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| Full name | John Ernest Emburey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1952-08-20)20 August 1952 (age 73) Peckham, London | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Embers, Ernie, Knuckle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right armoff break | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Bowler | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 480) | 24 August 1978 v New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 30 July 1995 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 52) | 14 January 1980 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 20 March 1993 v Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1973–1995 | Middlesex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982/83–1983/84 | Western Province | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Northamptonshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Source:CricketArchive,22 August 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John Ernest Emburey (born 20 August 1952)[1] is a former Englishfirst-class cricketer who played forMiddlesex,Northamptonshire,Western Province,Berkshire andEngland. He was a part of the English squad which finished asrunners-up at the1987 Cricket World Cup.
According to cricket writer Colin Bateman, Emburey's participation in twoSouth African rebel tours "cost him six lost years as far as Test cricket was concerned ... and, more significantly, probably an extended run as England captain, a job for which he was better suited than some who held the position post-Mike Brearley".[1]
Emburey was a right arm spin bowler and a slightly eccentric but useful lower-order batsman with the style of a grafter. He was more notable as an economical performer than a "demon" spin bowler, but on his day could leave the best batsmen groping outside off-stump. One of his dangerous balls was his arm ball outswinger. Emburey was named aWisden Cricketer of the Year in 1984.
Emburey played an understated but significant role in England's storied victory inthe Ashes in 1981, notably in the important fourth Test atEdgbaston, where he contributed runs and wickets as England took the lead in the series for the first time. According to theWisden report on the match, whileIan Botham "was again namedMan of the Match ... Emburey would have been the choice of many".[2] In all Emburey featured in four Ashes series won by England, in 1978–9, 1981, 1985, and 1986-7 (as well as in two defeats in 1989 and 1993). He also played for England (on the losing side) in the 1987Cricket World Cup final.
Emburey was briefly madeEngland Test captain in 1988, the notorious "Summer of four captains".[3]Mike Gatting was sacked after the firstTest match against theWest Indies and Emburey was appointed for two matches, both of which were lost. Emburey too was fired and was replaced byChris Cowdrey for the fourth Test. Cowdrey lasted just one match, replaced in turn byGraham Gooch. While not a successful Test captain, Emburey had some successes captaining England inone-day international cricket, leading them to victory (in the absence of Gatting and Botham) in the Sharjah Cup in 1986–7.[4]
Emburey was the only cricketer to go on both the England rebel tours toSouth Africa in 1981/2 and 1989/90; the rebels were banned fromTest matches because of theapartheid régime, although it both cases Emburey was eventually restored to the England test team (respectively in 1985 and 1993). Emburey said of his decision to join the second rebel tour: "In hindsight it was a mistake. But at the time my decision was purely monetary. I'd lost my benefit money in a building society in Australia."[5] According to Graham Gooch's published tour diary, Emburey had dressed up as a member of theKu Klux Klan at a fancy dress party on tour just before the news of the first rebel tour broke.[6]
Later in his Test career, Emburey tended to be picked for single Tests in England, as happened in 1993 against Australia, when statistically, he was the leading all rounder in the country, and 1995 against the West Indies. Broadly from 1987 his bowling was less effective in test cricket, although his batting became more successful; from February 1987 his Test wickets averaged almost twice as much as they had before.
At county level, Emburey'sMiddlesex career coincided with that ofPhil Edmonds. The right and left arm spin combination was a powerful contribution towards Middlesex's successes in the 1980s. They also combined at England level, although the pair also sometimes competed for the same place in the Test team. A highlight of Emburey's Middlesex career was taking 12 wickets in a single day in a championship match atLord's in 1980. He scored the winning runs from the last ball as Middlesex won the final of theNatWest Bank Trophy in 1984, and wasman of the match when Middlesex won theBenson & Hedges Cup final in 1986 (in both cases defeatingKent).[7] Between 1977 and 1993, the County won theCounty Championship outright five times, with one shared title in 1977.
Emburey holds the dubious distinction of being the highest England Test run-scorer never to have made a Test century. Emburey held the batting record for the highest innings made entirely from boundaries. Despite his chronic lack of footwork, he scored 46 for the England XI againstTasmania atHobart in 1986–87, with ten fours and a six.
Whilst not the most agile in the field, he seldom dropped anything, pulling off many a stunning catch, often at gully, and had an excellent arm in the deep.
Emburey coached theEngland A cricket team to a 3–0 win in India in 1995, and was considered for the position of manager for the senior side, but lost out toDavid Lloyd (whom he assisted for two test series in theWest Indies andZimbabwe).[8][9] He subsequently coachedNorthamptonshire County Cricket Club from 1996 but was sacked in 1998 after a string of poor results.[10][11] In 2001, he became coach forMiddlesex County Cricket Club, but was sacked in 2008.[11] In 2007, afterGreg Chappell left his position as India head coach, Emburey was shortlisted for the job, but declined it.[12][13][8] In February 2008, he signed on as the coach of the Ahmedabad Rockets, one of the expansion teams in the second season of theIndian Cricket League. As of May 2018, he works as a scout for theEngland and Wales Cricket Board.[14]
Politically, Emburey is a Conservative, and once appeared on stage at aConservative Party conference in the 1980s alongside England teammateBill Athey.[15]
In May 2014, he stated that he hadskin cancer, attributing it to playing cricket withoutsunscreen or a hat.[8]
He is married, with a wife and has two daughters.[16]
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| Preceded by | English national cricket captain 1988 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Middlesex President 2017-2019 | Succeeded by |
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| People | |
