A strong and hostile fast-medium bowler, Mike Selvey started his career at Surrey, but made little impression in six outings between 1968 and 1971. After one season in the Cambridge XI in 1971, when he won his Blue, he moved north of the Thames to Middlesex where his career took off. With an ability to swing the ball both ways and deceptively fast off the pitch, Selvey became a mainstay of the Middlesex side which dominated county cricket from 1976 onwards. He took 90 wickets in 1976 when Middlesex won the Championship for the first time since 1949, but his best season was 1978 when he took 101 wickets.

In 1976 he was surprisingly called up to the England side for the fourth Test against West Indies at Old Trafford when half-a-dozen quick bowlers were injured, and he made a dramatic entry to Test cricket, dimissing Fredericks, Richards and Kallicharran with his first 20 balls, finishing with 4 for 41. Retained for the final Test at The Oval, he also toured India the following winter without doing enough to earn more than one further cap and adding two wickets.

With chances limited at Middlesex, he moved to Glamorgan in 1983 and led them for two seasons before retiring. He remained in the game, becoming the cricket correspondent of The Guardian.
Martin Williamson