Patrick Ian Pocock (born 24 September 1946) is a Welsh former

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

er, who played in 25 Test matches and one One Day International for the

England cricket team The England cricket team represents England and Wales in international cricket. Since 1997, it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club (the MCC) since 1903. Engl ...

between 1968 and 1985. The cricket correspondent Colin Bateman opined, "The selectors never really trusted Pat Pocock, although he was one of the most authentic spin bowlers of his generation. Pocock's action was textbook high; he spun the ball, varied his angles, and had a sweet loop."

Life and career

Pocock loved playing cricket, and had plenty of theories and experiments if the opposing batsmen got on top. His entire

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officia ...

career was spent with Surrey County Cricket Club, and he got his first taste of the vagaries of international selection, when he replaced Fred Titmus, who had lost four toes in a boating accident, on the 1967–68 tour to the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

. He then took 6 for 79 against Australia in the first Test at Old Trafford,

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, in 1968, and was then immediately dropped and replaced by

Derek Underwood Derek Leslie Underwood (born 8 June 1945) is an English former international cricketer, and a former President of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Through much of his career, Underwood was regarded as one of the best bowlers in Test cricket ...

. Pocock was not selected again in the series, and appeared only sporadically thereafter. His next two home Tests were against the West Indies in 1976, but his final recall was some eight years and 86 Tests later; only Derek Shackleton (103 Tests) and Les Jackson (96 Tests) had previously missed more matches between Test appearances. Pocock finished his Test career on a happy note, under the captaincy of

David Gower David Ivon Gower (born 1 April 1957) is an English cricket commentator and former cricketer who was captain of the England cricket team during the 1980s. Described as one of the most stylish left-handed batsmen of his era, Gower played 117 Te ...

, and in a successful partnership with

Phil Edmonds Philippe-Henri Edmonds (born 8 March 1951) is a former cricketer who represented England at international level and Middlesex at county level. After retiring he became a successful, albeit controversial, corporate executive. Edmonds played mo ...

on England's 1984–85 tour of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Pocock is also known for having taken seven wickets in eleven balls for Surrey against Sussex in 1972. He captained Surrey in his final season in 1986, having made his debut for them in 1964. He finished with 1,607 first-class wickets at 26.53, with best bowling figures of 9 for 57.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pocock, Pat 1946 births Living people England Test cricketers England One Day International cricketers Welsh cricketers Presidents of Surrey County Cricket Club Surrey cricket captains Surrey cricketers International Cavaliers cricketers Cricketers from Bangor, Gwynedd People from Reigate Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club Under-25s cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club President's XI cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club Touring Team cricketers