We were very sad to hear of the passing of Mike Denness today. Mike was a former Essex and England batsman and the first Scotsman to captain England.
Mike was also a Brentwood resident later in life, and Phoenix FM presenter Alison Smith visited him back in January 2003 to talk about the then current controversy surrounding Zimbabwe in world cricket. You can hear the interview again here.
Original Phoenix FM article
“Cricketers shouldn’t take Zimbabwe decision”
It is unreasonable to expect the England cricketers to decide whether to go ahead with the World Cup matches in Zimbabwe, according to former Kent and England captain and Brentwood resident Mike Denness. With the World Cup only a matter of a few weeks away, the decision should not be put off any longer, he said, but Britain’s relations with Zimbabwe, sporting or otherwise, need to be addressed in the wider political arena.
Mike Denness discusses his long career in cricket both with the bat and as an ICC referee, and the development of the game of cricket. His most controversial moment came during the Indian tour of South Africa in November 2001 when his decision to punish six Indian players for breach of the ICC code of conduct caused outrage amongst Indian players and fans. In India the punishments were taken as a slur on the character of some of their sporting heroes, including one of their most successful batsmen, Sachin Tendulkar. The controversy caused and the protestations from the Indian side led to an overhaul of the disciplinary and refereeing procedure in the international game.
The Australians certainly never take their foot off the gas, in his view, and all credit should be given to Nasser Hussain’s men for their win in the final game and to Michael Vaughan for his successes over the whole tour. The day when England can compete with the Australians over a whole series may be some way off, however.
The interview was recorded just before the recent ECB decision to go ahead with the World Cup matches in Zimbabwe.
