Alan Mullally
Encyclopedia
Alan Mullally is a former English
cricketer
.
Mullally grew up in Western Australia
, and played for the Australian
Under-19 side against their West Indian
counterparts in 1987/88. That same season he made his first-class debut
for Western Australia
in their Sheffield Shield final victory over Queensland
at Perth
. He stayed with Western Australia for another couple of seasons, with variable success.
Meanwhile, he had made his Hampshire
debut, against Oxford University
in May 1988. He did not take a wicket in that match, and he spent the rest of the English summer in Hampshire's second team. A more productive time followed back in Australia in 1988/89 as he took 23 first-class wickets, including seven in an innings victory
in an MG Kailis-Kemplast Trophy game against Tamil Nadu
at Perth.
Mullally did not play in England in 1989, and the 1989/90 Australian season was something of a disappointment as he took just 11 first-class wickets, but in 1990 Mullally returned to county cricket
with Leicestershire
, doing reasonably well with the highlight a haul of 6-38 (which remains his best in List A cricket) in a one-day
game against the touring New Zealanders
in June. That winter he returned to Australia, playing just a single game for Victoria.
For several years Mullally performed steadily with Leicestershire, capped in 1993 and taking between 40 and 70 first-class wickets a season while playing in the great majority of the county's games. His most successful year during this period was 1996, when he claimed 70 first-class wickets and, perhaps more startling for a man renowned throughout his career for his incompetence with the bat, made his only two first-class fifties, both at number 11: he scored 68 against Surrey
in June, then followed it up in September with 75 against Middlesex
.
In 1996 also, he was selected by England
for the first Test
against India
at Edgbaston
. He took five wickets in the match as England won by eight wickets, and played in all six Tests that summer against India and Pakistan
, as well as in three One Day Internationals against the latter opponents. It was to be in ODIs where Mullally was to make his mark as an England cricketer, not so much for his penetration as for his accuracy: his economy rate was so good that at one time he was listed as the second-best bowler in the world in that form of the game.
Mullally was in and out of the Test side from then on, his best period being 1998/99, when he took 12 Australian wickets in four Ashes
Tests at 30.33
, including his career-best 5-105 at Brisbane Cricket Ground
, and the following home series against New Zealand, when he claimed 11 wickets at 27.27 from three games. In limited-overs cricket, however, he was still considered a central part of the team, and he took 10 wickets at just 17.60 in the 1999 World Cup
, second in England's averages (just behind Darren Gough
) and with the best economy rate of any English bowler in the competition.
In 2000 he returned to Hampshire, where he had begun his career in England, and he and Shane Warne
carried the county's bowling attack almost by themselves in a difficult season for the club; that August he recorded his best bowling figures of 9-93 against Derbyshire
(following up with 5-95 in the second innings for match figures of 14-188), although the game was drawn. In June 2001 he played his final ODI against Australia at The Oval
, and conceded 27 runs from his four overs as England were crushed by eight wickets, and also his last Test against the same opponents at Headingley
when recalled for a single time in August, having played his previous Test match against South Africa
in January 2000.
Mullally continued to be a regular pick in the Hampshire side for the next few years, averaging
under 20 with the ball in both 2000 and 2001, and claiming five-wicket hauls on six occasions in the latter season, but from 2003 onwards his performances began to fall away, especially in first-class cricket in which he took only 35 wickets in 2003 and 2004 combined. His county persevered with him for some while, and in 2004 he took 22 List A wickets, but the award of a benefit season
in 2005 could not disguise his decline and after a friendly against Kent
and three totesport League
matches in April and May, he dropped out of the first team entirely. At the end of the 2005 season he announced his retirement.
Mullally was a poor batsman, and more often than not occupied the No. 11 position in the England batting line-up. However, he struck an aggressive 16 off 15 balls, including 3 cross-batted fours off Glenn McGrath
, to help England to a 12-run win against Australia at Melbourne in 1998/99. His highest Test score of 24 against Pakistan featured several airborne boundaries off Wasim Akram
. Allegedly the then England coach David Lloyd
had offered Mullally 30 pints of Guinness to score 30 in that match.
He is unique amongst all those who have ever played cricket for England, in that his surname is the only one containing four similar letters.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
.
Mullally grew up in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, and played for the Australian
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
Under-19 side against their West Indian
West Indian cricket team
The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,...
counterparts in 1987/88. That same season he made his first-class debut
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
for Western Australia
Western Warriors
The Western Australia cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team representing the state of Western Australia...
in their Sheffield Shield final victory over Queensland
Queensland Bulls
The Queensland cricket team, nicknamed the Bulls, are the Brisbane-based Queensland representative cricket team in Australia's domestic cricket tournaments:*Sheffield Shield, 4-day matches with first-class status, since the 1926/27 season...
at Perth
WACA Ground
The WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association....
. He stayed with Western Australia for another couple of seasons, with variable success.
Meanwhile, he had made his Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
debut, against Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
in May 1988. He did not take a wicket in that match, and he spent the rest of the English summer in Hampshire's second team. A more productive time followed back in Australia in 1988/89 as he took 23 first-class wickets, including seven in an innings victory
The result in cricket
The result in a game of cricket may be a win for one of the two teams playing, a draw or a tie. In the case of a limited overs game, the game can also end with no result...
in an MG Kailis-Kemplast Trophy game against Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
at Perth.
Mullally did not play in England in 1989, and the 1989/90 Australian season was something of a disappointment as he took just 11 first-class wickets, but in 1990 Mullally returned to county cricket
County cricket
County cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
with Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
, doing reasonably well with the highlight a haul of 6-38 (which remains his best in List A cricket) in a one-day
One-day cricket
Limited overs cricket, also known as one-day cricket and in a slightly different context as List A cricket, is a version of the sport of cricket in which a match is generally completed in one day, whereas Test and first-class matches can take up to five days to complete...
game against the touring New Zealanders
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
in June. That winter he returned to Australia, playing just a single game for Victoria.
For several years Mullally performed steadily with Leicestershire, capped in 1993 and taking between 40 and 70 first-class wickets a season while playing in the great majority of the county's games. His most successful year during this period was 1996, when he claimed 70 first-class wickets and, perhaps more startling for a man renowned throughout his career for his incompetence with the bat, made his only two first-class fifties, both at number 11: he scored 68 against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
in June, then followed it up in September with 75 against Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
.
In 1996 also, he was selected by England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
for the first Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
against India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
at Edgbaston
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
. He took five wickets in the match as England won by eight wickets, and played in all six Tests that summer against India and Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team
The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
, as well as in three One Day Internationals against the latter opponents. It was to be in ODIs where Mullally was to make his mark as an England cricketer, not so much for his penetration as for his accuracy: his economy rate was so good that at one time he was listed as the second-best bowler in the world in that form of the game.
Mullally was in and out of the Test side from then on, his best period being 1998/99, when he took 12 Australian wickets in four Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
Tests at 30.33
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
, including his career-best 5-105 at Brisbane Cricket Ground
Brisbane Cricket Ground
The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as The Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. It is named after the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located....
, and the following home series against New Zealand, when he claimed 11 wickets at 27.27 from three games. In limited-overs cricket, however, he was still considered a central part of the team, and he took 10 wickets at just 17.60 in the 1999 World Cup
1999 Cricket World Cup
-England:-Outside England:-Group A:-Results:-------------------------------------------------------------Group B:-Results:------------------------------------------------------------...
, second in England's averages (just behind Darren Gough
Darren Gough
Darren Gough is a retired English cricketer and former captain of Yorkshire County Cricket Club. The spearhead of England's bowling attack through much of the 1990s, he is England's highest wicket-taker in one-day internationals with 234, and took 229 wickets in his 58 Test matches, making him...
) and with the best economy rate of any English bowler in the competition.
In 2000 he returned to Hampshire, where he had begun his career in England, and he and Shane Warne
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
carried the county's bowling attack almost by themselves in a difficult season for the club; that August he recorded his best bowling figures of 9-93 against Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
(following up with 5-95 in the second innings for match figures of 14-188), although the game was drawn. In June 2001 he played his final ODI against Australia at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
, and conceded 27 runs from his four overs as England were crushed by eight wickets, and also his last Test against the same opponents at Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
when recalled for a single time in August, having played his previous Test match against South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
in January 2000.
Mullally continued to be a regular pick in the Hampshire side for the next few years, averaging
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
under 20 with the ball in both 2000 and 2001, and claiming five-wicket hauls on six occasions in the latter season, but from 2003 onwards his performances began to fall away, especially in first-class cricket in which he took only 35 wickets in 2003 and 2004 combined. His county persevered with him for some while, and in 2004 he took 22 List A wickets, but the award of a benefit season
Benefit season
A benefit season is a method of financially rewarding professional cricketers that is used by English county cricket teams to compensate long serving players....
in 2005 could not disguise his decline and after a friendly against Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
and three totesport League
National League (cricket)
The NatWest Pro40 League was a one-day cricket league for first-class cricket counties in England and Wales. It was inaugurated in 1999, but was essentially the old Sunday League retitled to reflect the fact that large numbers of matches were played on days other than Sunday.-Sunday League:The...
matches in April and May, he dropped out of the first team entirely. At the end of the 2005 season he announced his retirement.
Mullally was a poor batsman, and more often than not occupied the No. 11 position in the England batting line-up. However, he struck an aggressive 16 off 15 balls, including 3 cross-batted fours off Glenn McGrath
Glenn McGrath
Glenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century...
, to help England to a 12-run win against Australia at Melbourne in 1998/99. His highest Test score of 24 against Pakistan featured several airborne boundaries off Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram is a former Pakistani left arm fast bowler and left-handed batsman in cricketer and model. who represented the Pakistan national cricket team in Test cricket and One Day International matches....
. Allegedly the then England coach David Lloyd
David Lloyd (cricketer)
David Lloyd is a former English cricketer who played county cricket for Lancashire and Test and One Day International cricket for England. He also played semi-professional football for Accrington Stanley...
had offered Mullally 30 pints of Guinness to score 30 in that match.
He is unique amongst all those who have ever played cricket for England, in that his surname is the only one containing four similar letters.