Though a moderate cricketer himself, Derek Malcolm cannily skippered – Mike Brearley-style – a strong and successful Guardian 11, for which I “guested” over several seasons. Derek led the side on tours to India and Sri Lanka, and opponents back home included a team raised annually by that other great cricket aficionado, Harold Pinter.
When Derek was named critic of the year in the mid-1970s, I sent him a telegram. He replied: “Thank you, but would rather have been cricketer of the year.”
Clyde Jeavons
