Wisden overview
Aggressive, upright and with the ability to swing the ball both ways, Bicknell is the most underrated opening bowler in England. He has a high arm-action, bowls a miserly wicket-to-wicket line, and, in Alex Tudor, has an ideal new-ball partner at Surrey. England chose him for the 1990-91 Ashes tour at 21 - too early - and he played seven one-day internationals. But although he picked up 13 wickets and some respect, he gave away too many runs, mostly to Dean Jones, and his Test debut had to wait until 1993. This time he was milked by Steve Waugh and Allan Border, and although Bicknell did better in his second Test, he was quickly consigned to the crowded scrapheap of ex-England cricketers. Since then, between injuries, he has matured into an outstanding county player. He was one of the driving forces behind Surrey's Championship triumphs in 1999 and 2000, and was mentioned at Test selection meetings without quite getting the recall. As a batsman he is a high-class county No.8 or 9, adept at carting tired bowlers. Lawrence Booth

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