A wristy and natural batsman, Mark Lathwell's early career promised much, but ultimately he failed to live up to the hype - possibly because of that very hype - and he drifted out of the game before he was 30. He burst on the scene at Somerset and was heralded as one of England's most promising batsmen - Bob Cottam described him as "the best young player I've ever seen" - and that reputation was further enhanced on England A's tour of Australia in 1992-93. As England were being hammered by Australia in 1993 there were calls for him to be drafted in. By the time he was picked, his superb form of the previous 12 months has ebbed, and, clearly nervous, he struggled (as most did that summer) and was dropped after two outings. Most pundits assumed he would be back, stronger for the experience; in fact, he never again recaptured that early promise. At the end of 1993 he was named the Cricket Writers' Young Player Of The Year, but he struggled on that winter's A-team tour of South Africa, averaging 17. His confidence waned season by season, and by the end of the 1990s he was struggling to hold down a place in the Somerset side. His technique developed flaws, and he was sidelined by injuries for much of 1999 and 2000, but returned in 2001 with 702 runs at 35.10. However, his enthusiasm for the game had gone and, as he admitted, he found the whole thing a strain and he retired.
Martin Williamson