About Martin McCague
Martin John McCague (born 24 May 1969) is a former professional cricketer who played for the England cricket team in three Test matches in 1993 and 1994. McCague was born in Northern Ireland and grew up in Australia where he began his professional career. == Career == His development as a cricketer started in Australia, where he grew up. He played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club who, due to his Northern Ireland origins, were allowed to field both him and an overseas player. His selection for England drew negative comments from some cricket commentators including John Woodcock since he had started his career in Australia. It was not just English fans who disliked this: during the 1994–95 Ashes in Australia, when he hailed a taxi, the Australian driver called him a traitor and refused to take him. He bowled well on debut, taking four wickets for 121 in the first innings of the 1993 Trent Bridge Test, but enjoyed less success in the next Test as Headingley, going wicketless as Australia scored 653 for four declared. An injured shoulder, later diagnosed as a stress fracture of the back, meant that he missed the final Test of the series. McCague had considerable pace but lacked control. With his experience of first-class cricket in Australia, his selection for England's Ashes tour of 1994/5 was not as surprising as is sometimes suggested.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.