SURROUNDED by England's Ashes heroes, cricket's unexpected hero Gary Pratt's cool head brought him a key wicket in the historic series win.

In the nerve-jangling atmosphere of the summer's fourth Test, the substitute fielder calmly seized the chance to run out Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting to change the course of the series with one brilliant throw.

The moment was watched by millions of television viewers around the world and provoked a verbal onslaught from Ponting, one of the game's most outspoken characters.

But it could not prepare Durham batsman Gary for the most daunting experience of his life - facing another legendary hothead, Anne Robinson, in an Ashes special of her quiz show The Weakest Link.

Gary, 23, from Willington, County Durham, confessed to having been overwhelmed by the experience of recording the programme, on Friday.

He said: "It was daunting to be in such a different environment. It did not feel very nice at all to be in the spotlight answering questions.

"I am used to playing cricket. Put me on a cricket pitch, even in a Test against Australia, and I am happy."

He and other Ashes stars, including Durham's Paul Collingwood and Yorkshire's Darren Gough, were won over by the charm of the show's host, despite her reputation as one of the fiercest figures in television.

He said: "Anne Robinson did not say anything rude to me. She was very nice and friendly. Everybody was very surprised. Her bark is a lot worse than her bite.

"On the cricket field, it gets pretty tough but I love that sort of atmosphere. Australia played hard and we played hard.

"But fielding is about reacting instinctively. If you think about it, you do not perform as well as you should."

While he waits for the show to be screened in the middle of next month, Gary, who has just signed a year's extension to his Durham contract, is training hard for next season.

He said: "My feet are on the ground and I am just concentrating on getting in the Durham side."