It is no easy task to take over the captaincy of a Test side knowing that the job belongs to someone else.

But opportunity in cricket, like in any sport, can knock when you least expect it.

An injury to Nasser Hussain resulted in Mark Butcher being thrust into the limelight against New Zealand at Old Trafford two years ago.

He was given the job with little captaincy experience to fall back on, and although an innings of 83 not out by Alec Stewart enabled England to escape with a draw, it was not an experience Butcher is in any hurry to repeat.

Being England captain does not hold too many good memories for me Mark Butcher

But he was not by any means to find himself having to adjust to the demands of leading a Test side at short notice.

Another Surrey player, Monty Bowden, found himself in the same position on England's first ever tour to South Africa 110 years earlier.

A fever meant C. Aubrey Smith could not play in the second Test and Bowden became England's youngest ever skipper at 23 years and 144 days.

He led the team to victory by an innings and 202 runs as the home side, who were Test match novices, were bowled out for 47 and 43.

Bowden's story did not end happily, however, as he died three years later after settling in Rhodesia.

South Africa was the setting for Greville Stevens' lone appearance as captain in the final Test of the 1927-28 tour.

He took over from Ronald Stanyforth, who had been hit in the face by the ball during the fourth Test, but ended on the losing side as South Africa won by eight wickets.

England were led by Welshman Cyril Walters in the second Ashes Test against Australia in 1934 after Bob Wyatt broke a thumb, but once again the outcome was a disappointment as the tourists came out on top by 238 runs.

Kenneth Cranston skippered the team in the first Test of the 1947-8 tour to the West Indies after Gubby Allen was injured on board ship, and Donald Carr took over for the fifth Test in India four years later.

Graveney was over 40 when he was given the job

Tom Graveney's chance came during the 1968 series against Australia after Colin Cowdrey pulled a hamstring in the third Test.

The next match at Headingley saw both teams led by replacement skippers, with Barry Jarman leading Australia in place of Bill Lawry.

Although Cowdrey was in Leeds with the team, Graveney did not feel constrained when deciding tactics for the match.

"I made the decisions on the field. The only time we really got down and talked about something was whether we were going to go for the runs in the final innings or not.

"We lost the first Test match, the next two we should have won but the weather interfered. You can't go two down with one to play - it was a 50-50 chance and we decided not to go for it.

"Then we won the final Test match at The Oval to square the series," Graveney recalled.

Out of form skipper Mike Denness dropped himself for the fourth Test of the 1974-5 series Down Under, leaving John Edrich to lead the team.

The firepower of the Australians again proved too much, but Edrich emerged with great credit after batting for over two hours to make 33 not out despite having ribs broken by a ball from Dennis Lillee.

A proud moment for the Yorkshire opener

No-one coveted the England captaincy more than Geoff Boycott and his chance finally arrived in Pakistan in January 1978 after Mike Brearley was injured.

Boycott was in charge for the third Test and the three which followed in New Zealand, but he never had the satisfaction of leading the team out on home soil.

Prior to Butcher, John Emburey and Chris Cowdrey were England's most recent one-off skippers.

Both had their chance in 1988 when the team was led by four different skippers during a series against West Indies.

Following the sacking of Mike Gatting, Emburey took over for the third match but the selectors decided not to persevere with him after England went down by an innings and 156 runs.

Their next move was to pluck Cowdrey from the county circuit, where he had proved a successful leader with Kent.

Perhaps he should have heeded the omens when he was turned away by a gate man on his arrival at Headingley.

"I didn't know he was the England captain, and he didn't tell me," the gate man said later.

Cowdrey made nought and five as England lost by 10 wickets and that proved to be the end of his Test career.