Norman Cowans

Norman George Cowans (born 17 April 1961) is a former cricketer who played in 19 Test matches and 23 One Day Internationals between 1982 and 1985 for the England cricket team.^[1] He played first-class cricket for Middlesex and Hampshire County Cricket Clubs.

Cowans was a right-arm fast bowler and a right-handed lower-order batsman and became the 500th person to play Test cricket for England.^[2]

Life and career[]

Born at Enfield in Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica, Cowans moved to England with his family when he was eleven. He played County Championship cricket for Middlesex and then Hampshire, winning three Championships and four limited-overs titles (all with Middlesex) in his fifteen seasons. On his first tour overseas, on England's defence of the Ashes in Australia in 1982/83, he often struggled, was wayward in line and length, and was underbowled by captain, Bob Willis, until the crucial Fourth Test at Melbourne, a match England had to win if they had any hope of retaining the Ashes they won at home in 1981.

Cowans played the game of his life at the MCG in 1982, where he took a match-winning 6 for 77,^[3] following his first innings 2 for 69 (which included the first ball scalp of Greg Chappell), in England's dramatic three run victory. This victory sent the series to Sydney for the deciding Fifth Test, which ended in a draw.

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