Many say that Jamie Cox will produce his best cricket at Lord's today because he is a Tasmanian and shares the lust of Aussie for turning it on at Headquarters. ``Watch him,'' says Dermot Reeve, the Somerset coach, ``he's got fast hands. He cuts so hard the gullies never move.'' Shades of Roy Marshall, I thought, recalling my life in the 1960s as a remote, 30-yard gully, waiting for the Hampshire West Indian to slash another blurred missile past my ear.

This is not to say that our own county players do not relish the big occasion. Some have surprised us on cup final day by their inner qualities which have brought out the hidden reaches of their talent. It was not long ago, 1993, that David Smith cracked a glorious century for Sussex against Warwickshire and, in the same game, Asif Din cobbled together, by strokes old and new, the fastest century in a final, since the first 1963. It fitted the unforgettable description by Alan Gibson of The Times of a scampering century by Clive Radley in a one-day match at Birmingham - 'a mixture of the classical, the baroque and the Old Kent Road'.

Back to Dermot Reeve. He watched the Asif Din innings from the other end: they put on a fifth-wicket record of 142 in the final. In 1985, Scotsman Brian Hardie, of Essex, played an heroic innings with Graham Gooch against Notts. They put on 202 in their opening stand. In 1996 Glen Chapple, of Lancashire, slipped out six Essex batsmen for 18. Roger Knight, the secretary of the MCC, sent down 12 overs in a final for Surrey - 12-3-14-2.

Limited-over cricket, of course, is made for enterprise and aggression with the bat and steadiness under fire with the ball. A NatWest Trophy final requires temperament and intelligence to produce that winning cricket in an atmosphere which can shrink the feeble and envelop them in the dark cloak of public failure. The overseas signing has star quality: otherwise he would not be in our game.

Asked to recall a few overseas' performances, I would begin in 1971 with Asif Iqbal. Asif was not built for fast bowling, but he could work a new ball with his whippy action as well as anyone. Against Lancashire that day he opened the bowling for Kent and returned figures of 12-5-36-1.

At the crease he had his own stance and style. His shoulders were open to the bowler, his bottom hand was two-thirds of a handle away from his top, but he had a wonderful eye, punishing wrists and an overall aura of elegance. His speed between the wickets was astonishing.

In the crescendo of his innings he struck the ball over extra cover until, suddenly, Jack Bond threw himself at extra cover to hold an amazing catch. Asif, out for 89 and Kent's cause lost. A dominant figure in those days was Clive Lloyd. In the 1972 final he scored 126 and opened the bowling - 10.5-2-31-0. Lancashire beat Warwickshire.

In 1975, he was back again with 73 not out to help beat Middlesex. It was the year of West Indies great success in the first World Cup. Lord's and Lloyd were no strangers. The South African, Michael Procter, showed us terrific talent in 1973 when Gloucestershire beat Sussex. He scored 94 runs in that classical, sideways-on style, big in the drive and accomplished in all strokes. Procter was a real fast bowler with late in-swing, darting movement off the seam and an armoury of bouncers.

If the ball was swinging he was wickedly difficult to play when he charged in round the wicket. His figures were 10.5-1-27-2. Somerset met Northants in 1979 when their two West Indians rose to the occasion. Vivian Richards stroked and struck a brilliant 117 out of 269, with Joel Garner earning an unbeaten 24. My recall suggests that Richards scored most of his runs through or over the on-side field. Wrong, of course, because he could strike any boundary in any direction.

He has a wonderful eye and the arrogance of a maestro, so often an asset. Garner delivered a massively restricting spell, wheeling away over after over with menace and concentration. Survival was all Northants could consider, Garner finishing with figures of 10.3-3-29-6.

Memories heap up - of Sylvester Clarke's burst of 2-17 in 11.2 overs to win Surrey the title against Warwickshire in 1982, of Imran's strong performance which helped Sussex home against Lancashire in 1986. Clive Rice's all-round talents spearheaded Notts to a win in 1987. Curtly Ambrose delivered 48 runs with the bat and figures of 10-1-23-0 for Northants in 1990, but Lancashire won.

Graham Hick and Tom Moody put on an unbroken 198 against Warwickshire in 1994 and, only two years ago, Stuart Law treated Warwickshire to breathtaking barrage of on-drives to help Essex win again over Warwickshire by nine wickets. Jamie Cox has some heroic performances to follow.