Chris Read - England - WK-Batsman

Having established himself as a reliable gloveman in domestic cricket, Chris Read was handed his Test debut against New Zealand in July 1999. He made his ODI debut the next year and showed signs of establishing himself as the main wicketkeeper in the side. However, his batting disintegrated and he was often guilty of throwing away good starts. The stiff competition from Geraint Jones did not help his cause either. Later on, Matt Prior and Jos Buttler, emerged to push Read down the pecking order.

Read figured in 15 Tests and 36 ODIs between 1999 and 2007 before being dumped. Read's only Test fifty on the international scene came against Pakistan in the Headingley Test in 2006.

He may not have lived up to expectations at the highest level but continues to remain a vital cog in Notts' machinery. In 2007, Read took over as the leader of Nottinghamshire.

He did not let the extra responsibility adversely affect his batting and continued to score heavily. Six year later though, he relinquished One Day captaincy to James Taylor as Nottinghamshire began to build for the future.

In July 2014, he was picked as the keeper-batsman for MCC in the Bicentenary Celebration match at Lord's.

By Cricbuzz Staff