And it is these two players who woke up on Monday morning and found themselves out of the England side for the second Test. Iron- ic? Or merely indicative of the vast gulf between county cricket, where England's frontline batsmen and bowlers perform prodigies, and international cricket, where the same players are found sadly lacking? Your guess is as good as mine.
That the axe would fall on Hick, who has scored a mere 195 runs in his last 13 Test innings (including 35 in four innings against India, and eight in two innings against Pakistan at Lord's) was perhaps inevitable. ``Hicky is struggling at the moment,'' said chair- man of the England selectors Raymond Illingworth. ``This is a three-Test series, we are one down and we have a game to win. We can't afford to carry anybody who is not donig well.''
True enough. And if there is an element of tragedy in the fact that Hick will now find himself out of the reckoning for a place in the England squad to tour his home country, Zimbabwe, later this month, then it is just one of those things, so sorry.
The fact is that Hick has not been able to translate the promise of his 89 county hundreds into good perfformances at the Test level. In point of fact, the censorious would even say that the England selectors have given the Zimbabwe-born batsman more chances than he deserved.
As for Brown, his inclusion in the England attack for the first Test was on the strength of the 58 county wickets he had taken in the season thus far. But it was obvious that he was totally out of his depth when it came to bowling at the Pakistan batting lineup on a placid wicket at Lord's - ergo, the axe, which confines Brown to the realm of one-Test wonders.
Hick will be replaced in the England lineup by Lancashire batsman John Crawley, while Somerset seamer Andrew Caddick, who was on the verge of premature retirement folloiwng an injury a year ago, will take Brown's place in the England squad. Caddick's claim to fame, thus far, lies in the fact that it was he who terminated Brian Lara's innings after the West Indian southpaw had hammered a world record score of 375 at Antigua in 1994.
Besides Lara's wicket, Caddick also contracted shin problems during that tour, remained inactive for most of last season and spent the England winter having corrective surgery. Caddick marked his return to fitnes by grabbing 46 first class wickets for Somerset this season.
If Hick's axing means that the batsman will not figure in the England side to tour his native Zimbabwe, then Caddick's inclusion could mean that he will form part of the England party to his native New Zealand after the Zimbabwe tour. ``It will be special for me to tour New Zealand with England,'' Caddick admitted. ``I phoned my mum at Christchurch to tell her the news.''
John Crawley is another player who, thanks to hamstring trouble, was ignored for the earlier series against India. Though the Lan- cashireman is a regular number three, he is likely to bat down the order in the event that Nasser Hussain, who is also a member of the 13-man squad, returns to his rightful number three slot.
The most surprised member of the England squad, though, is Ronnie Irani. The Anglo-Indian, who celebrated his Test debut with a century against India at Lord's, was dropped after disappointing in the next Test. Thus far, he has scored only one other half century in first class cricket since May, but returns to the side anyway.
``I am a little bit surprised,'' says Irani about his recall. A statement that echoes the sentiments of us all.
Equally surprised, though not as pleasantly, must have been Darren Gough of Yorkshire, who was strongly tipped to earn a recall for the second Test, which will be played on his home ground. That, however, is not happening.
Meanwhile, contrary to expectations, England keeper Jack Russell retains his place in the squad. It was expected, after the Waqar Younis-Mushtaq Ahmed blitz in the England second innings blew the home team batsmen away, that England might ask the in form Alec Stewart to keep wickets in addition to his batting duties, in order to drop Russell and make way for another batsman. Illingworth and company, however, have decided against this policy.
The die, in any event, is cast - now to see whether the England side will, as picked, be able to withstand the onslaught of a Pak- istan side that seems well nigh unstoppable.