Mark Ramprakash

At 54 years old, Mark Ramprakash has this physical status:

Early life and career

Mark Ramprakash was born in Bushey, Hertfordshire, and he is of Indo-Guyanese and English descent. His father, who was born in British Guiana, was Indo-Guyanese, and his mother, who was English, was from England. He attended Gayton High School (now Harrow High School) and later Harrow Weald Sixth Form College. Bessborough Cricket Club in Headstone Lane, Harrow, was his first local club, where he displayed early promise as a fast bowler before focusing on his batting. In his second match against Essex at Chelmsford, he played his first match for Middlesex, scoring 63 not out against Yorkshire and top-scoring with 71, who was still a sixth-form student at the time.

He scored his first-class century against Leeds in 1989 and captained the England U-19 team. He rose to national prominence in the 1988 NatWest Trophy Final after his 56 wickets for Middlesex helped Middlesex defeat Worcestershire.

Ramprakash, a talented all-round sportsman at a young age, had to choose between playing football for Watford FC and continuing his cricket career. After losing 7–0, Watford migrated to London Colney's training center, which was made much simpler, and he preferred to continue with cricket.

Ramprakash had a reputation as something of a mercurial and stormy figure from his early days as a professional cricketer. Ramprakash's younger days contrasted with his mellowness of his thirties, nicknamed "Bloodaxe" by Middlesex teammates for his short temper. However, at times he exhibited the fiery demeanor that some believe barred him from ever achieving at a global level.

Despite being told to keep his aggression at bay by colleagues, including Graham Gooch and Adam Hollioake, he often had trouble controlling it, resulting in verbal assaults and various dressing room tantrums.

In 1991, Ramprakash was selected for his first Test match for England against the West Indies at Headingley. This was the same game in which Graeme Hick's England Test debut was made, and he failed to impress, despite spending a lot of time compiling them. It's also fair to say that the 1991 West Indies offensive was still the best and fastest in the world, as well as some pitches in the 1991 series that were not straightforward to bat on, especially Headingley and Edgbaston. England won their first match against the West Indies in 22 years, with Ramprakash (like Hick) on his debut on Test debut. In 1991, he played all six test games but lost 0 to Sri Lanka's slower pace. In 1991/92 in New Zealand, he did not play any test matches and was immediately dismissed after another 0 was thrown at Edgbaston against Pakistan on a feather bed. He was called back to the 4th test of the series, but he couldn't tell himself. However, his regular good showing in county cricket meant that he was always on the fringes of selection and not deserving of a new Test opportunity. England's test opponents in 1991 and 1992, like Hick, were among the best bowling attacks of their time (Walsh, Ambrose, Marshall, Patterson, Akram, Mushtaq), as well as Hick. Although neither Hick nor Ramprakash had any success, it may have been unfair not to have settled in against weaker opponents.

For the final Test of the 1993 Ashes series, he was called back to the England team. It was a dead rubber, but England won by a score of 64 to help the team win consolation. This gave him a spot on the West Indies' new tour. However, he was disqualified and out of the selectors' plans due to a string of poor scores. Ramprakash was not chosen in the touring party for the 1994–95 Ashes series, but he was chosen as vice-captain for the England A tour to India. Graeme Hick's injury meant he was unable to participate in the final Ashes Test, scoring a respectable 72 runs in the final test at Perth, and despite his initial non-selection, he came in second place, finishing top of the England batting averages for the series. He was in and out of the England squad over the next two years, never sure of selection, but Middlesex is still scoring a lot.

In the fifth Test in Barbados, he scored 154 times against the West Indies in a Test series from 1997-98. It was his first Test century, and it earned him regular selection for the England team for the next eighteen months. However, he was dropped from the 1999 tour of South Africa, and later he was both in and out of the team. Despite scoring a number of fifties against various clubs at the time (including Australia), he only added one more century to his list – 133 against Australia at The Oval in the 2001 Ashes series. After England's tour of New Zealand in March 2002, he was not chosen again.

Ramprakash, who was in good form for Surrey at the time, was widely recommended in the media as a potential alternative to rebuild the struggling England middle order in the build-up to the final Ashes Test of 2009, with the sequence tense in the series kicking 1–1, with a number of pundits supporting his pick. Jonathan Trott was however chosen instead and went on to score a Test century on debut.

He was thoroughly disillusioned with Middlesex, who were playing second division-level cricket at the time, and joined London rivals Surrey in 2001. As a result, his form has soared sharply. He made history by winning a century against all 18 county teams in 2003 and finished the set with a century against his former county Middlesex. Carl Hooper and Chris Adams have since achieved this feat.

When Ramprakash first appeared for a disabled Mark Butcher at the start of the 2005 English cricket season, he became the first man to captain both Middlesex and Surrey. Butcher did not recover until the middle of August, and Ramprakash remained captain for the majority of the season. Ramprakash's transfer to Surrey seemed to go backwards in 2005 when Surrey were recalled after a rough season. Ramprakash won by an innings and 39 runs in their last Championship match against Middlesex, who were also in danger of relegation themselves.

Ramprakash, relieved of the unnecessary burden of captaincy, put on a good showing against Gloucestershire in May and then improving that even more against Northamptonshire in early August. He made 196 in the first innings against Worcestershire in the summer and claimed 2,000 runs in first-class cricket in just his 20th innings (a record). Ramprakash, the first Australian to score 2,000 runs in a season since 2001, and the first Englishman to do it since Ramprakash himself back in 1995. In five consecutive matches, he became the first man to score over 150 runs in an innings. He finished with 2,278 runs at an average of 103.54, only the sixth man to reach a maximum of over ten hundred over eight or more completed first-class innings in an English season. Surrey was promoted back to the first division after being promoted again. Given his form, some commentators were able to recommend him for the England selectors' Ashes tour in the winter: Mike Selvey called him "the greatest technician of his time with a track record in dealing Australia" and that he should be considered as a potential replacement for Marcus Trescothick. However, he was not chosen; rather, he was not selected. His 2006 performance earned him the Professional Cricketers' Association Player of the Year Award and designation as one of the top Wisden Cricketers of the Year.

Ramprakash was once more prolific batsman in county cricket in 2007, and his fine form continued in 2007. He finished the season with 2,026 first-class runs, including ten centuries, at an average of 102.30, making him the only man to average over 100 in two consecutive English seasons. Lancashire's twin hundreds were widely reported to have ended Lancashire's hopes of winning the championship against Lancashire in the final game of the season. His form and professionalism led to further remarks that he should be recalled to the England team. Ramprakash said that although he found this news gratifying, he had more or less abandoned any intention of being recalled to the England team given the current selection policy geared towards youth.

Ramprakash scored a century in his first innings of the season in 2008 – his third straight first-class century against Lancashire – and a second (his 99th) two matches later. He scored his 100th 100 against Yorkshire at Headingley on August 2, 2008, becoming only the 25th player to reach this milestone. It mirrored his early twentieth century, with Headingley scoring the same as him. He is expected to remain the last cricketer to score 100 hundreds in first-class cricket as of March 2022, and with the increasing attention of top-ability cricketers on limited-over formats of the game, he is expected to remain the last. He then went out vs. Somerset to win his 101st first-class 100.

When the England and Wales Cricket Board barred him from two County Championship matches for losing his famous temper and repeatedly swearing at an umpire, he was also in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

Ramprakash should have been called by England in 2009, but there was also much media rumors that it was likely to get an England call up for the final Test match of the 2009 Ashes series. In 2009, he averaged 90 for Surrey.

Ramprakash's leading county cricketer came back in 2010 as the county cricket's top run-getter, even in the second division. He ended the season with 1595 runs at an average of 61.34, with 5 hundreds hitting a new high of 248.

Ramprakash was suspended by Surrey for their CB40 match against Northants in 2011 after he had shown "serious opposition" to umpires in the previous match when he had been banned from 'obstructing the field.'

Ramprakash was selected to captain MCC in their 2012 English cricket match against Lancashire in 2012.

He had scored 114 hundreds, 16th in the all-time list of first-class century-makers by the time of his retirement as a cricketer from all facets of the game, just three behind Sir Donald Bradman's 117.

"Mark Ramprakash: A symbol of beauty in helmets and pads," Jim White wrote in an article about his retirement, "Mark Ramprakash: A champion of elegance in helmets and pads" would have passed into history: Ramprakash is one of the most iconic and stylish sights on a sporting field ever seen: Ramprakash is the quickest and stylish sight ever seen on a cricket ball boundary-wards." He addressed the ball with all connected and everything in the right place, resulting in an image that can only be described as exquisite."

Ramprakash was elected Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to sport.

He joined Middlesex as their new batting coach in December 2012, and it was announced at the time that he relished the chance to work with the players.

Ramprakash had been interested in swapping Graham Gooch as England's batting coach in May 2014, after some media rumors, his appointment was announced in November 2014.

Ramprakash's indifferent international work, according to Mike Selvey of The Guardian, could be a boon to coaching England's batsmen.

The seven match ODI series with Sri Lanka was the first tour with Ramprakash in charge of batting. England lost the series 5–2. Following a tri-series with India and Australia, England then toured Australia. In the fourth game of the season against Australia, England defeated Australia by a score of 300 points. After beating India twice, they advanced to the final, but they lost to Australia.

England had a weak World Cup campaign and failed to qualify from the group stage. In the second game against New Zealand, England was bowled out for 123 runs. They scored 303 against Scotland in their highest score of the tournament, then beat Sri Lanka by scoring 309 against Sri Lanka, but losing by nine wickets. Since losing to Bangladesh, they were eliminated from the tournament.

Ramprakash's first Test tour as England's batting coach against the West Indies was part of Ramprakash's first Test tour. In the first innings of the first match and 333–7 in the second innings, England scored 399, but in the second innings, they were unable to force a result because the match ended in a draw. They continued to impress with the bat as they secured the next Test, scoring 464 and 144–1. However, they lost the last game as the second innings fell to 123 all out.

England's batsmen displayed their more positive attitude against New Zealand, with Ben Stokes scoring the fastest ever century at Lords in England's first Test victory. However, they lost the second Test and ended the series. In the five match series, England was all impressive with the bat in the ODI series, with scores of 350, 365, and 408. England went on to win the series 3–2. Joe Root and Eoin Morgan were particularly impressed. In the only T20 match between the teams, England also gained the first T20 match. England has been lauded for their new aggressive brand of cricket throughout three series.

Ramprakash remained as England's batting coach for the Ashes. England's batsmen played well in the first Test as England defeated the first game by Joe Root, who scored a century. However, England lost in the second Test of the second Test of Tests and suffered a humiliating defeat. England defeated the third Test by eight wickets, with Ian Bell scoring half centuries in both innings. In the fourth Test, Root scored by an innings and 78 runs as England defeated by an innings and 78 runs. Root made his second century of the series in the series. England collapsed again in the final match of the series, this time to 149 as Australia won by an innings. Joe Root, England's only England batsman to score a century, but England only posted over 400 times. England's batting in the ODI series against Australia was generally strong, with James Taylor and Eoin Morgan impressing.

In the Tests series against Pakistan, England had a mixed result with the bat. Alastair Cook scored 264 in the first Test to bring England a draw in a match they barely won, although Joe Root managed to reach 703 times in the series, despite not scoring a century. In the last game of the season, England suffered a loss of 156 points. In the ODI series, Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, and Jason Roy all made centuries, where England's batting helped them to a 3–1 victory. As England continued to develop their spirited batting, Squad players James Vince and Sam Billings entertained in the T20I series.

In the second Test against South Africa, England did well with the bat, winning 629–6. As Bairstow made 150 and Stokes 258, Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow batted superbly together, totaling 399 in a team partnership. In the seven innings, England batted 300 times in the series. In the first ODI, England scored 399, with Jos Buttler scoring a century. In the third and fourth games of the series, Joe Root scored back to back tons, and England's consistency was a huge win. England's T20Is were less impressive with the bat, with both goals being chased down by South Africa.

England chased South Africa's target of 229 in the second T20I, largely thanks to spectacular innings from Jason Roy and Joe Root. Jos Buttler was also a hand in England's post 171 victory over Sri Lanka to help England progress to the final. They eventually finished as runners-up in the competition.

England's top order batsmen did not do well against Sri Lanka, but centuries from Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali in the first and second Test respectively saw England win the series 2–0, with Alastair Cook and Alex Hales also doing well, as England scored 400 runs in five innings. Jason Roy scored two centuries and Alex Hales added a century as England defeated England 300-0, which included a historic partnership between Hales and Roy in the third ODI series. England won the only T20I between the two teams, with Jos Buttler putting on a good showing with the bat.

England failed to reach 300 in the first Test of the Test series against Pakistan after losing by a loss. However, Joe Roots had his highest ever score in the second Test as England defeated by 330 runs, 589-8 and 173–1. In the final two Tests, Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow demonstrated well with the bat, and the series ended 2–2. England started the sequence with the bat, with Joe Root's success consistently. England set a new world record score in the third ODI, scoring 444–3, and Alex Hales scored the highest score from an Englishman, while Jos Buttler scored the fastest ever half-century by an Englishman. England won the series 4–1, but after struggling with the bat, the team lost the only T20I between the two teams.

After scoring 308, England defeated Bangladesh in the first ODI, with Ben Stokes scoring a century. Jos Buttler scored 50 in the second game, which England lost, but England defeated England in the final game, with Sam Billings and Ben Duckett making half centuries. England did not reach 300 points in the Test series. They won the first Test with Ben Stokes making 85 runs. However, they lost the second Test after a second innings collapsed, knocking them out for 164 runs as the series ended 1–1.

England had a difficult time with the bat in the series against India. In the first Test, Alastair Cook, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, and Moeen Ali all scored hundreds of points. On his debut in the fourth Test, Keaton Jennings scored a hundred on his debut, and Moeen Ali scored another century in the final game of the series, but both attempts were in vain. England crossed 400 times in the series, but they were also suspended for below 250 four times after losing the series 4–0.

England batted well in the ODI series against India, with over 300 wickets in all three matches. Eoin Morgan was the only one to score a century in the team's second ODI series. England lost the first two ODIs, and although they won the final match, they ended the series 2–1. In the first T20I, England batted well, with Eoin Morgan hitting 51 runs as England defeated by seven wickets. England crashed to 127 in the third T20I after losing the second game, although England lost the series 2–1.

In the series against the West Indies, England did a good job with the bat. England made 296–6 in the first match against the West Indies, before winning 226–6, which included an unbeaten 90 from Joe Root. England made 328, with Alex Hales and Joe Root making tons, as England defeated England 3–0 in the final game of the series.

Ramprakash was named as the head coach of the Edinburgh Rocks for the inaugural edition of the Euro T20 Slam cricket tournament in July 2019.

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