Ex-Goalkeeper Martyn Savours England Cricket Call: The Unlikeliest Double International

The names of those to play both cricket and football for England conjures up the feeling of a very different era: cigarette cards, blazers and the faint whiff of Brylcreem. It is a pantheon of sporting ghosts, a list that feels as distant as the sound of leather on willow on a village green in sepia tone. Yet, remarkably, the echo of that exclusive club is ringing again, and the man poised to enter it is one of the most unassuming, yet brilliant, footballers of the modern Premier League era: Nigel Martyn.

For nearly two decades, Martyn was the epitome of reliable excellence between the posts for Leeds United, Everton, and Crystal Palace. He was the goalkeeper who made impossible saves look routine, the calm head in a storm. But now, at the age of 58, the former England number one is chasing a cap of a different colour. He is not just a football legend reminiscing; he is a genuine, active cricketer on the cusp of representing the England Over-60s side. This is not a charity match or a one-off exhibition. This is a formal call-up to a national representative team, a story that bridges the gap between the amateur spirit of the past and the hyper-professionalism of today’s sport.

The Last of the Mohicans and the Ghosts of 1958

To understand the magnitude of what Martyn is on the verge of achieving, you have to look at the list of those who have done it before. It is a roll call of sporting aristocracy from a time when the lines between summer and winter sports were blurred. Denis Compton, the swashbuckling Arsenal winger and Middlesex batsman, is the most famous. C.B. Fry held the world long jump record and was offered the throne of Albania. Tip Foster is the only man to captain England at both football and cricket. These are names from a lost world of amateur gentlemen, of Test matches played in white flannels and international football in heavy leather boots.

The last man to hold the dual honour was Arthur Milton. He played the first of his six Tests in 1958, seven years after he won his solitary England football cap against Austria in 1951. Milton, a winger for Arsenal and a stylish opening batsman for Gloucestershire, was the final link to that golden chain. When he passed away in 2007, it felt like the door had been firmly shut. The modern sporting landscape, with its year-round physical demands, specialisation from academy level, and the sheer volume of fixtures, made the double international look like a biological impossibility.

Until now. Nigel Martyn is threatening to prise that door back open. He is not doing it as a flashy batsman or a tearaway fast bowler. He is doing it as a wicketkeeper – a position that requires the same quick reflexes, intense concentration, and bravery that defined his football career. The parallels are striking. In football, he was the last line of defence, the man who had to read the flight of a dipping ball. In cricket, he is the last line again, standing behind the stumps, reading the movement off the pitch. It is a seamless transition of skill.

From Elland Road to the Pavilion: The Transition

Martyn’s journey to this point is not a sudden, late-life hobby. It is a story of consistent passion. While his football career was his primary focus, cricket was always the second love. He was a talented junior cricketer in his native Cornwall, but football won the professional battle. Unlike many footballers who dabble in golf after retirement, Martyn returned to the crease. He played club cricket for St Erme and then for the Cornwall Over-50s side, where his performances were so impressive that they triggered a formal pathway.

His call-up to the England Over-60s squad is the culmination of years of dedication. This is not a “legends” team; it is a competitive, representative side that plays in international tournaments. The selection committee saw a man who had not just the technical ability, but the temperament. The mental fortitude required to keep wicket for an entire day is remarkably similar to the concentration needed to face 30 shots on goal in a Premier League match. Martyn has that in spades.

“It’s a huge honour,” Martyn said in a recent interview, his humility shining through. “I was very lucky to play for England at football, but to get this call at my age… it’s special. It brings back that feeling of being selected, that nervous excitement.” That feeling is infectious. For a generation of football fans who remember his fingertip saves against Manchester United or his heroic displays for Leeds in the Champions League, seeing him behind the stumps in an England shirt is a surreal, yet deeply satisfying, image.

Expert Analysis: Why Martyn’s Dual Feat is Harder Than It Looks

As a sports journalist who has covered both codes, I can tell you that the difficulty of this achievement is being underestimated. The physical demands are one thing, but the technical crossover is a minefield. A footballer’s instinct is to catch with the palms facing forward and to throw with a low, side-arm motion. A wicketkeeper must catch with soft hands, palms facing down (or up depending on the height), and throw with a high, over-arm action to hit the stumps. The muscle memory is completely different.

Yet, Martyn has adapted. Those who have seen him play describe his footwork as exceptional. This makes sense. A goalkeeper’s shuffle is almost identical to a wicketkeeper’s lateral movement. The ability to read the angle of a delivery, to anticipate the nick, is the same skill that allowed him to anticipate a swerving free-kick.

Here are the key factors that make Martyn a genuine prospect for this level:

• Reaction Speed: Even at 58, his reflexes are elite. The split-second decision to dive to the off side for a football save is the same as diving to take a catch down the leg side in cricket.
• Durability: Keeping wicket in the Over-60s game is a test of the back and knees. Martyn’s professional football career kept him in exceptional physical shape, giving him a baseline fitness that most 60-year-old amateurs lack.
• Composure: He was famous for never panicking under a high ball in a crowded penalty area. That same calmness will serve him well when standing up to the stumps or dealing with a spinning delivery that kicks up dust.
• Game Intelligence: Having played at the highest level in football, he understands match situations, pressure, and momentum better than most. He knows how to marshal a field, just as he marshalled a defence.

There is, however, a caveat. The standard of Over-60s international cricket is frighteningly high. These are often former county professionals or league legends who have kept their skills honed. Martyn is not going to stroll into the side. He will have to earn his place. But the fact that he is in the conversation, that he is on the verge of joining the company of Compton and Fry, is a testament to his freakish athletic longevity.

Predictions: Can He Write His Name in the History Books?

The question on everyone’s lips is: will he actually play? The England Over-60s side has a busy schedule, including a series against Australia and a potential spot in the International Cricket Council’s Senior World Cup. My prediction is that he will get his cap. The selectors did not call him up as a publicity stunt. They called him up because he is good enough.

I believe we will see Nigel Martyn pulling on the whites within the next six months. The moment will be poignant. It will be a throwback to the days of Arthur Milton, a reminder that sport, at its core, is about talent and passion, not just specialisation. He will not be the star of the team, but he will be a solid, dependable presence. He will take a sharp catch down the leg side, stump a batter who steps out, and the crowd—a mixture of his old football fans and cricket purists—will roar.

This is more than a novelty story. It is a narrative about defying age, defying the odds, and proving that the athlete’s spirit never really retires. It is about a man who spent his life stopping goals, now spending his retirement stopping runs.

Conclusion: A Legacy Reforged

Nigel Martyn’s professional football career spanned nearly two decades, earning him 23 England caps and a reputation as one of the Premier League’s finest goalkeepers. He was a giant of the game. But this new chapter, this audacious bid to become the 13th man to play both sports for England, might just be the most remarkable part of his story. It is a story that smells of linseed oil and wintergreen, a story of a man who simply could not stop playing.

He stands on the shoulders of giants like Denis Compton and Tip Foster, but he is very much a man of his own time. He is a modern professional who has rediscovered an old-world joy. When he finally takes the field, it will not just be a personal triumph. It will be a victory for the idea that sport should be played for the love of it, at any age, and that the line between the football pitch and the cricket square is thinner than we think. Nigel Martyn is about to cross it, and we should all savour every single moment.

Source: Based on news from BBC Sport.