Christopher Stuart Cowdrey (born 20 October 1957) is an English former cricketer. Cowdrey played for Kent, Glamorgan and England as an all-rounder. He is the eldest son of the cricketer and life peer, Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge. He was educated at Tonbridge School.
Life and career
After a good season for Kent in County cricket in 1984, Cowdrey was selected for England's 1984–85 tour of India, led by his friend David Gower, ostensibly taking Ian Botham's place after Botham had opted out of the tour. In the First Test in Bombay he was fielding at short leg when Gower asked him to bowl. Although he forgot to take off his shin pads he bowled Kapil Dev with his fourth ball, the 19th England bowler to take a wicket in his first over. His father was listening to Test Match Special in his car and was so surprised that he drove the wrong way down a one-way street. Following the tour, where he had scored 96 runs and taken four wickets Cowdrey was not selected by England until 1988, and the infamous "summer of four captains". In that year Cowdrey, who had taken Kent to the top of the County Championship table, was given the job to lead the Test side in the fourth Test of a five match series against the West Indies. said England's chairman of selectors Peter May, who was also Cowdrey's godfather, amid charges of favouritism.
A newspaper article penned by Cowdrey landed him in trouble in the corridors at Lord's and, in 1990, he joined a rebel tour to South Africa.