Monday 16 May 2016 11:25, UK
Often horrendous, occasionally hopeful... overall, England's performance in the 90s was haphazard, as a record of 43 defeats, 38 draws and only 26 wins over the decade will testify.
England did have a number of excellent players at their disposal in that time but there was also a number of more unusual selections.
Here we look back at four of the finest players of the decade and four of those whose time in the limelight was all too brief…
Michael Atherton
The tenacity required to captain a struggling England side for a record 52 Tests over five years in the mid-90s should not be underestimated. To do so while nursing a chronic back condition, and in a pre-central contracts era where everything was stacked against the national side succeeding, speaks volumes.
Limited bowling options and inconsistent batting meant his side was often up against it and his was the wicket that opponents craved above all others. As a batsman, an average of 37 might be considered good rather than great but should be viewed in the context of England's troubles and take into account the great pace bowlers around in the 90s - Ambrose, Walsh, Donald, Pollock, Wasim and Waqar. If ever there was a career-defining innings, his 185 not out in 643 minutes, to save the Johannesburg Test of 1995, was it.
Alec Stewart
The most versatile England cricketer of his generation, his best role in the team was a regular topic of debate for the selectors and never proper resolved - in the 90s, he played purely as a batsman in 51 Tests (averaging 46) and as a keeper in 42 matches (averaging 34).
The highs were his twin hundreds as an opening batsman in the 1994 victory at Barbados against Ambrose and Walsh in their pomp to seal a first defeat for the West Indies at the ground in 59 years. He also took over the captaincy in 1998 and led England to a home series victory over a strong South African side - their first major series win in 12 years. Less happily was his involvement in five successive Ashes series defeats (with another two to follow in the 2000s).
Angus Fraser
Despite only playing in 43 out of a possible 107 Tests over the decade, many of England's most notable victories in the 90s owed much to Fraser's accurate and consistent fast-medium bowling. The Caribbean was a particularly happy hunting ground - his 5/28 at Sabina Park in the first Test of the 1990 tour contributed to a shock England win by 9 wickets.
A career-threatening hip injury cost him three years out of the side and led to the perception that his earlier 'nip' had gone. This assessment was unfair and, in the 1994 Barbados Test, Fraser's first innings 8-75 was as important as the Stewart batting heroics in England's improbable win. He was in and out of the side during the mid-90s but back to his best for the 1998 home series victory against South Africa in which he took 24 wickets.
Darren Gough
As with Fraser, Gough was often the victim of unfortunate injuries, only playing 34 Tests in the 90s. Australia may have dominated the era but the Yorkshireman won the respect of their public on his first Ashes tour in 1994-95 with an ebullient personality and 20 wickets in the first three Tests, including a man-of-the-match performance of 6-49 (to go with 51 with the bat) at Sydney before having to return home early.
The SCG was again his stage four years later when he took the first Ashes hat-trick in 99 years, his searing yorkers deserving more than being on the losing side against Australia yet again. At least he had tasted team success the previous summer with victory at home against South Africa - his 17 wickets had been key. As England emerged from the difficulties of the 90s, Gough was a key component of Nasser Hussain's developing side in the early 2000s.
Richard Blakey
In among several contenders, the England tour of India in early 1993 must be a good candidate for the most disastrous tour of the decade. Every excuse was used to explain away English failure, from the smog in Kolkata, to dodgy prawns in Chennai. The initial squad selection had been controversial enough with the omission of David Gower, and Yorkshire's keeper-batsman Richard Blakey being chosen ahead of Jack Russell.
After England lost in Kolkata, Blakey replaced Alec Stewart with the gloves for the remaining 2 matches. However, a failure to pick Anil Kumble's flipper, and to hold a simple chance behind the stumps, meant his Test career was short and not particularly sweet - two matches, both of them defeats by an innings, and a batting average of 1.75. Having expected to win the series, England suffered a 3-0 series loss.
Mark Lathwell
The story of Mark Lathwell's career is a microcosm of the muddled selectorial thinking of the 90s. With England 2-0 down in the 1993 home Ashes series, and after seven successive Test defeats, press clamour for youth to be given a chance had reached fever pitch.
The 21-year-old Somerset batsmen was chosen to open, strangely replacing Graham Gooch, who slid down into the middle order. After just two Tests, and with a a top score of 33, Lathwell was dropped, never to appear again. England used 24 players over the summer, eventually losing 4-1. For his part, Mark Lathwell retired from the game in 2001 at the age of just 29.
Martin McCague
That 1993 Ashes summer also saw rabbits pulled out of hats in the England bowling ranks - having been born in Northern Ireland, Martin McCague was able to play for Kent as a non-overseas player and qualify for England despite having played much of his cricket while growing up in Australia. The Aussie press labelled him the first rat to join a sinking ship but, after a fiery debut at Trent Bridge, this briefly looked like sour grapes.
Alas, his bowling in the next Test at Headingley was ineffective and he was dropped. A year later, McCague was contentiously selected for the 1994-95 Ashes tour ahead of Angus Fraser, England supremo Ray Illingworth arguing that his pace would unsettle the home batsmen. In the event, his bowling in the first Test at the Gabba was less than impressive and a stress fracture meant he never appeared again for England.
Aftab Habib
Whatever the struggles of the 90s, the one team that always seemed beatable was New Zealand, with England being on the winning side at home in 1990 and 1994, and away in 1996-97. There was no expectation that the Kiwis' visit in 1999 would be any different. Aftab Habit had averaged over 50 for Leicestershire the previous summer and was drafted into the middle order to start the series.
As it turned out, a strong seam attack of Chris Cairns, Dion Nash and Geoff Allott exposed limitations in the Habib technique and he was jettisoned with an average of 8.66 after just two matches. England went on to an embarrassing 2-1 series defeat and ended the summer bottom of the world Test rankings.
Watch 'England In The 90s' On Demand now, or at 10pm on Sky Sports 1 HD on Tuesday.
