10 English cricketers who failed to live up to their potential

Simon Jones turning out for England in the 2005 Ashes series

Simon Jones

Knee injuries scuppered much of Simon Jones’ career but his role in England’s 2005 Ashes team means his fleeting time in the game lives long in the memory. The right-arm pacer had the prized asset of reverse swing in his armoury, which served to confuse many an Australian that summer.

It was to be the last Test series he played and in all he competed just 18 times in the format for England, accumulating 59 wickets at a 28.23 average. He participated in county cricket – when able to – for Hampshire, Worcestershire and native county, Glamorgan, where he retired in 2013.

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Vikram Solanki

On his day, Vikram Solanki’s exquisiteness was enough to outshine pretty much anybody. An Indian-born batsman oozing class, his consistency earned him a call-up to England’s ODI side in 2000. That consistency soon dissipated on the big stage and barring two centuries, Solanki endured a rather listless 51-match career, averaging below 27.

England’s experiment with Twenty20 specialists saw him back in the frame for the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, where he was picked twice. He didn’t discredit himself, striking a brisk 43 against India in the wake of Yuvraj Singh’s magical six sixes. He has not played internationally since, and now at the age of 39, he finds himself more often in Surrey’s Second XI than their First.

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Sajid Mahmood

Sajid Mahmood’s express pace comes as no surprise considering his Pakistani heritage, and England were keen to make full use of it once becoming aware of his credentials. He was drafted into the ODI unit just two years after making his List A debut and was playing Test cricket two years after that.

A tendency to spray the ball around meant Mahmood was expensive and a lack of wickets left him as a liability. Averages upwards of 38 in both Tests and ODIs resulted in him playing only eight and 26 matches in each format. He departed long-term county Lancashire in 2012 for Essex, but it didn’t change his fortunes and he was released following the culmination of the 2014 season.

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Dimitri Mascarenhas turning out for Kings XI Punjab in 2012

Dimitri Mascarenhas

The likeable Dimitri Mascarenhas was rewarded for over a decade of notable service with Hampshire with a spot in England’s limited-over teams in 2007. He memorably smacked Yuvraj for five consecutive sixes to finish an ODI innings at the Oval that summer and combined with some handy bowling, Mascarenhas became a key part of England’s plans.

Such promise wasn’t replicated often enough and his England days concluded in 2009, although he was one of the few Englishmen to forge lucrative Indian Premier League contracts, signing for Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab. It was there where Mascarenhas suffered a damaging Achilles injury which severely limited his playing time towards the back end of his career.