I was a one-county man and while there were a couple of opportunities I never really considered leaving Warwickshire at any stage.

I got my county cap in 1980, and that was a really proud moment for me. It was different then as you had to earn your cap rather than just being given it.

I played well that year, we won the Sunday league, and that was the season I think I really established myself as a proper player.

There are different levels of player in all levels of the game, and that was the year I really made myself a fully-fledged first-team player and an automatic pick, if fit.

The next three years I just played pretty consistently and was called into the England side in 1983 for the Lord’s Test match against New Zealand, but didn’t get selected that time. I was 12th man.

Just before it, I did have a fairly memorable innings against Surrey, where I carried my bat at the Oval. Sylvester Clarke was a pretty fearsome prospect in those days, but I made an unbeaten 143 and I’ll never forget Mihir Bose writing about me in the Sunday Telegraph.

After I got the runs on the Saturday, he said that despite my score I “hadn’t done my England prospects any good”, and I thought that was pretty demeaning.

Especially when, on the Monday, Bob Willis came up to me and said they had an injury problem with Graeme Fowler, and told me to get my head around the idea that I may be opening for England that Thursday. To be told I wasn’t doing my chances any good and then getting selected for England a day later was pretty humorous, even if I didn’t get to play that time.

But I went to Australia that winter and I knew basically I was next in line for an England call-up.

A couple of other guys went to Pakistan and New Zealand and didn’t do well, whereas I was in Sydney getting runs and making sure I was ready when the time came early the next year.

I played three ODIs against the West Indies and scored more runs than anyone else, which was hugely satisfying when you consider how good they were at that time.

And then obviously the Test I played was what it was. We won the toss and batted, so I went out with Graeme, and at about 11:25am we were 27-2 and I was in with David Gower.

I was playing okay – I got 10 – but I just misjudged a ball from Malcolm Marshall which swung back off the pitch a bit and hit me. The rest is history; I retired hurt and I’m still the only Test opener never to be dismissed.

I remember the ball vividly, I always have done as it’s not like I was unconscious at any point. My eyesight was severely affected though.

I didn’t quite realise at the time, but it was a really bad injury and even though I recovered and played cricket afterwards, I was never as sharp – I didn’t get near the England side again.

I was no longer good enough. I was, prior to my hit on the head, but afterwards… definitely not.

I’m not an anorak on statistics at all, but I’m sure if you looked at my successes before and after that day, you’d see two different players.

But it’s quite amusing to think that maybe being in the position I am, I’m more memorable than some players who have come in for one Test and never got picked again. I’m very philosophical about it to be honest.

I still finished off my career with Warwickshire, and I was chairman of cricket there during the hugely successful period in the Nineties.

I got a lot of satisfaction from that; having the likes of Allan Donald, Gladstone Small and Brian Lara playing for us.

I was pretty instrumental in the signing of Nick Knight, too, and Dermot Reeve for that matter. Through the Nineties they were a phenomenal side and it was great fun to watch them play.

This piece originally featured in The Cricket Paper on Friday November 6, 2015