Lance Klusener
Encyclopedia
Lance Klusener is a South Africa
n cricket
er, more specifically an all-rounder
. He is known for his aggressive batting and his fast-medium swing bowling. He is nicknamed "Zulu" because of his fluency in that language. Following his exploits at the 1999 World Cup, he topped the ICC ODI Batting rankings. His career ODI batting average of 41.10 placed him among the ranks of South Africa's most accomplished one-day batsmen.
in the domestic level in South Africa between 1991 and 2004. In 2004, Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
signed him on a contract running until late 2008. At Wantage Road he impressed with his fired-up seam bowling and his hard-hitting in the low middle-order. Due to family beareavements back home, it was announced that his contract with the county will not be renewed at the end of the 2008 season. In late 2007, he started playing in the Indian Cricket League
Twenty20
tournament in India for the Kolkata Tigers
team.
debut for South Africa
against India
in Calcutta during the second Test in 1996/97. Klusener, at the time playing primarily as a bowler, took some fearful hammering at the hands of Mohammad Azharuddin
, who at one point hit him for five consecutive fours, in his first innings of his debut but returned career best figures of eight for 64 in the second.
Klusener will be remembered mainly for his contributions in One Day Internationals, in which he became feared as a hard hitting batsman and was voted as Man of the Tournament during the 1999 World Cup
.He showed glimpses of his big-hitting in the years leading to the 1999 World Cup. His baseball-style backlift and thunderous hitting symbolised the tournament and his heroics nearly took South Africa to the final. He was also voted as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2000.
His international career has tapered off since then, due mainly to persistent ankle injuries, as well as a public dispute with the current South African captain Graeme Smith
, who at a breakfast meeting shortly after his appointment to the captaincy described Klusener as a "disruptive force" to the younger players within the South African national cricket team, with the quote ending up in the South African press. However it seems that Klusener and Smith have patched up their differences.
, South Africa had progressed to the semi-finals, and Klusener till then had had an excellent tournament, taking 17 wickets and scoring 250 runs (including two half centuries) in 8 matches and building a reputation as a hard-hitting batsman in tight situations.
The second semi-final
was played between Australia and South Africa in Edgbaston, England
. Australia, having been put to bat, set a target of 214 for South Africa to chase in 50 overs. Klusener came into bat when South Africa were 175-6 in 44.5 overs, and by virtue of his big-hitting (along with support from other batsmen), South Africa entered the final over at 205/9, needing nine runs to win in with only one wicket remaining. The two men at the crease were Klusener (on strike) and Allan Donald
.
Klusener scored consecutive fours in the first two balls of the over (bowled by Damien Fleming
), leveling the scores and leaving South Africa with only 1 run to win in 4 balls with Klusener on strike. The third ball was a dot, and the fourth saw Klusener mis-hit his shot to mid-wicket
fielder Mark Waugh
. Klusener went for the run, although chances of a run-out
were high and two balls were still remaining. However, Donald at the other end, keeping his eyes on the ball, did not see Klusener sprinting down the pitch and did not hear the call to run, and Klusener was almost at the bowler's end by the time Donald (who had also dropped his bat) began running. By then, Waugh had thrown the ball to Fleming, who rolled it to Adam Gilchrist
who took the bails
off at the other end, meaning Donald was run-out by some distance, thus ending the match with the scores level. However, a tie meant that Australia progressed to the final since their net run rate was higher than South Africa's. As commentator Bill Lawry
put it during the final ball:
Australia went on to win the tournament, and although Klusener's heroics went in vain, he was voted the Player of the Series.
in late 2009 and then completed a Level-three coaching course provided by Cricket South Africa in Spring 2010. Klusener confirmed he was in negotiations with the Bangladesh Cricket Board
about becoming the team bowling coach. Klusener confirmed that negotiations are on-going However in early September 2010 the Bangladesh Cricket Board confirmed that they were still awaiting a response from Klusener.
Lance Klusener has finally turned down the offer to take over as Bangladesh's bowling coach, ending a prolonged period of speculation over his possible appointment. Klusener, who was in discussions to replace Sri Lanka's Champaka Ramanayake, was reportedly unable to convince his wife about a permanent move to Bangladesh.
He was also the batting consultant for the Indian Premier League
team Mumbai Indians
.
South 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 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, more specifically an all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
. He is known for his aggressive batting and his fast-medium swing bowling. He is nicknamed "Zulu" because of his fluency in that language. Following his exploits at the 1999 World Cup, he topped the ICC ODI Batting rankings. His career ODI batting average of 41.10 placed him among the ranks of South Africa's most accomplished one-day batsmen.
Domestic career
Klusener played for Kwazulu-Natal (Nashua Dolphins)Dolphins cricket team
The Sunfoil Dolphins is the name used by the KwaZulu Natal cricket team when it plays in the South African SuperSport Series first class competition; also in the MTN Domestic Championship and Standard Bank Twenty20 limited over competitions...
in the domestic level in South Africa between 1991 and 2004. In 2004, Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire 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 Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
signed him on a contract running until late 2008. At Wantage Road he impressed with his fired-up seam bowling and his hard-hitting in the low middle-order. Due to family beareavements back home, it was announced that his contract with the county will not be renewed at the end of the 2008 season. In late 2007, he started playing in the Indian Cricket League
Indian Cricket League
The Indian Cricket League was a private cricket league funded by Zee Entertainment Enterprises that operated between 2007 and 2009 in India...
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...
tournament in India for the Kolkata Tigers
Kolkata Tigers
Royal Bengal Tigers was one of the nine teams played in the defunct Indian Cricket League . This team is based in Kolkata, India and its captain is former New Zealand all rounder Craig McMillan.- Players :...
team.
International career
Klusener made his Test matchTest 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 for 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...
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....
in Calcutta during the second Test in 1996/97. Klusener, at the time playing primarily as a bowler, took some fearful hammering at the hands of Mohammad Azharuddin
Mohammad Azharuddin
Mohammad Azharuddin also known as Azhar, is an Indian politician and former cricketer. He was an accomplished batsman and captained the Indian cricket team for much of the 1990s, until his involvement in a match-fixing scandal forced him into retirement...
, who at one point hit him for five consecutive fours, in his first innings of his debut but returned career best figures of eight for 64 in the second.
Klusener will be remembered mainly for his contributions in One Day Internationals, in which he became feared as a hard hitting batsman and was voted as Man of the Tournament during the 1999 World Cup
1999 Cricket World Cup
-England:-Outside England:-Group A:-Results:-------------------------------------------------------------Group B:-Results:------------------------------------------------------------...
.He showed glimpses of his big-hitting in the years leading to the 1999 World Cup. His baseball-style backlift and thunderous hitting symbolised the tournament and his heroics nearly took South Africa to the final. He was also voted as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2000.
His international career has tapered off since then, due mainly to persistent ankle injuries, as well as a public dispute with the current South African captain Graeme Smith
Graeme Smith
Graeme Craig Smith is a South African cricketer and captain of the South African cricket team Test Match side, having succeeded Shaun Pollock after the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
, who at a breakfast meeting shortly after his appointment to the captaincy described Klusener as a "disruptive force" to the younger players within the South African national cricket team, with the quote ending up in the South African press. However it seems that Klusener and Smith have patched up their differences.
1999 World Cup
In the 1999 Cricket World Cup1999 Cricket World Cup
-England:-Outside England:-Group A:-Results:-------------------------------------------------------------Group B:-Results:------------------------------------------------------------...
, South Africa had progressed to the semi-finals, and Klusener till then had had an excellent tournament, taking 17 wickets and scoring 250 runs (including two half centuries) in 8 matches and building a reputation as a hard-hitting batsman in tight situations.
The second semi-final
1999 Cricket World Cup 2nd semi-final
The second semi-final of the 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup was a famous cricket match played between South Africa and Australia on 17 June 1999 at Edgbaston, England. It ended in a tie, but Australia qualified for the final because of their victory over the South Africans in the preceding Super Six...
was played between Australia and South Africa in Edgbaston, England
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...
. Australia, having been put to bat, set a target of 214 for South Africa to chase in 50 overs. Klusener came into bat when South Africa were 175-6 in 44.5 overs, and by virtue of his big-hitting (along with support from other batsmen), South Africa entered the final over at 205/9, needing nine runs to win in with only one wicket remaining. The two men at the crease were Klusener (on strike) and Allan Donald
Allan Donald
Allan Anthony Donald is a former South African cricketer and one of their most successful pace bowlers.In his prime, he was one of the best fast bowlers ever seen in Test cricket, reaching the top of the ICC Test rankings in 1998 and peaked with a top ICC ranking of 895 points the next year, the...
.
Klusener scored consecutive fours in the first two balls of the over (bowled by Damien Fleming
Damien Fleming
Damien William Fleming is a former Australian cricketer who played in 20 Tests and 88 ODIs from 1994 to 2001....
), leveling the scores and leaving South Africa with only 1 run to win in 4 balls with Klusener on strike. The third ball was a dot, and the fourth saw Klusener mis-hit his shot to mid-wicket
Fielding (cricket)
Fielding in the sport of cricket is the action of fielders in collecting the ball after it is struck by the batsman, in such a way as to either limit the number of runs that the batsman scores or get the batsman out by catching the ball in flight or running the batsman out.Cricket fielding position...
fielder Mark Waugh
Mark Waugh
Mark Edward Waugh AM is a former Australian cricketer, who represented Australia in Test matches from early 1991 to late 2002, and made his One-Day International debut in 1988. Waugh is regarded as one of the most elegant and gifted stroke makers to ever play the game. His nickname is "Junior" as...
. Klusener went for the run, although chances of a run-out
Run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...
were high and two balls were still remaining. However, Donald at the other end, keeping his eyes on the ball, did not see Klusener sprinting down the pitch and did not hear the call to run, and Klusener was almost at the bowler's end by the time Donald (who had also dropped his bat) began running. By then, Waugh had thrown the ball to Fleming, who rolled it to Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
who took the bails
Bail (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a bail is one of the two smaller sticks placed on top of the three stumps to form a wicket. The bails are used to determine when the wicket is broken, which in turn is one of the critical factors in determining whether a batsman is out bowled, stumped, run out or hit wicket...
off at the other end, meaning Donald was run-out by some distance, thus ending the match with the scores level. However, a tie meant that Australia progressed to the final since their net run rate was higher than South Africa's. As commentator Bill Lawry
Bill Lawry
William Morris "Bill" Lawry, AM is a former cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. He captained Australia in 25 Tests, winning nine, losing eight and drawing eight, and led Australia in the inaugural One Day International match, played in 1971...
put it during the final ball:
"...this will be out surely - oh it's out, it's gonna be run out...oh, that is South Africa out - Donald did not run, I cannot believe it. Australia go into the World Cup Final - ridiculous running with two balls to go. Donald did not go, Klusener came - what a disappointing end for South Africa."
Australia went on to win the tournament, and although Klusener's heroics went in vain, he was voted the Player of the Series.
Coaching career
Klusener severed all of his ties with the Indian Cricket LeagueIndian Cricket League
The Indian Cricket League was a private cricket league funded by Zee Entertainment Enterprises that operated between 2007 and 2009 in India...
in late 2009 and then completed a Level-three coaching course provided by Cricket South Africa in Spring 2010. Klusener confirmed he was in negotiations with the Bangladesh Cricket Board
Bangladesh Cricket Board
Bangladesh Cricket Board , previously known as the Bangladesh Cricket Control Board, is the main governing body of cricket in Bangladesh. The Board has its headquarters in Dhaka, it is responsible for the operation and development of cricket, maintenance of of venues, and selection for the...
about becoming the team bowling coach. Klusener confirmed that negotiations are on-going However in early September 2010 the Bangladesh Cricket Board confirmed that they were still awaiting a response from Klusener.
Lance Klusener has finally turned down the offer to take over as Bangladesh's bowling coach, ending a prolonged period of speculation over his possible appointment. Klusener, who was in discussions to replace Sri Lanka's Champaka Ramanayake, was reportedly unable to convince his wife about a permanent move to Bangladesh.
He was also the batting consultant for the Indian Premier League
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...
team Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians , is a franchise cricket team representing Mumbai in the Indian Premier League. The team is one of the eight founding members of the IPL in 2008. Mumbai Indians are currently led by Sachin Tendulkar, who is the Icon Player for the team and is coached by Robin Singh...
.
Style of play
Klusener's batting averages are particularly notable for the peculiar fact that his ODI average is considerably higher than his Test average. This is a fair reflection of his aggressive temperament.One Day International Centuries
- In the column Runs, * indicates being not out
- The column title Match refers to the Match Number of the player's career
| | Runs | | Match | | Against | | City/Country | | Venue | | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [1] | 103* | 49 | Auckland Auckland The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world... , New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... |
Eden Park Eden Park Eden Park is the biggest stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer . The ground also occasionally hostts rugby league matches. To accommodate all three sports, the cricket pitch is removable... |
1999 | |
| [2] | 101* | 64 | Nairobi Nairobi Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is... , Kenya Kenya Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east... |
Gymkhana Club Ground | 1999 | |