A talent not to be sniffed at

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/7772950.stm

Wow, Chris Lewis arrested for allegedly attempting to bring £200,000 of cocaine into the country – that’s a bolt from the blue, but at least it gives the opportunity to talk about something other than the politics in India.

I guess many of his critics – and there were certainly a few around Nottingham – would say he’s always been a big time Charlie, but I’m genuinely sadden by this news. In my formative years watching cricket at Trent Bridge, Lewis was one of my first heroes. Already an international all rounder, that bowled fast, batted aggressively and fielded sensationally – all with the real possibility that it could go wrong at any moment – what boy wouldn’t.

I’m not honestly sure I’ve seen a more talented all round English cricketer than Lewis in my time watching England – call him the Stan Collymore of Cricket – turned up in Nottingham as the next big thing with more ability than most players can dream of… but always being a little bit too unhinged to fulfil his promise. There have been plenty of better players, but while someone like Flintoff relies to a great extent on his supreme physicality, and a sensational eye, Lewis was able to bowl quickly, and the hit the ball vast distances without ever really looking like he was trying.

Put Lewis alongside that lost generation of England players in the 1990s – usually led by the enigmatic talents of Graeme Hick and Mark Ramprakash, that for one reason or another failed to deliver for their country. That’s quite a threesome we missed out on there for want of more enlightened coaching and captaincy.

At his best, batting down the order he made batting look ridiculously easy, scoring some brilliant hundreds for Notts, as well as one I remember distinctly away in India for England (did he bring it up with a straight six?), he was great down the ground, and square of the wicket. He bowled at a good pace – when he wanted to, could move the ball off the seam and in the air, and could be a brilliant one day bowler… added to that he was one of the best fielders I’ve seen, and so quick across the ground. A real athlete.

It was pretty sad to see reports of his return at the age for 40 as a Twenty/20 Specialist for Surrey, a distant memory of Lewis at his best.

Mentality – so often the difference for talented players was probably the problem. The incident when he went out to spend a day in the full intense glare of the West Indian sunshine with a glinting newly bic’d head and ended up with sunstroke (well der), and the time when he turned up 40 minutes late for an England game blaming a phantom puncture prove that he’s always been capable of doing something stupid. This time he appears to have surpassed himself.