In the case of England ten players were needed, including Anderson.The challenge was to see how far back we could go ... with the fewest players ... each of whom must have played with another to maintain a chain
That got me thinking about Zimbabwe & Rhodesia, with international cricket for Zim or representative FC cricket for Rhodesia as qualification. 8 players take us back from the present, with Hami as a starting point, to Rhodesia's first ever FC match in 1910 (according to cricketarchive.com; other sources list a match in 1905). And 9 if you include their first ever official, albeit not FC match in 1899:
1. Hamilton Masakadza (career span 2001-2016)
2. Andy Flower (1992-2003)
3. John Traicos (1968-1993)
4. Tony Pithey (1951-1969)
5. David Lewis (1946-1964)
6. Denis Tomlinson (1928-1948)
7. Teek Arnold (1924-1928)
8. Tom Bourdillon (1910-1924)
(9. Leo Robinson 1899-1910)
The most obscure name is that of Evelyn Charles "Teek" Arnold, a wicketkeeper who only played three FC matches but was an attractive option to bridge the mid-twenties' gap between Bourdillon and Tomlinson. Does anyone have a clue what "Teek" means?
There are, of course, various ways to go back in time. One could, for example, substitute Tony Pithey for a number of other well-known players who played with both Lewis and Traicos. You are invited to add your own chain, but can you do it with fewer players?
