Dominic Cork
Encyclopedia
Dominic Gerald Cork is a former English
cricketer
. Cork is a right-handed lower-order batsman who bowls right-arm fast-medium
, and is renowned for his swing
and seam
control. Making his début in first-class cricket
for Derbyshire
in 1990, he was selected to play for England in 1992, aged 21. He made 69 appearances for England from 1992 to 2002. Cork played for Derbyshire for 13 years, before leaving under controversial circumstances to join Lancashire
in 2004. Leaving Lancashire after the 2008 season
, Cork joined Hampshire
, who he played for from 2009 to 2011, acting as captain
for much of the 2010 and 2011 seasons. While at Hampshire he won the 2009 Friends Provident Trophy
, and captained the county to victory in the 2010 Friends Provident t20
. He was released by Hampshire at the end of the 2011 season, shortly thereafter he announced his retirement on Sky Sports News
on 22nd September 2011. His popular nickname is "Corky".
début against the same opposition. He played six further Youth Tests to 1990 and five further Youth ODIs to 1990.
Following strong performances for Derbyshire in the 1991 season, he earned himself a call up to the England A team
for their 1992 tour of the West Indies, where he played in two first-class matches against the Windward Islands
and West Indies A
. Later in the year, following further strong performances for Derbyshire, he made his full international début in a One Day International against Pakistan at Old Trafford. He took one wicket in the match, that of Inzamam-ul-Haq
. Cork played infrequently for England over the coming seasons, playing just two ODIs each in 1993 and 1994, against Australia and South Africa respectively. However, in May 1995 he played in three ODIs against the West Indies, taking 6 wickets at a bowling average
of 21.81, with best figures 3/27. Later in the season he made his Test
debut against the same opposition. In his maiden Test match he scored 30 runs in England's first-innings before being dismissed Courtney Walsh
and in their second he scored 23 runs before being dismissed by Ian Bishop. His first Test wicket came in the West Indies' first innings when he dismissed Ian Bishop. More was to come in their second innings when from 124/3, Cork unleashed a bowling spell in which he took 7/43 – the best figures by an Englishman on Test debut – to help dismiss them for 223. This performance highlighted that at the time, Cork was the best all-rounder in England and also got his name on the Lord's honours board. It also earned him the tag of "the new Botham
" from the media. Two Tests later he became the 22nd man to take a Test cricket hat-trick
, when he dismissed Richie Richardson
, Junior Murray
and Carl Hooper
in successive balls in the West Indies second-innings; he was the first Englishman since Peter Loader
in 1957 to achieve the feat. Cork finished the series with 26 wickets at an average of 25.42. He also struck his maiden Test half century, making an unbeaten
56 in the 4th Test.
Cork had a productive time in South Africa
during their winter tour, playing five Tests and six ODIs during the tour. Cork was once more England's leading wicket-taker, with 19 Test wickets at an average of 25.52 and best innings figures of 5/84. He was similarly successful in the ODI series with the ball, England's second highest wicket-taker behind Derbyshire team-mate Phil DeFreitas, with 10 wickets at 26.40 a piece. Cork was selected at part of England's squad for the 1996 World Cup
in India
, Pakistan
and Sri Lanka
. In a tournament in which none of the England bowlers shone, Cork was the leading English wicket-taker, with 8 at 27.00. Despite this, Cork and rest of the England team were heavily criticised in the media for what had been an unsuccessful tournament which saw them defeated by eventual winners Sri Lanka in the quarter-finals.
Later in 1996, Cork had a less successful period in Test cricket, taking 10 wickets during India's three match Test tour at an average of 36.90. Later followed a quiet Test series against Pakistan, in which he had 12 wickets at a little over 36 a piece. His form with the bat was little better in either series, with his all-round ability seemingly having deserted him. Despite this, he was made a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1996. Prior to the tour of New Zealand, Cork suffered personal issues off the pitch with the breakdown of his marriage to his first wife Jane. His personal issues impacted his performances on the field, this was illustrated by his bowling performances. At the end of the Test series he had taken just 7 wickets at an average of 42.85. His batting did fare better, scoring 59 in the first Test and he led England to a series winning victory in the 3rd Test, putting on 76 runs with John Crawley
to remind people of the batting side of his game. He fared even worse in the ODI series though, taking just a single wicket throughout at the cost of 145 runs. He would not play another ODI until 2001. Cork described how he was not in the right frame of mind to play international cricket at the time and how his performances were effected by this, further commenting he had no idea when running in to bowl what delivery he would send down to the batsman. There was, however, a feeling in some quarters that Cork was "more style than substance", and during the tour he was the target of a comment from Geoffrey Boycott
who alleged that Cork was a "show pony" with "an attitude problem". Cork was prevented from answering Boycott back when injury prevented him from playing during most of the 1997 English season
.
Over a year after his previous Test appearance for England, he featured in the Test series during South Africa's 1998 tour of England
. Cork's return was fairly successful; he took 18 wickets at an average of 31.83, with best innings figures of 6/119. His best figures came in the 2nd Test at Lord's
, thus placing his name on the Lord's honour's board for a second time. He later played in England's only Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval
where he claimed the wickets of Marvan Atapattu
and Romesh Kaluwitharana
in the Sri Lankan first-innings, in a match the tourists won by 10 wickets. Cork later went on that winter's Ashes tour. He played in the opening two Tests at The Gabba and The WACA, claiming only 4 wickets in all at an average of 41.25. This was to be the final time Cork would play a Test outside of England.
In 2000, Cork was recalled to the England Test squad for the West Indies tour of England
, where he featured in four Test matches. Cork was in fantastic form with the ball during the series, having arguably his best returns in Test cricket. He took 20 wickets at an impressive average of 12.25, in partnership with Darren Gough
and Andrew Caddick
, against a West Indian team which was in decline, but that still had talented players like Brian Lara
, Courtney Walsh
, Curtly Ambrose
and Shivnarine Chanderpaul
. One of Cork's defining moments in Test cricket came during the series, when in the 2nd Test England were 149/7, needing to reach 188 to win, Cork entered the fray. Cork scampered singles and struck boundaries when needed, including a pulled six off the bowling of Franklyn Rose
and in conjunction with Darren Gough, led England to a two wicket win in the dusk at Lord's shortly before 7pm. He was later ruled out of the winter tour of Pakistan due to a back injury.
Cork featured in the Pakistani tour of England in 2001
and after four years he was recalled to play in the ODI series involving Pakistan and Australia. Cork had limited success upon his recall, taking six wickets at an average of 35.83. He later played in the 2nd Test of the 2001 Ashes
at Lord's, scoring 24 runs in England first-innings before being dismissed by Jason Gillespie
. In England's second-innings he scored just 2 runs before being dismissed by Glenn McGrath
. He was ineffective with the ball, taking just a single wicket in the match, that of Steve Waugh
in the Australians first-innings. Cork later played a single Test against Sri Lanka in 2002 and played his final Tests in two matches against India. Cork's final ODI appearances for England came in the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy
against India and Zimbabwe. He had little success and had seemed to lose his ability to outswing the ball, resorting to bowling the bouncer more often and increased sledging
toward opponents.
With the end of his international career in following the tournament, Cork had played a total of 37 Test matches. In these he scored a total of 867 runs at an average of 18.00, with three half centuries and a high score of 59. In the field he took 18 catches. With the ball he took 131 wickets at an average of 29.81, with best figures of 7/43, claimed on debut. In ODIs he played 32 matches, scoring 180 runs at an average of 10.00, with a high score of 31*
. With the ball he took 41 wickets at an average of 33.36, with best figures of 3/27. His benefit as an all-rounder was best observed in the Test format.
for Staffordshire
in the Minor Counties Championship against Bedfordshire
, aged just 17. Cork played three further fixtures for Staffordshire in 1989, and the following season
he played his only MCCA Knockout Trophy
match for Staffordshire, which came against Shropshire
. After playing for the Derbyshire Second XI in 1989, he made his full Derbyshire
debut in a first-class
match against the touring New Zealanders. His maiden first-class wicket came during this match, that of opening batsman Trevor Franklin
in his first over
which ended as a wicket maiden, and in the New Zealanders' second-innings he took the wicket of Mark Priest
. He made his County Championship
debut against Leicestershire
in Derbyshire's final County Championship match in the same season. The following season he became a regular member of the Derbyshire team and made his List A debut against Yorkshire
in the 1991 Refuge Assurance League
. The 1991 season highlighted Cork's early potential as a potent all-rounder
: he scored first-class 423 runs at a batting average
of 21.15, with a high score of 44 and took 57 first-class wickets at a bowling average
of 25.62. A performance of note came against a strong Essex
team, with Cork taking figures of 8/53 in the Essex first-innings. His victims included future Test
player Nick Knight
and Pakistani international Saleem Malik
.
His performances in the 1991 season earnt him a call up to the England A team
during their tour of the West Indies. The following season
Cork cemented his place in the Derbyshire team with increasingly impressive performances in both first-class and List A cricket. In first-class cricket he struck his maiden first-class half century and scored 578 runs at an average of 30.42, making a high score of 72 not out
. With the ball he was less successful than the previous season, but still nonetheless took 48 wickets. In the same season he stood out with the ball in the one-day game, taking 27 wickets an average of 28.85, including his first five wicket haul in List A cricket. It was his consistent performances with the ball which led to his One Day International call-up in 1992. In 1993, Cork scored his maiden first-class century
against Gloucestershire
, making 104 runs. Cork was man-of-the-match in the final of the 1993 Benson & Hedges Cup against Lancashire
, scoring an unbeaten
92 and taking the wicket of Mike Watkinson
, as Derbyshire won the match by 6 runs. Despite playing a handful more ODIs, in general the 1993
and 1994
seasons were less productive seasons for Cork with the ball, taking 37 first-class wickets in both seasons. 1995 was to prove to be Cork's major breakthrough season, in which he rediscovered his form, taking 90 first-class wickets at an average of exactly 20, including a career-best 9/43 against Northamptonshire
, which remains his best figures to this day, and with Cork making his Test debut.
The coming seasons saw Cork become a regular feature in the England team, limiting his appearances for Derbyshire. 1996 saw him make limited appearances in both first-class and List A cricket, however a groin injury in the first County Championship
match of 1997 led to him not playing any international cricket that season and limited his appearances for Derbyshire. In the 1998 season, Cork was appointed Derbyshire captain on a full-time basis, replacing Phil DeFreitas who had stood in following the resignation of Dean Jones
. A return to the England Test fold in 1998 again limited his County Championship appearances, but he featured more for the county in that season's
List A competitions. He scored 280 runs in one-day cricket and took 23 wickets at just under an average of 30. He captained Derbyshire in their 1998 NatWest Trophy
final defeat against Lancashire at Lord's
. Cork's recent struggles in international cricket, where he had lost his ability to bowl his much famed out-swinger resulted in him playing for Derbyshire for the majority of the 1999 season
, where he took 55 wickets at an average of 22.34. The following season saw Cork return to the England Test team. A personal note of success that season came with Derbyshire in a County Championship match against Durham
, where he made a double century, scoring an unbeaten 200.
However, Derbyshire was at this point in the club's history was beset with internal divisions, stemming from the resignation two years earlier of Dean Jones from the captaincy. Such was the internal strife during that 1998 season that England's chairman of selectors David Graveney
left Cork out of the 1999 World Cup
squad, citing that the issues at Derbyshire were playing too heavily on Cork's mind to allow him to play international cricket. Before the start of the 1999 season
, Cork demanded the Derbyshire committee return a number of powers to the captaincy, and when his demands went unfulfilled he threatened to resign from the county altogether. Allied with Cork in the dispute were teammates Kim Barnett
and Karl Krikken
. Cork carried out his threat and asked to be released from the remainder of the four seasons left on his contract. However Derbyshire refused to terminate the contract. Six months after the dispute began, the Derbyshire committee gave into Cork's demands allowing him more say over playing matters, coupled with the departure of Andy Hayhurst
and Harold Rhodes
from administration positions at the county, both of whom Cork cited as making his captaincy untenable. The internal divisions between Cork and the county management soon became public knowledge, with former players like Ian Blackwell
vocal of Cork's captaincy methods and his "negative" impact on the dressing room. During the dispute his form began to suffer, and another injury in 2001 did not help his case. He was awarded a benefit year in 2001, with some of his benefit events being boycotted by the Derbyshire committee; this was a season in which Cork's appearances were limited to just a handful by his England duties and return to the England one-day side.
In 2002, Cork played more regularly for Derbyshire, but pressure began to build on his captaincy with Derbyshire performing poorly in List A cricket and ending the season 6th in the County Championship, although he did take 64 wickets at 18.90. Cork's international career came to an end in 2002, allowing him to dedicate himself to playing season long for Derbyshire. With the internal problems at the county, Cork's form with both bat and ball was erratic: his first-class bowling average in 2001 was 51.50, 18.90 in 2002, and 27.26 in 2003. His performances in one-day cricket remained more consistent. The 2003 season was also one of Cork's most controversial. Following a Twenty20
fixture against Leicestershire in the Twenty20 Cup
, Cork branded Australian Brad Hodge
a cheat after he appeared to catch Steven Selwood
after crossing the boundary rope. He also branded the response of the England and Wales Cricket Board
's chief executive, Tim Lamb
, as "pathetic". Following the remarks, Hodge considered legal action. The England and Wales Cricket Board took action, summoning Cork to a hearing where they fined him £1,000 and banned him for three matches. The three match ban was suspended for a year. With Derbyshire rooted to the bottom of the County Championship Division Two table at the end of the season and coupled with the internal issues at Derbyshire, including incoming Director of Cricket David Houghton's refusal to confirm him as captain for 2004, Cork requested to be released from the remainder of his three-year contract extension agreed only at the beginning of the 2003 season. His release was granted by the county.
In the period from 1990 to 2003, Cork played 158 first-class matches for the county, scoring 5,870 runs at a batting average of 28.08, with five centuries and thirty-five half centuries. In the field he claimed 125 catches. With the ball he took 505 wickets at a bowling average of 25.76, with 22 five wicket hauls, 5 ten wicket hauls in a match and with career best innings figures of 9/53. His record in List A cricket for the county was equally as impressive, playing 184 matches and scoring 2,947 runs at an average of 22.49, with sixteen half centuries and a high score of 93. In the field he took 83 catches. With the ball he claimed 234 wickets at an average of 26.05, with four five wicket hauls and best figures of 6/21, which remain his best figures. He formed key bowling partnerships with teammates Phil DeFreitas, Devon Malcolm
and Ole Mortensen
. He has cited Kim Barnett, the first captain he played under at Derbyshire, as the best captain he has played for, regarding him as his "guide and mentor". Indeed, it was Cork's wish to see Barnett return to the county in an administration capacity which played a part in Cork's downfall at the county.
for the 2004 season
. After surgery on a troublesome ankle injury, Cork joined the county in their pre-season tour of South Africa
before making his debut for the county in a County Championship match against Northamptonshire. Cork's early days at his new county brought mixed fortunes, suffering a loss of form in 2004, coupled with relegation from Division One of the County Championship. Cork's maiden season with Lancashire did see him play a role in taking them to finals day in the Twenty20 Cup
at Edgbaston
, where he played in their semi-final defeat by Surrey
. He was awarded his county cap in 2004. The county were promoted back to Division One the following season
, a season in which Cork took 46 first-class wickets at 26, and 17 List A wickets at an average 27.47. This season was a marked improvement on Cork's debut season for Lancashire. In 2006, Lancashire mounted a challenge for the County Championship
, with Cork taking 42 wickets at an average of 25.50. Lancashire were eventually beaten to the title by Sussex
. Cork also played a key role in Lancashire's run to the final of the 2006 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy
, where they played Sussex. Opening the bowling with Kyle Hogg
, Cork did not take any Sussex wickets, but did run-out Richard Montgomerie
and Carl Hopkinson
. His not out 35 in Lancashire's innings was in vain as Sussex ran out winners by 15 runs in a low scoring match.
Cork was banned for the first 50-over game of 2007 after an incident at the previous season's final against Sussex, and was fined £2,500. This was later reduced to £500 on appeal. The 2007 season panned out in a similar fashion to the previous season's County Championship, with the fight for the title, again with Sussex, going down to the final day of the season. Playing Surrey at The Oval
, Lancashire required nothing less than a victory to claim the title. Chasing 489 runs to win, Cork struck a dogged 47 in Lancashire's second-innings, as they ultimately fell short of their target by 25 runs. Seemingly falling down the pecking order at Lancashire, Cork did not feature in any one-day matches in the 2008
and only played a handful of County Championship
matches. On 12 August 2008 it was announced that Lancashire would not be renewing Cork's contract for the 2009 season. While Cork said that "it hurts, decisions like this", he also said that he intended to continue playing cricket at the highest level that he could. Lancashire captain Stuart Law
stated that he had not been consulted about the decision and wanted Cork to stay at the club. The club released a statement saying Cork was released "with the longer-term development of the playing staff in mind and to allow the side to evolve". The decision to release Cork was criticised by Lancashire and England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff
.
In his five seasons with Lancashire, Cork played played 64 first-class matches, scoring 1,822 runs at an average of 24.95, with three centuries, eight half centuries and a high score 154. Meanwhile in the field he took 49 catches. On Old Trafford pitches typically suited to pace and bounce, he took 173 wickets at a bowling average
of 28.29, with four five wickets hauls and best innings figures of 7/120. In List A cricket he played 57 matches, scoring 749 runs at an average of 22.69, with two half centuries and a high score 57. In the field he took 15 catches. With the ball he took 58 wickets at an average of 28.98, with best figures of 4/14. Cork had left Derbyshire after the first season of Twenty20 cricket, so with Lancashire he had more exposure to the format. He scored 259 runs for Lancashire at an average of 13.63, with a high score of 28. With the ball he took 26 wickets at an average of 22.72, with best figures of 4/16.
On 2 October 2008 he joined Hampshire
after signing a two-year deal, making his debut against Worcestershire
in the 2009 County Championship
at the Rose Bowl. Having been a key part of the Hampshire squad throughout the 2009 Friends Provident Trophy
, where he played a part in guiding them to the final. In the final Cork helped Hampshire to a 6 wicket win. Cork was man-of-the-match, 16 years after his man-of-the-match performance for Derbyshire in the 1993 Benson & Hedges Cup final. Cork took figures of 4/41, including the wickets of England wicket-keeper
Matt Prior for a second ball duck and Pakistan international Yasir Arafat
. Cork's first season was a qualified success, with him taking 62 wickets in all formats. His first season form played a part in helping Hampshire to a late season rally after being within the Division One relegation zone for most of the season.
With Dimitri Mascarenhas
injured for the large part of the 2010 season
, Cork took over the captaincy when Nic Pothas
stood down following a run of poor results. During the 2010 season, Cork led the side to victory in the 2010 Friends Provident t20
finals day at the home of Hampshire cricket, the Rose Bowl. During the final itself he took the wickets of Jos Buttler
and Arul Suppiah
, as well as hitting West Indian all-rounder Kieron Pollard
in the eye with a bouncer
, which led to Pollard needing hospital treatment. Cork was praised for his sportsmanship during the incident. Following the match, Cork was offered a new one-year deal by Hampshire, a deal he stated he was likely to sign but a decision he would still nonetheless consider over the coming weeks. In October it was confirmed that Cork had signed a one-year contract extension taking him into the 2011 season, which would be his 21st in first-class cricket. Cork was also given the captaincy for the 2011 season on a permanent basis.
Provided Cork had a successful 2011 season
, then he would be set to reach the all-rounder
s' double of 1,000 wickets and 10,000 runs in first-class cricket. Cork hit his 10,000th run in Hampshires' County Championship
match against Yorkshire
at Headingley, off the bowling of Ajmal Shahzad
. Under Cork's captaincy, Hampshire started poorly in the County Championship, where they sat second bottom without any wins, while in one-day cricket they have fared little better. Hampshire have saw a turn around in fortunes, be it in the Friends Life t20
, with Cork captaining them to five wins out of five, guiding them to their second successive finals day. On finald day, they lost in the semi-final against Somerset. Cork's form though continued to dip as the season progressed, toward the end of the 2011 season he took a break to look after his father who had been diagnosed with cancer and given a matter of weeks to live. Following Twenty20 finals days, he paid an emotional tribute to his father who had passed away days before. On 10 September, it was announced that Hampshire would be releasing Cork at the end of the 2011 season. A fortnight later he announced his retirement to the game after 21 seasons in first-class cricket, meaning he fell just short of 1,000 first-class wickets, ending his career instead with 989.
Test 5-Wicket Hauls
Test match man-of-the-match awards:
in 1996, alongside England teammates Angus Fraser
and Dermot Reeve
. In their rationale, Wisden described his arrival in Test cricket as "without question, the most explosive entrance in living memory".
s of West Country
origin. His father played some reserve football for Port Vale F.C.
and worked as a financial consultant. He is the youngest of three brothers and was educated at St. Joseph's College, Stoke-on-Trent
, before continuing his education at Newcastle-under-Lyme College. Cork married his first wife Jane when he was 22, but the pressures of being away on international duty led to his marriage ending in divorce. Cork has one son from that marriage, Greg, who is currently a member of Derbyshire's Academy setup. Greg, like his father, is an all-rounder. He is married to his second wife, Donna, five years his senior.
Cork regularly commentates on the game for Sky Sports
. He was one of the people caught up in the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team
, when he was commentating on Sri Lanka's tour of Pakistan
for the Pakistan Television Corporation
. He criticised Pakistan Cricket Board
chief Ijaz Butt
following his remarks that match referee Chris Broad
had fabricated elements of the attack. Cork also commentates on the Indian Premier League
. In February 2010 Cork made his debut as a summariser on Test Match Special
when England toured Bangladesh
. In December 2010, Cork was named as one of the contestants for series 6 of Dancing on Ice
with Finnish figure skater Alexandra Schauman
. He was eliminated in week four after being voted off by his six of his fellow contestants, following a skate-off with presenter Jeff Brazier
.
Cork's father was taken to hospital after suffering a heart attack in July 2011, while receiving treatment in hospital he was diagnosed with cancer
and given just three weeks to live. Cork took a break from playing for Hampshire to be with his father in his final days, with Gerald dying on 13 August.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
. Cork is a right-handed lower-order batsman who bowls right-arm fast-medium
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
, and is renowned for his swing
Swing bowling
Swing bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as swing bowlers. Swing bowling is generally classed as a subtype of fast bowling.-Physics of swing bowling:...
and seam
Seam bowling
Seam bowling is a phrase used for a bowling technique in cricket whereby the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation. Practitioners are known as seam bowlers or seamers....
control. Making his début in first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
for Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
in 1990, he was selected to play for England in 1992, aged 21. He made 69 appearances for England from 1992 to 2002. Cork played for Derbyshire for 13 years, before leaving under controversial circumstances to join Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
in 2004. Leaving Lancashire after the 2008 season
2008 English cricket season
The 2008 season of England's county cricket saw the four regular tournaments played: The LV County Championship , Friends Provident Trophy , NatWest Pro40 League and the Twenty20 Cup...
, Cork joined Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
, who he played for from 2009 to 2011, acting as captain
Captain (cricket)
The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player...
for much of the 2010 and 2011 seasons. While at Hampshire he won the 2009 Friends Provident Trophy
2009 Friends Provident Trophy
The 2009 Friends Provident Trophy was an English county cricket tournament, held between 19 April and 25 July 2009. The competition was won by Hampshire Hawks who beat the Sussex Sharks by 6 wickets at Lord's.- Format :...
, and captained the county to victory in the 2010 Friends Provident t20
2010 Friends Provident t20
The 2010 Friends Provident t20 tournament was the inaugural Friends Provident t20 Twenty20 cricket competition for the England and Wales first-class counties. The competition ran from 1 June 2010 until the finals day at The Rose Bowl on 14 August 2010...
. He was released by Hampshire at the end of the 2011 season, shortly thereafter he announced his retirement on Sky Sports News
Sky Sports News
Sky Sports News is a 24-hour sports news channel in the United Kingdom. It is run by BSkyB whose sports channels include Sky Sports 1, 2, 3 and 4, as well as Sky Sports HD1, HD2, HD3 and HD4....
on 22nd September 2011. His popular nickname is "Corky".
International career
While playing for Staffordshire, Cork made his Youth ODI début for England Under-19's against New Zealand Under-19s in August 1989. Later in August he made his Youth TestTest cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
début against the same opposition. He played six further Youth Tests to 1990 and five further Youth ODIs to 1990.
Following strong performances for Derbyshire in the 1991 season, he earned himself a call up to the England A team
England A cricket team
The England Lions cricket team is a cricket team representing England and Wales. It is the "second-tier" of international English cricket below the full England cricket team, and is largely intended as a way for promising young cricketers to gain experience of playing international cricket...
for their 1992 tour of the West Indies, where he played in two first-class matches against the Windward Islands
Windward Islands cricket team
The Windward Islands cricket team is a cricket team representing the member countries of the Windward Islands Cricket Board of Control. The team plays in the West Indies regional tournament....
and West Indies A
West Indies A cricket team
The West Indies A cricket team is a cricket team representing a sporting confederation of the Caribbean countries: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago...
. Later in the year, following further strong performances for Derbyshire, he made his full international début in a One Day International against Pakistan at Old Trafford. He took one wicket in the match, that of Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq , also known as Inzamam, nicknamed Inzy, is a former Pakistan international cricketer who was national captain between 2003 and 2007. He is a right-handed batsman who has been regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of his era...
. Cork played infrequently for England over the coming seasons, playing just two ODIs each in 1993 and 1994, against Australia and South Africa respectively. However, in May 1995 he played in three ODIs against the West Indies, taking 6 wickets at a bowling average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 21.81, with best figures 3/27. Later in the season he made his Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
debut against the same opposition. In his maiden Test match he scored 30 runs in England's first-innings before being dismissed Courtney Walsh
Courtney Walsh
Courtney Andrew Walsh is a former international cricketer who represented the West Indies from 1984 to 2001, captaining the West Indies in 22 Test matches...
and in their second he scored 23 runs before being dismissed by Ian Bishop. His first Test wicket came in the West Indies' first innings when he dismissed Ian Bishop. More was to come in their second innings when from 124/3, Cork unleashed a bowling spell in which he took 7/43 – the best figures by an Englishman on Test debut – to help dismiss them for 223. This performance highlighted that at the time, Cork was the best all-rounder in England and also got his name on the Lord's honours board. It also earned him the tag of "the new Botham
Ian Botham
Sir Ian Terence Botham OBE is a former England Test cricketer and Test team captain, and current cricket commentator. He was a genuine all-rounder with 14 centuries and 383 wickets in Test cricket, and remains well-known by his nickname "Beefy"...
" from the media. Two Tests later he became the 22nd man to take a Test cricket hat-trick
Test cricket hat-tricks
This is a list of all hat-tricks in Test cricket; that is, the occasions when a bowler has taken three wickets in consecutive deliveries in Test cricket matches. As of 30 July 2011, a hat-trick has been taken 39 times since the first Test match in 1877, most recently by English fast-medium bowler...
, when he dismissed Richie Richardson
Richie Richardson
Richard Benjamin Richardson is a retired West Indies cricketer and a former captain of the West Indian cricket team.Richardson was born in Five Islands Village, Antigua. He began his career with the Leewards Islands in 1982 as an opener and after his second season he was called up by the West...
, Junior Murray
Junior Murray
Junior Randalph Murray is a West Indian cricketer.One of a handful of Grenadians to play Test cricket for the West Indies, Junior Murray was a wicketkeeper batsman...
and Carl Hooper
Carl Hooper
Carl Llewellyn Hooper is a former West Indian cricket player and captain.-Career:He was a right-handed batsman and off-spin bowler, who came to prominence in the late 1980s in a side that included such players as Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Malcolm Marshall and Courtney Walsh and represented...
in successive balls in the West Indies second-innings; he was the first Englishman since Peter Loader
Peter Loader
Peter James Loader was an English cricketer and umpire, who played thirteen Test matches for England. He played for Surrey and Beddington Cricket Club. A whippet-thin fast bowler with a wide range of pace and a nasty bouncer, he took the first post-war Test hat-trick as part of his 6 for 36...
in 1957 to achieve the feat. Cork finished the series with 26 wickets at an average of 25.42. He also struck his maiden Test half century, making an unbeaten
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
56 in the 4th Test.
Cork had a productive time in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
during their winter tour, playing five Tests and six ODIs during the tour. Cork was once more England's leading wicket-taker, with 19 Test wickets at an average of 25.52 and best innings figures of 5/84. He was similarly successful in the ODI series with the ball, England's second highest wicket-taker behind Derbyshire team-mate Phil DeFreitas, with 10 wickets at 26.40 a piece. Cork was selected at part of England's squad for the 1996 World Cup
1996 Cricket World Cup
The 1996 Cricket World Cup, also called the Wills World Cup after its official sponsors, was the sixth edition of the tournament organized by the International Cricket Council . It was the second World Cup to be hosted by Pakistan and India, and for the first time by Sri Lanka...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. In a tournament in which none of the England bowlers shone, Cork was the leading English wicket-taker, with 8 at 27.00. Despite this, Cork and rest of the England team were heavily criticised in the media for what had been an unsuccessful tournament which saw them defeated by eventual winners Sri Lanka in the quarter-finals.
Later in 1996, Cork had a less successful period in Test cricket, taking 10 wickets during India's three match Test tour at an average of 36.90. Later followed a quiet Test series against Pakistan, in which he had 12 wickets at a little over 36 a piece. His form with the bat was little better in either series, with his all-round ability seemingly having deserted him. Despite this, he was made a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1996. Prior to the tour of New Zealand, Cork suffered personal issues off the pitch with the breakdown of his marriage to his first wife Jane. His personal issues impacted his performances on the field, this was illustrated by his bowling performances. At the end of the Test series he had taken just 7 wickets at an average of 42.85. His batting did fare better, scoring 59 in the first Test and he led England to a series winning victory in the 3rd Test, putting on 76 runs with John Crawley
John Crawley
John Paul Crawley is a retired English professional cricketer, who represented England in 37 Test matches. He is regarded alongside his near contemporaries Graeme Hick and Mark Ramprakash as a hugely talented player who failed to realise his full potential at international level.Crawley is a...
to remind people of the batting side of his game. He fared even worse in the ODI series though, taking just a single wicket throughout at the cost of 145 runs. He would not play another ODI until 2001. Cork described how he was not in the right frame of mind to play international cricket at the time and how his performances were effected by this, further commenting he had no idea when running in to bowl what delivery he would send down to the batsman. There was, however, a feeling in some quarters that Cork was "more style than substance", and during the tour he was the target of a comment from Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott OBE is a former Yorkshire and England cricketer. In a prolific and sometimes controversial playing career from 1962 to 1986, Boycott established himself as one of England's most successful opening batsmen...
who alleged that Cork was a "show pony" with "an attitude problem". Cork was prevented from answering Boycott back when injury prevented him from playing during most of the 1997 English season
1997 English cricket season
The 1997 English cricket season centred on the six Test Ashes series against Australia. England won the first, at Edgbaston, by the decisive margin of nine wickets, and the rain-affected second Test at Lord's was drawn, but any English optimism was short-lived...
.
Over a year after his previous Test appearance for England, he featured in the Test series during South Africa's 1998 tour of England
South African cricket team in England in 1998
The South African cricket team toured England in the 1998 season to play a five-match Test series against England.England won the series 2-1 with two matches drawn after being 1-0 behind with only the last two matches to play....
. Cork's return was fairly successful; he took 18 wickets at an average of 31.83, with best innings figures of 6/119. His best figures came in the 2nd Test at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
, thus placing his name on the Lord's honour's board for a second time. He later played in England's only Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
where he claimed the wickets of Marvan Atapattu
Marvan Atapattu
Marvan Samson Atapattu is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and former Sri Lankan captain. Towards the end of his career he joined the Indian Cricket League and captained the Delhi Giants...
and Romesh Kaluwitharana
Romesh Kaluwitharana
Romesh Shantha Kaluwitharana is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played in 49 Test and 189 ODIs from 1990 to 2004...
in the Sri Lankan first-innings, in a match the tourists won by 10 wickets. Cork later went on that winter's Ashes tour. He played in the opening two Tests at The Gabba and The WACA, claiming only 4 wickets in all at an average of 41.25. This was to be the final time Cork would play a Test outside of England.
In 2000, Cork was recalled to the England Test squad for the West Indies tour of England
West Indian cricket team in England in 2000
The West Indian cricket team toured England in the 2000 cricket season. West Indies played five Tests against England, two in June and three in August, with a triangular One Day International series involving Zimbabwe in July....
, where he featured in four Test matches. Cork was in fantastic form with the ball during the series, having arguably his best returns in Test cricket. He took 20 wickets at an impressive average of 12.25, in partnership with Darren Gough
Darren Gough
Darren Gough is a retired English cricketer and former captain of Yorkshire County Cricket Club. The spearhead of England's bowling attack through much of the 1990s, he is England's highest wicket-taker in one-day internationals with 234, and took 229 wickets in his 58 Test matches, making him...
and Andrew Caddick
Andrew Caddick
Andrew Richard Caddick is a retired cricketer who played for England as a fast-medium bowler. At 6 ft 5in, Caddick was a successful bowler for England for a decade, taking 13 five-wicket hauls in Test matches...
, against a West Indian team which was in decline, but that still had talented players like Brian Lara
Brian Lara
Brian Charles Lara, TC, OCC, AM is a former West Indian international cricket player. Lara is generally regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time...
, Courtney Walsh
Courtney Walsh
Courtney Andrew Walsh is a former international cricketer who represented the West Indies from 1984 to 2001, captaining the West Indies in 22 Test matches...
, Curtly Ambrose
Curtly Ambrose
Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose is a former West Indian cricketer. His skill was as a right-arm fast bowler, especially in partnership with Courtney Walsh...
and Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Shivnarine "Shiv" Chanderpaul is a cricketer, and former captain of the West Indies cricket team. He is the first Indo-Caribbean in the West Indies team to play 100 Tests for the West Indies and has captained them in 14 Tests and 16 One Day Internationals...
. One of Cork's defining moments in Test cricket came during the series, when in the 2nd Test England were 149/7, needing to reach 188 to win, Cork entered the fray. Cork scampered singles and struck boundaries when needed, including a pulled six off the bowling of Franklyn Rose
Franklyn Rose
Franklyn Albert Rose is a West Indian cricketer.He is a right-handed batsman and a fast right-arm bowler who possesses a lot of power with his full-length outswing...
and in conjunction with Darren Gough, led England to a two wicket win in the dusk at Lord's shortly before 7pm. He was later ruled out of the winter tour of Pakistan due to a back injury.
Cork featured in the Pakistani tour of England in 2001
Pakistani cricket team in England in 2001
The Pakistan cricket team toured England in the 2001 season to play a two-match Test series against England.The series was drawn 1-1.-Test series summary:* — England won by an innings and 9 runs* — Pakistan won by 108 runs...
and after four years he was recalled to play in the ODI series involving Pakistan and Australia. Cork had limited success upon his recall, taking six wickets at an average of 35.83. He later played in the 2nd Test of the 2001 Ashes
Australian cricket team in England in 2001
-Second Test: 19 – 22 July 2001:-Third Test: 2 – 6 August 2001:Australia retained the Ashes with a seven-wicket victory over England in the third Test at Trent Bridge. England won the toss and chose to bat first, England needed to win the game to give them a outisde chance of winning the Ashes. But...
at Lord's, scoring 24 runs in England first-innings before being dismissed by Jason Gillespie
Jason Gillespie
Jason Neil Gillespie is an Australian cricketer who formerly represented Australia at international level, in both Tests and One Day Internationals, and South Australia, Yorkshire and Glamorgan at first-class level. His primary role is as a right-arm fast-medium bowler, but he is also a competent...
. In England's second-innings he scored just 2 runs before being dismissed by Glenn McGrath
Glenn McGrath
Glenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century...
. He was ineffective with the ball, taking just a single wicket in the match, that of Steve Waugh
Steve Waugh
Stephen Rodger "Steve" Waugh, AO is a former Australian cricketer and fraternal twin of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman, he was also a successful medium-pace bowler...
in the Australians first-innings. Cork later played a single Test against Sri Lanka in 2002 and played his final Tests in two matches against India. Cork's final ODI appearances for England came in the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy
2002 ICC Champions Trophy
-Semifinals: -Finals: =*Ricky Ponting *Adam Gilchrist *Michael Bevan*Jason Gillespie*Nathan Hauritz*Matthew Hayden*Brett Lee*Darren Lehmann*Jimmy Maher...
against India and Zimbabwe. He had little success and had seemed to lose his ability to outswing the ball, resorting to bowling the bouncer more often and increased sledging
Sledging (cricket)
Sledging is a term used in cricket to describe the practice whereby some players seek to gain an advantage by insulting or verbally intimidating the opposing player. The purpose is to try to weaken the opponent's concentration, thereby causing him to make mistakes or underperform...
toward opponents.
With the end of his international career in following the tournament, Cork had played a total of 37 Test matches. In these he scored a total of 867 runs at an average of 18.00, with three half centuries and a high score of 59. In the field he took 18 catches. With the ball he took 131 wickets at an average of 29.81, with best figures of 7/43, claimed on debut. In ODIs he played 32 matches, scoring 180 runs at an average of 10.00, with a high score of 31*
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
. With the ball he took 41 wickets at an average of 33.36, with best figures of 3/27. His benefit as an all-rounder was best observed in the Test format.
Early career and Derbyshire
Cork first played county cricketCounty cricket
County cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
for Staffordshire
Staffordshire County Cricket Club
Staffordshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Staffordshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
in the Minor Counties Championship against Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire County Cricket Club
Bedfordshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Bedfordshire and competing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy. The Minor Counties play three-day...
, aged just 17. Cork played three further fixtures for Staffordshire in 1989, and the following season
1990 English cricket season
The 1990 English season was one of the most batsmen-friendly summers in living memory. The size of the seam on the cricket ball had been reduced markedly from 1989, and along with dry conditions and the extension of four-day cricket this allowed batsmen to build huge scores: Graham Gooch became one...
he played his only MCCA Knockout Trophy
MCCA Knockout Trophy
The Minor Counties Cricket Association Knockout Cup was started in 1983 as a knockout one-day competition for the Minor Counties in English cricket...
match for Staffordshire, which came against Shropshire
Shropshire County Cricket Club
Shropshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Shropshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
. After playing for the Derbyshire Second XI in 1989, he made his full Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
debut in a first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
match against the touring New Zealanders. His maiden first-class wicket came during this match, that of opening batsman Trevor Franklin
Trevor Franklin
Trevor John Franklin has played 21 Tests and three One Day Internationals for New Zealand. He also play for Auckland cricket association...
in his first over
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....
which ended as a wicket maiden, and in the New Zealanders' second-innings he took the wicket of Mark Priest
Mark Priest
Mark Wellings Priest is a former New Zealand cricketer who played in 3 Tests and 18 ODIs from 1990 to 1998....
. He made his County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
debut against Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
in Derbyshire's final County Championship match in the same season. The following season he became a regular member of the Derbyshire team and made his List A debut against Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
in the 1991 Refuge Assurance League
1991 Refuge Assurance League
The 1991 Refuge Assurance League was the twenty-third competing of what was generally known as the Sunday League. The competition was won for the first time by Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club....
. The 1991 season highlighted Cork's early potential as a potent all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
: he scored first-class 423 runs at a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 21.15, with a high score of 44 and took 57 first-class wickets at a bowling average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 25.62. A performance of note came against a strong Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
team, with Cork taking figures of 8/53 in the Essex first-innings. His victims included future Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
player Nick Knight
Nick Knight
Nicholas Verity Knight is a former England cricketer. Knight's middle name was in honour of the 1930s English Test bowler Hedley Verity who was killed in World War II and is a distant family relation...
and Pakistani international Saleem Malik
Saleem Malik
Saleem Malik is a former Pakistani cricketer who played between 1981/82 and 1999, at one stage captaining the Pakistani cricket team. He was a right-handed wristy middle order batsman who was strong square of the wicket. His legbreak bowling was also quite effective...
.
His performances in the 1991 season earnt him a call up to the England A team
England A cricket team
The England Lions cricket team is a cricket team representing England and Wales. It is the "second-tier" of international English cricket below the full England cricket team, and is largely intended as a way for promising young cricketers to gain experience of playing international cricket...
during their tour of the West Indies. The following season
1992 English cricket season
-Honours:*County Championship - Essex*NatWest Trophy - Northamptonshire*Sunday League - Middlesex*Benson & Hedges Cup -*Minor Counties Championship - Staffordshire*MCCA Knockout Trophy - Devon...
Cork cemented his place in the Derbyshire team with increasingly impressive performances in both first-class and List A cricket. In first-class cricket he struck his maiden first-class half century and scored 578 runs at an average of 30.42, making a high score of 72 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
. With the ball he was less successful than the previous season, but still nonetheless took 48 wickets. In the same season he stood out with the ball in the one-day game, taking 27 wickets an average of 28.85, including his first five wicket haul in List A cricket. It was his consistent performances with the ball which led to his One Day International call-up in 1992. In 1993, Cork scored his maiden first-class century
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
against Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
, making 104 runs. Cork was man-of-the-match in the final of the 1993 Benson & Hedges Cup against Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
, scoring an unbeaten
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
92 and taking the wicket of Mike Watkinson
Mike Watkinson
Mike Watkinson is a former English cricketer who played four Test matches and one One Day International in the mid-1990s...
, as Derbyshire won the match by 6 runs. Despite playing a handful more ODIs, in general the 1993
1993 English cricket season
The 1993 English cricket season saw the dramatic arrival on the scene of Shane Warne and his incredible "Gatting Ball". Australia, led by Steve Waugh, now had one of the strongest teams ever known and won the Ashes with plenty to spare....
and 1994
1994 English cricket season
The 1994 English cricket season saw the emergence of a very strong Warwickshire team who won both the County Championship and the Sunday League.-Honours:*County Championship - Warwickshire*NatWest Trophy - Worcestershire...
seasons were less productive seasons for Cork with the ball, taking 37 first-class wickets in both seasons. 1995 was to prove to be Cork's major breakthrough season, in which he rediscovered his form, taking 90 first-class wickets at an average of exactly 20, including a career-best 9/43 against Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
, which remains his best figures to this day, and with Cork making his Test debut.
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
match of 1997 led to him not playing any international cricket that season and limited his appearances for Derbyshire. In the 1998 season, Cork was appointed Derbyshire captain on a full-time basis, replacing Phil DeFreitas who had stood in following the resignation of Dean Jones
Dean Jones (cricketer)
Dean Mervyn Jones AM is a retired Australian cricketer, and is presently a coach. He also worked as a media commentator.-Career:...
. A return to the England Test fold in 1998 again limited his County Championship appearances, but he featured more for the county in that season's
1998 English cricket season
In the 1998 English cricket season Leicestershire won the championship for the second time in three seasons while Lancashire performed the one day double.-Honours:*County Championship - Leicestershire*NatWest Trophy - Lancashire...
List A competitions. He scored 280 runs in one-day cricket and took 23 wickets at just under an average of 30. He captained Derbyshire in their 1998 NatWest Trophy
1998 NatWest Trophy
The 1998 NatWest Trophy was the 18th NatWest Trophy. It was an English limited overs county cricket tournament which was held between 24 June and 5 September 1998. The tournament was won by Lancashire County Cricket Club who defeated Derbyshire County Cricket Club by 9 wickets in the final at...
final defeat against Lancashire at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
. Cork's recent struggles in international cricket, where he had lost his ability to bowl his much famed out-swinger resulted in him playing for Derbyshire for the majority of the 1999 season
1999 English cricket season
The 1999 English cricket season saw the Sunday League changed to a new format National League with games played midweek under floodlight.-Honours:*County Championship - Surrey*NatWest Trophy - Gloucestershire*National League - Lancashire...
, where he took 55 wickets at an average of 22.34. The following season saw Cork return to the England Test team. A personal note of success that season came with Derbyshire in a County Championship match against Durham
Durham County Cricket Club
Durham County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Durham. Its limited overs team is called the Durham Dynamos. Their kit colours are blue with yellow trim and the shirt sponsor was...
, where he made a double century, scoring an unbeaten 200.
However, Derbyshire was at this point in the club's history was beset with internal divisions, stemming from the resignation two years earlier of Dean Jones from the captaincy. Such was the internal strife during that 1998 season that England's chairman of selectors David Graveney
David Graveney
David Anthony Graveney OBE is a leading figure in English cricket and former chairman of the England Test selectors, a post he held from 1997 until 2008. Graveney attended Millfield School in Somerset....
left Cork out of the 1999 World Cup
1999 Cricket World Cup
-England:-Outside England:-Group A:-Results:-------------------------------------------------------------Group B:-Results:------------------------------------------------------------...
squad, citing that the issues at Derbyshire were playing too heavily on Cork's mind to allow him to play international cricket. Before the start of the 1999 season
1999 English cricket season
The 1999 English cricket season saw the Sunday League changed to a new format National League with games played midweek under floodlight.-Honours:*County Championship - Surrey*NatWest Trophy - Gloucestershire*National League - Lancashire...
, Cork demanded the Derbyshire committee return a number of powers to the captaincy, and when his demands went unfulfilled he threatened to resign from the county altogether. Allied with Cork in the dispute were teammates Kim Barnett
Kim Barnett
Kim John Barnett was an English cricketer who briefly played for England in 1988 and 1989, and for Derbyshire from 1979 to 1998. He also played for Gloucestershire from 1999 to 2002, and for South African club sides...
and Karl Krikken
Karl Krikken
Karl Matthew Krikken is a former English cricketer who kept wicket for Derbyshire for most of his career, which spanned 16 years between 1987 and 2003....
. Cork carried out his threat and asked to be released from the remainder of the four seasons left on his contract. However Derbyshire refused to terminate the contract. Six months after the dispute began, the Derbyshire committee gave into Cork's demands allowing him more say over playing matters, coupled with the departure of Andy Hayhurst
Andy Hayhurst
Andrew Neil Hayhurst is a former English cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler....
and Harold Rhodes
Harold Rhodes (cricketer)
Harold James Rhodes, sometimes called Dusty Rhodes is an English former cricketer, who played for England in 1959, for Derbyshire between 1953 and 1975, and for the MCC between 1959 and 1963...
from administration positions at the county, both of whom Cork cited as making his captaincy untenable. The internal divisions between Cork and the county management soon became public knowledge, with former players like Ian Blackwell
Ian Blackwell
Ian David Blackwell is an English cricketer. A left-arm orthodox spinner and powerful middle-order batsman, he has played for England in one-day and Test sides, and plays county cricket for Durham, having left Somerset at the end of the 2008 season.-Career:Blackwell was called up for the England...
vocal of Cork's captaincy methods and his "negative" impact on the dressing room. During the dispute his form began to suffer, and another injury in 2001 did not help his case. He was awarded a benefit year in 2001, with some of his benefit events being boycotted by the Derbyshire committee; this was a season in which Cork's appearances were limited to just a handful by his England duties and return to the England one-day side.
In 2002, Cork played more regularly for Derbyshire, but pressure began to build on his captaincy with Derbyshire performing poorly in List A cricket and ending the season 6th in the County Championship, although he did take 64 wickets at 18.90. Cork's international career came to an end in 2002, allowing him to dedicate himself to playing season long for Derbyshire. With the internal problems at the county, Cork's form with both bat and ball was erratic: his first-class bowling average in 2001 was 51.50, 18.90 in 2002, and 27.26 in 2003. His performances in one-day cricket remained more consistent. The 2003 season was also one of Cork's most controversial. Following a Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
fixture against Leicestershire in the Twenty20 Cup
2003 Twenty20 Cup
The 2003 Twenty20 Cup was the inaugural Twenty20 Cup competition for English and Welsh county clubs. The finals day took place on 19 July at Trent Bridge, and was won by the Surrey Lions.-Background:...
, Cork branded Australian Brad Hodge
Brad Hodge
Bradley John Hodge is an Australian and Victorian cricketer. He attended St Bede's College in Mentone, Victoria. He is a right hand batsman who bats in the middle order, as well as a part time right arm off spin bowler....
a cheat after he appeared to catch Steven Selwood
Steven Selwood
Steven Andrew Selwood is a former English cricketer who played for Derbyshire between 2001 and 2004.Selwood was born at Barnet, Hertfordshire, the son of Tim Selwood who played for Middlesex between 1966 and 1973. Selwood played initially for Middlesex and joined Derbyshire in the 2001 season...
after crossing the boundary rope. He also branded the response of the England and Wales Cricket Board
England and Wales Cricket Board
The England and Wales Cricket Board is the governing body of cricket in England and Wales. It was created on 1 January 1997 combining the roles of the Test and County Cricket Board, the National Cricket Association and the Cricket Council...
's chief executive, Tim Lamb
Tim Lamb
Timothy Michael Lamb was an English County Cricketer and Cricket Administrator, the first Chief Executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board and is now Chief Executive of the Sport and Recreation Alliance .He was educated at Shrewsbury School and The Queen's College, Oxford University...
, as "pathetic". Following the remarks, Hodge considered legal action. The England and Wales Cricket Board took action, summoning Cork to a hearing where they fined him £1,000 and banned him for three matches. The three match ban was suspended for a year. With Derbyshire rooted to the bottom of the County Championship Division Two table at the end of the season and coupled with the internal issues at Derbyshire, including incoming Director of Cricket David Houghton's refusal to confirm him as captain for 2004, Cork requested to be released from the remainder of his three-year contract extension agreed only at the beginning of the 2003 season. His release was granted by the county.
In the period from 1990 to 2003, Cork played 158 first-class matches for the county, scoring 5,870 runs at a batting average of 28.08, with five centuries and thirty-five half centuries. In the field he claimed 125 catches. With the ball he took 505 wickets at a bowling average of 25.76, with 22 five wicket hauls, 5 ten wicket hauls in a match and with career best innings figures of 9/53. His record in List A cricket for the county was equally as impressive, playing 184 matches and scoring 2,947 runs at an average of 22.49, with sixteen half centuries and a high score of 93. In the field he took 83 catches. With the ball he claimed 234 wickets at an average of 26.05, with four five wicket hauls and best figures of 6/21, which remain his best figures. He formed key bowling partnerships with teammates Phil DeFreitas, Devon Malcolm
Devon Malcolm
Devon Malcolm is a former English cricketer.Malcolm was one of England's few genuinely fast bowlers of the 1990s. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, he settled in England, making his first-class debut for Derbyshire in 1984, and qualifying to play for England in 1987...
and Ole Mortensen
Ole Mortensen
Ole Henrik Mortensen is a former Danish cricketer, probably the best his country has produced. A fast-medium right-arm bowler, in a first-class career with Derbyshire that ran from 1983 to 1994 he took 434 wickets at a good average of 23.88.For Denmark, Mortensen appeared in four ICC Trophy...
. He has cited Kim Barnett, the first captain he played under at Derbyshire, as the best captain he has played for, regarding him as his "guide and mentor". Indeed, it was Cork's wish to see Barnett return to the county in an administration capacity which played a part in Cork's downfall at the county.
Lancashire
Following his release from his Derbyshire contract, Cork joined LancashireLancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
for the 2004 season
2004 English cricket season
The 2004 English cricket season saw the English cricket team record a 4-0 Test series whitewash over the West Indies. Their one-day form was poor, however. In the Natwest Trophy, they failed to make the final, which saw New Zealand defeat the West Indies by 107 runs. And in the Natwest Challenge,...
. After surgery on a troublesome ankle injury, Cork joined the county in their pre-season tour of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
before making his debut for the county in a County Championship match against Northamptonshire. Cork's early days at his new county brought mixed fortunes, suffering a loss of form in 2004, coupled with relegation from Division One of the County Championship. Cork's maiden season with Lancashire did see him play a role in taking them to finals day in the Twenty20 Cup
2004 Twenty20 Cup
-Semi-finals:-----Final:...
at Edgbaston
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
, where he played in their semi-final defeat by Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
. He was awarded his county cap in 2004. The county were promoted back to Division One the following season
2005 County Championship
The 2005 County Championship season, known as the Frizzell County Championship for sponsorship reasons, was contested through two divisions: Division One and Division Two. Each team plays all the others in their division both home and away...
, a season in which Cork took 46 first-class wickets at 26, and 17 List A wickets at an average 27.47. This season was a marked improvement on Cork's debut season for Lancashire. In 2006, Lancashire mounted a challenge for the County Championship
2006 County Championship
The 2006 County Championship season, known as the Liverpool Victoria County Championship for sponsorship reasons, was contested through two divisions: Division One and Division Two. Each team plays all the others in their division both home and away...
, with Cork taking 42 wickets at an average of 25.50. Lancashire were eventually beaten to the title by Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
. Cork also played a key role in Lancashire's run to the final of the 2006 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy
2006 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy
-External links:* at CricketArchive....
, where they played Sussex. Opening the bowling with Kyle Hogg
Kyle Hogg
Kyle William Hogg is an English cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler who has played for Lancashire since 2001. Between 2000/01 and 2002 Hogg represented the England under-19s in six youth Tests and 11 One Day Internationals...
, Cork did not take any Sussex wickets, but did run-out Richard Montgomerie
Richard Montgomerie
Richard Robert Montgomerie is a former English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Sussex, Northamptonshire and Oxford University....
and Carl Hopkinson
Carl Hopkinson
Carl Hopkinson is a former English cricketer and current coach. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium pace bowler. He was also a talented fielder.Born in Sussex, he attended Brighton College...
. His not out 35 in Lancashire's innings was in vain as Sussex ran out winners by 15 runs in a low scoring match.
Cork was banned for the first 50-over game of 2007 after an incident at the previous season's final against Sussex, and was fined £2,500. This was later reduced to £500 on appeal. The 2007 season panned out in a similar fashion to the previous season's County Championship, with the fight for the title, again with Sussex, going down to the final day of the season. Playing Surrey at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
, Lancashire required nothing less than a victory to claim the title. Chasing 489 runs to win, Cork struck a dogged 47 in Lancashire's second-innings, as they ultimately fell short of their target by 25 runs. Seemingly falling down the pecking order at Lancashire, Cork did not feature in any one-day matches in the 2008
2008 English cricket season
The 2008 season of England's county cricket saw the four regular tournaments played: The LV County Championship , Friends Provident Trophy , NatWest Pro40 League and the Twenty20 Cup...
and only played a handful of County Championship
2008 County Championship
The 2008 County Championship season, known as the LV County Championship for sponsorship reasons, was contested through two divisions: Division One and Division Two. Each team plays all the others in their division both home and away...
matches. On 12 August 2008 it was announced that Lancashire would not be renewing Cork's contract for the 2009 season. While Cork said that "it hurts, decisions like this", he also said that he intended to continue playing cricket at the highest level that he could. Lancashire captain Stuart Law
Stuart Law
Stuart Grant Law OAM is an Australian-born cricketer. He is also the head coach of Bangladesh national cricket team, as from July, he succeeded fellow Aussie Jamie Siddons, who left shortly after the 2011 Cricket World Cup...
stated that he had not been consulted about the decision and wanted Cork to stay at the club. The club released a statement saying Cork was released "with the longer-term development of the playing staff in mind and to allow the side to evolve". The decision to release Cork was criticised by Lancashire and England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff
Andrew Flintoff
Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff MBE is a former English cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club, England and the Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings. A tall fast bowler, batsman and slip fielder, Flintoff according to the ICC rankings was consistently rated amongst the top...
.
In his five seasons with Lancashire, Cork played played 64 first-class matches, scoring 1,822 runs at an average of 24.95, with three centuries, eight half centuries and a high score 154. Meanwhile in the field he took 49 catches. On Old Trafford pitches typically suited to pace and bounce, he took 173 wickets at a bowling average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 28.29, with four five wickets hauls and best innings figures of 7/120. In List A cricket he played 57 matches, scoring 749 runs at an average of 22.69, with two half centuries and a high score 57. In the field he took 15 catches. With the ball he took 58 wickets at an average of 28.98, with best figures of 4/14. Cork had left Derbyshire after the first season of Twenty20 cricket, so with Lancashire he had more exposure to the format. He scored 259 runs for Lancashire at an average of 13.63, with a high score of 28. With the ball he took 26 wickets at an average of 22.72, with best figures of 4/16.
Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
after signing a two-year deal, making his debut against Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
in the 2009 County Championship
2009 County Championship
The 2009 County Championship season, known as the LV County Championship for sponsorship reasons, was the 110th County Championship season. It was contested through two divisions: Division One and Division Two. Each team played all the others in their division both home and away...
at the Rose Bowl. Having been a key part of the Hampshire squad throughout the 2009 Friends Provident Trophy
2009 Friends Provident Trophy
The 2009 Friends Provident Trophy was an English county cricket tournament, held between 19 April and 25 July 2009. The competition was won by Hampshire Hawks who beat the Sussex Sharks by 6 wickets at Lord's.- Format :...
, where he played a part in guiding them to the final. In the final Cork helped Hampshire to a 6 wicket win. Cork was man-of-the-match, 16 years after his man-of-the-match performance for Derbyshire in the 1993 Benson & Hedges Cup final. Cork took figures of 4/41, including the wickets of England wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
Matt Prior for a second ball duck and Pakistan international Yasir Arafat
Yasir Arafat (cricketer)
Yasir Arafat Satti is a Pakistani cricketer. He bats right-handed and bowls right-arm fast medium.-International career:...
. Cork's first season was a qualified success, with him taking 62 wickets in all formats. His first season form played a part in helping Hampshire to a late season rally after being within the Division One relegation zone for most of the season.
With Dimitri Mascarenhas
Dimitri Mascarenhas
Adrian Dimitri Mascarenhas is an English cricketer of Sri Lankan Tamil heritage. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler. He currently plays county cricket for Hampshire County Cricket Club, in the Indian Premier League for the Kings XI Punjab and for the Otago Volts in New...
injured for the large part of the 2010 season
2010 English cricket season
-External links:* from Cricinfo...
, Cork took over the captaincy when Nic Pothas
Nic Pothas
Nic Pothas is a South African cricketer who plays as a right-handed batsman and who fields as a wicket-keeper. In a total of over 200 first-class matches, he has taken over 500 catches...
stood down following a run of poor results. During the 2010 season, Cork led the side to victory in the 2010 Friends Provident t20
2010 Friends Provident t20
The 2010 Friends Provident t20 tournament was the inaugural Friends Provident t20 Twenty20 cricket competition for the England and Wales first-class counties. The competition ran from 1 June 2010 until the finals day at The Rose Bowl on 14 August 2010...
finals day at the home of Hampshire cricket, the Rose Bowl. During the final itself he took the wickets of Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler
Joseph Charles Buttler, commonly known as Jos Buttler, is an English cricketer who plays for Somerset County Cricket Club. He is a right-handed batsman who also plays as a wicket-keeper...
and Arul Suppiah
Arul Suppiah
Arul Vivasvan Suppiah is an English/Malaysian cricketer. A right-handed batsman and left-arm orthodox spin bowler, he has played for the Malaysia national cricket team since 1999, and currently plays county cricket in England for Somerset....
, as well as hitting West Indian all-rounder Kieron Pollard
Kieron Pollard
Kieron Adrian Pollard is an international cricketer who plays for the West Indies. An aggressive all-rounder, Pollard provides medium-fast pace bowling and big-hitting from the middle-order. After shining during the 2009 Champions League Twenty20, he was signed by both the Southern Redbacks and...
in the eye with a bouncer
Bouncer (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a bouncer is a type of delivery, usually bowled by a fast bowler. It is pitched short so that it bounces on the pitch well short of the batsman and rears up to chest or head height as it reaches the batsman.Bouncers are used tactically to drive the batsman back on to his...
, which led to Pollard needing hospital treatment. Cork was praised for his sportsmanship during the incident. Following the match, Cork was offered a new one-year deal by Hampshire, a deal he stated he was likely to sign but a decision he would still nonetheless consider over the coming weeks. In October it was confirmed that Cork had signed a one-year contract extension taking him into the 2011 season, which would be his 21st in first-class cricket. Cork was also given the captaincy for the 2011 season on a permanent basis.
Provided Cork had a successful 2011 season
2011 English cricket season
The 2011 English cricket season began on 2 April with a round of university matches, and will continue until the final of the Clydesdale Bank 40 on 17 September. Three major domestic competitions are contested: the 2011 County Championship, the 2011 Clydesdale Bank 40 and the 2011 Friends Life t20...
, then he would be set to reach the all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
s' double of 1,000 wickets and 10,000 runs in first-class cricket. Cork hit his 10,000th run in Hampshires' County Championship
2011 County Championship
The 2011 County Championship season, known as the LV County Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the 112th cricket County Championship season. It is contested through two divisions: Division One and Division Two. Each team plays all the others in their division both home and away...
match against Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
at Headingley, off the bowling of Ajmal Shahzad
Ajmal Shahzad
Ajmal Shahzad is an English cricketer who plays for Yorkshire County Cricket Club. A right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler, he made his international debut in a Twenty20 International for England in February 2010...
. Under Cork's captaincy, Hampshire started poorly in the County Championship, where they sat second bottom without any wins, while in one-day cricket they have fared little better. Hampshire have saw a turn around in fortunes, be it in the Friends Life t20
2011 Friends Life t20
The 2011 Friends Life t20 was the second season of the Friends Life t20, England's premier domestic Twenty20 competition. The season ran from June 1 to August 27 2011. The teams in the tournament remained the same as the previous season....
, with Cork captaining them to five wins out of five, guiding them to their second successive finals day. On finald day, they lost in the semi-final against Somerset. Cork's form though continued to dip as the season progressed, toward the end of the 2011 season he took a break to look after his father who had been diagnosed with cancer and given a matter of weeks to live. Following Twenty20 finals days, he paid an emotional tribute to his father who had passed away days before. On 10 September, it was announced that Hampshire would be releasing Cork at the end of the 2011 season. A fortnight later he announced his retirement to the game after 21 seasons in first-class cricket, meaning he fell just short of 1,000 first-class wickets, ending his career instead with 989.
Test matches
Records:- Best bowling figures by an Englishman on debut, 7/43 v West Indies, 1992.
Test 5-Wicket Hauls
- The column title Match refers to the Match Number of his career.
| Dominic Cork's Test 5-Wicket Hauls | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | |Match | |City/Country | |Year | London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... | Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the... |
1995 | Won |
| [2] | 5/84 | 7 | Johannesburg Johannesburg Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa... , South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
Wanderers Stadium Wanderers Stadium BIDVest Wanderers Stadium is a stadium situated just south of Sandton in Illovo, Johannesburg in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Test, One Day and First class cricket matches are played here. It is also the home ground for the Highveld Lions, formerly known as Gauteng .The stadium has a seating... |
1995 | Drawn | |
| [3] | 5/113 | 15 | Leeds Leeds Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... |
Headingley | 1996 | Drawn | |
| [4] | 5/93 | 20 | Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... |
Edgbaston Edgbaston Cricket Ground Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England... |
1998 | Drawn | |
| [5] | 6/119 | 21 | London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... |
Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the... |
1998 | Lost |
Test match man-of-the-match awards:
| Date | Opponent | Ground | Record/Scorecards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22–26 June 1995 | Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the... , London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
Bowling: 7/43 | |
| 27–30 July 1995 | Old Trafford, Manchester Manchester Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater... |
Batting: 56 not out Bowling: 4/86 and 4/111 |
|
| 29–30 June, 1 July 2000 | Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the... , London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
Batting 33 not out Bowling: 4/39 and 3/13 |
Wisden Cricketer of the Year
He was chosen as one of the five Wisden Cricketer of the YearWisden Cricketers of the Year
The Wisden Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season"...
in 1996, alongside England teammates Angus Fraser
Angus Fraser
Angus Robert Charles Fraser is the current Managing Director of Cricket of Middlesex County Cricket Club, and a former English cricketer and journalist....
and Dermot Reeve
Dermot Reeve
Dermot Alexander Reeve OBE is an English former cricketer, best known as an unorthodox all-rounder and, until recently, coach of the New Zealand side, Central Districts....
. In their rationale, Wisden described his arrival in Test cricket as "without question, the most explosive entrance in living memory".
Personal life
Cork was born in Newcastle-under-Lyme to Mary and Gerald Cork, both CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
s of West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
origin. His father played some reserve football for Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
and worked as a financial consultant. He is the youngest of three brothers and was educated at St. Joseph's College, Stoke-on-Trent
St. Joseph's College, Stoke-on-Trent
St. Joseph’s College is a mixed Roman Catholic 11–18 school in Trent Vale, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire. The school is based around a Grade II listed building which was previously a residential property before it was bought by the Christian Brothers in 1931.-History:The school was founded by...
, before continuing his education at Newcastle-under-Lyme College. Cork married his first wife Jane when he was 22, but the pressures of being away on international duty led to his marriage ending in divorce. Cork has one son from that marriage, Greg, who is currently a member of Derbyshire's Academy setup. Greg, like his father, is an all-rounder. He is married to his second wife, Donna, five years his senior.
Cork regularly commentates on the game for Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
. He was one of the people caught up in the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team
2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team
The Sri Lankan cricket team attack occurred on March 3, 2009, when a bus carrying Sri Lankan cricketers, part of a larger convoy, was fired upon by 12 gunmen, near the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan. The cricketers were on their way to play the third day of the second Test against the...
, when he was commentating on Sri Lanka's tour of Pakistan
Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan in 2008–09
-2nd ODI:-3rd ODI:-1st Test:-2nd Test:-Only Tour Match:Pakistan Cricket Board Patron's XI vs Sri Lankans:-References:...
for the Pakistan Television Corporation
Pakistan Television Corporation
The Pakistan Television Corporation is Pakistan's national television broadcaster. The first live transmission of PTV began on November 26, 1964, in Lahore...
. He criticised Pakistan Cricket Board
Pakistan Cricket Board
The Pakistan Cricket Board is a sporting organization that is responsible for governing all professional cricket including Test cricket and One Day International matches played in Pakistan...
chief Ijaz Butt
Ijaz Butt
Mohammed Ijaz Butt is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in eight Tests from 1959 to 1962...
following his remarks that match referee Chris Broad
Chris Broad
Brian Christopher Broad, usually known as Chris Broad is a former England Test cricketer and current Test official. An opening batsman, Broad had a 25-match long international Test career during which he hit six centuries, together with 34 One Day International matches with a respectable over 40...
had fabricated elements of the attack. Cork also commentates on the Indian Premier League
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...
. In February 2010 Cork made his debut as a summariser on Test Match Special
Test Match Special
Test Match Special is a British radio programme covering professional cricket, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 , Five Live Sports Extra and the internet to the United Kingdom and the rest of the world...
when England toured Bangladesh
English cricket team in Bangladesh in 2009–10
The England cricket team toured Bangladesh, playing three One Day Internationals and two Test matches, at the end of the 2009–10 cricket season. They were captained by Alastair Cook, due to regular captain Andrew Strauss controversially missing the series to rest for the 2010–11 Ashes series...
. In December 2010, Cork was named as one of the contestants for series 6 of Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice (series 6)
The sixth series of Dancing on Ice started on 9 January 2011 and ended on 27 March 2011 on ITV. Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby return as hosts whilst Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean return to mentor the celebrities...
with Finnish figure skater Alexandra Schauman
Alexandra Schauman
Alexandra Schauman is a Finnish figure skater who competed as a single skater. She has appeared on the British television programme Dancing on Ice...
. He was eliminated in week four after being voted off by his six of his fellow contestants, following a skate-off with presenter Jeff Brazier
Jeff Brazier
Jeffrey Carl Brazier is a British television presenter and reality TV star. Before becoming a television personality, he was a footballer on the books of Leyton Orient for three years, although he never played for the first team and quit the game due to injury.-Career:In 2001, Brazier took part in...
.
Cork's father was taken to hospital after suffering a heart attack in July 2011, while receiving treatment in hospital he was diagnosed with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
and given just three weeks to live. Cork took a break from playing for Hampshire to be with his father in his final days, with Gerald dying on 13 August.
External links
- Dominic Cork at ESPNcricinfo
- Dominic Cork at CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...