Wisden overview
Chunky and compact, Hegg is a valuable nugget in the lower-middle order as Lancashire's wicketkeeper-batsman. He can dig in or counter-attack, and, like Alan Knott, loves the upper cut. Mark Taylor spotted this, and when Hegg made his Test debut at Melbourne in 1998-99, he was duly caught at fly slip. Once he gets going, Hegg also has a punchy cover-drive, and he revels in one-day run-chases for Lancashire. After a string of England A appearances he finally broke through on that Ashes trip and won two caps when England decided to give Alec Stewart a break from keeping wicket. Hegg kept well enough but struggled with the bat, and lost his place to Chris Read for the 1999 series against New Zealand. But he remained a tireless cheerleader behind the stumps and after shining with the bat in a gloomy summer for Lancashire, he was recalled for the tours of India and New Zealand in 2001-02. Lawrence Booth

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