A talented, wristy strokeplayer, capable of opening the innings or batting in the middle order, Ravi Bopara was a regular member of the England set-up for several years without ever making himself indispensable. Admirers of his laid-back approach to life, and there are many, still live in hope that his England career will finish in a blaze of glory, but England’s inglorious World Cup campaign in 2015 – and his 120th ODI cap against Afghanistan in Sydney – could prove to be where his international story ends.

In 2002, aged 17, Bopara earned a professional contract with Essex and immediately established himself as a name for the future. He made his first-team debut the same year, playing three Championship matches before being picked for the Under-19 World Cup in 2003. Three years later, his county form was rewarded with a place in England’s preliminary squad for the 2006 Champions Trophy and the Academy squad to be based in Perth during the winter’s Ashes series. Essex promised to bring him sustenance as those England opportunities faded. He was appointed as limited-overs captain in 2016 and was also a valued signing in various T20 tournaments around the world even if England had turned to batsmen with more explosive strokeplay.

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