Michael Bevan

Michael Bevan

Personal information
Full name	Michael Gwyl Bevan
Nickname	Bevo
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Batting	Left-hand
Bowling	Slow left-arm chinaman
Role	Batsman
International information
National side	Australia
Test debut (cap 360)	28 September 1994 v Pakistan
Last Test	2 January 1998 v South Africa
ODI debut (cap 116)	14 April 1994 v Sri Lanka
Last ODI	29 February 2004 v Sri Lanka
ODI shirt no.	12
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1989 - 1990	South Australia
1990 - 2004	New South Wales
2004 - 2006	Tasmania
Career statistics
Competition Test ODIs FC List A Matches 18 232 237 427 Runs scored 785 6,912 19,147 15,103 Batting average 29.07 53.58 57.32 57.86 100s/50s 0/6 6/46 68/81 13/116 Top score 91 108* 216 157* Balls bowled 1,285 1,966 8,769 3,546 Wickets 29 36 119 93 Bowling average 24.24 45.97 44.89 33.27 5 wickets in innings 1 0 1 1 10 wickets in match 1 n/a 1 n/a Best bowling 6/82 3/36 6/82 5/29 Catches/stumpings 8/– 69/– 122/– 128/–
Source: cricinfo.com, 6 March 2008

Michael Gwyl Bevan (born 8 May 1970 in Belconnen, Australian Capital Territory) is a former Australian left-handed cricket batsman and a slow left arm chinaman bowler. He played 232 ODI matches for Australia, and was a part of the 1999 and 2003 teams that won the World Cup. He holds the world record One Day International batting average for retired players of 53.58. In List A cricket as a whole, Bevan has an average of over 58, the highest of any player to have scored 10,000 runs in List A games (second is Dean Jones, on 46.93). Although Bevan played most of his domestic career for the New South Wales Blues, he moved to the Tasmanian Tigers for the 2004-05 season, where he continued his successes up until his retirement in January 2007. He has also played for the Southern Redbacks, Sussex County Cricket Club, and Yorkshire County Cricket Club.

ODI career

Bevan is one of only two players with 30 ODI innings or more to maintain a batting average above 50. Critics have claimed this was an inflated average due to a high level of not outs, a result of batting in the lower-middle order. However, Bevan's best performance was as a number four. Of the players to have played 30 or more ODI innings, he is one of only three (with Kevin Pietersen and Michael Hussey) whose batting average never dropped below 40. This, coupled with the high price he put on his wicket, resulted in many not-out innings.

Nonetheless, he proved a reliable anchor at the bottom of the middle order, and he would often patiently guide Australia to victory following a rare top-order collapse - leading to him being nicknamed "The Finisher". One of his most famous "anchor" innings was in the New Years Day One Day International at the Sydney Cricket Ground against the West Indies in 1996. With the Australians at one stage 6/38 chasing 173, his unbeaten 150-minute 78 got the Australians over the line with a four on the last ball of the innings.

Test career

Despite his ODI success, Bevan's Test career was not nearly as successful. Thought to be susceptible to short-pitched deliveries, he never really succeeded in the longer form of the game, with an average of only 29. It must be noted that his problems with short pitched bowling are more myth than reality - he continued to perform consistently in ODIs, despite a rule change which allowed short pitch bowling in ODIs. He also scored heavily in domestic first-class cricket for New South Wales during this time averaging almost 60 with the bat. He performed well during his limited time as a bowler in Test matches, with his bowling style of unorthodox left-arm chinaman spin. He is the only bowler of this type to have taken ten wickets in a Test match which he did against the West Indies touring side in 1996.

The major teams he has played for are: South Australia, New South Wales, Yorkshire, Sussex, Leicestershire and of course Australia. He finished his career playing for Tasmania, where in the 2004/05 season, he scored a Sheffield Shield record for number of runs scored in a season. Despite this form, he was dismissed for Australian selection due to his age.

Retirement

On 17 January 2007, due to injuries Bevan announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. "It got to the stage where injuries and pain were holding back my motivation, and it got to the stage where I was finding it hard to get up for matches and that was probably a pretty clear indication that it was time to move on," Bevan said. Apart from coaching the Chennai Superstars in the Indian Cricket League, Bevan now participates in the Beach Cricket Tri-Nations series for Australia.

Statistics

Michael Bevan's Test career batting performance.

Histogram of batting averages highlighting Bevan's ODI record

External links

• Michael Bevan at ESPNcricinfo
• Cricinfo: ODI Career Highest Batting Averages
• AussieProfiles.com: Michael Bevan