Introduction
Former England medium-fast bowler Peter Martin was born on November 15, 1968, in Accrington, Lancashire. His nickname is “Digger” He played in 20 ODI’s and 8 Test matches for England from 1995 to 1998. Peter Martin is primarily a tall, medium-fast bowler who can swing the ball both ways.
In English county cricket, he was associated with Lancashire for his entire career. Although his key ability is fast bowling, as a lower-order batsman, he contributed runs in a difficult situation and record two first-class centuries. In English County, he rarely lowered his standards and played a pivotal role in his club’s success during his time.
ODI Debut
In 1995, Peter Martin was picked for the England side to face the West Indies in the ODI series. On May 26, 1995, in the 2nd ODI at the Oval, he made his ODI debut with a bang of 4 for 44 to help England beat the West Indies by 25 runs and take the Player of the Match award. That was a fantastic start for any bowler to leave a solid impression on the ECB selectors. He took his first ODI wicket on Sherwin Campbell’s catch by Graham Thorpe. The other three wickets were by Brian Lara, Jimmy Adams, and Curtly Ambrose. Also, in the 3rd ODI at Lord’s, he also captured 2 for 36.
His success in the ODI series earned a call for the South Africa tour and later on, he was a member of the England squad for the Cricket World Cup 1996 held in India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. His best performance was 3 for 33 against South Africa at Rawalpindi. Unfortunately, he didn’t perform well in the ICC prestigious event on the slow track of the subcontinent.
Eventually, he was dropped and did not play too many matches for England. After two-year gap, he was again selected for England in the 1998 ICC Knockout tournament held in Bangladesh. It was a sad moment for him, as he didn’t pick a single wicket in the three matches he played and conceded 47, 60, and 55 runs. In 1996, surprisingly, his average is the highest for Lancashire and England, scoring just 78 runs in 12 innings and being unbeaten 11 times with a top score of 35*, so he is mounting his average of 78.00.
Test Debut
Peter Martin’s impressive performance opens the door for him to play Test cricket. That was indeed a great moment in his life. He made his Test debut against West Indies in the First Test at Leeds. In the batting, he just managed to score 2 and 19 and take 1 for 48 and 1 for 49. In the 2nd Test at Lord’s, he took 2 for 65. In the third Test at Birmingham, he just managed to get a solitary wicket for 49 runs.
First-class Centuries
Peter Martin scored two first-class centuries. The first hundred, 133, when he scored against Durham in 1992. Therefore, after a long time, he again enhanced his credibility in the batting department by scoring 117 runs at No. 10 against Warwickshire in 2002.
Lancashire
Peter Martin loves to play for Lancashire, and he devoted his entire career to Lancashire in all formats from 1989 until his retirement in 2004. Peter Martin grabbed more than 600 first-class wickets under his belt and 353 List-A wickets. His continuous knee injury forces him to call his day from all formats of the game. That was a difficult decision for him. But every player has to make this type of decision in life to move forward. Thus, he retired in 2004, and his sturdiness and control proved impossible to replicate in Lancashire cricket history.
Post Retirement
Peter Martin is an enthusiastic fan of painting and drawing and has a good reputation in the commercial market. You can buy his paintings or view them on his website. Further, he is a local cricket club coach at Lancashire and passed Levels I, II, and III coaching certificates.
Test Stats
In 8 test matches, he scored 115 runs @ 8.84 with the best of 29, 17 wickets @ 34.11 with the best of 4 for 60, and 6 catches.
ODI Stats
In 20 ODIs, he scored 38 runs @ 6.33 with the top score of 6, 27 wickets @ 29.85 with the best of 4 for 44, and one catch.
First-class Stats
In 212 first-class matches, he scored 3,594 runs at 19.42 with the best of 133, including 2 hundred, 7 fifties, and 606 wickets @ 27.51, with the best bowling of 8 for 32, five wickets in an inning 17 times, one time 10 wickets in a match and 56 catches.
List-A Stats
In 251 List-A matches, he scored 502 runs @ 13.21 with the best of 35*, 45 catches, and 353 wickets with the best of 5 for 16, including 6 times five wickets in an inning.
T20 Stats
In 4 T20 matches, he took 7 wickets @ 12.14, with the best of 3 for 20.
