Wisden overview
Mark Butcher's Test career has consisted of four patchy years, one rock-solid summer, and one amazing day. He broke into the England side in 1997 as a combative opener with a punchy cover-drive, a sure sense of his off stump, and a glaring weakness against spin. Given an extended run, he repaid the selectors with vital centuries in 1998 against the world's two best teams - South Africa at Headingley and Australia at Brisbane. In 1999, he even captained England in a Test against New Zealand. But the runs dried up in South Africa, his Surrey form crumbled, and so did his marriage, to Alec Stewart's sister Judy. Butcher lost his appetite for the game, and his Test place to Marcus Trescothick. His father, Alan, a one-Test wonder and respected coach, helped him rebuild his technique and he made an unexpected comeback as a Test No. 3 in 2001. His fighting qualities brought a string of useful scores, and then came nirvana: a blazing, take-no-prisoners 173 not out against Australia at Headingley, turning a stiff run-chase into a breeze. It was the innings of his life. On the flat pitches of 2002, he finally achieved consistency, making 551 runs at 55 and maturely playing David Boon to Trescothick and Vaughan's Taylor and Slater. He also wrote and sang a touching ballad at the memorial service for his team-mate Ben Hollioake. But old frailties resurfaced in the 2002-03 Ashes - running haplessly between the wickets and getting out when set. In 23 consecutive Tests since his return, he had been out 15 times between 20 and 49, before a fine century in the final Test at Sydney. He reached 50 Tests, curiously, without playing in a single one-day international. Tim de Lisle

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