Ben Hilfenhaus
Encyclopedia
Benjamin William Hilfenhaus (born 15 March 1983, in Ulverstone, Tasmania
) is an Australian cricket
er who plays for the Tasmanian Tigers
in Australian domestic cricket. Hilfenhaus plays club cricket for Tasmania University Cricket Club
. Prior to turning fully professional, he worked as a bricklayer
as well as playing cricket. He is right-arm fast-medium bowler known for his ability to swing the ball. He has best bowling figures of 7/58 in first-class cricket
. Hilfenhaus played his first One Day International (ODI) for Australia in 2007, and two years later made his Test
debut.
squad for the winter Top End series. He had previously represented Australia at under-19 level. Hilfenhaus made his International début in a Twenty20
international for Australia
against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground
on 9 January 2007. He bowled four overs and took two wickets for 16 runs.
This was followed up by selection in the one-day team for the One Day International on 14 January against New Zealand
at Bellerive Oval
, his state team's home ground. He took his first ODI wicket (Brendon McCullum
) in his second over. Hilfenhaus quickly became a local favourite, with the crowd cheering "Hilfy" whenever he was involved in play. He is expected to start challenging from a more stable place in the Australian team over the next few years, although he faces competition for a place from two other young fast bowlers, Mitchell Johnson
and Shaun Tait
.
On 6 February 2007, Hilfenhaus was named the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year. He was a convincing winner of the award, as he polled 97 votes to finish well clear of second-placed Cullen Bailey
of South Australia (11 votes) and NSW's Edward Cowan
(6 votes). He was the leading wicket-taker across Australian cricket during the voting period with 75 wickets at 25.17 in 23 matches.
There have been several comparisons made between Hilfenhaus and a young Glenn McGrath
and McGrath himself described him as "very impressive".
After receiving his first full national contract with the Australian cricket team
, Hilfenhaus was included in Australia's squads for the 2007 Twenty20 World Championship
and the One Day International tour of India
. He also received a call up to the Test squad to take on Sri Lanka
when South Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait
was ruled out with injury. However, he did not get to add to his international appearances on any of the above occasions.
, a New South Wales
pace bowler, was picked over him purely on home ground knowledge. Hilfenhaus was finally selected for his Test debut on the tour of South Africa in 2009. His first wicket was the wicket of Hashim Amla
for just Hilfenhaus' second ball in Test cricket.
Australia lost the 2010–11 Ashes series
3–1. Across the five Tests, Australia used four front-line fast bowlers: Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris, and Hilfenhaus with support from all-rounder Shane Watson. Though he missed a match, Hilfenhaus bowled the most out of all Australia's bowlers in the series, sending down 947 deliveries. However, on average his seven wickets cost 59.28 runs each.
Though Hilfenhaus was bought by Chennai Super Kings
for a price of $100,000, he did not play in the 2011 Indian Premier League held in April due to injury. Hilfenhaus recovered in time to be included in the Australia A squad to tour Zimbabwe in June. The intention was to give him the opportunity to find some form before the full Australia team toured Sri Lanka and South Africa later that year. The squad also contained Mitchell Starc
, James Faulkner
, and Trent Copeland
, and it was hoped that Hilfenhaus' experience would benefit the younger fast bowlers, particularly as Starc and Faulkner had the ability to swing the ball. When the squad to tour Sri Lanka was annoucned in July, Hilfenhaus was omitted, according to selector Greg Chappell
this was because he was not fit enough.
's 2009 Men Of Cricket calendar.
Hilfenhaus has been nicknamed Gentle Ben by his Australian teammates in reference to his gentle personality and the popular bear from the 1970s TV series.
Ulverstone, Tasmania
Ulverstone is a town on the northwest coast of Tasmania, Australia. It lies at the mouth of the Leven River, on Bass Strait. It is on the Bass Highway, west of Devonport and east of Penguin....
) is an Australian cricket
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 plays for the Tasmanian Tigers
Tasmanian Tigers
The Tasmanian cricket team, nicknamed the Tigers, represents the Australian state of Tasmania in cricket tournaments. They compete annually in the Australian domestic senior men's cricket season, which currently consists of the first-class Sheffield Shield, the limited overs Ford Ranger Cup, and...
in Australian domestic cricket. Hilfenhaus plays club cricket for Tasmania University Cricket Club
University of Tasmania Cricket Club
Tasmania University Cricket Club also known as the "Lions" represent the University of Tasmania in Tasmania's Grade Cricket Competition. Although many of the players are students, or former students it is not compulsory to be so, in order to play for the cricket club.The Tasmania University...
. Prior to turning fully professional, he worked as a bricklayer
Bricklayer
A bricklayer or mason is a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork. The term also refers to personnel who use blocks to construct blockwork walls and other forms of masonry. In British and Australian English, a bricklayer is colloquially known as a "brickie".The training of a trade in...
as well as playing cricket. He is right-arm fast-medium bowler known for his ability to swing the ball. He has best bowling figures of 7/58 in first-class cricket
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...
. Hilfenhaus played his first One Day International (ODI) for Australia in 2007, and two years later made his 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...
debut.
Early career: 2006–2008
Hilfenhaus took 39 wickets at 30.82 in his debut season and was rewarded with a place in the Australia "A"Australia A cricket team
The Australia A cricket team is a cricket team representing Australia and is the second team of the Australian cricket team. They have also played far more one-day than first-class matches; indeed they have played only three first-class games against equivalent A sides, against South Africa A in...
squad for the winter Top End series. He had previously represented Australia at under-19 level. Hilfenhaus made his International début in a Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
international for Australia
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...
against England 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...
on 9 January 2007. He bowled four overs and took two wickets for 16 runs.
This was followed up by selection in the one-day team for the One Day International on 14 January against New Zealand
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...
at Bellerive Oval
Bellerive Oval
Bellerive Oval, also known as its sponsored name Blundstone Arena, is primarily a cricket and Australian Rules Football ground located in Bellerive, City of Clarence, on the eastern shore of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia...
, his state team's home ground. He took his first ODI wicket (Brendon McCullum
Brendon McCullum
Brendon Barrie McCullum is a New Zealand international cricketer, who plays for the Otago Volts at provincial level. He is a wicket-keeper, as well as an aggressive batsman who opens in One-day Internationals and is known for his fast scoring rate...
) in his second over. Hilfenhaus quickly became a local favourite, with the crowd cheering "Hilfy" whenever he was involved in play. He is expected to start challenging from a more stable place in the Australian team over the next few years, although he faces competition for a place from two other young fast bowlers, Mitchell Johnson
Mitchell Johnson (cricketer)
Mitchell Guy Johnson is an Australian cricketer. He is a left-arm fast bowler and left-handed batsman. He was awarded the International Cricket Council's 2009 "Cricketer of the Year" award, the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy.-Career:...
and Shaun Tait
Shaun Tait
Shaun William Tait is a professional Australian cricketer, who currently plays only in the Twenty20 format. Tait plays domestic cricket for South Australia and is also a representative for Australia at Twenty20 International level; he has also represented his country in One Day Internationals and...
.
On 6 February 2007, Hilfenhaus was named the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year. He was a convincing winner of the award, as he polled 97 votes to finish well clear of second-placed Cullen Bailey
Cullen Bailey
Cullen Benjamin Bailey is an Australian cricketer. He is a leg-spin bowler, who represents South Australia in the Ford Ranger Cup and Sheffield Shield, the Australian domestic cricket competitions....
of South Australia (11 votes) and NSW's Edward Cowan
Edward Cowan
Edward James McKenzie "Ed" Cowan is a cricketer who has played for the British Universities, New South Wales, Tasmania and Oxford UCCE teams. He is a left handed batsman who debuted in 2005 for the NSW Blues side. Edward earned his place in the State side after four seasons with Sydney University....
(6 votes). He was the leading wicket-taker across Australian cricket during the voting period with 75 wickets at 25.17 in 23 matches.
There have been several comparisons made between Hilfenhaus and a young 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...
and McGrath himself described him as "very impressive".
After receiving his first full national contract with the Australian cricket team
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...
, Hilfenhaus was included in Australia's squads for the 2007 Twenty20 World Championship
2007 Twenty20 World Championship
The 2007 ICC World Twenty20 was the inaugural Twenty20 cricket World Championship and it took place in South Africa from 11 September to 24 September 2007. Twelve teams took part in the thirteen-day tournament, comprising the ten Test playing nations as well as the finalists of the 2007 WCL...
and the One Day International tour of 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....
. He also received a call up to the Test squad to take on Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
when South Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait
Shaun Tait
Shaun William Tait is a professional Australian cricketer, who currently plays only in the Twenty20 format. Tait plays domestic cricket for South Australia and is also a representative for Australia at Twenty20 International level; he has also represented his country in One Day Internationals and...
was ruled out with injury. However, he did not get to add to his international appearances on any of the above occasions.
Test debut: 2008–2009
Hilfenhaus has missed out on playing in the Australian Cricket Team on so many different occasions but most recently named in the 13 man squad to play in the 2nd 3 Mobile Test at the MCG against The South African Cricket Team 08/09 Season. He flew to Melbourne to spend Christmas Day with The Australian Cricket Team but did not get in the team so he flew back to Tasmania for Boxing Day. The Last 3 Mobile Test Came around where yet again he was named in the 13 Man squad to take on South Africa at the SCG. However he was made 12th man when Doug BollingerDoug Bollinger
Douglas Erwin Bollinger is a professional Australian cricketer who currently plays first-class cricket for the New South Wales Blues and international cricket for Australia. He is a left-handed batsman and a left-arm fast bowler...
, a New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
pace bowler, was picked over him purely on home ground knowledge. Hilfenhaus was finally selected for his Test debut on the tour of South Africa in 2009. His first wicket was the wicket of Hashim Amla
Hashim Amla
Hashim Mahomed Amla is a South African cricketer. A right-handed upper order batsman and occasional medium-pace bowler, Amla bats at number 3 for South Africa in Test matches and has opened in limited overs contests. He is currently ranked as the No...
for just Hilfenhaus' second ball in Test cricket.
2009 Ashes onwards
Hilfenhaus was given a chance in the 2009 ashes after a solid performance in South Africa and an injury to Brett Lee. He grabbed his chance, swinging the new and old ball, along with bowling an accurate length. Though Australia lost the series 2–1, Hilfenhaus was the leading wicket-taker for either side with 22 dismissals from all five Tests at an average of 27.45.Australia lost the 2010–11 Ashes series
2010–11 Ashes series
The 2010–11 Ashes series was played in Australia as part of the England cricket team's tour of Australia during the 2010–11 cricket season. Five Tests were played from 25 November 2010 to 7 January 2011...
3–1. Across the five Tests, Australia used four front-line fast bowlers: Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris, and Hilfenhaus with support from all-rounder Shane Watson. Though he missed a match, Hilfenhaus bowled the most out of all Australia's bowlers in the series, sending down 947 deliveries. However, on average his seven wickets cost 59.28 runs each.
Though Hilfenhaus was bought by Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings is a franchise cricket team based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu that plays in the Indian Premier League. Founded in 2008, the team is currently captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coached by Stephen Fleming, a former New Zealand cricketer. The team's home ground is the M. A...
for a price of $100,000, he did not play in the 2011 Indian Premier League held in April due to injury. Hilfenhaus recovered in time to be included in the Australia A squad to tour Zimbabwe in June. The intention was to give him the opportunity to find some form before the full Australia team toured Sri Lanka and South Africa later that year. The squad also contained Mitchell Starc
Mitchell Starc
Mitchell Aaron Starc is an Australian cricketer who currently plays first-class cricket for the New South Wales Blues. He is a left-arm fast bowler....
, James Faulkner
James Faulkner
James Sebastian Faulkner is a British actor, known for his many various appearance on television and in movies, usually in supporting roles.Faulkner made his big screen debut as Josef Strauss in The Great Waltz in 1972...
, and Trent Copeland
Trent Copeland
Trent Aaron Copeland is an Australian cricket player. He is a right-arm fast bowler who currently plays first-class cricket for the New South Wales Blues...
, and it was hoped that Hilfenhaus' experience would benefit the younger fast bowlers, particularly as Starc and Faulkner had the ability to swing the ball. When the squad to tour Sri Lanka was annoucned in July, Hilfenhaus was omitted, according to selector Greg Chappell
Greg Chappell
Gregory Stephen Chappell MBE is a former cricketer who captained Australia between 1975 and 1977 and then joined the breakaway World Series Cricket organisation, before returning to the Australian captaincy in 1979, a position he held until his retirement 1983...
this was because he was not fit enough.
Personal
He is an avid golfer with an eight handicap and was Mr September in the McGrath FoundationMcGrath Foundation
The McGrath Foundation is a breast cancer support and education charity in Australia, funding McGrath Breast Care Nurses in communities across Australia as well as educating young women to be breast-aware...
's 2009 Men Of Cricket calendar.
Hilfenhaus has been nicknamed Gentle Ben by his Australian teammates in reference to his gentle personality and the popular bear from the 1970s TV series.