The following is an extract from Test Match Cricket: C4 and the ECB's official guide to the 2nd Test between England and India at Trent Bridge, available at the ground throughout the match.

Noel Gie was a substitute fielder the last time England and India met at Trent Bridge in 1996, and took the final catch of the series.

“David Lloyd was the England coach at the time. He’d specifically asked for me and Usman Afzaal to be the 12th and 13th men for the Trent Bridge Test if we weren’t playing for Notts. He’d been out with us on the England Under-19 tour to Zimbabwe the previous winter, and I think we’d impressed him. Andrew Flintoff and Alex Tudor were also on that tour.

“As the 12th man you have to carry out a lot of mundane tasks. You mix and then take the drinks out and make sure the players’ special requests are sorted out, like delivering tickets to their relatives at the gates.

“One of my roles was to soak Jack Russell’s Coco Pops just before the lunch break. He told me they had to go in the milk exactly ten minutes before he eats them so that they’re the right sogginess and the milk turns the correct shade of brown. I thought he was having a laugh, so I checked with the others before I actually did it. But he was serious.

“Me and Uzzy were only subs for the fifth day: we fielded for Nasser Hussain, who was injured. I was delighted to be involved in any way. I spent most of the day in the dressing room. I listened in on the team talks, and was surprised by how focused everything was compared to county cricket. They had done a lot of homework and had a specific plan for every Indian batsman.

“The other players were brilliant and didn’t just leave us sitting on the side. Guys like Atherton and Stewart realised we were nervous and really made us feel part of the team. My chance to go on finally came in the afternoon. They threw me a helmet and pads and told me to field at short leg. Mohammad Azharuddin was batting at the time, and he liked to play through the leg side. I thought to myself, ‘I’ve no chance of catching anything if he gets hold of it’.

“Tendulkar batted too, and at one point Ganguly asked me to tie his shoelaces – but I could barely tie my own, I was so struck at being on the same Test pitch as them.

“At the end, the Indian tailender Raju prodded at a delivery from Mark Ealham and it came to me. I took a couple of steps, rolled over, and the ball stuck in my hands. By the time I got up Dominic Cork had ripped out one of the stumps: it was a draw but England had won the series.

“I thought: ‘This is where I want to be.’ But it wasn’t to be. Things didn’t turn out right: I’m working in IT now. So that day at Trent Bridge is left as a unique privilege I will always cherish.”

6 Aug, 2002