Famous Cricketers No 86 - John Edrich

While Edrich had flourished with Surrey he had a chequered career as an England player. He first appeared for his country in three Tests against West Indies in 1963, but six innings facing Hall, Griffith and Sobers yielded him only 108 runs. The following winter he went to India with MCC, but a throat infection kept him out of the first three Tests and his scores against India were confined to 41 and 35. An injury to Boycott compelled the selectors to look for another opener in 1964 for the second Test against Australia. Choice fell on Edrich and he achieved the rare and coveted distinction of hitting a century at Lord’s in his first match against Australia, 120 out of a modest total of 246. Edrich did little in the next two Tests at Headingley and Old Trafford and not only was he dropped from the final Test at The Oval, but also from the MCC team that toured South Africa. Nor was he picked for the first two Tests against New Zealand in 1965 and it seemed that Boycott and Barber had become England’s established opening pair, but the Yorkshire player had to drop out at Headingley and Edrich celebrated by batting superbly for 310 not out; he was on the field throughout the match. Following a good series in Australia in 1965/66, Edrich played in only one match against the West Indies in 1966. Two matches against India in 1967 were followed by a good tour to the West Indies and satisfactory performances in 1968 when Australia were the visitors. The politically interrupted series in Pakistan was followed by a moderate series when West Indies came to England in 1969. After another successful tour to Australia in 1970/71, Edrich did not live up to his own high standards in 1971 and 1972 and lost his place in 1973. He was recalled to the England team in 1974, with success, against India and Pakistan and was appointed Vice-Captain for the tour to Australia in 1974/75. This was followed by some good performances against Australia when they returned to England in 1975. When the West Indies came to England in 1976 he might have remained in the England side with an outstanding chance of going to India but for his courage, allied to that of Close, on the Saturday evening of the Old Trafford Test. The pair withstood a battering from the West Indies fast bowlers for eighty minutes, taking it on the body when it was impossible to use the bat. By so doing they brought a weekend of condemnation from those who objected to the game being devalued and through that outburst the bowlers changed their tactics. They aimed at the stumps and limited the bouncer. It was decided to dispense with Edrich and Close, and this was the end of Edrich’s Test career. He took part in the first ever One Day International for England against Australia in January 1971, scored 80 and received the Man of the Match award. Edrich played in only six more One Day Internationals but won another award for his innings of 90 against India at Headingley in 1974. John Edrich was named as one of the Five Cricketers of the Year by Wisden in 1966. They quoted “From his early days, John Edrich scored freely off his back foot, excelling with the square drive. Now he possesses a fine range of powerful strokes. He is adept in placing the ball either side of cover and can hook and pull at will, but best of all is the way he goes forward to meet the half volley to drive it high and straight, or over mid-on, for six.” Despite his short back-lift which was always to be characteristic of him, and which Andy Sandham, the Surrey coach, had tried to improve in vain, he seemed to get tremendous power from his shots. In 1973 John Edrich was appointed captain of Surrey in succession to Micky Stewart. In the circumstances, it was the only logical appointment. He was 35 years old, the senior professional and had first played for Surrey 15 years earlier. He was a chunky, strong left-hander whose success was founded on unwavering concentration, self-discipline and a phlegmatic temperament. Like the legendary Herbert Sutcliffe, he revealed no emotion if struck or beaten by a ball. He would simply take up stance again and quite likely nudge the next delivery for four as if nothing had happened. His innings did not always live in the memory as being full of beautifully executed shots, but they have endured in the record books, and many a lost cause was won because of John Edrich. The problem 6