John Emburey

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	Tests	ODIs
John Emburey England (Eng)

Batting style	Right-hand bat
Bowling type	Right-arm offbreak
Matches	64	61
Runs scored	1713	501
Batting average	22.53	14.31
100s/50s	-/10	-/-
Top score	75	34
Balls bowled	15391	3425
Wickets	147	76
Bowling average	38.40	30.86
5 wickets in innings	6	-
10 wickets in match	-	n/a
Best bowling	7/78	4/37
Catches/stumpings	34/-	19/-
As of 1 January 2006 Source: Cricinfo.com

John Ernest Emburey (born 20 August 1952 in Peckham) is a former English cricketer who played for Middlesex, Northamptonshire, Western Province, Berkshire and England.

[edit] Playing career

Emburey was a right arm spin bowler and a slightly eccentric lower-order batsman with the style of a grafter. He was more notable as an economical performer than a "demon" spin bowler, but on his day could leave the best batsmen groping outside off-stump. One of his dangerous balls was his arm ball outswinger.

Emburey was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1984.

Emburey was briefly made England Test captain in 1988, the notorious "Summer of four captains"([1]). Mike Gatting was sacked after the first Test match against the West Indies and Emburey was appointed for two matches, both of which were lost. Emburey too was fired and was replaced by Chris Cowdrey (regarded as a 'specialist captain') for the fourth Test. (Cowdrey lasted just one match, replaced in turn by Graham Gooch).

Emburey was the only cricketer to go on both the England rebel tours to South Africa in 1981/2 and 1989/90; the rebels were banned from Test match cricket because of the apartheid régime.

Later in his test career Emburey tended to be picked for single Tests in England, as happened in 1993 against Australia and 1995 against the West Indies.

At county level, Emburey's Middlesex career coincided with that of Phil Edmonds. The right and left arm spin combination was a powerful contribution towards Middlesex's successes in the 1980s. They also combined at England level, although the pair often competed for the same place in the Test team.

Emburey holds the dubious distinction of being the highest England test run-scorer never to have made a test century. He holds one batting record however, despite his chronic lack of footwork he scored 46 for the England XI against Tasmania at Hobart in 1986-87 entirely in boundaries, ten fours and a six, the highest innings made without running.