Ted Dexter

Calcutta: Former England captain Edward ‘Ted’ Dexter, who spent a few days in the city on a private visit with wife Susan, spoke to The Telegraph on batting (and captaincy). Dexter’s own CV is, of course, impressive: 4,502 runs in 62 Tests (average 47.89). Then, he captained 30 times, winning nine and losing seven Tests.

The following are excerpts:

Batting idol

Wally Hammond... His off-drive was legendary and has been immortalised in numerous photographs... He made such a big impression on me and his statistics (7,249 runs in 85 Tests for England, average of 58.45) make such good reading.

The kind of batsman he’d pay to watch

Somebody who can take charge by attacking and, equally, have the ability to play time and defend... Great players, in my view, instinctively know when to attack and when to defend... They control the game... (After a pause) I enjoy watching batsmen with a really good top-hand control.

His numero uno batsman of all time

(Smiles) Gary Sobers... He was incredibly versatile and I never saw him in trouble against any bowling. Spin, swing, speed... He was never in a spot of bother. Sobers remains the best player of the ball rising above the waist. He could handle it with a straight bat, could play cross-batted shots... The ones who follow him, in my list, are a notch below.

Top five (alphabetically) after Sobers

Aravinda de Silva: He was one of absolute quality... I haven’t forgotten his unbeaten 107 in the 1996 World Cup final, an innings which helped Sri Lanka win the tournament. His team had lost early wickets (two for 23), but he never broke sweat. Played the perfect game, didn’t he?

Brian Lara: His extravagant back-lift gave his game such a fantastic touch... It used to be so high and wide that he could actually hit any ball for four. He did, very often... I wish England’s batsmen could appreciate the importance of the back-lift.

Viv Richards: A destroyer... If he was vulnerable, it was during the very early stages of his innings... If you didn’t get him then, didn’t get him before he fired, then you couldn’t get him before he’d scored big... However, I don’t think captains challenged him enough (because of his presence) with fields which could restrict him.

Sachin Tendulkar: I love to watch him... He’s very skilful and highly inventive... The moment anybody bowls straighter, he scores heavily on the leg-side... That, indeed, is a characteristic of the greats... Not so now, but early in his career, his approach reminded me of Viv.

Steve Waugh: A very good man to have in the middle if things weren’t going well... A perusal of his record will show just how effective he was during crisis situations.

On there being no Englishman

I can’t understand why they struggle with their back-lift... Can’t understand what they’re being taught by the coaches... Perhaps, there’s a lack of what I’d call a real ambition... If somebody has got a certain number of runs with a particular style in County cricket, then he may not be keen on trying something new which could make him a better batsman... You won’t remember an Andrew Strauss for elegance, but in the recent Chennai Test, he got a hundred in each innings and on his terms... In a tight game, that was admirable.

Somebody who missed making his list

Ricky Ponting... Leaving him out was certainly tough. (After a pause) If I may add, I quite enjoy VVS Laxman’s drives and the control he has on them.

One for the future

Kevin Pietersen... An extreme case of a leg-side player... If he stays consistent, he’ll be right up there with the best... Come to think of it, who knows where he’ll finish.

Finally, message for youngsters

Look to attack... Look to score... When you defend, it should be a reduction of your attacking stroke, nothing more... Also, the attacking stroke shouldn’t be an extension of the defensive one... Remember that time is most important... It’s critical in cricket.

DEXTER’s TOP FIVE CAPTAINS

• Len Hutton
• Graeme Smith
• Michael Vaughan
• Steve Waugh
• Frank Worrell

Note: Dexter didn’t put Ray Illingworth (“finest on-field captain”) in that alphabetical list
as his “man management” wasn’t of the highest order.