Michael Carberry's return from English cricket's wilderness

Three months ago, Michael Carberry believed his international career was over. He thought his single Test match in Chittagong three and a half years ago would be his only experience of the pinnacle of his sport.

And with good reason too.

He knew that he only received his Test debut on the back of then-captain Andrew Strauss taking a rest as his team travelled to Bangladesh.

Strauss and his opening partner Cook were captain and vice-captain of the side and a very settled pairing.

Opportunities at the top of the order were not going to come around regularly.

After scores of 30 and 34, Carberry was left out of the side for the second Test in Dhaka as England opted for two spinners, promoting Jonathan Trott to open the batting.

Despite his omission, Carberry was given assurances that England’s management had been impressed with his efforts and that he was the next man in as and when a batting slot opened up.

In England’s next series, a return bout with Bangladesh, such a spot in the batting line-up became vacant as the home side rested middle order stalwart Paul Collingwood.

Rather than turn to Carberry, who had been in fine early season form for Hampshire, England broke with their usually consistent selection patterns to find a place in the side for white ball regular Eoin Morgan.

Morgan had been in fine form as England won the World T20 earlier that year and the selectors were keen to make use of his innovative and adventurous stroke-play.

That season, Carberry scored six first class centuries for Hampshire.

And that was that. Strauss and Cook didn’t miss a Test until Strauss retired in 2012, and by the time Collingwood’s retirement came in 2011, Morgan was well established as the fabled ‘next cab off the rank’.

More seriously, at the back end of 2010, Carberry was forced to take time out of the game due to blood clots found on his lungs.

A remarkable recovery saw him return to competitive cricket in 2011 and he even managed a magnificent 300 not out against Yorkshire that year.

As fate would have it, the retirement of Strauss in 2012 coincided with Carberry’s worst season in first class cricket since 2005.

It appeared his chance had come and gone and that Carberry was destined to be consigned to the pile of perennially ‘unlucky’ county cricketers, who deserved more of a chance at international level.

Carberry’s rare press appearances over the following months expressed disappointment, regret and no shortage of bitterness.

Fast-forward to two days ago, where Carberry left the Bellerive Oval in Hobart at the close of play against Australia A having batted all day in partnership with Cook.

The captain had 154 and Carberry, on the back of 78 at the WACA in England’s opening warm-up, stood unbeaten on 153.

What on earth had changed? Just three months earlier, Carberry believed he had played his final international innings, and here he was, making a more than compelling case for selection at the top of England’s order at the Gabba in three weeks’ time.

Well, it began with another fine season in domestic white-ball cricket.

Carberry had added a new edge to his game since his illness and had allied his technical excellence with his naturally athletic physique to create a brilliant hitter in the game’s shorter forms, and was a big part of Hampshire’s growing status as the county game’s premier white-ball side.

Carberry had expressed an interest in a global Twenty20 career as an alternative route to fame and fortune as his international career dwindled.

2013, once again, was not his finest in Championship cricket but, as Hampshire reached the last four in the domestic List A and T20 competitions, Carberry was brilliant.

He averaged 47.1 in the YB40 and 55.77 in the FLT20, scoring at well over run a ball in both formats.

This led to a surprise call-up for England’s end of season white ball cricket against the touring Australians and Ireland.

A few days before his 33rd birthday, it appeared that Carberry might have a second coming.

His ODI debut came against Ireland. It was not his finest hour as his normally excellent fielding deserted him and he shelled catches.

He was dismissed for just 10 as England survived an early wobble to romp home.

Faith was kept for the Australia series and after a string of low scores, he managed 63 on his fifth ODI outing in Cardiff, setting up an England win that tied the series at 1-1 with a game to play.

The selectors evidently saw something they liked. A week after England lost the decider of that series, Carberry was once again a surprise selection as the tour party for the return Ashes series was named down under.

He appeared to have pipped the recently vanquished Nick Compton to the back-up opener’s slot behind the incumbents, ‘wunderkind’ Joe Root and captain Cook.

A rare Cook injury ruled the skipper out of the tour opener against a WA Chair XI and Carberry staked his first claim as Root was the only of England’s top four to fail to reach 50 against a modest attack.

It was the Hampshire man who found himself at the top of the order for England’s next outing in Hobart.

The full Carberry repertoire was on show on Day 1 in Tasmania; a watchful start before a rapid acceleration between lunch and tea produced a well-paced innings on a flat track against an attack who were a seamer short.

Early on, he left the ball brilliantly before taking the attack to the opposition once settled.

Root has the chance to stake a claim with runs from the middle order but Carberry will be difficult to leave out in Brisbane in a fortnight.

A sparkling 180 at Lord’s aside, Root endured a tricky summer opening the batting.

With Carberry evidently in superb form on his second coming, England would perhaps do worse than to heed the advice of their long time tormentor Shane Warne and perform an unexpected U-turn by placing the youngster in the vacant number six slot and the veteran up top.