Mike Denness is probably the most famous international cricketer to have ever been produced by Scotland. Four test centuries in 28 Test matches, and 25,886 first-class runs in a first-class cricket career from 1959 to 1980 are the briefest facts of his achievements. Such a brief synopsis masks a remarkable career in its own right.

Followers of the game from Aberdeen to Dumfries, from Yorkshire to Kent know that Mike Denness was the Scotsman who became cricket captain of England, a juxtaposition that undoubtedly caused a few raised eyebrows and questioning comments. Denness was not captain by accident - his appointment followed the end of the Illingworth reign which, after years of success, had ended with an unceremonious defeat at the hands of the triumphant West Indies.

Denness was plucked out of county cricket and chosen to play for and also lead England. This assignment required him to respond to the West Indies' dominance, restore his side's fortunes, establish himself as a test batsman and to successfully assert his own authority over a side carefully crafted by the hand of Ray Illingworth. He did not succeed, but neither did he fail - and in defeat he demonstrated an inner strength and dogged refusal to let the stacked odds overwhelm him both as a cricketer and as a human being.

At the end of the 1968 season, the English test side had an established and authoritative appearance, particularly in batting. For opening batsmen, the selectors could choose from Boycott, Edrich and Milburn - a complete-contrast of styles and attitudes. Following these came the experienced quartet of Cowdrey, Barrington, Graveney and D'Oliveira - with Dexter also still available. Future prospects were Fletcher and Prideaux. In 1969, however, the roll of events brought Mike Denness to both the captaincy of Kent and his first test cap.

A damaged achilles tendon in his left foot deprived Cowdrey of almost the entire season, so Denness stepped up to become acting captain of Kent. The loss of Cowdrey in the English side was mirrored by the retirements of Barrington & Dexter, the dropping of Graveney and the sad loss of Colin Milburn through injury. Suddenly, the settled England batting line-up was no more and opportunity quickly came to Sharpe, Parfitt, Hampshire & Fletcher.

These players were only partially successful and, in the last test of the year, Mike Denness was called up to face New Zealand. In his first innings, he had what Wisden described as a "nightmare", batting for 45 minutes for only 2 runs; finding it impossible to score off the spin bowling of Hedley Howarth. However, this impression was offset by making an attacking 55 not out in the second innings, helping Phil Sharpe take England to a comfortable win.

In 1970, he played in the first "test" against the very strong Rest of the World side, making 13 & 24, but was then dropped. He was called up as a substitute fielder for the Rest of the World eleven in the third "test", and had to take the field. Fielding at gully next to Sobers and Pollock, he caught Don Wilson who was the third victim in a hat-trick by Eddie Barlow. Clinching a hat trick against your own side must surely be a unique "achievement" in test cricket, and it naturally caused some humour in the home dressing room.

Denness then dropped out of international cricket for a period of 22 tests. In the absence of Illingworth, Boycott, Edrich and Snow, a MCC side with some new faces was chosen to tour India and Pakistan in 1972/73 under the captaincy of Tony Lewis. Mike Denness became vice-captain and middle order batsman. He averaged 32 on the tour, and his best effort was 76 out of an England total of 159 facing Chandrasekhar, Prasanna and Bedi - a class spinning trio.

He did not appear in the twin series of 1973, but when the selectors decided that the Illingworth era was now to come to an end, and Lewis was unavailable, they went back to Denness who was thus chosen to lead the English side. Having been only an occasional player in the team, the thought of this, and the pressure that went with it must have been daunting.

For two successive winters Mike Denness was in the hottest seat imaginable as he led his English team on tours of the West Indies and Australia. Playing success was mixed - a dramatic run-out incident threatened to :bring the West Indies series to a controversial close during the first test, but an astonishing victory in Trinidad enabled the tourists to level the rubber 1-1.

In Australia, his side was overwhelmed by the fast-bowling from Lillee and Thomson and encountered a ruthless opposition whose aggression in the field took the game to dangerous levels of non-sporting activity. Denness's form was patchy, although an innings of 188 against Australia added to his three other centuries to give him a respectable test average of 39.

But through the many vicissitudes he had to endure, he was able to show a quiet dignity and inner steel. EW Swanton recounts how, when Denness' side won the 6th test in Australia with the captain contributing his own massive 188, a Sydney taxi-driver commented on how pleased he was that England had won after being on the wrong end of a fast-bowling onslaught all summer - and particularly, how merited Denness' moment of triumph was after the castigation he and his side had received from the cricketing press as they reeled, battered and bruised from Test to Test.

Denness' form towards the end of the Australasian tour secured his place as captain of England for the inaugural world cup in 1975, in which Eng-reached the semi-finals. He was still at the helm for the first test against the visiting Australians later that summer, but in an act of pre-Shakespearian tragedy, he misread the weather runes and offered his opponents the chance to bat first. A score of 359 was forbidding enough, but as soon as England had faced one over on the second day, a thunderstorm broke.

On a rain-affected wicket, his team were dismissed for totals of 101 and 173. Denness, to stick to the theatrical metaphor, fell upon his sword and offered his resignation there and then to the Chairman of Selectors. Although sometimes described as aloof, Denness had a fortitude in adversity - a refusal to break - and the courage to accept the responsibility of his position as leader and figurehead. To manv fellow Scots, this may strike a chord.

There will always be a feeling of sympathy and understanding for him north of the border, and pride in his achievements. For all this, he and his fellow Scots can surely hold their heads high.

Denness rose to his international eminence after prolific batting as a schoolboy with Ayr gave him the chance to make his way as a professional with Kent (he had already become the first schoolboy to be capped by Scotland since Victorian times). His gradual progress to become one of the most attractive opening county batsmen came with the flowering of talent within the successful Kent club, which claimed one championship and seven other trophies in the most remarkable period in their history.

He captained them to six of these victories and won the man of the match award in the 1967 Gillette Cup final, with an innings of 50 out of a racing opening stand of 78 against Somerset. Denness himself was well suited to the new one-day tournaments, winning several match medals. In the last part of his career he moved to Essex, where he was also part of their maiden championship-winning team in 1979.

He was a brilliant fielder and well suited to the whirlwind of changes made in the English county system as it tried hard to adjust from the old pre-war certainties to the multi-cultured and instant cricket of the 1960s and 1970s. Despite an involvement with the less than wholesome Packer initiative, his influence was so much to the credit of the game as a whole and a timely reminder of the existence of Scottish cricket.