Udal revels in young man's game

Shaun Udal, having come out of retirement, celebrates helping Middlesex to Twenty20 Cup glory in 2008. He says he "felt at home" in the shortest form of the game

Whoever said that t20 would be a new breed of cricket for the younger generation didn’t count on players like Shaun Udal.

The former Hampshire, Middlesex and England spinner, who hung up his spikes at the end of last season, found a new lease of life in the shortest form of the game, getting the better of adversaries half his age thanks to 20 years’ experience of domestic cricket.

It is not so much a case of old dogs learning new tricks. Udal’s wily use of the white ball stems from decades of playing in what he calls the “cut and thrust” of old school one-day cricket.

His invaluable know-how was the main reason why Middlesex tempted the spinner out of his first retirement in 2007 - and central to them winning the Twenty20 Cup the following year.

As Udal, now 42, enjoys his second and, he insists, final retirement as a player, he talks ecb.co.uk through a remarkable career stretching back to 1989.

“It’s incredible to think I’ve played first class cricket in four decades,” he said, in the week that this season's Friends Life t20 got under way. “And when you look back at the changes in the game since then, it’s almost unrecognisable.”

Udal made his first class debut for Hampshire in 1989 as a fresh-faced 21-year-old. Affectionately known at the Rose Bowl as ‘Shaggy’, the youngster began to make a name for himself as a wicket-taker in limited-overs cricket.

“I always enjoyed playing in the shorter form of the game. I felt I was at my best trying to get people out rather than drying up an end to give the quicks a rest.” Udal said.

“I think if you ask most spinners they’ll say the same, you enjoy the battle with a batsman who’s trying to get after you. That’s why, when Twenty20 came around, it was the type of game I felt immediately at home in.”

"Amazing - something I’m really proud of." Udal accounts for Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai in 2006, the last of his four Test appearances

The inception of 20-over cricket came in 2003. Udal was 34 then, by no means in his prime. But with that change in the cricketing calendar came a chance for the old pro to ply his wares. Like almost everybody else, he simply went along for the ride.

He said: “I don’t think anyone could have predicted what was about to happen to domestic cricket. It was undoubtedly the biggest change I’d seen in my career.

“But we adapted to it, and I found it a form of the game that I enjoyed and, luckily, did well in.”

For Udal, whose introduction to the game was steeped in cricketing tradition - his grandfather played for Leicestershire and Middlesex, and Udal himself cites winning his Test cap in 2005 amongst his proudest moments - the less positive effects of the Twenty20 revolution did not go unnoticed.

“It has taken the game to a whole new level,” he said. “It has brought money to the game, it has brought more TV to the game, and it has really inspired young people to take up the sport, which is great. But, for me, it’s not without its faults.

“The fact that a lot of kids pick up a bat to play Twenty20 and not Test match cricket is a shame, but that’s just the way it is now.”

That Udal’s return to cricket was marked by such sensational success in cricket’s newest format makes it easy overlook what was a distinguished career across all formats.

In a first-class career spanning 22 seasons, he collected 822 wickets at 32.47 apiece, including 37 five-wicket hauls, and scored nearly 8,000 runs at an average of 22.59.

During that time Udal was called upon by his country sparingly. His first international experience came in 1994-95 when he played 10 ODIs against New Zealand and Australia.

Udal on touring duty in Australia in 1994. He admits he could have achieved more at international level had he shown more dedication. "That's the one regret," he said

He would wait 11 years for his next and last appearance in an ODI. In 2005 he was part of the touring squad which took on India and, despite only getting the nod in one 50-over game, Udal finally made his Test debut in that series. He played four games under the captaincy of Andrew Flintoff.

His final Test in Mumbai lives long in the memory of the spinner: Udal helped clean up the India middle order, claiming four wickets in the second innings, to put England on their way to a historic victory.

He said: “Taking four wickets in Mumbai was amazing. I managed to get Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni, something I’m really proud of.

“But it wasn’t just for me. I thought of my parents, who had taken me back and forward to practice as a kid, my family, friends and in-laws. It was a really proud time for all of them.”

Looking back, Udal says those memories of short-lived international success are bittersweet, and that if he had another shot at success with England he might approach things a little differently.

He said: “My only real regret was taking my foot off the gas when I was young.

“When I first played for England in my mid-20s I probably thought I’d made it. Maybe I didn’t train as hard as I might have, or maybe I took things a little too much for granted. That’s the one regret.

“But there are plenty of other times I’ll look back on fondly. I got to play with the great Shane Warne, who really revolutionised my game. I honestly don’t think I would have become the player I was if it wasn’t for his input. He really is a special cricketer.

“I’m also the only born-and-bred Hampshire cricketer to have captained the county and won a trophy. All things considered, that gives me immense pride.”