In this episode we speak with Ireland wicketkeeper-batsman Niall O’Brien - and it's an episode with a difference. All the other players we’ve spoken with were hopeful of long Test careers when they made their debuts but Niall is a bit different.   A left-hander who played county cricket with Kent, Northamptonshire and Leicestershire for well over a decade, Niall first played for Ireland at under-17 level in 1999 and at that stage the idea of Test cricket for the country was not even a distant dream.   However, a succession of impressive performances in ICC limited-over events and in ..read more

This episode sees us speaking with opening batsman Andy Lloyd. Andy had an excellent first-class career, latterly as Warwickshire captain, and scored more than 17,000 first-class runs, but perhaps he's best known for his one Test appearance, against the mighty West Indies side of 1984, and how it ended prematurely for him because of a horrendous incident after just half an hour's play. The story of that incident takes up a great deal of this podcast, as you'd expect, but over the course of the episode Andy also puts his Test call-up into context and discusses how he rebuilt his career at fir ..read more

In this episode we catch up with former Essex and Hampshire all-rounder John Stephenson.   John’s career included over 22,000 runs and more than 600 wickets in professional cricket and he captained Hampshire for two seasons in 1996 and 1997. But here we’re concerned with his Test appearance, which came against the mighty Australia side of 1989, the one under Allan Border’s leadership that steamrolled England that summer.   John, who was opening the batting with some success for Essex alongside Graham Gooch at the time, was called up for the final Test of the six-match series at The O ..read more

This time we hear from former Gloucestershire, Surrey and Sussex seam bowler Jon Lewis, a player who took more than 1300 wickets in his professional career and someone who enjoyed enormous success in county cricket in limited-overs cricket.    Jon’s solitary Test match came against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge in 2006, and it was the culmination of being in and around the England squad for 18 months, time that included matches in both the ODI and T20I formats.   His selection was the end of a frustrating period of near misses when it came to getting his hands on a Test cap, but as ..read more

In this episode we speak with fast bowler Tony Pigott.   Tony had a first-class career that spanned three decades, collecting 672 first-class wickets for Sussex, Surrey and New Zealand side Wellington along the way, and he made his Test appearance as a late call-up in what became a notorious innings loss in New Zealand, at Christchurch in February 1984.   The story of that call-up, involving as it did the need to rearrange his wedding, his own fitness worries around that time and the match itself make up one of the most remarkable tales in the history of English cricket.   Let’s ..read more

In this episode we chat with opening batsman Alan Butcher.   Alan had a decorated first-class career, with more than 22,000 runs for Surrey and Glamorgan, before going on to a successful coaching career, including with Zimbabwe. He’s also the father of former England batsman Mark and Gary, who, like his dad, played for both Glamorgan and Surrey.   Alan’s opportunity to play for England in Test cricket came at his-then home ground, The Oval, in the final match of four-game series against India in 1979. England were 1-0 up and made changes, looking at new players ahead of a winter tour ..read more

If you think about the 1981 Ashes series, what comes to your mind? Ian Botham, of course; Bob Willis, almost certainly; Mike Brearley, perhaps. But Paul Parker? Probably not. All the same, Paul, an attacking batsman and a thrilling fielder for Sussex and latterly Durham, a player good enough to score over 19,000 first-class runs and take part in two winning one-day finals at Lord’s in 1978 and 1986, made his Test debut in the final match of that unforgettable series, at The Oval. He’d set his heart on playing for England, this was his chance – and, as it turned out, his only chance. This is Pa ..read more

Brian Murgatroyd looks ahead to the series, in which he chats with players who played just one Test match. The players chat about how their Test appearances came about, their recollections of the matches themselves and the aftermath of never getting another chance.   Brian Murgatroyd said: “So much of the game is about high achievement and success and we know all about those high achievers. Players like Shane Warne, Sachin Tendulkar, Don Bradman, and, more recently, the likes of Alastair Cook and James Anderson. These are names that are lauded for their performances, and rightly so. &nbs ..read more