Several England all-rounders struggled with the pressure of being dubbed “the new Botham”. But in his first summer as a Test player, Dominic Cork seemed to thrive on it. He was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1996.
Dominic Cork may not have lived up to the promise of his debut summer, but he still took 131 wickets at 29.81 in 37 Tests. He also hit 864 runs at 18.
Very rarely in recent times has an English cricketer burst on to the Test scene in a manner that suggested that it was always his destiny to succeed at the highest level. David Gower announced himself with a languid pull for four off the first delivery he received. Ian Botham took five wickets the first time he bowled and it was obvious to everyone that there was much more to come.
But the arrival of Dominic Cork last summer was, without question, the most explosive entrance in living memory. His seven for 43 in the second innings of the Lord’s Test against West Indies are the best figures ever achieved by an Englishman on his debut. Two matches later Cork seized the first hat-trick taken by an England bowler in a Test match since Peter Loader in 1957.
In June, while England were losing the first Test at Headingley, Cork was still simply a young and promising county cricketer with eight one-day internationals behind him, hoping that consistent performances for Derbyshire would catch the eye of the Test selectors. Less than two months later, he was handing over the cheque for £21 million to the winner of the National Lottery.
His batting caught public attention when he pulverised the Lancashire bowling in the 1993 Benson and Hedges final. At Test level it has more potential than achievement, but he know what needs to be done. “I am determined not to be one of those England cricketers who has had a good start and then not gone on,” he says through gritted teeth. And, looking on as he goes about his daily business of training and practising, one is left in no doubt whatever that Cork means every word.
