
|
| |
Left-hand bat
|
| |
Right-arm medium
|
| |
71
|
| |
4288
|
| |
3458
|
| |
8/23
|
| |
173
|
| |
901
|
| |
15
|
| |
3606
|
| |
-
|
| |
-
|
| |
4/42
|
| |
61/-
|
| |
238
|
| |
14881
|
| |
3916
|
| |
29/82
|
| |
259
|
| |
7634
|
| |
124
|
| |
3387
|
| |
1
|
| |
-
|
| |
5/86
|
| |
218/-
|
| |
5 June
|
| |
1997
|
| |
26 December
|
| |
2004
|
(born
Croydon ,
Surrey ,
23 August 1972 ) is an
English Cricket er. He is a left-handed
Batsman , and to a lesser degree a right-arm medium-pace bowler.
Butcher has played all his
County Cricket for
Surrey , for whom he made his
First-class debut in
1992 .
He made his
Test Match debut in the first Test of the
1997 Ashes Series at
Edgbaston . As of the end of the
2004 season, he had played 69 Tests, making eight
Centuries and averaging over 43. Butcher has
Captained England once, losing to
New Zealand in
1999 when
Nasser Hussain was injured. Unusually for such an experienced Test player, Butcher has never appeared in a
One Day International ; no current player has played more Tests without a one day appearance.
Butcher enjoyed a good start to his career, hitting two half-centuries in five matches against an excellent Australian side. He then struggled (along with the rest of the England side) against the
West Indies that winter. However, in the next series, he played magnificently, scoring two fifties and a century against an excellent
South African side. Though he followed that with a marvellous hundred against Australia in the first
Ashes Test that winter, he then failed for the rest of that series. A miserable run followed, as he failed to score a half-century in twelve consecutive matches. Despite being appointed stand-in captain for one Test against New Zealand, he was dropped from the side in the winter of
2000 .
Butcher's domestic form then suffered a dramatic decline, and he found himself languishing in the Second Eleven at the start of the
2001 domestic season. However, some work with his father, Alan, sorted out his form. He came back into prominence with an excellent innings in the
Benson And Hedges Trophy semi-final, and was drafted into the Test side to play the Australians in the first Ashes Test, once again at Edgbaston. Strong showings throughout that series culminated in a mercurial 173 not out at
Leeds , as England successfully chased 315 to win.
Since that series, Butcher went from strength to strength before a horrible run of injuries saw him lose his place. A string of consistent performances made him the linchpin of the England batting line-up, to be relied upon in a crisis. Nowhere was this more apparent than in two series abroad, in
Sri Lanka and the West Indies, where he kept his head and batted well, irrespective of the poor showing at the other end. A series of injuries kept Butcher out of the game for much of
2005 , and his last Test was the first Test in South Africa in early 2005.
Whilst he can sometimes play the defensive anchor role, Butcher is equally adept at playing the flair role, with his off-side play especially strong. His contribution to England's recent success cannot be overstated - even though he missed much of the
2004 summer victories.
Butcher is also a more than capable
Guitar -player and singer - he sang a moving ballad at
Surrey and England team-mate
Ben Hollioake 's funeral.
Butcher attended
Trinity School in Croydon, and supports the local
Football team,
Crystal Palace .
