Graeme Hick

Let me declare an interest here right at the start. I am a Worcestershire supporter, and therefore, like every other Worcestershire fan am utterly convinced that Graeme Hick is the greatest batsman the world has ever seen! All right, so maybe not - there's this short Indian bloke - Sachin something...? But I do genuinely believe that Hick has had a very raw deal over the years, and that this poor, and in some cases downright shoddy, treatment, has had a significant impact on his form. I don't think that even Hick's meanest detractors would deny that he is a player of exceptional natural talent. Not in the Bradman class (who is, after all?), but ...  Read the complete review

I feel really sorry for 'Hicky'. He has been under presure to deliver for England ever since he came into the test and one day team. I suppose the problem was that we all expected so much of him. His arrival on the County scene gave us a batsman whose devasting power and just merciless hitting destroted some teams. Naturally we thought we would be getting the 'real deal' when he was decalred 'English' and was picked for a test. He's found it tough to make the transition - but it isn't helped by the fact he's one of these players - like Ramprakash too - who when picked is told it's a 'last chance' - a couple of failures ...  Read the complete review

I feel sorry for Graeme Hick. In the recent past he has been brought back in to test series when the pressure is on. One failure and he is back out again. It would seem in this series that there is a reversal in policy and that he is getting an extended run in the side. What people need to do is look at his test batting average since his 178 against India some five or six years ago. He averages near 40 which makes him a very useful international player. He can bowl some pretty useful offspin, as well as hold most catches that fly to him in the slips. The England management should just tell him to open his shoulders, play his natural game and dominate opposition bowlers. ...  Read the complete review

Undenyably, Greame Hick is one of the most talented current county players. His record speaks for itself; any player to make 100 first class hundred cannot be a bad player. The shear power and range of strokeplay with which he dispatches bad bowling to the boundary is stunning to watch. However, Hick is destined to join Ramprakrash and Crawley as a supremely skilled county player who just isn't good enough to play at the highest level. He is one of the best players of poor bowling around, shown by his century agaisnt Zimbabwe at the beginning of the summer, but aginst proper test match bowlers, he is completely out of his depth. Laughably inept at ...  Read the complete review

There is no doubting that Graeme Hick is one of the best one-day players England have had. But is he really good enough to get the nod ahead of Thorpe, Vaughen and Maynard in the test side. He has shown on many occasions he is not able to occupy the crease comfortably for his country, but still gets recalled when the likes of Ramprakash fail time and time again. He is attacking, aggressive, explosive, destructive and can unsettle a team when he plays his natural game - which is effectively to slog the bad balls, and this he does to the highest level possible. In a test match where he'll usually find himself batting within 30 mins of the England innings, ...  Read the complete review