CWB continues to look at the cricketing lives of those retiring at the end of this month
OK, so Butcher has, technically, gone, beaten into submission by a series of injuries and the shameful decline of the club he has represented man and boy. He is now to be found in the Sky commentary box, where he mixes metaphors with Nick Knight, Ian Ward and the DearGodwhythehellishestillallowedto commentate Charles Colville.
In truth, Butch did well to last as long as he did. Few players would survive an episode as career-buggering as having an affair whilst being married to their captain’s sister, fewer still when that man was (a) captain of club and country and (b) Alec Stewart.
The sad thing for Butcher is that he scored 4288 Test runs but all anyone remembers him for are
(1) That unbeaten 173
(2) Bowling Gary Kirsten with an offbreak just as the latter was about to break the South African record for the highest Test score
(3) Being the least reliable slip fielder of modern times
that 173 is a pretty good thing to be remembered for though
http://blogs.cricinfo.com/diffstrokes/archives/2008/08/when_butcher_cut_loose.php#comments
This is worth a read. It prompted me to comment about his hundred at Sydney in 2002/03 and of course he is the third highest run scorer at number 3 for England, ever.
http://tinyurl.com/koutwg
funnily enough, one of the things that sticks in my mind is him taking 4 wickets against australia sparking a mini-collapse that all but ended the innings. If only they hadn’t been about 500/5 when he struck….
i like charles coalville
I have to admit, I like Charles Colville too, especially the way he’s clung on amid the seemingly unstoppable influx of ex-pros to the comm-box [and because he has restrained himself from murdering whoever at sky came up with the phrase 'comm-box']
Butcher’s second coming in 2001 was one of the less celebrated success stories of the Hussain/Fletcher era. Besides the 173, there were a couple of hundreds down under which ought to be remembered – particularly that knock during England’s win in the SCG in 2003 (also the scene Caddick’s final demolition job).
He might also be remembered for being the one England international with a semblance of talent not given a chance in the one-day arena during the 90′s/00′s.
I’m absolutely stunned by the news.
There are two people who like Charles Colville?
It will be a shame to see Mark Butcher go, a fantastic entertainer to County Cricket.
And not a bad Test match career which was too short.
Re Colville
That’s two more than I thought possible. And I was counting his mum.
How a man keeps his job for that long without ever learning the first thing about cricket I’ll never understand. He’s as clueless now as he was on day one.