Former Manchester United star Phil Neville was once England's under-15 cricket captain

Phil Neville

Being good in one sport is hard enough but to be so in two takes some doing. In England, over the years, there have been many professional cricketers who were good enough to have chosen football as a career and vice versa.

For example, Sir Denis Compton, apart from playing 78 Test matches for England from 1937 to 1957, was also an accomplished footballer who made close to 60 appearances for Arsenal. Sir Geoff Hurst, who was the cornerstone of England’s triumphant FIFA World Cup campaign in 1966, made a solitary appearance for Essex and a few for the Second XI in County Cricket. But in recent times, it has become impossible for people to be able to juggle careers in both sports, with the demands on a player playing just one sport being too taxing by itself.

Captain of England’s U15 cricket team

If not for the constraints in modern times, former Manchester United and England footballer Phil Neville might well have opened the batting for his country in Test match cricket over the last decade or so.

Neville, by all accounts, was a precocious cricketing talent who broke many batting records set by Michael Atherton. In fact, his ability as a cricketer was so highly rated that he captained England at the Under-15 level. He was also the youngest to play for the Lancashire 2nd XI at the age of 15 and played alongside Andrew Flintoff in the Lancashire Under-19 side.

“Phil [Neville] was captain of the England under-15 side at football and cricket. He was brilliant. I know it's a big statement, but he was better than Flintoff at the time,” former Somerset fast bowler Steve Kirby, talking of Neville’s cricket exploits, said.

Though Neville ultimately chose to pursue a career in football, and who could blame him when Manchester United come calling, his passion for the game of cricket is still very much alive. Just a couple of months before he eventually announced his retirement from football at the end of the 2012-13 season, he expressed a desire to spend his post-football days playing club cricket.

Phil Neville’s brother Gary Neville (R) with former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden

Plans to play cricket again

“One hundred per cent, I will play cricket again in a couple of years’ time if my career ends,” the 37-year old had said.

“That is the first thing I am going to do; I am going to get back doing something I love.

“People sometimes fear retirement but I am looking forward to it because I can go and do something I love.”

We will never quite know how good a cricketer Neville could have gone on to be, but his football career hasn’t gone too badly with 59 caps for England in addition to winning six Premier League titles, three FA Cups and one UEFA Champions League with Manchester United.

Neville, having recently signed with BBC for their Match of the Day program, is set to make an appearance on Test Match Special on day 2 of the ongoing Test match between England and India at Old Trafford.

Really looking forward to welcoming former England under 15's Cricket captain @fizzer18 to the @bbctms box today. pic.twitter.com/Qcqxpv6upn

— BBC TMS (@bbctms) August 8, 2014