Neil Foster
Encyclopedia
Neil Foster (born Neil Alan Foster, 6 May 1962, Colchester
, Essex
) and educated at Philip Morant Comprehensive, Colchester, is a former English
cricket
er, who played in twenty nine Tests
and forty eight ODIs for England from 1983 to 1993. He played for Essex
from 1980 to 1993, earning his county cap in 1983. He was a fast bowler
.
, Keith Fletcher
, John Lever
and Derek Pringle
, Essex with Foster as their spearhead fast bowler won the County Championship
on five occasions (1983, 1984, 1986, 1991 and 1992) during his time there.
debut against New Zealand
at Lord's
in 1983, with Jeremy Coney
becoming his first wicket and only wicket of that game. Foster made his debut alongside other debutants, Nick Cook
and Chris Smith
, and it was the first time since 1959 that England had fielded three new players in a home Test.
Foster made his mark on Test cricket at a similar time to other fellow Essex players and captain
Graham Gooch. Foster's fast swing bowling suited English conditions, but his best bowling figures came against India in Madras
in 1984-85 where he took eleven wickets in the match. Foster is the only bowler to get both Javed Miandad
and Viv Richards
out for a duck in a Test.
As a batsman, his highest Test score of 39 was made against Australia in the Fourth Test of the 1989 Ashes series
. In 1988, Foster was selected as Wisden Cricketer of the Year alongside Jonathan Agnew
, David Hughes
, Peter Roebuck
and Pakistan international Saleem Malik
.
was announced, with Foster one of the touring party with Mike Gatting
as captain. All rebel players were banned for three years from Test cricket.
Foster got a recall from the selectors in 1993, replacing Phillip DeFreitas
in the Second Ashes
test. It was his first Test for four years. He became the fourth South African rebel to be rehabilitated, after Gatting, John Emburey
and Paul Jarvis
, and his selection was designed to bring more aggression to the English attack. But on a docile pitch at Foster's least favourite Test ground, his recall was not a success. Foster opened the bowling with Andrew Caddick
, and the Australians scored 632 for 4 declared. England lost by an innings and 62 runs. Foster played only one more county game
before retiring that year.
With his first-hand knowledge of the physio's table, it is no surprise that Foster became a chartered physiotherapist after he retired from the game. He gained his degree in physiotherapy
from the University of Salford
.
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
) and educated at Philip Morant Comprehensive, Colchester, is a former English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er, who played in twenty nine Tests
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...
and forty eight ODIs for England from 1983 to 1993. He played for 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...
from 1980 to 1993, earning his county cap in 1983. He was a fast bowler
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...
.
First class cricket
Foster played for Essex during arguably their most successful period in their history. Supported by a star studded team that included other England players such Graham GoochGraham Gooch
Graham Alan Gooch OBE DL is a former cricketer who captained Essex and England. He was one of the most successful international batsmen of his generation, and through a career spanning from 1973 until 2000, he became the most prolific run scorer of all time with 67,057 runs...
, Keith Fletcher
Keith Fletcher
Keith Fletcher is a former English cricketer, who played for Essex and England. He later became England's team manager. His nickname was "The Gnome of Essex", so christened by his Essex team-mate, Ray East, because Fletcher's winklepickers had begun to curl up at the toes due to wear...
, John Lever
John Lever
John Lever MBE is an English former cricketer, who played in twenty one Tests and twenty two ODIs for England from 1976 to 1986...
and Derek Pringle
Derek Pringle
Derek Raymond Pringle is an English former Test and ODI cricketer for England, and is now a cricket journalist.He was educated at Felsted School and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University.-Life and career:...
, Essex with Foster as their spearhead fast bowler won the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
on five occasions (1983, 1984, 1986, 1991 and 1992) during his time there.
Test cricket
Foster made his 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...
debut against New Zealand
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
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...
in 1983, with Jeremy Coney
Jeremy Coney
Jeremy Vernon Coney MBE is a former New Zealand cricketer, who played 52 Test matches and 88 ODIs for New Zealand, captaining them in 15 Tests and 25 ODIs. He was one of New Zealand's most successful batsmen, at least by average, and he made 16 fifties, but centuries often eluded him and he had to...
becoming his first wicket and only wicket of that game. Foster made his debut alongside other debutants, Nick Cook
Nick Cook (cricketer)
Nicholas "Nick" Grant Billson Cook is a former English cricketer who played in fifteen Tests and three ODIs from 1983 to 1989. A slow left-arm orthodox spin bowler and a lower order right-handed batsman, he played first-class and List A cricket from 1978 to 1994. He is currently an ECB appointed...
and Chris Smith
Chris Smith (cricketer)
Christopher Lyall Smith was a cricketer for Hampshire and England. He also played one match for Glamorgan in 1979, while playing in the South Wales League, and in South Africa he played for Natal B .-Life and career:Smith was unable to play for the South Africa due to their exclusion from...
, and it was the first time since 1959 that England had fielded three new players in a home Test.
Foster made his mark on Test cricket at a similar time to other fellow Essex players and 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...
Graham Gooch. Foster's fast swing bowling suited English conditions, but his best bowling figures came against India in Madras
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
in 1984-85 where he took eleven wickets in the match. Foster is the only bowler to get both Javed Miandad
Javed Miandad
Mohammad Javed Miandad Khan , popularly known as Javed Miandad , is a former Pakistani cricketer who played between 1975 and 1996. He is Pakistan's leading run scorer in Test cricket. He has served as a captain of the Pakistan national cricket team...
and Viv Richards
Viv Richards
Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, KNH, OBE is a former West Indian cricketer. Better known by his second name, Vivian or, more popularly, simply as Viv or King Viv Richards was voted one of the five Cricketers of the Century in 2000, by a 100-member panel of experts, along with Sir Donald...
out for a duck in a Test.
As a batsman, his highest Test score of 39 was made against Australia in the Fourth Test of the 1989 Ashes series
1989 Ashes series
The 1989 Ashes series was that year's edition of the long-standing and storied cricket rivalry between England and Australia. Starting on 8 June 1989, England and Australia played six Tests, with the Ashes previously having been held by England since the 1985 Ashes series.The final result was a 4-0...
. In 1988, Foster was selected as Wisden Cricketer of the Year alongside Jonathan Agnew
Jonathan Agnew
Jonathan Philip Agnew is an English cricket broadcaster and former professional cricketer. He was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire and educated at Uppingham School. He is nicknamed "Aggers", and, less commonly, "Spiro"....
, David Hughes
David Hughes (cricketer)
David Paul Hughes is an English former cricketer. Though he never played for England, he was a stalwart of the Lancashire side for more than two decades, making 10,419 first-class runs. Though he batted right-handed, he also took 655 wickets with his left-arm spin.Hughes was born in...
, Peter Roebuck
Peter Roebuck
Peter Michael Roebuck was an English cricketer who achieved later renown as an Australian newspaper columnist and radio commentator. A consistent county performer with over 25,000 runs, and "one of the better English openers of the 1980s", Roebuck captained the English county side Somerset...
and Pakistan 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...
.
Rebel tour and retirement
During the 1989 Fourth Test, an England rebel tour to South AfricaSouth African rebel tours
The South African rebel tours were a series of seven cricket tours staged between 1982 and 1990. They were known as the rebel tours because South Africa was throughout this period banned from international cricket due to the apartheid regime...
was announced, with Foster one of the touring party with Mike Gatting
Mike Gatting
Michael "Mike" William Gatting OBE is a former English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Middlesex and for England from 1977 to 1995, captaining the national side in twenty-three Test matches between 1986 and 1988...
as captain. All rebel players were banned for three years from Test cricket.
Foster got a recall from the selectors in 1993, replacing Phillip DeFreitas
Phillip DeFreitas
Phillip Anthony Jason "Daffy" DeFreitas is a retired English cricketer. He played county cricket for Leicestershire, Lancashire and Derbyshire, as well as appearing in forty four Test matches and 103 ODIs...
in the Second Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
test. It was his first Test for four years. He became the fourth South African rebel to be rehabilitated, after Gatting, John Emburey
John Emburey
John Ernest Emburey is a former English cricketer, who played for Middlesex, Northamptonshire, Western Province, Berkshire and England....
and Paul Jarvis
Paul Jarvis
Paul William Jarvis is a former English cricketer, who played in nine Tests and sixteen ODIs for England from 1988 to 1993....
, and his selection was designed to bring more aggression to the English attack. But on a docile pitch at Foster's least favourite Test ground, his recall was not a success. Foster opened the bowling with 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...
, and the Australians scored 632 for 4 declared. England lost by an innings and 62 runs. Foster played only one more county game
County 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:...
before retiring that year.
Injuries
"Back and knee injuries plagued the career of Essex seam bowler Neil Foster so much that the plates in his body once apparently set off an airport metal-detector. In all, he had as many as nine knee operations, and the problems jinxed a fine career."
With his first-hand knowledge of the physio's table, it is no surprise that Foster became a chartered physiotherapist after he retired from the game. He gained his degree in physiotherapy
Physical therapy
Physical therapy , often abbreviated PT, is a health care profession. Physical therapy is concerned with identifying and maximizing quality of life and movement potential within the spheres of promotion, prevention, diagnosis, treatment/intervention,and rehabilitation...
from the University of Salford
University of Salford
The University of Salford is a campus university based in Salford, Greater Manchester, England with approximately 20,000 registered students. The main campus is about west of Manchester city centre, on the A6, opposite the former home of the physicist, James Prescott Joule and the Working Class...
.