Jack Russell (cricketer, born 1963)
Role | Wicket-keeper | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Test debut (cap 536) | 25 August 1988 v Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last Test | 24 March 1998 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ODI debut (cap 96) | 22 November 1987 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last ODI | 25 October 1998 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1981–2004 | Gloucestershire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 20 August 2009 |
Robert Charles "Jack" Russell
In the
Early life and education
Russell was born in
The other inspiration cited was the death of his brother, David, of a
County and Test career
This section of a poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. )Find sources: "Jack Russell" cricketer, born 1963 – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2015) |
It was not until his late teens that it was pointed out that he would turn into an international wicket-keeper, as he was a budding fast bowler that was building up a good reputation at junior level. He was clocked at 75 mph at the age of 14, although the only issue was that the majority of his bowling was waist-high. He then moved onto unorthodox off-breaks, which were deemed illegal right from the start, and so he started to keep wicket for his school.
Russell made his test debut for England against Sri Lanka in 1988, nearly becoming the only player to score a century for England as a nightwatchman.[5]
Russell would be involved in a number of controversial Test selections. He was frequently passed over in favour of
At the beginning of 1989, Jack Russell had played only one Test for England, and was not considered a good-enough batsman to merit a place in the one-day squad to face the Australians. By the end of the year, he was the only Englishman who could justifiably expect a place in anyone's World XI.[7]
It was his batting that got the fans on their feet – not the high scores, but the determination to stay and grit it out against the Australians. So, with mentor
The summer of 1989 gave Russell a run in the England side, but his batting rarely reached such heights again. With England commonly struggling in these years, to give the side more balance
Russell remained a popular figure, and his exclusion from the England side for the tour of India and Sri Lanka in 1992, along with that of
The following summer Russell made his second and last Test century, against India at
Eventually after an unsuccessful final tour of the West Indies in 1998, he decided to retire after being left out of the following winter's Ashes tour squad.[19] Former England wicketkeeper Godfrey Evans commented that Russell "was discarded not because of anything he'd done but because Alec [Stewart] was a better bat and they were trying to cover for the lack of a proper all-rounder. There was a terrible irony about all this: we were the worst Test team in the world and our one player of undeniable world class couldn't get into the side."[15]
Russell turned himself into part of the hub of Gloucestershire's one-day success,[20] and together with captain Mark Alleyne won a couple of ODI caps. In 2002, he set a world record when conceding no byes in Northamptonshire's mammoth 746–9 declared.[21] After an inconsistent season due to persistent back problems, he retired from county cricket in 2004, just short of the age of 41.[22][23][24]
Character
Russell was known for his painting, and his protective attitude to his family life.[24] None of his Gloucestershire team-mates were ever invited to his home, and he claimed if they ever asked he would be more than willing if they agreed to be blindfolded; the builders who constructed the extension to it were subjected to the same treatment.[24]
His fitness regime included running every day, and while driving between games Russell would be clad in a sleeping bag with the bottom cut out, so as not to get a chill in his back and legs.[22] He reverted to driving an automatic vehicle so as not to put extra strain on his left leg by consistently using the clutch.
Some of his more notable oddities included a diet to supplement his extreme fitness regime, which consisted largely of tea, biscuits, and baked beans. Like his mentor, Alan Knott, a heavy tea drinker, Russell would often get through 20 cups a day. He used to dip the tea bag in once, add plenty of milk, then hang it on a nail ready for subsequent use. In the final Test of the 1989 Ashes series (against Australia) at the Oval, Derek Pringle counted that he used the same bag for all five days, which roughly equates to 100 cups.[25] For lunch, Russell would eat two Weetabix, soaked for exactly fifteen minutes in cold milk. He was one of the first to eat bananas on the field of play at drinks break. For dinner, steak and chips or chicken without skin was a favourite meal – Russell once spent every night of a Test at a Chinese restaurant in Perth, ordering chicken and cashews: without the cashews.[24]
He also insisted on always wearing the same battered old flowerpot sunhat during his time out in the field, a constant companion from his debut in 1981 to his last game in 2004.[24] Russell lined up the ball with the specially cut back rim, but it ended up rather worn out. Only his wife Aileen was allowed to repair it, while Russell carried an emergency repair kit of cotton thread and rubber.[24] Its state of age and hence apparent disrepair caused more than one argument with the authorities. Russell refused to wear the official coloured one-day sunhat in South Africa, with a compromise only reached when it was agreed the hat was indeed coloured because it was an off-grey.[22] On one occasion in the West Indies, Russell placed it in an oven to dry; a few minutes later the hat was overbaked and caught fire, and was only just rescued from total incineration – the top collapsed like puff pastry on removal.[24]
Russell has stated his desire that his hands be amputated after his death, and preserved in formaldehyde.[22]
Art
Although not studying art at school, he had an interest in art, expressed at an early age through
If Rembrandt can do it, then why can't I...?'. That first day, I strolled along the Severn at the back of the ground, but I was so shy that whenever someone came along, I'd hide the sketch-pad.
When England toured Pakistan in 1987, Russell had two days' cricket in a six-week tour, so kept his mind sane through sketching and photography. On return to the UK, he displayed 40 sketches in a gallery in Bristol, which sold out in two days.[26]
Russell now has his own gallery in
Post-retirement
In 2007, Russell was appointed
Since then, until recently, he was also wicket keeping coach at Middlesex.
References
- Russell, Jack & Murphy, Pat – Jack Russell – Unleashed Pub. HarperCollinsWillow, 20 May 1997. ISBN 0-00-218768-X
- New Horizons – The Art of Jack Russell Pub. 2007. ISBN 0-9540430-1-4
- The Art of Jack Russell – Caught on Canvas Pub. HarperCollinsPublishers, 1998. ISBN 0-00-413334-X
- The Art of Jack Russell: A Personal Journey Through Eighteen Counties First Published, 2013. Second Edition, 2019. ISBN 978-0-9540430-4-9
Notes
- ISBN 1-869833-21-X.
- ^ Jack Russell (2008). The Jack Russell Gallery Archived 30 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 21 June 2008.
- ^ "No. 54427". The London Gazette. 14 June 1996. p. 23.
- ^ ISBN 0-00-218768-X.
- ^ Scorecard of Sri Lanka vs England, 1988
- ^ Cricinfo.com.Jack Russell: Praise for 'one of the greatest' (28 October 1998). Retrieved on 29 April 2009.
- ^ a b c Cricinfo.com.Wisden-1990-Jack Russell. Retrieved on 29 April 2009.
- ^ Wilson, Rupert (31 March 2009). "Prior Warning: How Long Can England's Selectors Continue to Ignore Poor Keeping?". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
- ^ "Full scorecard of Australia vs England 3rd Test 1990-91". Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ "England in Australia and New Zealand, 1990-91". Wisden. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
- ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ England vs South Africa 1995/6 2nd Test Scorecard.
- ^ England vs South Africa 1995/6 2nd Test Report
- ^ a b Jack Russell: Praise for 'one of the greatest' (28 October 1998)
- ^ Full Scorecard of England vs India 2nd Test 1996
- ^ England v Pakistan
- ^ Batting records, Test matches
- ^ Jon Culley.CRICKET: Russell bows out of the Test arena. The Independent. Retrieved on 29 April 2009.
- ^ Cricinfo.com.Jack Russell forced to retire. Retrieved on 29 April 2009.
- ^ "Cricket Archive". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2007.
- ^ Mike Atherton (27 June 2004). "Relief as Russell hangs up his hat". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 8 March 2024 – via Newsbank.
- ^ BBC Sport (2004). Master of his art. Retrieved on 21 June 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g Angus Fraser (23 June 2004). "Russell, the great eccentric, draws stumps". The Independent. London. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
- ISBN 9781408165256.
- ^ a b c Robert Philip (19 December 2007). "Jack Russell's new life is a picture of fulfilment". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
- ^ Jack Russell Website
- ^ Oliver, Pete (2007). Rovers draw on Russell expertise. BBC Sport. Retrieved on 21 June 2008.
- ^ Jack Russell says Matt Prior is number one YouTube. Retrieved on 21 July 2014
- ^ Hopps, David (2008). Gloucestershire turn to Jack Russell as they await return of top dog Bracewell. Guardian Sport. Retrieved on 21 June 2008.
- ^ Kidd, Patrick (2008). Eccentricity on Gloucestershire's menu as Jack Russell returns. The Times. Retrieved on 21 June 2008
External links
- The Jack Russell Gallery contains notes on his domestic and Test cricket records
- Wisden Almanack – Cricketer of the Year 1990
- Jack Russell at ESPNcricinfo