Derek Randall
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 England (Eng) |
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| Batting style | Right-hand bat | |
| Bowling type | Right-arm medium | |
| Tests | ODIs | |
| Matches | 47 | 49 |
| Runs scored | 2470 | 1067 |
| Batting average | 33.37 | 26.67 |
| 100s/50s | 7/12 | -/5 |
| Top score | 174 | 88 |
| Balls bowled | 16 | 2 |
| Wickets | - | 1 |
| Bowling average | - | 2.00 |
| 5 wickets in innings | - | - |
| 10 wickets in match | - | N/A |
| Best bowling | - | 1/2 |
| Catches/stumpings | 31/- | 25/- |
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As of 1 January 2006 |
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Derek Randall (born Retford, Nottinghamshire England 24 February 1951), known to cricket fans as 'Arkle' after the famous racehorse but always 'Rags' to himself, was a cricketer who played first-class cricket for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and the English cricket team in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His impact as a batsman on the sport of cricket goes far beyond what his figures might suggest.
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[edit] The 'Clown Prince' of Cricket
A player with a boyish sense of joy in an age of dull professionalism, Randall first came to note as an outstanding cover fielder. As one day cricket forced fielding standards ever upwards, Randall led the way in redefining outfielding, as Jack Hobbs and Colin Bland had done before him. His runout of Gordon Greenidge in the Cricket World Cup final of 1979 is but one highlight and his partnership with a youthful David Gower was a feature of the successful England team of the immediate post-Packer era. Known for his eccentric movement at the crease, Randall was actually a determined batsman, the flashing cover drives, pulls and square cuts masking a steely desire to succeed.
[edit] Randall for England
His finest hour was the Centenary Test of 1977, and his innings of 174 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, in the teeth of an Australian attack led by Dennis Lillee, thrilled and enchanted all who saw him pull England from an impossible position to the brink of victory. Randall often saved his best for matches against Australia, with the next tour in 1978/79 bringing a 5-1 England Ashes win and two man of the match performances for Randall, an intensely dogged 150 in a series dominated by fast bowlers being the highlight. Randall scored centuries against New Zealand and India, even one from the unlikely position of opener against Pakistan, but he was finally blown away by the awesome West Indian attack of 1984, never to return. He played 47 Test matches in all, scoring 2,470 runs with 7 centuries and took 31 catches. He took the catch which clinched the Ashes in 1977 at Headingley, turning a cartwheel in celebration in typically exuberant style. He appeared for England in 49 one-day internationals, in an era where far fewer matches were played than today, an action packed 88 in his debut against the mighty West Indians of 1976 being his best.
[edit] Randall in First Class Cricket
Randall batted brilliantly for the successful Notts team of his era, winning the County Championship in a team which boasted the great Sir Richard Hadlee and Clive Rice. He made his second team debut in 1969 and went on to score 28,456 first-class runs, including 52 hundreds - he made 209 and 146 in the same game against Middlesex in 1979. He took 361 catches and a rather more surprising 13 wickets at just over 31. His first-class bowling strike rate of 31 balls per wicket compares well to Sir Richard Hadlee's 45! He reappeared for Suffolk in 2003 to cap a career which saw this embodiment of eternal youth play in an amazing five decades. In retirement he coached university sides, among many other projects, and is remembered still with great affection in the game.
