Mark Ramprakash interview

By Ben Horne
September 4 2002

I recently interviewed Surrey and England star Mark Ramprakssh. Here are the questions and answers from the interview which took place against Hampshire in the county championship.

I recently interviewed Surrey and England star Mark Ramprakssh. Here are the questions and answers.

1. How did you fell when you walked out to bat for Surrey against Middlesex at Lords
this season?

It was an important game, first B and H game so it was an important a game from that aspect. It was a bit weird walking out to bat against Middlesex at Lords but apart from that it was all right.

2. What has been your best game for Surrey?

I suppose it was the B and H final. It was a very good for us. I thought we played very well against Gloustershire that day and it was my first piece of silverware for Surrey and hopefully there is more to come.

3. What do you do when you are not playing cricket?

I have two young girls one is nearly five and one is six months. They keep me very busy I can assure you.

4. Do you know what you would like to do when you retire from cricket?

I am really not sure at the moment. I am keeping my options open. I think, possibly coaching young kids or working in a school as a sports master something like that appeals I suppose. Ever since I was 17 I have been involved in cricket so that is all I know. I don’t know a lot out side of cricket.

4b so would you like to stay involved in cricket?

I suppose so. I am not really sure. If something forfeiting came along out of cricket then that would be fine I am not really qualified to do anything outside of cricket.

5. Do you have any superstitions?

I have a little superstition. For example if I am not out over night, then the piece of chewing gum I am chewing I will stick it on the end of my bat handle. Then I will continue chewing it the next morning.

6. Who is the joker in the Surrey dressing room?

Nadeem Shahid feels he is the joker and that he is the most popular bloke in the side. He is always up for a laugh and making jokes. It is a pretty dressing room.

7. After spending a lot of time in the middle with Rikki Clarke this season do you think he has the potential to become an England player in the future?

Without a doubt. He has already played some very good innings. It is not just the runs he has scored but the situations he has found him self in. We have had some very good partnerships. I can pick out one against MIDDLESEX in the Sunday league where he player really well and came in and got 60 from 60 balls. Also against Worikshire where the team were wobbling a bit and he came in and played really well. So I think when you look at players it is not the amount of runs they have score but the difficult conditions. If they get runs when it is hard to score it is an added bonus.

8. What is the best match you have been involved in?

I would say, four-day game. I remember a great game of cricket played at Cardiff. I didn’t actually get many runs but Glamorgan got 550 for 3 declared. Viv Richards got a double hundred. Then Middlesex got 650 and then we bowled Glamorgan out cheaply and won the game. Tufnell got 8 for 20 and Viv Richars got a fist ball duck in the second innings.

9. How did it fell to score your first hundred in England against Australia at your home ground?

That was a big moment for me. In my England career I have scored two hundreds those were very special because I have had such an up and down career at international level and it is a good feeling to finally play a good innings and against such a quality bowling attack. So for me it was very satisfying. No one can ever take that away from you. People can say this and that about you but no one can dispute the fact that you have managed to perform and get a couple off hundreds. It was very special of course to do it here. I have just moved to Surrey so at the oval that was an added bonus. It was very special.