The all-male All England team of 1772 comprised players from Middlesex, Kent, Surrey, and Sussex. The All England XI in 2022 is much more diverse, with a mix of ages and gender and travelling from all over the country, and representing cricketing institutions from the MCC and ECB to the Ruth Strauss Foundation and Wisden.
The team, in alphabetical Surname order and from top left to right in the gallery above is:
Elgan Alderman is a journalist for The Times where he writes about all sports. His cricket awakening started aged seven with the 2001 Ashes. He puts the W in ECB having played for Ponthir, Newport, Gwent, and Monmouth School.
Jamie Cox is a former opening batsman cricketer, who played for Tasmania in Australia and for Somerset in England. From 1992, his first-class average was 50 or above in 8 consecutive seasons. Cox went on to be a commentator, journalist, and Australian cricket selector and now is the Head of Cricket for the MCC.
Charlotte Edwards is a former captain of the England women's team. She was England's then youngest cricketer on her debut and broke a world scoring record before her 18th birthday. As captain, Lottie led England to Ashes wins and world titles in one-day and Twenty20 formats of the game. In an illustrious career, she was named ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year, Wisden Cricketer of the Year, and ECB Cricketer of the Year and appointed MBE and CBE for her services to cricket.
Rob Franks is the first amputee cricketer in the UK to play cricket on a running blade, a former Dorset and Middlesex Disability County captain as well as gaining 12 caps for England. Rob plays and coaches at Parley cricket club and works as Community Officer for the Dorset cricket board. In 2019 he was awarded player of the match in a competition played at the iconic Wantage Road with figures of 3-33 in a winning cause.
Lee Gray is a British Army veteran that has played for the Royal Engineers Cricket Club and the Royal Household CC. He set up Cricket for Heroes: Super Smash, a cricket tournament with the aim of bringing support to the Armed Forces and Service charities through cricket.
David Henderson spent his teens watching Hadlee and Rice whilst working as a steward, ball boy, and groundsman at Trent Bridge. He played his league cricket at Portsmouth CC, has toured with the MCC, and now captains the Broadhalfpenny Brigands at the cradle of cricket. He is the Twelfth Man for the Anniversary game.
Rory Kinnear is an actor and writer, perhaps best known for his role as Bill Tanner in the last four James Bond films as well as his roles in Ridley Road, Years and Years, and Black Mirror. On stage, he has won the Evening Standard’s Best Actor Award three times and an Oliver Award. A devoted Surrey fan, his tenure as captain of his school’s 3rd XI is still talked of with hushed reverence, in his house at least, whilst his hat-trick of golden ducks, achieved in his brief stint in the second XI, has never been, nor never shall be, mentioned again.
Dru Patel started playing cricket after watching the 2005 Ashes series. He has played in the Bradford League, the Airedale & Wharfedale Cricket League, and a season in Australia for Waybacks CC. He has represented Heaven Help Us CC to raise money and awareness for charities like Barnardos and War Child. Dru is a top-order right-handed batter, a seam-up bowler, and an ECB Level 2 Coach.
Yasin Patel is a top-order batter and wicket-keeper who has played the majority of his cricket in the Essex Premier League and has also represented MCC and played for the Bar of England and Wales in the last 3 World Cups. Yasin’s claim to fame is whilst training with Nasser Hussain when he was England Captain, he bowled him 3 balls in a row. Nasser was not happy. His cricketing idols include David Gower and Garfield Sobers (two Broadhalfpenny Down Patrons) for their grace and brilliance with the bat. Yasin does Sports Law and has represented famous cricketers in many cases that involve International Cricket from spot-fixing, match-fixing, doping, cheating, and more. There’s many a story he can give you!
Chris Pratt plays for Hambledon, the Hampshire Hogs, and studies at Loughborough University. He played at Broadhalfpenny Down on New Year's Day and is a strong batter and great fielder.
Suman Shrestha grew up playing cricket in Nepal, without access to proper facilities and coaches, where he learned the game from watching on television and playing in the streets. He came to the UK with his family when I was 17 and started playing in Division 8 of a local Nottinghamshire league. With sheer hard work and dedication, Suman’s cricket improved, and he now plays Premier League cricket as well as playing in managed to climb up the divisions and have been playing Premier League. He has played in Australia, New Zealand, India, and Hong Kong, as well as returning to Nepal to play domestic cricket.
Chris Tremlett is a tall fast bowler who is a former English cricketer and Ashes winner. On the first day of the fourth Test, the Boxing Day Test held at the MCG, he took 4 for 26 as England skittled Australia out for 98 runs. In over 100 first-class matches he took more than 400 wickets, 5 of which were from his 12 Test Matches.
Jim Wallace grew up in the 90s: Britpop. Blair. Batting collapses. Playing for the mighty Bakewell Cricket Club in his youth his left-arm wrist spin went the way of the yips and he had to re-invent himself as a man of the willow. These days he contravenes the Trade Descriptions Act by turning out occasionally for the Authors XI CC. He writes about cricket for The Guardian and Wisden Cricket Monthly.
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