Craig Kieswetter
Encyclopedia
Craig Kieswetter is an England cricketer of South African and Scottish heritage. He is a wicket-keeper
batsman. An aggressive batsman, he began his career with the South Africa Under-19s
, before stating that he wished to play international cricket for England. He began playing county cricket for Somerset
in 2007. He made his full international debut in February 2010, just over two weeks after qualifying for England.
to an Afrikaner
father and Scottish
mother. He grew up in South Africa, studying at Diocesan College
in Cape Town
, and played cricket for Western Province between the ages of 13 to 18. Disappointed with the way he was treated by the provincial team, who had asked him to play two or three years of club cricket before returning to them, Kieswetter decided to pursue his cricket career in England. He studied for a year at Millfield
, where he gained his A-levels. While at Millfield, former Somerset
bowler Mark Davis
spotted him, and he was quickly signed by the county. He represented South Africa
in the Under-19s World Cup in Sri Lanka
, and won a Man of the Match
award in the game against USA for his innings of 80 off just 66 balls.
, scoring 245 runs at an average of over 40 for Somerset Second XI. His performances were so strong that Somerset chose to release Sam Spurway
at the start of the 2007 season
, and named Kieswetter alongside Carl Gazzard
as their two wicketkeepers. That season he made his one-day debut for Somerset against Glamorgan
in early April, where he made 69 not out
off 58 deliveries and took a catch described as "world class" by Somerset's director of cricket, Brian Rose
. He made his first-class
debut the following month, keeping wicket while Derbyshire
made 801-8d
and scoring a useful 63 in the Somerset reply.
He continued to perform well throughout the 2007 and 2008
, claiming the NBC Denis Compton Award
for Somerset in both seasons, scoring regular fifties in both first-class and one-day cricket. Notable among these was the 93 he scored against Glamorgan while batting at number eight
. Coming in with two wickets already having been lost in the over and the score at 250/6, Kieswetter's innings, aided by a partnership
of 130 with Andrew Caddick
, helped Somerset to reach 402 and eventually win the match.
The 2009 season
saw Kieswetter in excellent form. He averaged 65.83 opening the batting in the Friends Provident Trophy, scoring an unbeaten 138 off just 131 balls in the opening group match against Warwickshire
. He followed this up with 248 runs in the Twenty20 Cup
, which also saw him make five stumpings. He also shone in the County Championship
, scoring his maiden first-class century, and scoring 1,242 runs at an average of almost 60. He was awarded his county cap during the final game of the 2009 County Championship against Worcestershire
.
, Kieswetter struggled in his first over, edging a chance that was missed by wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim
, and surviving a leg before wicket
appeal two balls later. He made 19 runs in an innings described by Cricinfo
s Andrew Miller as "tinged with nerves" and "chancy". In the next match, two days later, Kieswetter was dropped by Mushfiqur Rahim off a first-ball thick edge that went for four
, before presenting a similar thick-edge to first-slip who took the catch. In the third match, however, he scored his first international century – 107 runs which helped England to 284/5 and a 45 run victory. England took the series 3–0. In contrast to the "hard-hitting batting" which England selector Geoff Miller had cited as one of the reasons for his inclusion, Kieswetter's century was built with patience after a nervous start.
Kieswetter then helped England become the ICC World Twenty20 champions, hitting 63 in the final against Australia and earning the Man of the Match award. He had a successful tournament opening with Michael Lumb, scoring 222 runs at 31.71. Back in England, Kieswetter's form dipped, and he scored 121 runs from eights ODIs against Australia and Bangladesh. As a result when England played five ODIs against Pakistan in September Kieswetter was omitted and Worcestershire's
Steven Davies
preferred, although he was selected in the T20I squad. After showing good form for Somerset, Kieswtter was recalled to England's squad to face Sri Lanka in five ODIs and a T20I in June 2011, taking over wicket-keeping duties from Matt Prior.
n-born batsman Kevin Pietersen
, displaying power, cheek and a penchant for hitting large sixes. Although he favours the off-side, he is strong behind square on both sides, and stands with a typical South African stance, his bat held high. Somerset
have experimented with Kieswetter throughout the order, trying to find the most effective place for him. By the end of the 2007 season, although still a middle order first-class batsman, Kieswetter regularly found himself opening the batting alongside Marcus Trescothick
in one-day cricket, a role he would also take up in opening six matches of the 2009 Twenty20 Cup
, although he later dropped back into the middle order to improve the balance of the side.
On his international call-up, England chose to utilise Kieswetter as an opening batsman. He was selected "because of his proven ability to pierce the field in the Powerplay overs, particularly with his booming drives up and over the covers."
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
batsman. An aggressive batsman, he began his career with the South Africa Under-19s
South African U-19 cricket team
The South African Under-19 cricket team have been playing official Under-19 test matches since 1995. International players to have represented the team include Wayne Parnell, Neil McKenzie, AB de Villiers, Mark Boucher, Makhaya Ntini and Craig Kieswetter, who now plays for England.The Under-19...
, before stating that he wished to play international cricket for England. He began playing county cricket for Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset 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 Somerset...
in 2007. He made his full international debut in February 2010, just over two weeks after qualifying for England.
Early life and career
Kieswetter was born in JohannesburgJohannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
to an Afrikaner
Afrikaner
Afrikaners are an ethnic group in Southern Africa descended from almost equal numbers of Dutch, French and German settlers whose native tongue is Afrikaans: a Germanic language which derives primarily from 17th century Dutch, and a variety of other languages.-Related ethno-linguistic groups:The...
father and Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
mother. He grew up in South Africa, studying at Diocesan College
Diocesan College
The Diocesan College, or Bishops as it is more commonly known, is an independent, all-boys school situated in the suburb of Rondebosch in Cape Town, South Africa...
in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, and played cricket for Western Province between the ages of 13 to 18. Disappointed with the way he was treated by the provincial team, who had asked him to play two or three years of club cricket before returning to them, Kieswetter decided to pursue his cricket career in England. He studied for a year at Millfield
Millfield
Millfield is an independent school in Street in Somerset, in south-west England.The school currently has a roll of 1,260 pupils, of whom 910 are boarders...
, where he gained his A-levels. While at Millfield, former Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset 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 Somerset...
bowler Mark Davis
Mark Davis
-Entertainers:*Mark Davis , radio talk show host*Mark Davis , adult film actor*Mark Davis , former drummer of Ugly Kid Joe*Richard Cheese , comedic lounge singer...
spotted him, and he was quickly signed by the county. He represented South Africa
South African U-19 cricket team
The South African Under-19 cricket team have been playing official Under-19 test matches since 1995. International players to have represented the team include Wayne Parnell, Neil McKenzie, AB de Villiers, Mark Boucher, Makhaya Ntini and Craig Kieswetter, who now plays for England.The Under-19...
in the Under-19s World Cup in 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...
, and won a Man of the Match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
award in the game against USA for his innings of 80 off just 66 balls.
Early Somerset career
Kieswetter impressed throughout 20062006 English cricket season
The 2006 English cricket season includes home international series for England against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. England are coming off a winter with more Test losses than wins, for the first time since 2002-03, but still attained their best series result in India since 1985...
, scoring 245 runs at an average of over 40 for Somerset Second XI. His performances were so strong that Somerset chose to release Sam Spurway
Sam Spurway
Samuel Harold Patrick Spurway is an English cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and wicket-keeper who played for Somerset before he was released in 2007. He was born in Taunton....
at the start of the 2007 season
2007 English cricket season
The 2007 English cricket season began on Saturday 14 April 2007 with the match between MCC and the 2006 county champions Sussex at Lord's.-Roll of honour:Test series*England v West Indies: 4 Tests - England won 3–0....
, and named Kieswetter alongside Carl Gazzard
Carl Gazzard
Carl Gazzard is a former English cricketer who played for Somerset. He was a right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper.He made his debut for Cornwall in 1998 and was their regular wicket-keeper in 1998 and 1999...
as their two wicketkeepers. That season he made his one-day debut for Somerset against Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan 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 Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
in early April, where he made 69 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
off 58 deliveries and took a catch described as "world class" by Somerset's director of cricket, Brian Rose
Brian Rose (cricketer)
Brian Charles Rose is an English former cricketer, who played in nine Tests and two ODIs for England from 1977 to 1981.-Life and career:...
. He made his 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...
debut the following month, keeping wicket while 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...
made 801-8d
Declaration and forfeiture
In the sport of cricket a declaration occurs when a captain declares his team's innings closed and a forfeiture is when a captain chooses to forfeit an innings. Declaration and forfeiture are covered in Law 14 of the Laws of cricket...
and scoring a useful 63 in the Somerset reply.
He continued to perform well throughout the 2007 and 2008
2008 English cricket season
The 2008 season of England's county cricket saw the four regular tournaments played: The LV County Championship , Friends Provident Trophy , NatWest Pro40 League and the Twenty20 Cup...
, claiming the NBC Denis Compton Award
NBC Denis Compton Award
The NBC Denis Compton Award is an annual award given to 'The Most Promising Young Player' at each of the 18 English first-class counties. A player may receive the award more than once.-History:...
for Somerset in both seasons, scoring regular fifties in both first-class and one-day cricket. Notable among these was the 93 he scored against Glamorgan while batting at number eight
Batting order (cricket)
In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time...
. Coming in with two wickets already having been lost in the over and the score at 250/6, Kieswetter's innings, aided by a partnership
Partnership (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in partnership, although only one is on strike at any time. The partnership between two batsmen will come to an end when one of them is dismissed or retires, or the innings comes to a close In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in...
of 130 with Andrew Caddick
Andrew Caddick
Andrew Richard Caddick is a retired cricketer who played for England as a fast-medium bowler. At 6 ft 5in, Caddick was a successful bowler for England for a decade, taking 13 five-wicket hauls in Test matches...
, helped Somerset to reach 402 and eventually win the match.
The 2009 season
2009 English cricket season
-Knockout stage:-External links:* from Cricinfo...
saw Kieswetter in excellent form. He averaged 65.83 opening the batting in the Friends Provident Trophy, scoring an unbeaten 138 off just 131 balls in the opening group match against Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire 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 Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
. He followed this up with 248 runs in the Twenty20 Cup
Twenty20 Cup
The Twenty20 Cup was a cricket competition for English and Welsh county clubs.In 2010, it has been replaced by Friends Provident t20 as the domestic Twenty20 competition.-History:...
, which also saw him make five stumpings. He also shone in the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
, scoring his maiden first-class century, and scoring 1,242 runs at an average of almost 60. He was awarded his county cap during the final game of the 2009 County Championship against Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
.
International career
Following his strong performances he was awarded a place in the England Lions the day after he qualified for England, and impressed with a rapid 81 in a Twenty20 warm-up match against the full England side. Following England's drawn T20 series with Pakistan, Kieswetter was added to the full international ODI squad on 20 February 2010. He was quickly called up to open the batting on 23 February against the Bangladesh Cricket Board XI for his first game with the England team. He scored 143, a career-best, from 123 balls. These performances led to Kieswetter's selection for the first ODI against Bangladesh on 28 February. Opening the innings alongside captain Alastair CookAlastair Cook
Alastair Nathan Cook, MBE is an English international cricket player. He is a left-handed opening batsman who plays county cricket for Essex and International cricket for England, where he is their ODI captain. Cook played for Essex's Academy and made his debut for the first XI in 2003...
, Kieswetter struggled in his first over, edging a chance that was missed by wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim
Mushfiqur Rahim
Mohammad Mushfiqur Rahim is a Bangladeshi cricketer and captain of the national team. Between August 2009 and December 2010 Rahim served as Bangladesh's vice-captain. He specialises as a wicket-keeper and is a lower-order batsman...
, and surviving a leg before wicket
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
appeal two balls later. He made 19 runs in an innings described by Cricinfo
Cricinfo
ESPNcricinfo is believed to be the largest cricket-related website on the World Wide Web. Content includes news,articles, live scorecards,live text commentary and a comprehensive and searchable database called 'StatsGuru', of historical matches and players from the 18th century to the present...
s Andrew Miller as "tinged with nerves" and "chancy". In the next match, two days later, Kieswetter was dropped by Mushfiqur Rahim off a first-ball thick edge that went for four
Boundary (cricket)
Boundary has two distinct meanings in the sport of cricket:# the edge or boundary of the playing field, and# a manner of scoring runs.-Edge of the field:...
, before presenting a similar thick-edge to first-slip who took the catch. In the third match, however, he scored his first international century – 107 runs which helped England to 284/5 and a 45 run victory. England took the series 3–0. In contrast to the "hard-hitting batting" which England selector Geoff Miller had cited as one of the reasons for his inclusion, Kieswetter's century was built with patience after a nervous start.
Kieswetter then helped England become the ICC World Twenty20 champions, hitting 63 in the final against Australia and earning the Man of the Match award. He had a successful tournament opening with Michael Lumb, scoring 222 runs at 31.71. Back in England, Kieswetter's form dipped, and he scored 121 runs from eights ODIs against Australia and Bangladesh. As a result when England played five ODIs against Pakistan in September Kieswetter was omitted and Worcestershire's
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire 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 Worcestershire...
Steven Davies
Steven Davies
Steven Michael Davies is an English cricketer, a wicket-keeper-batsman who currently plays for Surrey. A stylish and aggressive left-handed batsman who can open the batting in both first-class and limited-overs cricket...
preferred, although he was selected in the T20I squad. After showing good form for Somerset, Kieswtter was recalled to England's squad to face Sri Lanka in five ODIs and a T20I in June 2011, taking over wicket-keeping duties from Matt Prior.
Batting style
Kieswetter's confident batting style has been compared to that of fellow South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n-born batsman Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Peter Pietersen, MBE is a South African-born English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who plays for England and Surrey...
, displaying power, cheek and a penchant for hitting large sixes. Although he favours the off-side, he is strong behind square on both sides, and stands with a typical South African stance, his bat held high. Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset 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 Somerset...
have experimented with Kieswetter throughout the order, trying to find the most effective place for him. By the end of the 2007 season, although still a middle order first-class batsman, Kieswetter regularly found himself opening the batting alongside Marcus Trescothick
Marcus Trescothick
Marcus Edward Trescothick MBE is an English cricketer. He plays first-class cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club, and represented England in 76 Test matches and 123 One Day Internationals. A left-handed opening batsman, he made his first-class debut for Somerset in 1993 and quickly established...
in one-day cricket, a role he would also take up in opening six matches of the 2009 Twenty20 Cup
2009 Twenty20 Cup
The 2009 Twenty20 Cup was the seventh Twenty20 Cup competition for English and Welsh county clubs. The finals day took place on 15 August at Edgbaston, and was won by the Sussex Sharks.-Midlands/Wales/West Division:-North Division:...
, although he later dropped back into the middle order to improve the balance of the side.
On his international call-up, England chose to utilise Kieswetter as an opening batsman. He was selected "because of his proven ability to pierce the field in the Powerplay overs, particularly with his booming drives up and over the covers."
Achievements
One Day International centuries:| Craig Kieswetter's One Day International Centuries | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |Match | |City/Country | |Year | ||||
| [1] | 107 | 3 | Chittagong Chittagong Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading... , Bangladesh |
Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium | 2010 | |
External links
- Player Profile: Craig Kieswetter from Somerset County Cricket ClubSomerset County Cricket ClubSomerset 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 Somerset...
- Player Profile: Craig Kieswetter from Cricket Archive