Brief profile of Chris Schofield by Matthew Reed

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Player:

CP Schofield

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DateLine: 20th December 2005

 

From a certain part of view, it could be argued that the career of Chris Schofield was sacrificed at the altar of the desperate search to find the English Shane Warne. Given a Test debut in the first match of the series against Zimbabwe in 2000, he scored a second ball duck and wasn’t bowled by Nasser Hussain. Although the match suited England’s seamers, an England victory was so inevitable after a 330 lead on First innings (and then with Zimbabwe reduced to 36-5 second time around) it would have been an ideal time for Schofield to have his maiden bowl. Surprisingly, he had been one of the twelve players to be awarded the first batch of ECB contracts. In the second Test, he hit a breezy 57 from no.8, although his bowling posed only a moderate threat and was easily milked as poor weather saved England from a possible defeat. Although he had a decent domestic season in 2000, and a decent winter Busta Cup campaign with England A on the bouncy tracks of the Caribbean (which have always helped leg spinners), his bowling form fell away, and when Lancashire did select him (and they frequently didn’t) it was mainly as a batting all-rounder. After just one First-class wicket in 2004, Lancashire lost patience and released him. Although many Old Trafford pitches in his time there had been prepared to take spin (with Muttiah Muralitharan as an overseas player), Schofield hadn’t progressed, and Mike Atherton amongst others blamed Schofield himself, saying that he hadn’t put the work in (a la Flintoff) which turns a young cricketer with raw potential into a consistently excellent player. In a final twist to the tale, Schofield won an unfair dismissal case against Lancashire in April 2005. Despite being keen to continue as a professional cricketer, and despite Second XI appearances for Derbyshire, Durham and Sussex, he has yet to find another county. For those who think that his Test debut came too soon, it is sobering to think that David Lloyd almost threw him into the Sydney Test of the 1998-9 Ashes series, with the series long gone and with the pitch being dry enough for the Australians to be fielding both Warne and MacGill. After Schofield, England went back to Ian Salisbury, although since then the English leg spinning cupboard has been absolutely bare. Schofield could probably still make it as a First-class cricketer on his batting alone. This may have to be his approach, as few English counties prepare pitches to suit spin. However, the negative reputation which has unfortunately attached itself to Schofield may yet count against him in his efforts to return to life as a professional cricketer.

 

December 2005

(Article: Copyright © 2005 Matthew Reed)