Ashes Quiz – Learn more about some of the cricketing legends you can book with Evolve today

Incorrect Answer!

Sir Alastair Cook is a former England captain and the country’s highest-ever Test run scorer and statistically the best batsman in the nation’s history.

His tally of 12,472 runs places him fifth on the list of highest-ever Test run-scorers in the history of the sport. Alastair first fell in love with the sport when he was at a boarding school in Bedford, where he had gained a place for his musical talent at age 13. Since the age of 16 he was a part of the Essex academy and in 2003, made his debut there. In 2006, he was first selected for England during a Test match with India. He made an instant impact and at 21, scored half a century in his first innings for his country. His successes continued and he preceded to score over 1,000 runs in his first 12 months playing for England.

In 2009, he was part of the team that won the Ashes, and in 2010 was named England captain. He captained the team in back-to-back Ashes series in 2013 and 2014 where he first saw the team win 3-2 and add a third consecutive Ashes title to their name, and then suffer a 5-0 defeat the following year. Alastair played his final game for England in 2018, and in 2019 was knighted for his services to cricket. His passion for the game remains and he continues to play for Essex in domestic cricket.

Alastair’s cricketing career has been like no other – he captained England to victory against India for the first time since 1984-85 and equalled Allan Border’s record for appearing in the greatest number of consecutive Test matches with 153. If you’re looking for someone with extensive experience to discuss both the highs and the lows of the sport, he is the ideal choice.

Incorrect Answer!

As an enthusiastic sport-lover growing up, Michael decided to pursue a career in cricket over football – a decision which proved to be excellent for the country. He joined his local county, Yorkshire, made his professional debut for the team at age 17, and continued to spend his entire career representing them in the domestic game. Michael received his first England call-up in 1999 and in 2001 he scored his first Test century during a match against Pakistan. He soon became captain and went on to lead his country to a record 26 Test victories, including the historic Ashes victory in 2005 against Australia.

The team had not been victorious in the series since 1987 at the time, and this resulted in Michael receiving an OBE. Throughout his career, Michael scored more than 5,000 test runs. Following his retirement in 2009, he has become a popular cricket broadcaster both here in the UK, and abroad. He has featured on the likes of the BBC’s famous Test Match Special radio show; BBC Radio 5 Live’s Fighting Talk panel show; BT Sport’s coverage of cricket; and Fox Sports Australia.

As a former captain, Michael can not only discuss his remarkable sporting career, but also topics including leadership and teamwork. Knowing what it takes to get the most out of a team, he is one of the most popular cricket speakers in the industry.

Incorrect Answer!

Born in South Africa, Andrew and his family moved to the UK when he was just six years old. Whilst at school, he discovered his love for cricket and in 1998, made his debut for Middlesex. Throughout his career, he also represented Somerset and New Zealand team Northern Districts in the domestic game. In 2004, he made his test debut in a match against New Zealand, and in 2005, was a part of the England squad that won their first Ashes Series since the 1980s. He proved an asset to the team in this series as he scored a century in both the third and fifth Tests.

In 2008, Andrew was given the Test captaincy on a permanent basis and captained the team to a 2-1 Ashes win in 2009. He scored more runs than any other player, with a total of 474. Andrew played in 100 Test matches for his country and in 127 ODIs. Many of these matches he played as captain, and other than Michael Vaughan, no other player won more matches than him with the captaincy. In total, he scored more than 7,000 Test runs throughout his career. In 2012, Andrew retired however remained active in the sport, and in 2015 he became the ECB’s Director of Cricket. In 2018, Andrew tragically lost his wife to cancer, and has since started the Ruth Strauss Foundation in her memory to offer support to those grieving loved ones and raise money for research. In 2019, he was made a knight for his services to the sport.

As one of England’s greatest-ever players, Andrew makes for an incredibly popular cricket speaker. His tales of the matches he has played in are like no other and he is expert in sharing his experiences in the sport.

Incorrect Answer!

Kevin Pietersen has been described by esteemed legends within the game, as simply the ‘greatest batsman to ever wear an England shirt’.

Born and brought up in South Africa, Kevin moved to England aged 17 to pursue a career in the sport. Due to having an English mother, he was eligible to represent the national team and made his international test debut for England in 2005. He then went on to play in 104 test matches, scoring a staggering 8,181 runs. Kevin additionally excelled in white-ball cricket, scoring a total of 13,000 runs in both T20s and ODIs. This saw him become England’s all-time leading run-scorer in 2013.

Kevin was also fundamental in England’s 2005 Ashes victory, the first since 1987, and he scored 158 runs at the Oval in the final Test, clinching victory for England. His international career came to an end in 2014 due to his high-profile fallouts with the ECB and former England coach, Andy Flower. Since his retirement, Kevin has worked as a keen conservationist and is particularly committed to the conservation of rhinos. He set up SORAI (Save Our Rhinos Africa and India) which he raised awareness for through his podcast Kevin Pietersen: Beast of Man. Kevin is also active in the media and works as a commentator for both Sky Sports Cricket and Star Sports India.

Able to discuss his cricketing highs and lows as well as the media attention which he drew with his retirement in 2014, Kevin in an incredibly popular cricket speaker on the circuit.

Incorrect Answer!

Steve made his international debut in 2002 and went onto excel in the 2003/04 tour of the West Indies. During this, he became his country’s highest wicket-taker of the series. His success continued and in 2005, he was a part of the England team which beat Australia in the Ashes for the first time in almost 20 years. Following this, in the same year he was then named in the 2005 Wisden Cricketers of the Year list and received an MBE for his services to the sport.

Throughout his career, he represented his country in 63 Test matches, 58 ODIs and played a crucial role in England’s historic 2005 Ashes victory. A creature of habit, Steve spent 17 years in domestic cricket playing for Durham. With the travelling demands of high-level sport, he struggled a lot with homesickness and, eventually, clinical depression.

In his speaking work, Steve is able to discuss both his stellar cricketing career, and how he overcame his battle with his mental health. Combining such topics has proved extremely popular in the industry and he is now one of our most sought-after cricket speakers.

Incorrect Answer!

Born in India, Nasser’s father was a keen cricketer. He and his family moved to the UK when Nasser was just seven years old and by the age of 14, he was both selected for England Schools, and had also joined the county side, Essex. He did not have the easiest ride in sport and despite clearly being a better batter than a bowler, his father encouraged him to focus on bowling, which left him often feeling pressurised and frustrated.

In 1990, Nasser made his England debut against the West Indies and helped the side to a 2-1 series win. Due to his hot-headed nature however, he was then not picked again for over three years. When he did return to the team in 1993 however, he was soon a mainstay and in 1999 was even named England captain, succeeding Alec Stewart in the role. His outstanding batting ability saw him play 96 Tests and 88 ODIs for his country. In total, he scored more than 30,000 runs (including a historic 207 at the 1997 Ashes). Nasser retired in 2004 and joined the Sky Sports commentary team. He now works as a popular cricket pundit and commentator.

Having experienced quite dramatic career highs and lows, Nasser is a popular cricket speaker. He can discuss how his break in selection impacted him and what it was that made him bounce back in such a successful manner.