 England's optimistic new recruits, before the calamity of Jo'burg 1999 |
The recent batting collapses suffered by England in South Africa pale into insignificance compared to the one experienced in Johannesburg in 1999.
That match, which England ultimately lost by an innings and 21 runs, also marked the debut of Michael Vaughan.
Thrust into a baptism of fire was Sussex captain Chris Adams, also making his debut, along with Gavin Hamilton.
Adams, though batting at six, came out to join Michael Vaughan for the final ball of the third over with England four wickets down and just two runs on the board.
"It was a wicket that looked slightly damp and we were very keen to win the toss and bowl," recalls Adams in an interview for BBC Sport.
 |  I don't even remember finishing my cup of tea |
"The whole camp was feeling a little bit of tension and there was some surprise when the umpires said we would start on time because conditions were poor.
"It all happened so quickly, there's so much going through your head.
"My only thoughts were to get myself a cup of tea, sit down and watch the cricket, watch [Mike] Atherton and [Mark] Butcher and get my first taste of Test cricket."
Of course the debutant was unable to watch much before he had to make his own way to the middle.
"I don't even remember finishing my cup of tea," Adams continues.
"I had one pad on when I heard this almighty appeal from [Alec] Stewart's first ball and I knew he was out instantly I could hear the roar.
"So I'm due to bat on my Test debut and I've only got one pad on!
 The fearsome Donald dismisses the debutant Adams for 16 in 1999 |
"It was all panic but, I must admit, in a bizarre sense it was such a disastrous situation it almost came in my favour because you couldn't do much worse than what had already happened.
"Someone said to me 'relax, they're having drinks' so I had a bit more time to get ready. I walked down the tunnel - as usual at Wanderers there was a lot of abuse from kids banging on the side - and met Vaughany in the middle.
"I said to him a nervous 'what's happening?' and he said: 'I haven't got a clue, I haven't faced a ball yet!' and that was it."
The man waiting to bowl at Adams was Allan Donald, scraping at his mark like an irate bull eager to inflict some damage upon a Spaniard waving a red flag.
Donald had knocked back Atherton's stumps in the first over, and in his next, having dismissed Butcher and Stewart, was now preparing for the hat-trick against Adams.
"The first ball was a yorker, speared in, which I managed to dig out," Adams remembers.
"The next ball I more than doubled the score because I hit a four!
"Maybe 90% of my thought process was 'right this is my debut I'm going to make the most of it.'
"I wanted to make sure I remembered every moment but it just happened so quickly. It was very difficult batting conditions and they bowled brilliantly."
Given the calamity of a first innings total of 122, Adams batting for 50 minutes and making the third-highest score of 16, the Sussex man recalls a relatively calm atmosphere in the dressing-room afterwards.
"The feeling was that there was enough in the wicket to get them out for less than 200."
Alas, it was not to be as South Africa racked up 403-9 declared with Darryl Cullinan hitting a century.
As a man who knows the challenges provided by the combination of captaincy and playing a prominent role with the bat, Adams has been impressed with Vaughan's tactical awareness thus far.
"His captaincy's been a revelation.
"He's going through what every batsman goes through, not just the England captain, and that's a lean patch.
"He must make sure everything he does is positive. He's out there to score runs not just to be there, he's capable of taking the best bowlers in the world apart.
"He's just got in a little bit of doubt and the pressures of captaincy alone are phenomenal, but he's a class act and he'll come through."
MMIX
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