- Neil Foster
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Neil Foster Personal information Full name Neil Alan Foster Born 6 May 1962
Colchester, Essex, EnglandNickname Fozzy Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Batting style Right-handed batsman Bowling style Right-arm fast medium Role bowler International information National side England Test debut (cap 502) 11 August 1983 v New Zealand Last Test 17 June 1993 v Australia ODI debut (cap 71) 18 February 1984 v New Zealand Last ODI 29 May 1989 v Australia Domestic team information Years Team 1995 Norfolk 1981–1993 Essex 1991–1992 Transvaal Career statistics Competition Test ODI FC List A Matches 29 48 230 215 Runs scored 446 150 4343 1247 Batting average 11.73 11.53 20.68 17.08 100s/50s –/– –/– 2/11 –/2 Top score 39 24 107* 62 Balls bowled 6261 6261 45833 10954 Wickets 88 59 908 292 Bowling average 32.85 31.11 24.44 24.41 5 wickets in innings 5 – 50 2 10 wickets in match 1 n/a 8 n/a Best bowling 8/107 3/20 8/99 5/17 Catches/stumpings 7/– 12/– 116/– 49/– Source: CricketArchive, 10 December 2008 Neil Foster (known as Fozzy) (born Neil Alan Foster, 6 May 1962, Colchester, Essex)[1] and educated at Philip Morant Comprehensive, Colchester, is a former English cricketer, who played in twenty nine Tests and forty eight ODIs for England from 1983 to 1993.[2] He played for Essex from 1980 to 1993, earning his county cap in 1983. He was a fast bowler.
Contents
First class cricket
Foster played for Essex during arguably their most successful period in their history. Supported by a star studded team that included other England players such Graham Gooch, Keith Fletcher, John Lever and Derek Pringle, Essex with Foster as their spearhead fast bowler won the County Championship on five occasions (1983, 1984, 1986, 1991 and 1992) during his time there.
Test cricket
Foster made his Test debut against New Zealand at Lord's in 1983, with Jeremy Coney becoming his first wicket and only wicket of that game. Foster made his debut alongside other debutants, Nick Cook and Chris Smith, and it was the first time since 1959 that England had fielded three new players in a home Test.
Foster made his mark on Test cricket at a similar time to other fellow Essex players and captain Graham Gooch. Foster's fast swing bowling suited English conditions, but his best bowling figures came against India in Madras in 1984-85 where he took eleven wickets in the match.[1] Foster is the only bowler to get both Javed Miandad and Viv Richards out for a duck in a Test.[3]
As a batsman, his highest Test score of 39 was made against Australia in the Fourth Test of the 1989 Ashes series. In 1988, Foster was selected as Wisden Cricketer of the Year alongside Jonathan Agnew, David Hughes, Peter Roebuck and Pakistan international Saleem Malik.
Rebel tour and retirement
During the 1989 Fourth Test, an England rebel tour to South Africa was announced, with Foster one of the touring party with Mike Gatting as captain.[1] All rebel players were banned for three years from Test cricket.
Foster got a recall from the selectors in 1993, replacing Phillip DeFreitas in the Second Ashes test. It was his first Test for four years. He became the fourth South African rebel to be rehabilitated, after Gatting, John Emburey and Paul Jarvis, and his selection was designed to bring more aggression to the English attack. But on a docile pitch at Foster's least favourite Test ground, his recall was not a success. Foster opened the bowling with Andrew Caddick, and the Australians scored 632 for 4 declared. England lost by an innings and 62 runs. Foster played only one more county game before retiring that year.
Injuries
"Back and knee injuries plagued the career of Essex seam bowler Neil Foster so much that the plates in his body once apparently set off an airport metal-detector. In all, he had as many as nine knee operations, and the problems jinxed a fine career."
With his first-hand knowledge of the physio's table, it is no surprise that Foster became a chartered physiotherapist after he retired from the game.[4] He gained his degree in physiotherapy from the University of Salford.
References
- ^ a b c Bateman, Colin (1993). If The Cap Fits. Tony Williams Publications. p. 67. ISBN 1-869833-21-X.
- ^ a b Content-uk.cricinfo.com
- ^ Cricinfo.com - Neil Foster Player Page
- ^ Neil Foster comments on Kevin Pietersen's injury
External links
England squad – 1987 Cricket World Cup (runners up) 
Categories:- 1962 births
- Living people
- England Test cricketers
- England One Day International cricketers
- English cricketers
- Essex cricketers
- People from Colchester
- Wisden Cricketers of the Year
- Physiotherapists
- Alumni of the University of Salford
- Norfolk cricketers
- Gauteng cricketers
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