Farewell to the greatest Sussex player ever (From The Argus)

Farewell to the greatest Sussex player ever

7:10am Wednesday 27th August 2008

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Skipper Chris Adams has insisted Mushtaq Ahmed should be remembered for what he brought to Sussex cricket off the pitch as well as on it.

The 38-year-old is retiring after playing the leading role during the most successful period in the club’s history which brought them three Championships and two one-day trophies since he joined Sussex in 2003.

Adams said: “I love the history of the game and I know there have been some fine players at Sussex over the years and I admire what the greats of the past achieved.

“But for what he given inside the dressing room as much as his ability on the pitch he has to be the best player this club has ever had.”

Old-timers might disagree and making comparisons with the modern era and the greats of previous generations is almost impossible.

How can you say with any certainty that Mushtaq was a better bowler than, say, Maurice Tate who played for 25 years between 1912-37 and took 2,211 wickets?

But what Tate or many of the illustrious names of previous generations could not do was deliver the blue riband – the County Championship.

Mushtaq helped do that in his first season and it was the title clinching match against Leicestershire in 2003 which gave Adams his abiding single memory of the little leg-spinner.

He said: “The ball which got Brad Hodge out was the perfect googly. And of course, it was his 100th wicket. He did it again in 2006 and in terms of an overall match performance I would say the way he bowled when we won the title that year at Trent Bridge was almost perfect. He was on top of his game and made fine players like Stephen Fleming look like novices.

“Beating Lancashire in the C&G final that year will always be remembered for James Kirtley’s five wickets. But Mushy’s spell that day allowed us to get a foot-hold in a low-scoring final. He bowled beautifully and allowed James to come back and clean them up at the end.”

Adams says Mushtaq’s influence on his team-mates should not be overlooked in any appraisal of his outstanding Sussex career.

He added: “From a personal point of view he was ever so good for me. Captaincy can be a stressful job and there have been some tough times but he kept me relaxed.

“In terms of his impact on a team he is the best player I have played with. He commanded so much respect because of his humility as a human being as well as his achievements. The players will quickly move on, because that is the nature of professional sport these days, but they will never forget him.”

It is often overlooked in the Mushtaq story that there were serious misgivings at committee level when former coach Peter Moores insisted at the end of 2002 he could make the difference to his emerging team.

Moores’ successor Mark Robinson said: “There were a lot of sceptical people who thought he was finished but Pete was adamant. He had done his homework but in the end Mushtaq sold himself when he came down for an interview. He was determined to show people that he wasn’t finished.”

England commitments permitting, Moores will be at Hove later this week when Sussex make a special presentation to Mushtaq during the game against Nottinghamshire.

Adams said: “He deserves a big send-off and I hope as many supporters as possible are there to say goodbye. It is the least he deserves because he has entertained us royally over the last six years.”

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