Nigel Martyn, 59, has been named in England 60s Cricket’s England Lions squad as a wicket-keeper. The former England goalkeeper will now represent his country in another sport, more than 20 years after his football international career ended.
Nigel Martyn and England 60s Cricket
Martyn was included in the 26-player squad earlier this week. England 60s Cricket’s summer fixtures will include matches against Scotland, Wales and the England 50+ team, giving him a clear route into competitive cricket at international level.
He is not starting from scratch. Martyn played cricket for Fowey Cricket Club and Cornwall Schoolboys, then turned his attention to the game seriously after retiring from professional football. That background fits the role he has been given now, with the squad naming him as a wicket-keeper rather than a batter or bowler.
From Seaman to wicket-keeper
His football record was substantial. Martyn earned 23 England caps, went to two World Cups and featured for England in the 2002 World Cup qualifier against Greece, where David Beckham scored. He was at the 1998 World Cup and the 2002 World Cup, but David Seaman started in front of him throughout his England career.
That limited his run at the international level, even as he built a Premier League reputation with Leeds United and Everton. David Moyes once described him as “his best signing” during his first spell as Everton manager, a line that still captures how highly he was rated in football before the switch back toward cricket.
Martyn’s route back to England
Martyn hung up his gloves for good in 2006, but cricket never disappeared from the picture. He later turned out alongside former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson at Knaresborough Cricket Club, which underlines how the move to the England 60s setup follows a long second sporting life rather than a novelty selection.
The selection leaves him with one clear job for England this summer: take the gloves and serve as a wicket-keeper in a squad built for matches against Scotland, Wales and the England 50+ team. For a man whose England football career was blocked by Seaman, this is another chance to wear the shirt in a different setting.
