Beau Casson
Encyclopedia
Beau Casson is a former Australian cricket
er who played for Western Australia and New South Wales, in a career spanning from 2002 to 2011, and has represented Australia at Test cricket
. Primarily a left arm wrist spin
ner, Casson is also capable with the bat and has a highest First-class
score of 99. Casson retired from all first class cricket in 2011.
suburb of Subiaco, Western Australia
as one of seven children. He began bowling leg-spin as a child after watching Shane Warne
, citing him as a major influence in his career. Casson was born with Tetralogy of Fallot
, a congenital heart defect for which he has undergone three-open heart surgeries. As a result of his condition he works to a slightly modified training program and is monitored regularly, otherwise it is inconsequential to his cricketing abilities.
in Youth Test and One Day International matches between 2001 and 2002. He was a vital part of the Australian Under 19 team that won the 2002 Under 19 Cricket World Cup
in New Zealand, taking 12 wickets at 15.08 in 6 matches. He was also a part of the Youth Test team that took on the Sri Lankan U-19 cricket team
at Perth
and Adelaide
in 2001. Australia swept the series 3-0 and Casson performed solidly taking 8 wickets at 17.37 with best figures of 5/52.
Casson has also represented Western Australia at all junior levels, from playing in their Under 17 team in 1999 to their Under 19 team in 2001. He is also a multiple graduate of the Australian Cricket Academy
, being a part of the Academy intake in 2001, 2002 and 2006.
and Western Australia
in First-class
, List A and Twenty20 cricket.
debut, Casson also played for a Western Australian XI that took on the travelling English cricket team, taking the wicket of James Foster
and finishing with figures of 1/32. With seven of Western Australia's players away on international duties, Casson made his first-class debut on 8 December 2003 against Tasmania at the WACA Ground
. He had a quiet debut with the ball, taking 0/44 in Tasmania's first innings, but had a solid showing with the bat, scoring 35 runs in Western Australia's second innings. Casson, however, had an excellent second first-class match as he tore through South Australia's
batting line-up to finish with figures of 6/64 in the first innings of the game. He went on to take 10 wickets for the match and was named Man of the Match for the first time in his senior career. Casson played the remaining games of the Pura Cup
for Western Australia, however he faded with the ball towards the end of the season, finishing with 17 wickets at 39.35. The 2002-03 season also saw Casson make his List A debut on 10 January 2003 against Victoria
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
. He failed to take a wicket on debut, and in the 3 other matches he played in the ING Cup season.
Casson had a solid second season for Western Australia, taking 17 wickets at 34.11 in the Pura Cup
and 4 wickets at 33.50 in the ING Cup, however he missed part of the season due to strained ligaments in his bowling hand. After recovering from his hand injury, Casson had mixed fortunes in the 2004-05 Australian season. He struggled with the ball and bat in the 2004-05 Pura Cup season, taking 9 wickets at an average of 40.33 and scoring 36 runs at an average of 9.00. In contrast, he performed well with the ball in the ING Cup taking 8 wickets at 17.75. The 2005-06 season was Casson's last for Western Australia, and he performed poorly, managing 17 wickets at the hefty average of 54.29 in the Pura Cup
and only 3 wickets at 41.33 in the ING Cup.
In his 4 years with the Warriors, Casson took 71 first-class wickets at 39.38 and 15 List A wickets at 30.20.
. While Western Australia tried desperately hard to keep him, Casson felt that bowling on the more traditionally spin-friendly pitches of the Sydney Cricket Ground
would help his career. There was initially some controversy over Casson's move, as Western Australia claimed that New South Wales had breached the transfer laws in signing him. Cricket Australia
, however ruled that his transfer was lawful and Casson was cleared to play for New South Wales.
While there were doubts over whether Casson would be able to hold down a permanent place in the New South Wales team with four other spinners in the squad, he managed to play 7 matches in his first season with the Blues. Despite this, he had a very poor first season, taking only 7 wickets at an average of 72.00, however his form was not helped by a shoulder injury that eventually required reconstructive surgery. Coming back from shoulder injury, Casson had an excellent 2007-08 Pura Cup
season. Playing 9 matches in the season, he took 29 wickets at an average of 35.13 and scored 485 runs at 60.62. His season included a career top score of 99 off 180 balls against South Australia
at the Sydney Cricket Ground
and he played a vital role in the Blues' 2007-08 Pura Cup final win. After scoring 89 in a state record seventh wicket stand with Brett Lee
, he took 4 wickets in Victoria's unsuccessful run chase, including the final wicket that won the Cup for New South Wales. His strong season was rewarded as he was given his first Cricket Australia
contract on 9 April 2008.
Despite performing well in first-class cricket, Casson has struggled to make the New South Wales One Day side with Nathan Hauritz
being the first choice List A spinner for the Blues. Since his move to New South Wales, Casson has only played 1 List A game and 2 Twenty20 matches. He announced his retirement from all cricket in November 2011 due to a long standing heart condition known as Tetralogy of Fallot
.
as a back-up for Stuart MacGill
. After the retirement of MacGill following the Second Test in Antigua
, Casson was named in the Australian team for the final Test in Barbados
. His Test debut came on 12 June 2008 at Kensington Oval
, Bridgetown
against the West Indies, making him the 401st man to play Test cricket for Australia. Despite going wicket-less in his first innings of the match, he picked up vital wickets in the final innings, taking 3/86. His first Test wicket was that of Xavier Marshall
, caught at short leg by Phil Jaques
for 85.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played for Western Australia and New South Wales, in a career spanning from 2002 to 2011, and has represented Australia at Test cricket
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...
. Primarily a left arm wrist spin
Wrist spin
Wrist spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket. It refers to the cricket technique and specific hand movements associated with imparting a particular direction of spin to the cricket ball...
ner, Casson is also capable with the bat and has a highest First-class
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...
score of 99. Casson retired from all first class cricket in 2011.
Early and personal life
Casson was born and grew up in the PerthPerth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
suburb of Subiaco, Western Australia
Subiaco, Western Australia
Subiaco is an inner western suburb of Perth, Western Australia, situated to the north west of Kings Park. Its Local Government Area is the City of Subiaco.-History:Prior to European settlement the area was home to the Noongar Indigenous people....
as one of seven children. He began bowling leg-spin as a child after watching 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...
, citing him as a major influence in his career. Casson was born with Tetralogy of Fallot
Tetralogy of Fallot
Tetralogy of Fallot is a congenital heart defect which is classically understood to involve four anatomical abnormalities...
, a congenital heart defect for which he has undergone three-open heart surgeries. As a result of his condition he works to a slightly modified training program and is monitored regularly, otherwise it is inconsequential to his cricketing abilities.
Junior career
A talented junior cricketer, Casson represented the Australian U-19 cricket teamAustralian U-19 cricket team
The Australian Under-19 cricket team have been playing official Under-19 test matches since 1978. Former captains include Stuart Law, Damien Martyn, Brad Haddin, Nathan Hauritz and Cameron White who have all gone on to play international cricket for Australia....
in Youth Test and One Day International matches between 2001 and 2002. He was a vital part of the Australian Under 19 team that won the 2002 Under 19 Cricket World Cup
Under 19 Cricket World Cup
The ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup is an international cricket tournament contested by national Under-19 teams. The event was initially staged as a one-off event in Australia in 1988, and has been held every two years since 1998.-1988 :...
in New Zealand, taking 12 wickets at 15.08 in 6 matches. He was also a part of the Youth Test team that took on the Sri Lankan U-19 cricket team
Sri Lankan U-19 cricket team
The Sri Lankan Under-19 cricket team is the cricket team that represents Sri Lanka in International Under-19 Cricket. It consists of school-aged cricketers.-2011 Under-19 squad:The squad selected for the 2011 Under-19 Cricket team....
at Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
and Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
in 2001. Australia swept the series 3-0 and Casson performed solidly taking 8 wickets at 17.37 with best figures of 5/52.
Casson has also represented Western Australia at all junior levels, from playing in their Under 17 team in 1999 to their Under 19 team in 2001. He is also a multiple graduate of the Australian Cricket Academy
Australian Cricket Academy
The Australian Cricket Academy, originally located at Henley Beach in Adelaide, was formed in 1987 as a joint initiative of the Australian Institute of Sport and the Australian Cricket Board . It was designed to be a finishing school for leading young cricketers and is a program within the AIS...
, being a part of the Academy intake in 2001, 2002 and 2006.
Domestic career
Since 2002 Casson has represented both New South WalesNew South Wales Blues
The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
and Western Australia
Western Warriors
The Western Australia cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team representing the state of Western Australia...
in First-class
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...
, List A and Twenty20 cricket.
Western Australia
As a junior, Casson competed for the Western Australian Under 17 and 19 teams as well as their Second XI team, however it wasn't until the 2002-03 season when he won his first full state contract. Prior to making his senior first-classFirst-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...
debut, Casson also played for a Western Australian XI that took on the travelling English cricket team, taking the wicket of James Foster
James Foster
James Foster may refer to:*James Foster *James Foster , English mason and architect in Bristol*James Foster , English cricketer...
and finishing with figures of 1/32. With seven of Western Australia's players away on international duties, Casson made his first-class debut on 8 December 2003 against Tasmania at the WACA Ground
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 had a quiet debut with the ball, taking 0/44 in Tasmania's first innings, but had a solid showing with the bat, scoring 35 runs in Western Australia's second innings. Casson, however, had an excellent second first-class match as he tore through South Australia's
Southern Redbacks
The South Australia cricket team, nicknamed the Southern Redbacks and known as the West End Redbacks due to their sponsorship agreement with local brewers West End, are an Australian first class cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia, and represent the state of South Australia...
batting line-up to finish with figures of 6/64 in the first innings of the game. He went on to take 10 wickets for the match and was named Man of the Match for the first time in his senior career. Casson played the remaining games of the Pura Cup
Pura Cup
The Sheffield Shield is the domestic cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Prior to the Shield being established, a number of intercolonial matches were played. The Shield, donated by Lord Sheffield, was first contested during...
for Western Australia, however he faded with the ball towards the end of the season, finishing with 17 wickets at 39.35. The 2002-03 season also saw Casson make his List A debut on 10 January 2003 against Victoria
Victorian Bushrangers
The Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
. He failed to take a wicket on debut, and in the 3 other matches he played in the ING Cup season.
Casson had a solid second season for Western Australia, taking 17 wickets at 34.11 in the Pura Cup
Pura Cup
The Sheffield Shield is the domestic cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Prior to the Shield being established, a number of intercolonial matches were played. The Shield, donated by Lord Sheffield, was first contested during...
and 4 wickets at 33.50 in the ING Cup, however he missed part of the season due to strained ligaments in his bowling hand. After recovering from his hand injury, Casson had mixed fortunes in the 2004-05 Australian season. He struggled with the ball and bat in the 2004-05 Pura Cup season, taking 9 wickets at an average of 40.33 and scoring 36 runs at an average of 9.00. In contrast, he performed well with the ball in the ING Cup taking 8 wickets at 17.75. The 2005-06 season was Casson's last for Western Australia, and he performed poorly, managing 17 wickets at the hefty average of 54.29 in the Pura Cup
Pura Cup
The Sheffield Shield is the domestic cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Prior to the Shield being established, a number of intercolonial matches were played. The Shield, donated by Lord Sheffield, was first contested during...
and only 3 wickets at 41.33 in the ING Cup.
In his 4 years with the Warriors, Casson took 71 first-class wickets at 39.38 and 15 List A wickets at 30.20.
New South Wales
In May 2006, Casson announced he was making a move east to play for the New South Wales BluesNew South Wales Blues
The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
. While Western Australia tried desperately hard to keep him, Casson felt that bowling on the more traditionally spin-friendly pitches of the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
would help his career. There was initially some controversy over Casson's move, as Western Australia claimed that New South Wales had breached the transfer laws in signing him. Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia, formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board, is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the Australian Board of Control for International Cricket...
, however ruled that his transfer was lawful and Casson was cleared to play for New South Wales.
While there were doubts over whether Casson would be able to hold down a permanent place in the New South Wales team with four other spinners in the squad, he managed to play 7 matches in his first season with the Blues. Despite this, he had a very poor first season, taking only 7 wickets at an average of 72.00, however his form was not helped by a shoulder injury that eventually required reconstructive surgery. Coming back from shoulder injury, Casson had an excellent 2007-08 Pura Cup
Pura Cup
The Sheffield Shield is the domestic cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Prior to the Shield being established, a number of intercolonial matches were played. The Shield, donated by Lord Sheffield, was first contested during...
season. Playing 9 matches in the season, he took 29 wickets at an average of 35.13 and scored 485 runs at 60.62. His season included a career top score of 99 off 180 balls against South Australia
Southern Redbacks
The South Australia cricket team, nicknamed the Southern Redbacks and known as the West End Redbacks due to their sponsorship agreement with local brewers West End, are an Australian first class cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia, and represent the state of South Australia...
at the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
and he played a vital role in the Blues' 2007-08 Pura Cup final win. After scoring 89 in a state record seventh wicket stand with Brett Lee
Brett Lee
Brett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket...
, he took 4 wickets in Victoria's unsuccessful run chase, including the final wicket that won the Cup for New South Wales. His strong season was rewarded as he was given his first Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia, formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board, is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the Australian Board of Control for International Cricket...
contract on 9 April 2008.
Despite performing well in first-class cricket, Casson has struggled to make the New South Wales One Day side with Nathan Hauritz
Nathan Hauritz
Nathan Michael Hauritz is an Australian cricketer who has represented Australia in Tests, One-dayers and Twenty20 Internationals. He is mainly noted for his off spin bowling....
being the first choice List A spinner for the Blues. Since his move to New South Wales, Casson has only played 1 List A game and 2 Twenty20 matches. He announced his retirement from all cricket in November 2011 due to a long standing heart condition known as Tetralogy of Fallot
Tetralogy of Fallot
Tetralogy of Fallot is a congenital heart defect which is classically understood to involve four anatomical abnormalities...
.
International career
On 1 April 2008, Casson was named in Australia's Test squad for the tour of the West IndiesAustralian cricket team in the West Indies in 2008
The Australian cricket team toured the West Indies between 16 May, 2008 and 6 July 2008. Australia won two of three Test matches played and all five One-day Internationals. The West Indies won the single Twenty20 International game....
as a back-up for Stuart MacGill
Stuart MacGill
Stuart Charles Glyndwr MacGill is a former right-arm leg spin bowler of the Australian cricket team, with a domestic career at Western Australia, New South Wales, Nottinghamshire, Devon and Somerset...
. After the retirement of MacGill following the Second Test in Antigua
Antigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
, Casson was named in the Australian team for the final Test in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. His Test debut came on 12 June 2008 at Kensington Oval
Kensington Oval
The Kensington Oval is located to the west of the capital-city Bridgetown on the island of Barbados. "The Oval" is one of the major sporting facilities on the island and is primarily used for cricket...
, Bridgetown
Bridgetown
The city of Bridgetown , metropolitan pop 96,578 , is the capital and largest city of the nation of Barbados. Formerly, the Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael...
against the West Indies, making him the 401st man to play Test cricket for Australia. Despite going wicket-less in his first innings of the match, he picked up vital wickets in the final innings, taking 3/86. His first Test wicket was that of Xavier Marshall
Xavier Marshall
Xavier Melbourne Marshall is a West Indies cricketer. He is a batsman and a talented fielder. However in recent years he has failed to live up to his previous reputation as a promising young cricketer, and his progress in international cricket has since stagnated as a result of much inconsistency...
, caught at short leg by Phil Jaques
Phil Jaques
Philip Anthony Jaques is an Australian cricketer. He is a left-handed opening batsman who has played first-class cricket for New South Wales, Northamptonshire, Yorkshire and Worcestershire, as well as international cricket for Australia...
for 85.