BBC SPORT | Cricket | England | Stewart stands test of time



By Nick Hoult BBC Sport Online

When Alec Stewart makes his 119th Test appearance he will become the most capped England player of all time.

It is an achievement that will be testament as much to his longevity as his cricketing talent.

Little more than 18 months ago his world crashed around him after an Indian bookmaker made accusations over bungs and dodgy dealings.

Most England caps

AJ Stewart 119

GA Gooch 118

DI Gower 117

MA Atherton 115

MC Cowdrey 114

G Boycott 108

IT Botham 102

For a man who places great emphasis on his public persona it was the worst period of his professional life, but those who thought it would be the end of the Gaffer were wrong.

MK Gupta's allegations were denied and the bookmaker's credibility was shattered when he refused to repeat them in court.

Survivor

Stewart survived and despite the emergence of James Foster is as crucial to the make-up of the England side as when he made his Test debut at the age of 27 in 1990.

Then he was known as the son of Mickey Stewart, the then England manager, and whispers of nepotism haunted his early days.

James Foster and Alec Stewart
Foster's broken arm gave Stewart a vital chance

Fifteen Test hundreds later, plus a stint as England captain, and Mickey is now referred to as Alec's dad.

"His love of the game drives him," Mickey said. "If he was working in the city and playing club cricket at the weekend he would enjoy that just as much.

"What he loves most of all though is the competition. He has always been very determined and strong cricketer.

"Whenever he has been told he can't do something he has done his very best to achieve it."

Stewart's cricketing obituary was trotted out again when he refused to tour India last winter and was left out of the subsequent tour to New Zealand.

But Foster's slippery hands and England's run of four series without victory strengthened Stewart's claims for a recall.

Foster then broke his arm in the Essex nets and Stewart got the call again. A century at Old Trafford and Stewart had seen off another young pretender.

Milestone

Now he is ready to add another milestone to his growing personal collection.

"To go past Graham Gooch, who is one person I look up to more than anyone else, and the likes of Geoffrey Boycott, Ian Botham and David Gower means a lot to me," Stewart said.

"It shows I have played good cricket for 13 years for England and now I'm starting to set a new record.

"I've been lucky with injuries but I've played with elbow problems and stuff but at 39 I probably feel younger than some of the 33 year olds in our side.

"I've kept myself pretty fit and when you are enjoying it you want to keep going. It's all to do with upbringing and the culture around when I started.

Graham Gooch and Alec Stewart in a Melbourne gym in 1995
Gooch and Stewart share a fitness ethic

"I've enjoyed training and I'm lucky that I'm reasonably athletic. Naturally I'm reasonably athletic and I've a love for the game which makes putting the hard work in a lot easier."

The exercise ethic is one shared by the man whose record he is eclipsing, his former captain.

"He is a quality cricketer and he has been for over a decade," Gooch said.

"This record is testament to his ability and to the physical shape that he has kept himself in and I congratulate him on it."

Stewart factfile

DOB: 8/4/1963

Tests: 118

Captained (won): 15 (4)

Runs: 7632

Average: 39.54

Catches: 229

Stumpings: 12

England's highest run-scorer in the 1990s, were it not for the side's lack of a bowling all-rounder, Stewart's average could well still be over 45 - the mark of a world class batsman.

Without the pressure of the gloves, Stewart has 3923 runs at an average of 46.70.

Longer term plan

But that drops to 33.20 when he must also think about keeping wicket, usually dropping down the order and facing spin as a result.

Although Stewart may still be the best wicketkeeper-batsman in the country, England captain Nasser Hussain made it quite clear before the series began that a longer term plan needed to be found.

"The selectors have got to look to replace him," said Gooch.

"You like to look to the future before you have to but it's a question of whether you select your best team for the future or your best team now."