What the papers said about . . . Chris Lewis

'It ain't 'alf 'ot for poor old Chris Lewis in the West Indies] The England ace has to sit it out in Antigua after shaving his head and suffering from sunstroke. Chris wasn't top in the fashion stakes either, choosing a Beau Peep-style hat and towel to stay in the shade.' Daily Star

'Lewis had left England vowing that he had learned from the mistakes that had caused England so much frustration. But on the first day the fashion-conscious Lewis persuaded team-mate Devon Malcolm to shave his head, Marvin Hagler style. By way of explanation, he said: 'Some people change their hairstyle - I'm just fed up with hair.' ' Daily Mail

'I would threaten Chris Lewis with a season ticket for Southampton but then not give him one. That stroke of luck would make him feel better.' Letter to the Sun.

'Only mad dogs, Englishmen and opening batsmen go out in the midday sun here. Yesterday the dogs and opening batsmen were perfectly happy, but the Englishman, Chris Lewis, was in the doghouse back in the hotel room.' The Guardian

'While Atherton and Stewart took full advantage of an attack barely rising above club standard, Lewis, whose career has been dogged by such mishaps, was confined to the shade where he stayed for much of last summer.' The Times

'Lewis was clearly vulnerable to mockery. Through a week of preparation in which he worked as hard and as promisingly as anyone, Lewis ignored advice to wear a hat.' The Daily Telegraph

'Giving such talent to a Gazza or a Lewis, without also supplying the means to exploit it consistently, seems negligent indeed. It was a privilege to see Lewis score a century in Madras one steamy afternoon, but he did it in a lost cause. No need for steel. The Antigua diagnosis is that Lewis is suffering from sunstroke. I suspect an iron deficiency.' Daily Express

'It was arrogant of Lewis to risk sunstroke . . . But the England managers Mike Smith and Keith Fletcher must take their share of the blame for his enforced withdrawal. Evening Standard

'Chris Lewis baldly went where no other cricketer has gone before - and the prat without a hat spent two days in bed with sunstroke. Just as you would expect, the ideal covering for an all-rounder suffering from sunstroke, as diagnosed by our own doctor, is . . . a bowler]' The Sun