Neil Fairbrother (born Neil Harvey Fairbrother; 9 September 1963) is an English former cricketer who played 75 One Day International matches and 10 Test matches as a batsman for England. Fairbrother, named by his mother after her favourite player, the Australian cricketer Neil Harvey, Another milestone came in 1998, when he became the first man to play in ten Lord's one-day domestic cricket cup finals. Fairbrother finished on the winning side in seven of these finals, including the Benson and Hedges Cup in 1984, when he top-scored for his side aged 20, and both the Benson and Hedges Cup and NatWest Trophy in both 1990 and 1996. He also helped Lancashire to success in the Refuge Assurance Cup in 1988 and the National League (formerly the Refuge Assurance League) in 1989 and 1999.

International career

Fairbrother made his international debut on 2 April 1987, in a One Day International against India. Following a match-winning century against a West Indies side including Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh at Lord's in 1991, he established himself as a regular in middle-order of the one-day side for several years. Test success, however, proved elusive. Bowled for a duck on his debut, he made just ten Test appearances for England, with only one half-century from 15 innings, at an average of 15.64. Chief among the world cup appearances was the 1992 World Cup Final where Fairbrother topscored for England with a gritty 62 off 70 balls and almost pulled off an improbable chase.

References

  • Neil Fairbrother: 12 facts about the Lancashire stalwart Chinmay Jawalekar, Cricket Country, September 9, 2015