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Full name Neil Alan Foster
Born May 6, 1962, Colchester, Essex
Current age 46 years 116 days
Major teams England,Essex,Norfolk,Transvaal
Nickname Fozzy
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium
Height
6 ft 4 in
Education Philip Morant Comprehensive, Colchester
Batting and fielding averages
Mat
Inns
NO
Runs
HS
Ave
BF
SR
100
50
4s
6s
Ct
St
Tests
29
45
7
446
39
11.73
1223
36.46
0
0
54
4
7
0
ODIs
48
25
12
150
24
11.53
244
61.47
0
0
9
0
12
0
First-class
230
269
59
4343
107*
20.68
2
11
116
0
List A
215
113
40
1247
62
17.08
0
2
49
0
Bowling averages
Mat
Inns
Balls
Runs
Wkts
BBI
BBM
Ave
Econ
SR
4w
5w
10
Tests
29
47
6261
2891
88
8/107
11/163
32.85
2.77
71.1
2
5
1
ODIs
48
48
2627
1836
59
3/20
3/20
31.11
4.19
44.5
0
0
0
First-class
230
45833
22196
908
8/99
24.44
2.90
50.4
50
8
List A
215
10954
7128
292
5/17
5/17
24.41
3.90
37.5
7
2
0
Career statistics
Test debut
England v New Zealand at Lord's, Aug 11-15, 1983 scorecard
Last Test
England v Australia at Lord's, Jun 17-21, 1993 scorecard
Test statistics
ODI debut
New Zealand v England at Christchurch, Feb 18, 1984 scorecard
Last ODI
England v Australia at Lord's, May 29, 1989 scorecard
ODI statistics
First-class span
1980 - 1993
List A span
1981 - 1995
Profile
Back and knee injuries plagued the career of Essex seam bowler Neil Foster so much that the plates in his body once apparently set off an airport metal-detector. In all, he had as many as nine knee operations, and the problems jinxed a fine career. Fozzie had a beautiful, upright action, which generated prolific outswing and seam movement both ways. And he had the priceless ability to dismiss good batsmen: he is the only man to snare Javed Miandad and Viv Richards for 0 in a Test. He came from nowhere to take 11 wickets in England's stunning Madras victory in 1984-85, and at The Oval in 1988 demolished West Indies' top order single-handedly in a devastating display. He went on the rebel tour to South Africa a year later, only to return to Test cricket at his Lord's bogey ground - where his bowling average was 51 - in 1993. He gave in to injury and retired a week later.
Rob Smyth
