Ashley Giles - My favourite player

Ashley Giles

Long before he became England’s limited overs coach and possible head coach in all formats, Ashley Giles carved out a niche bowling left arm spin for England in Test cricket. His darting deliveries into the pads of the batsmen deceived many a world class player, including Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar.

Giles has always been my favourite cricketer since I first started watching England play Test cricket in 2003. As England’s famous pace quartet assembled during 2004/5, it was Giles who allowed the other four to rotate from one end and blossom. The biggest joy in watching Giles play was the way in which he obviously knew he was not the most skilled player on the pitch, yet he did not let that stop him trying his heart out for the England shirt.

A Test match bowling average of 40.6 is nothing to write home about and to be honest, is pretty poor. Giles quite often played because there were no other viable spin options for England but he rarely let his side down. He famously subdued Tendulkar in his own country under the astute leadership of Nasser Hussain. Giles bowled over the wicket and bored Tendulkar into his shell before luring the little master out of his crease to be stumped for the first time in his Test career.

It was these moments of brilliance borne out of mediocrity that made Giles so satisfying to watch. The way he was castigated after the 1st Test of the 2005 Ashes was merciless, and calls for his head were louder than at any point during his career. But Giles responded with usual steely gaze and bowled beautifully at Edgbaston to earn 3-78 in the first innings, including the key wicket of Ponting – luring him into a misjudged sweep shot. The image of Giles sauntering to the wicket with has wrap around shades and dodgy hip became just as memorable for me as Flintoff’s one knee celebration.

Another of my favourite Giles moments came later in the series as he knocked off the winning runs in the fourth Test at Trent Bridge alongside Matthew Hoggard, scoring the most important 7 not out in Test history. His batting bore many similarities to his bowling; he wasn’t blessed with world class ability but his doggedness carried him through and allowed him to flourish as a doughty lower order batsmen.

His comeback in the 2006/7 Ashes series was far from successful but between 2003-5, Giles was England’s spin linchpin and a great man to have in the dressing room – an interesting point, considering his recent involvement in the Pietersen saga.

It was Giles’ self-depreciation and his willingness to never give in that made him stand out in a team of standout players. He may never have grabbed the headlines but his style and work-rate has always made him my favourite player.