Corners of dressing rooms are always sought-after places. In them, you can find a little more space and privacy - you feel less exposed to the hurly-burly that is a sporting dressing room.
Following the retirement of Phil Edmonds in 1987, I moved into what became my corner in the Home dressing room at Lord’s. I don’t know who replaced me when I retired in 2002 but Tim Murtagh has been occupying the same spot more than 15 years. Tim’s decision to hang up his boots and retire from cricket means this desirable changing spot will have a new occupant 2024, and the incumbent player will have sizeable shoes to fill.
It is in this corner where Tim, weary, sore and often frustrated by another modest batting display, has continually found the desire, energy and inspiration to go out to lead the Middlesex bowling attack. And it was here sweaty, aching and proud he regularly returned having dragged his team back into a contest.
Next to the pegs where Tim hangs his clothes each morning is an Honours Board that recognises the hundreds scored and five wicket hauls taken in Test cricket by England cricketers at Lord’s. There are many great players on these boards, but no T.J.Murtagh.
To find reference to Tim’s outstanding career you have to walk to the other end of the Pavilion. For me there is a chucklesome irony that Tim will have to take family and friends to the Visitors dressing room to show them where his efforts are recognised. As it is here, on the Honours Board, between Kemar Roach of the West Indies and New Zealand’s Tim Southee, you will find – 2019 - TJ.Murtagh - Ireland - 5-13
I will never forget that balmy late July morning in NW8. I was sat in the office of John Stephenson, the MCC Cricket Secretary, which offers a stunning view across the ground, eager to see how Ireland and Tim would fare. Stephenson was sat with me for most of a remarkable morning session but, whilst delighted in the performance of Tim, he was more concerned about how long the game may last, and the financial effects a two day Test may have on MCC’s budgets.
England’s players and coaches, still glowing from their 2019 World Cup triumph, blamed the pitch for their humbling dismissal for 85, but there was nothing wrong with the surface. Tim just bowled as Tim bowls. He ran in from the Nursery End, continually challenged the knee roll of the batters front pad and the top of off-stump, nibbling the ball around at a gentle pace, and England’s complacent batters were not up to the challenge.
Standing and applauding Tim as he led the Ireland team from the field was an emotional moment as it was nothing less than this whole-hearted and selfless cricketer deserved. For more than a decade Murts had been one of the most effective, skillful and respected bowlers in county cricket, and this was the moment when the country could witness what all the fuss was about.
Tim made his way across Vauxhall Bridge from Surrey to Middlesex in the winter of 2006/07. He was originally signed and viewed with white ball cricket in mind, and few would have predicted on his 1st Class debut for Middlesex at The Parks in April 2007 that 17 seasons later he would end up at number 14 on the club’s all-time wicket-taking list.
Compared to Titmus, Hearne and Emburey, a tally of around 840 wickets looks a little modest but the size of Tim’s achievement becomes apparent when you realise that he will finish his career as the fourth highest fast bowling wicket-taker in Middlesex’s history. It is a number and a position I do not expect to see surpassed by another Middlesex fast bowler.
But it is not just the volume of wickets Tim has taken that impresses you; it is the number of wickets per game – 4 – and the average – 23.63 – he has taken them at too. These are figures that compare favourably with anyone who has ever played the game.
In white ball cricket, an area where he was probably underused by Middlesex during the 2nd half of his career, he was more than useful too, taking 172 wickets at an average of just over 28. And it was in these forms of the game that Ireland got the most out of him. In an era where scoring rates rose rapidly Murts showed that hitting a good length could bring as much success as cutters, yorkers and back of the hand slower balls. In international 50 over cricket he conceded just 4.57 runs per over.
So what does ‘Murts’ do and how has he produced such a remarkable collection of work?
With some fast bowlers it is easy to see why they are successful. They are tall, athletic, fast and hostile, and get the ball to behave in an untrustworthy way. Tim, if we are being honest, doesn’t get more than a 6/10 in any of these categories yet his figures completely overshadow hundreds of high-quality bowlers that have many of these assets.
It sounds unambitious but knowing your limitations is a genuine asset for a bowler. It means your thought process is simple and it prevents you from constantly tinkering with your game and trying to bowl different deliveries. From an early age Tim would have realised he was never going to be quick or tall enough to intimidate batters with short, hostile bowling, and that he would have to get them out through skill and attrition.
To do this you need to be fit, strong, disciplined and competitive, and that is exactly what Tim has been for the last 20 years. Domestic cricket does not have the stats to prove it but I do not believe there will have been a fastish bowler in the past 20 years who has bowled more balls that have threatened the front pad and off-stump of a batter than Tim. And it is this unerring discipline, along with the ability to swing and seam the ball just enough, that has brought him the success he has had.
What Tim has given to the teams he has played for goes much further than the figures that sit by his name. By being a bowler that has never shirked hard work and has always been willing to bowl the tough overs, he has been a captains dream. His love of 'chirping' me meant he wasn’t always an MD of Cricket’s dream, but when you know that he is only being mischievous and that his sharp comments are coming from a good heart ,you can only shrug your shoulders, smile and take the stick. I will look forward to seeing how he responds when one of the cricketers he will now be coaching gives him a bit of lip.
Highlights? Where do you start – there are so many.
I have already mentioned the performance for Ireland against England at Lord’s but for me watching him parade the gold County Championship trophy around Lord’s following Middlesex’s 2016 victory is tough to beat. It was something that he and his mates had worked so hard to achieve and an undoubted moment he will never forget.
It was a game that a number of Yorkshire’s international players seemed content to miss. For Tim, however, it was a match he would not miss for the world. Tim delayed travelling on a tour with Ireland to make himself available to play and, as expected, did his job on the field. After a lap of honour and a couple of quick beers he jumped in a taxi and was whisked off to Heathrow, where he caught the next flight to South Africa. For Middlesex to have lifted that trophy without Tim being present would not have been right because nobody had worked harder to bring success to the Club than him. And Tim didn’t miss all the celebrations. Apparently, sat in a comfortable Business Class seat at 35,000 feet, he was in regular contact with his mates as they partied late into the night.
It is no coincidence that Tim’s corner is also the area of the Dressing Room where the Middlesex players gather, drink and celebrate after a victory at Lord’s. When we want to relax, reflect and have some fun we often migrate to an area where we feel comfortable and welcomed, and this is how Tim has made people feel during his entire career.
So Middlesex reluctantly say goodbye to one of its greatest players, a fine bowler and an even better man. A man that has represented the club with pride and distinction. And what can we say in appreciation – I think ‘Thanks Mate’ sums it up pretty well.
