Charming and polite thanks to Radley – nicknamed Lord Brocket as a result Would have been a City accountant if not a

Charming and polite thanks to Radley – nicknamed Lord Brocket as a result Would have been a City accountant if not a cricketer. Married to Ruth, an Australian actress several years his senior, and lives in Ealing.SIMON JONES, 26Fiery Welshman whose father also played for England. Used to work as a fitness instructor, and has a physique to match his pin-up looks Broke up with Kim Spencer after tabloid-kiss and-tell. Rumoured to have had a fling withJodie Kidd – both deny it.MICHAEL VAUGHAN, 30Level-headed Yorkshireman (despite being born in Manchester) His laid-back captaincy is key to team’s success Bit of a fashion victim.

Enjoys being the team’s playboy and experimenting with hair-dye. Last seen out with Big Brother’s Vanessa Nimmo.ANDREW STRAUSS, 28South African-born public schoolboy. Married Rachael, who runs a sports marketing firm, this year. They live with one-year-old daughter Holly in Cheshire.MARCUS TRESCOTHICK, 29Quiet West Country lad from Keynsham. Obsessive about cricket, spends his spare time studying his innings on video Likes golf and sausages – nickname Banger. Lives near Taunton, Somerset, with his wife, Hayley, and became father earlier this year to Ellie.KEVIN PIETERSEN, 25Native South African, caused ructions when he moved here in 2000 Now a qualified Englishman and a big-hitting sensation.

Born in Surrey, plays for Warwickshire but lives in Worcestershire, with their five-year-old son Anders and three-year-old daughter Tilly.ANDREW FLINTOFF, 27Cricket’s biggest star Big-hearted, lovable Lancastrian Enjoys walks in the country and a good old-fashioned pub. After the Old Trafford Test I could tell he was disappointed [England failed to force a victory] and I couldn’t do very much – I felt very guilty at the time.I know he’s thinking about this week’s game but we try not to talk about it too much. We try to put cricket behind us when we’re at home and get on with the everyday.ASHLEY GILES, 32Intelligent and thoughtful team man Best friends with Michael Vaughan Collects art with his Norwegian wife Stine. Even more now that there are quite a few babies popping up! We have a really good family feeling.If Ashley’s not at home, I speak to him twice a day – normally by the time he rings in the evening I already know if he’s had a good or bad day. But there’s a good set-up and the other wives are very friendly That’s the positive side We have all got something in common. I didn’t know he would be playing all day!But I really enjoy it now Even my Norwegian family are cricket nuts.

I was with the kids in Norway during the last two Tests and there’s no TV coverage, so we had to watch it on the internet.Things have changed a lot since Ashley has been playing for England He’s away so much more, especially in the winter It’s a lonely life sometimes, being a cricket wife. One morning after we’d first met he said he was going off to play cricket. I expected he’d be back by lunchtime, so when he got home late in the evening I was fuming. Last year, she had to support him through the lowest point of his career as bad press and poor form left him close to quitting the game.When I met Ashley, I didn’t know anything about cricket and I thought it was just his hobby. They met in Birmingham when she was working in a local hotel, and live in Droitwich.