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Sub-stantial responsibility
Being involved in the preparations,
carrying drinks and the occasional foray
at deep square leg can do the world
of good for a lad’s confidence and
these outings can prove to be excellent
experience for emerging professionals.
This summer we saw home-grown duo
Jake Ball and SamWood occupy twelfth
man duties for England on their arrival
in Nottingham for the first Investec
Ashes Test.
The players involved do their
duties largely unnoticed, with little
consequences. But sometimes, on the
rarest of occasions, stars align and
suddenly the player who hours earlier
had been burdened with bottles and
towels has just played a crucial part in
a Test wicket.
The first name that springs to the lips on
the subject of substitute fielders is that
of Gary Pratt, and the Ashes Test here at
Trent Bridge in 2005.With the match
delicately poised, Simon Jones left the
field, to be replaced by Pratt.
Renowned for his handiness in the field,
no one dreamed that he would have had
the audacity and ability to run out Ricky
Ponting, especially Damien Martyn, who
prodded a delivery Pratt’s way before
setting off for a speculative single. Pratt
threw down the stumps at the striker’s
end with the confidence of a seasoned
Test cricketer, with Ponting visibly short
of his ground.
“It was just a case of see the ball, pick it
up and throw it,” said Pratt.
“You don’t really think about it, you just
get on with it.
“As a batsman you know your fielders
and their strengths, but as a fielder it’s a
bit different.You just hope to tempt them
into a run.
“The thing that people tend to forget is
that it was a diabolical run by Damien
Martyn - there was never a run there.”
The exceptional run out sparked scenes
of euphoria from the England fans and
players alike, and prompted a torrent of
abuse from Ponting toward the England
dressing room on his walk into the
pavilion.
This tale has become true cricketing
folklore, and one of the fondest recurring
stories every Ashes series, but Pratt’s isn’t
the only fairytale sub-fielding appearance.
What about Scott Elstone, and him being
in the right place at the right time on two
occasions when England arrived at Trent
Bridge to face India in 2011?
After Graeme Swann, and later Jonathan
Trott left the field through injury, Elstone
fittingly trotted onto the field for what
proved to be quite the afternoon.What
was going through his mind, only he
could say, but I highly doubt he was
expecting two excellent catches to dismiss
Suresh Raina and Harbajan Singh.
Two batsmen who have more than 575
international appearances and nearly
9,500 international runs between them
(to date) sent packing by a relatively
unknown 21-year-old.
“The reaction of the crowd was incredible
after the second catch,” said Elstone.
“It seemed almost as loud as when they
reacted to Broady’s hat-trick.
“Usually my head is very clear when I’m
preparing to take a catch but whilst the
ball was in the air I was very aware of the
crowd and a lot was going through my
mind.”
Unsurprisingly, the catches saw him
occupy the spotlight on a global stage. All
of a sudden, this young lad from Burton
UponTrent was the one name on every
cricket fan’s lips. All of a sudden he was
the subject of huge chants of support
from the Trent Bridge crowd, trending
onTwitter worldwide and on the day,
another hero in a winning England team.
Sub-stantial
responsibility
The idea of a twelfth man
is an interesting one. Often
metaphorical, attributed to
fans in a call to arms to back
their teamwhen in need of an
extra boost. In cricket, however,
they’re more tangible than
that. Often used only for drinks
duties, local players are called
up when England arrive for
international matches.
Ponting departs, while Pratt
is mobbed by his England
teammates