Joey Benjamin

Benjamin built a belated county career - first with Warwickshire, then with Surrey - on accurate, nippy awayswingers, and in 1994, at the age of 33, he was a surprise choice for the third Test against South Africa at his home ground, The Oval. But his crucial 4-42 in the first innings was put in the shade by Devon Malcolm's feats in the second, and the rest of his international career consisted of two one-day games in Australia that winter. Even at county level he faded as quickly as he rose, and by 1997 Benjamin was no longer a regular for Surrey, who released him at the end of the 1999 season - though he was still one of their most popular players. His action, a whirl of arms and energy, lay somewhere between Gladstone Small and Dominic Cork, while his batting was based on the principle of hit out or get out.
Lawrence Booth