1.
Hansie Cronje
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Wessel Johannes Hansie Cronje was a South African cricketer and captain of the South African national cricket team in the 1990s. He died in a crash in 2002. He was voted the 11th greatest South African in 2004 despite having been banned from cricket for life due to his role in a match-fixing scandal, Cronje was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa to Ewie Cronje and San-Marie Cronje on 25 September 1969. He graduated in 1987 from Grey College in Bloemfontein, where he was the head boy, an excellent all round sportsman, he represented the then Orange Free State Province in cricket and rugby at schools level. He was the captain of his schools cricket and rugby teams, Cronje earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of the Free State. He had a brother, Frans Cronje, and a younger sister, Hester Parsons. His father Ewie had played for Orange Free State in the 1960s, Cronje made his first-class debut for Orange Free State against Transvaal at Johannesburg in January 1988 at the age of 18. In the following season, he was a regular, appearing in all eight Currie Cup matches plus being part of the Benson and Hedges Series winning team, scoring 73 as an opener in the final. In 1989–90, despite playing all the Currie Cup matches, he failed to make a century, during that season he scored his maiden century for South African Universities against Mike Gattings rebels. Despite having just turned 21, Cronje was made captain of Orange Free State for the 1990–91 season and he scored his maiden century for them against Natal in December 1990, and finished the season with another century and a total of 715 runs at 39.72. That season he also scored 159* in a 40-over match against Griqualand West, in 1992–93, he captained Orange Free State to the Castle Cup/Total Power Series double. In 1995, Cronje appeared for Leicestershire where he scored 1301 runs at 52.04 finishing the season as the leading scorer. In 1995–96, he finished the top of the batting averages in the Currie Cup. In 1997, Cronje played for Ireland as a player in the Benson and Hedges Cup and helped them to a 46-run win over Middlesex by scoring 94 not out. This was Irelands first ever win against English county opposition, later in the same competition, he scored 85 and took one wicket against Glamorgan. Cronjes form in 1991/92 was impressive especially in the format where he averaged 61.40. He earned a call up for the 1992 World Cup. During the tournament he played in eight of the nine games, averaging 34.00 with the bat
2.
Alec Stewart
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Alec James Stewart OBE is a retired English cricketer, a right-handed batsman-wicketkeeper and former captain of the England cricket team. He is the second most capped English cricketer of all time in Test matches and 3rd most capped in One Day Internationals, the younger son of former English Test cricketer Micky Stewart, Stewart was educated at Tiffin School in Kingston upon Thames. He made his debut for Surrey in 1981, earning a reputation as an opening batsman. He made his England debut in the first Test of the 1989/90 tour of the West Indies, along with Nasser Hussain, however, Russell, the inferior batsman, would often be dropped to improve the balance of the side, in which case Stewart would don the gloves. After enduring years of selection and deselection, Russell retired from cricket in 1998. His highest Test score,190, was against Pakistan in the drawn first Edgbaston Test on 4 June 1992, always more of an establishment figure than any sort of rebel, it was no surprise when Stewart was asked to captain England in 1998 when Mike Atherton resigned. Despite being the age of 35 at the time, Stewarts level of fitness was impeccable, as it was Stewart went on to play for England beyond his 40th birthday – but as events were to transpire – his captaincy of England barely lasted 12 months. Nonetheless, failures against Australia and in the 1999 cricket World Cup saw him sacked from the captaincy to be replaced by Hussain, during his captaincy, he had the unusual distinction of simultaneously captaining the side, opening the batting and keeping wicket. He continued as an England player for five seasons, and became only the fourth player to score a century in his 100th Test. Stewarts batting average is the lowest of any player to have scored 8000 or more runs in Test cricket, however, when played as a specialist batsman in Test cricket, Stewart averaged 46.90 in 51 games with 9 centuries. Since World War II, only Len Hutton, Geoff Boycott, Dennis Amiss, as wicketkeeper-batsman he averaged 34.92 from 82 tests, higher than many of his contemporaries and many of the current batch of international wicketkeepers. He was unlucky enough to be on the side in a record 54 Test Matches. Stewart is a supporter of Surrey County Cricket Club and Chelsea F. C. In 2004, Stewart became a director of Arundel Promotions with specific responsibility for player management. Cricket playing clients include Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell, Ashley Giles, in 2009, Stewart rejoined Surrey as a part-time consultant to the coaching staff specialising in batting, wicket keeping and mentoring. Since retiring from playing Stewart has taken on the role as the Club Ambassador for Surrey CCC and was made a director in 2011. On 17 June 2013, it was announced by Surrey County Cricket Club that Stewart would take charge of first team following the sacking of Chris Adams. In October 2013 the club announced that Graham Ford would become head coach in February 2014, with Stewart becoming Director of Cricket, a new position
3.
Michael Atherton
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Michael Andrew Atherton OBE is a broadcaster, journalist and retired England international cricketer. A right-handed opening batsman for Lancashire and England, and occasional bowler, he achieved the captaincy of England at the age of 25. Atherton often played the role at a time when England batting performances lacked consistency. Often hampered by a chronic back complaint which was to contribute to the end of his career, following retirement he became a journalist and is currently a cricket commentator with Sky Sports, and cricket correspondent of The London Times. Atherton was born in Failsworth, Lancashire, England and his family includes several lesser known sportspersons, such as his father Alan, a former Manchester United goalkeeper in the 1960s. During 1st test of India tour of England 2014, he added that his dad played only in the reserves. As a youth, he captained the Manchester Grammar School cricket team for whom he scored almost 3,500 runs and his performances led to selection for the England under-19 team, which he captained aged 16. He also represented Lancashire Schools from 1982 to 1986, in 1983 he won the Jack Hobbs Memorial Award as the Outstanding Schoolboy Cricketer at under-15 level. In a match against the Marylebone Cricket Club in 1984 he took 6–27, entering Downing College, Cambridge, to read history, he was selected at 18 to play for Cambridge University Cricket Club and awarded a blue. A year later he made 73 on his county debut for Lancashire, during this time he represented both his university, the Combined Universities cricket team and his county. This early rise through the ranks, and extensive leadership experience earned him the nickname FEC, which is thought to have stood for future England captain. In his autobiography Opening Up, Atherton is candid about the fact there are more colourful alternatives for FEC. Athertons heady rise continued when he made his debut for England in the fifth test against Australia at Trent Bridge, Athertons chance came when several England players had just announced their decision to go on a rebel tour to South Africa and so were banned from the Test team. However, despite these defections, he was selected as vice-captain of the 1989–90 A team tour to Zimbabwe rather than for the West Indies tour. Atherton returned to the England side in the summer of 1990, partnering Graham Gooch at the top of the order, in his first innings after recall, and his first opening the batting for England, he scored 151 against New Zealand. During the winter of 1990–91, Atherton faced a sterner test on the Ashes tour of Australia, although he made a century in the third Test at Sydney, he averaged just 31 for his 279 runs, and England lost 3–0. When Australia arrived for the 1993 Ashes series, Athertons place in the team was not assured, however, a consistent summer when he scored six 50s in six Tests cemented his place in the side at a fortunate time. Graham Gooch, frustrated by continual losses against Australia, resigned as captain after the fourth Test and Atherton, aged just 25, replaced him
4.
Allan Donald
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Allan Anthony Donald is a former South African cricketer and one of their most successful pace bowlers. He was nicknamed White Lightning He was one of the top fast bowlers in Test cricket, reaching the top of the ICC Test rankings in 1998, in ODIs, he reached 794 points in 1998, ranked second behind teammate Shaun Pollock. He shared the new-ball with Pollock from the 1996/1997 tour of India until his retirement in 2002 and he made his Test debut on 18 April 1992 in South Africas first test since their return to world sport after the abolition of apartheid. South Africa lost to the West Indies in Barbados by 52 runs, Donald took 2–67 and 4–77, including the wicket of Brian Lara. When he retired, he was South Africas record wicket-taker with 330 Test wickets at an average of 22.25, both of these records have now been overtaken by Shaun Pollock. In 1997 Donald got involved in an incident that has caused a lot of grief, Donald was being hit around the park by Sachin Tendulkar. Donald says he got carried away and confronted Dravid face-to-face saying This isnt such a easy game. The TV cameras filmed close up shots of the incident, leadiing to accusations that he was a racist, during the Trent Bridge Test Match of 1998 South Africa batted first, scoring 374 in their first innings. England responded with 336, with Donald taking 5 wickets, in their second innings, South Africa only scored 208 leaving England a target of 247 to win the match. Donald bowled multiple bouncers to Atherton, but he survived several close chances to remain not out at the end of the day, the next day Atherton along with Alec Stewart were able to score the remaining runs, with Atherton finishing on 98. Several years later, Atherton gave Donald the gloves he wore on this occasion for Donalds benefit year auction, in the 1999 Cricket World Cup semi-final between South Africa and Australia Donald was the last batsman on the South African team. Australia batting first making only 213, Donald taking 4–32 and Pollock 5–36, the game swung back and forth with South Africa eventually needing to score 16 runs off the last 8 balls to win with only one wicket remaining. Lance Klusener and Allan Donald were at the crease, klusner hit a six and then a single to keep the strike, followed by two fours. The scores were level with four balls left in the game, the next ball resulted in no run. Klusner hit the ball after that straight down the ground and set off for a single, but Donald was watching the ball, both batsmen were at the bowlers end before Donald started running, having dropped his bat. The ball was thrown to the bowler, then to Gilchrist, although the match technically ended in a tie, South Africa had previously lost to Australia in the Super-Six phase, and needed to win outright to progress to the final. In English county cricket, Donald enjoyed a long and highly successful career with Warwickshire and he also played a single match for Worcestershire in 2002. Having retired from playing, he now commentates for South African Broadcast Corporation in their coverage of South Africas home Tests, in May 2007, Allan Donald was appointed as a temporary bowling consultant for the England cricket team
5.
Nick Knight (cricketer)
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Nicholas Verity Knight is an English cricket commentator and former England cricketer. Knights was given his name in honour of the 1930s English Test bowler Hedley Verity who was killed in World War II and is a distant family relation. A left-handed opening batsman and a fielder, Knight played in 17 Test Matches and 100 One Day Internationals before announcing his retirement from international cricket after the 2003 World Cup. Born in Watford, Hertfordshire, Knight was educated at Felsted School in Essex and he won the Daily Telegraph Young Cricketer of the Year award in 1989 and he played cricket for Brentwood cricket club in 1989/91. In domestic cricket, he began his career with Essex in 1991 before transferring to Warwickshire four years later and he was captain of Warwickshire from 2003 to 2005, and led them to victory in the County Championship in the 2004 season. He retired from cricket after the 2006 season and is now a member of the Sky Sports cricket commentary team. He finished his career with 16,172 runs at 44.18 and 40 hundreds and his highest score was an unbeaten 303. He struggled in the Test arena and made only 1 test century and his next best score was 96 vs Zimbabwe in a drawn game at Bulawayo in 1996–97. The most obvious reason for this was his technique, as a fine fielder and a hard worker, it is surprising that he did not play more for England – the England team was not blessed with too many good batsman during Knights era. However two of the batsmen were Michael Atherton and Mark Butcher with whom Knight was vying for a place for most of his career. Atherton too was captain of England until 1998 so would have been a choice for opening batsman. Knight was a far more successful, and certainly regular, one-day player for England, in one-day cricket, this backing away in fact helped him score a lot of runs and became something of a hallmark. This same strength/weakness was mirrored in Michael Bevan – one of Knights contemporaries, debuting in 1996, he scored centuries in his second and third innings in ODI cricket, on consecutive days against a Pakistan bowling attack that included Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. Knight wasnt selected for the World Cup team in 1999 and made his World Cup debut in the 2003 tournament and he performed well in an unsuccessful campaign for England and faced the first delivery in cricket officially to break the 100 mph barrier, bowled by Shoaib Akhtar. He pushed it nonchalantly to square leg, following his retirement from cricket, Knight became a commentator and pundit on Sky Sports
6.
Mark Ealham
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Mark Alan Ealham is a retired English cricketer, who played domestic cricket for Kent and Nottinghamshire. He is an all-rounder and is a former England international at both Test and one-day cricket, Ealham was born in Willesborough, Kent, and began his career with Kent C. C. C. His father, Alan Ealham, had spent his career with the club. He made his first-class and list A cricket debuts for Kent in 1989, Ealham was first called into the England team for the start of Indias tour of England in 1996. His one-day debut came on 23 May in the first one-day international, although no result was possible due to rain, Ealham impressed as he reached 40 runs before being bowled by Anil Kumble. He made his Test debut in the third Test, played between 4 July and 9 July 1996. Ealham once again impressed, he scored 51 runs in the first innings and took second-innings bowling figures of 4/21, which he never surpassed at Test level, despite his promising Test debut, Ealham was always regarded as a limited-overs specialist. This belief is due to his free-swinging batting style, during a Twenty20 Cup match in 2005 against Durham he scored 45 off 17 balls including 34 runs in a single over. However, his greatest performance as a player came on 30 January 2000 when England played Zimbabwe in the match of a triangular tournament held in South Africa. Ealham took five wickets for only 15 runs, at the time this was the best bowling performance by an Englishman in a one-day international match ever. Even more remarkable is that all five wickets were LBWs, this is still a record in international cricket. Ealham left Kent before the 2003 season and signed a contract with Nottinghamshire. He retired in September 2009, after 20 seasons in domestic cricket, to charge of cricket at Kings School. During his time at Kings, he coached several Kent academy players including Oliver Robinson
7.
Robert Croft
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Robert Damien Bale Croft MBE is a former Welsh cricketer who played international cricket for England. He is a bowler who played for Glamorgan and captained the county from 2003 to 2006. He retired from first class cricket at the end of the 2012 season and he commentates on cricket occasionally for Sky Sports. Croft was born on 25 May 1970 in Morriston, Swansea and he was educated at St John Lloyds Roman Catholic Comprehensive School, Llanelli. He played rugby union as a half for Llanelli RFC Under-11s. He studied at Swansea Metropolitan University and he made his England debut against Pakistan in 1996, and did enough to earn a touring place to Zimbabwe and New Zealand. In Christchurch, he took his Test best figures of 5–95 and his last wicket stand with Angus Fraser in the third Test of the 1998 series against South Africa saved England from an innings defeat, personally scoring 37 not out. His final Test match was the third Ashes Test of 2001 at Trent Bridge where he bowled just 3 overs. He was selected for the subsequent tour of India but he withdrew because of safety fears and was selected for the 2003/04 tour of Sri Lanka. After returning home, he announced his retirement to concentrate on the captaincy of Glamorgan. On 12 September 2006, after just two County Championship victories in 15 games thus far in the season, he announced his resignation from the captaincy, and was succeeded by David Hemp. Exactly a year later, he passed 1,000 first-class wickets after dismissing Niall OBrien, in November 2007, he joined voices calling for a clampdown on Twenty20 problems with abusive crowds, after suffering abusive calls at Taunton Cricket Ground. On 1 August 2010 he got his first hat-trick against Gloucestershire to help Glamorgan win the match and it also made him the first Glamorgan spinner to take a hat-trick in 46 years. Croft was once honoured as a druid at the Welsh cultural event and he was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to cricket. England A West Indies 1992 South Africa 1993/94 England Zimbabwe / New Zealand 1996/97 Sharjah / West Indies 1997/98 Australia 1998/99 Sri Lanka 2000/01 and 2003/04
8.
Darren Gough
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Darren Gough is a retired English cricketer and former captain of Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Gough was a right arm fast bowler and right-handed batsman,1.80 m and broad in beam, he achieved his pace from a good approach to the wicket and a leaping sideways-on action, achieving what was often described as skiddy fast bowling. Capable of swinging the ball late, a number of his wickets were gained through LBW or bowled. Gough retired at the end of the 2008 cricket season with Justin Langer as his final first-class wicket, Justin commented in his BBC column that Darren Gough will retire as one of the most respected and admired cricketers of our generation. Also noting that Gough had commented to Langer after his final match I am happy to finish with an Aussie in my pocket, Gough retired on a high being regarded as a model professional in the game and a Yorkshire legend. Gough was considered to be a young footballer and appeared many times for a YTS team before he embarked on his cricketing career. He frequently refers to his ability as a footballer as a presenter of Talksports flagship Drivetime programme, the initial steps of Goughs first-class cricketing life, according to his autobiography, were marked by a lack of discipline, thrust and ambition. In May 1993, however, during a match for Yorkshire against Hampshire at Southampton, the latter had characterised his approach in most such scenarios hitherto, and he duly went with it until Richie Richardson, Yorkshires foreign signing, told him to engage the former. Having played through one of the greatest epochs of West Indian cricket, characterised by a pace attack regarded by many as the finest ever, Gough took it, claimed his five-for and quickly realised that bowling fast and taking wickets was far more suited to his talents and personality. The new philosophy typified the remainder of his career and he was first selected for the England cricket team in 1994, playing both Test and One Day International cricket. Four first-innings wickets and an innings of 65 on Test debut showed his potential, like most such pretenders to that throne, he did not fully ascend to such lofty heights, his batting fell away, and he eventually averaged only 12 with the bat in Tests. Nonetheless, his presence in the England team became a vital one in both personality and play. Memorable highlights of his Test career included taking the 23rd hat-trick in Test cricket against Australia at Sydney in 1999 and his only first-class century came against Warwickshire in 1996 at Headingley. He retired from Test cricket in 2003 after a knee injury threatened to end his career and he has continued playing one-day international cricket, and became the first Englishman to take 200 wickets in one-day cricket in September 2004. In January 2005, he played for the World XI in the World Cricket Tsunami Appeal one-day international versus the Asian XI, Gough asked not to be considered for selection for Englands tour of Pakistan in October–December 2005 so that he could spend more time with his family. Selectors were content with his decision until it was discovered that he had signed up to part in the BBC television show Strictly Come Dancing. He was subsequently omitted from the ODI party to tour India in February and March 2006, prompting renewed speculation that his career was at an end. However, he was named as a member of the ODI squad to play Pakistan in August 2006, Cricket writer Tim de Lisle claimed in a column for Cricinfo that after this, international career all but over
9.
South Africa national cricket team
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The South African national cricket team, nicknamed the Proteas, represents South Africa in international cricket. It is administered by Cricket South Africa, South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status. As of 27 November 2016, South Africa has played 405 Test matches, winning 148, the team has played 564 ODIs, winning 348, losing 194 and tying six, with 16 no-results. Finally, it has played 91 Twenty20 Internationals, winning 54 and losing 36, on 20 August 2012, South Africa became the top ranked team in test cricket for the first time. 8 days later, on 28 August 2012, it became the first team to top the rankings in all three formats of the game, South Africa is currently ranked third in Tests, first in ODIs and third in T20Is by the ICC. South Africa first played cricket in 1889, though the players participating at the time were not aware of the fact. The South African cricket team toured England in 1947, at Trent Bridge, Captain Alan Melville and vice-captain, Dudley Nourse achieved a Test match record for a third wicket partnership of 319. The following year Nourse, 38-year-old captain of Natal, was appointed Captain for the 1948 MCC Test matches in South Africa and they continued to play regularly series of matches against England, Australia and New Zealand until 1970. The membership rules of the Imperial Cricket Conference meant that when South Africa left the Commonwealth in May 1961, despite the rules being changed in 1964 to allow other nations to be Associate members, South Africa did not reapply. Due to South African apartheid laws, which introduced legal racial segregation to the country in 1948, the anti-apartheid movement led the ICC to impose a moratorium on tours in 1970. This decision excluded players such as Graeme Pollock, Barry Richards, World class cricketers of their day like Clive Rice, Vintcent van der Bijl also never played Test Cricket despite their first class records. The ICC reinstated South Africa as a Test nation in 1991, South Africas first Test match after re-admission was played against the West Indies in April 1992. The match was played in Bridgetown, Barbados and South Africa lost by 52 runs, since South Africa have been reinstated they have achieved mixed success, and hosted the International Cricket Council Cricket World Cup in 2003. In 2003, South Africa were one of the favourites but were eliminated by one run in the stages after they had mistakenly counted the number of runs they needed. They have also had bad press for failing in vital matches in tournaments including the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy. With Donald retiring, Cronje banned for match-fixing and later killed in a crash, and Pollock also retiring from international cricket. Graeme Smith was made captain, although following injuries to Smith and Jacques Kallis, at the age of 29, he became the first non-white man to captain the once all-white South African cricket team. Due to a racial policy, the side was once required to contain black players
