Matthew Elliott
Encyclopedia
Matthew Thomas Gray Elliott (born 28 September 1971, in Chelsea
, Melbourne
, Victoria
) is a former Australian cricket
er. Elliott is a left-handed opening batsman.
in the 1992–1993 season and soon established himself as one of the top opening batsmen in Australian domestic cricket.
in the 1996–1997 season, making his Test
debut against the West Indies
in November 1996. Unfortunately for Elliott, in just his second Test match he was injured in a mid-pitch collision with teammate Mark Waugh
, resulting in the need for knee
surgery
.
Elliott returned for the 1997 tour of South Africa. On the Ashes series in the same year in England and scored two centuries, including a career-best 199. He also made his One Day International debut in 1997 in the Texaco Cup
, but scored 1, making it his only appearance in a limited overs international. Elliott was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year for 1998, although this wasn't enough for him to hold down a regular spot, and due to inconsistent performances after the Ashes series, he slipped out of the national team in 1999. Steve Waugh, in his autobiography, described Elliott as "technically gifted but temperamentally flawed" and "prone to serious bouts of self-doubt and a tendency to let injuries rule his thought processes." He stated that "[Elliott] would have been a perfect candidate...[for] a sports psychologist."
He continued to perform at domestic level for Victoria and on the English county scene, and in the 2003–2004 season scored a remarkable 1381 runs in the Pura Cup
, overtaking Graham Yallop
's previous record (which was succeeded the very next year in 2004/05 by Michael Bevan
). Rewarded with the Pura Cup Player of the Year Award and a new Cricket Australia
contract, he was recalled to the national team for the first time in 5 years, albeit for one unsuccessful Test against Sri Lanka
where he batted at number 3 in place of Ricky Ponting
who took time off due to a family bereavement. Batting outside his normal position, Elliott scored just 0 and 1.
This performance dented hopes of a resurgence in his international career greatly. In addition to this, he also had a below-par season in the subsequent 04/05 domestic season for Victoria, averaging in the mid-30s.
In April 2005 Elliott made a request to leave the Victorian team to join South Australia
as player-coach; this was originally rejected by Cricket Victoria
although Elliott appealed their decision. On 5 May a Cricket Australia
grievance tribunal overturned Cricket Victoria's decision, freeing the way for Elliott to join South Australia
.
In the 05/06 season Elliott struggled with injury and inconsistent form.
The 2006/7 Australian domestic season was equally disappointing, with just 193 runs at 13.8 from seven first class (Pura Cup
) games. As a result he was axed from the South Australian state side. Curiously his form in the domestic one-day competition was much better with 465 runs at 51.6, highlighed by two centuries.
, who was due to be participating in the 2007 Cricket World Cup
. However, following Pakistan
's untimely exit, Younis was able to take up his role at his new county from the start of the season, thus Matt was left surplus to requirements. Following the cancellation, Elliott has agreed to join Glamorgan
on a four week deal as cover for Australian left-handed batsmen Jimmy Maher
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/counties/glamorgan/6508993.stm.
, Brisbane
, 1996–1997
Latest Test: vs Sri Lanka, Darwin
, 2004
in the ICL
.
Chelsea, Victoria
Chelsea is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 30 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Kingston. At the 2006 Census, Chelsea had a population of 6694....
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
) is a former 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. Elliott is a left-handed opening batsman.
Beginnings with Victoria
He made his debut for VictoriaVictorian 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...
in the 1992–1993 season and soon established himself as one of the top opening batsmen in Australian domestic cricket.
Test career
Elliot was called up to the Australian national teamAustralian 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...
in the 1996–1997 season, making 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 against the West Indies
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,...
in November 1996. Unfortunately for Elliott, in just his second Test match he was injured in a mid-pitch collision with teammate 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...
, resulting in the need for knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...
surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
.
Elliott returned for the 1997 tour of South Africa. On the Ashes series in the same year in England and scored two centuries, including a career-best 199. He also made his One Day International debut in 1997 in the Texaco Cup
Texaco Cup
The Texaco Cup was an association football competition involving clubs from England, Ireland and Scotland that had not qualified for European competitions. Irish clubs withdrew from the competition after 1971-72 due to political pressure, and in 1973-74 and 1974-75 competed in a separate Texaco Cup...
, but scored 1, making it his only appearance in a limited overs international. Elliott was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year for 1998, although this wasn't enough for him to hold down a regular spot, and due to inconsistent performances after the Ashes series, he slipped out of the national team in 1999. Steve Waugh, in his autobiography, described Elliott as "technically gifted but temperamentally flawed" and "prone to serious bouts of self-doubt and a tendency to let injuries rule his thought processes." He stated that "[Elliott] would have been a perfect candidate...[for] a sports psychologist."
He continued to perform at domestic level for Victoria and on the English county scene, and in the 2003–2004 season scored a remarkable 1381 runs 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...
, overtaking Graham Yallop
Graham Yallop
Graham Neil Yallop is a former cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. He captained Australia briefly during the tumultuous era of World Series Cricket in the late 1970s...
's previous record (which was succeeded the very next year in 2004/05 by Michael Bevan
Michael Bevan
Michael Gwyl Bevan is a former Australian left-handed cricket batsman and a slow left arm chinaman bowler. He played 232 ODI matches for Australia, and was a part of the 1999 and 2003 teams that won the World Cup...
). Rewarded with the Pura Cup Player of the Year Award and a new 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, he was recalled to the national team for the first time in 5 years, albeit for one unsuccessful Test against Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan cricket team
The Sri Lankan cricket team is the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation...
where he batted at number 3 in place of Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
who took time off due to a family bereavement. Batting outside his normal position, Elliott scored just 0 and 1.
This performance dented hopes of a resurgence in his international career greatly. In addition to this, he also had a below-par season in the subsequent 04/05 domestic season for Victoria, averaging in the mid-30s.
Move to 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...
as player-coach; this was originally rejected by Cricket Victoria
Cricket Victoria
Cricket Victoria is the governing body for the sport of cricket in Victoria. It was formed on 29 September 1875 as the Victorian Cricket Association...
although Elliott appealed their decision. On 5 May a 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...
grievance tribunal overturned Cricket Victoria's decision, freeing the way for Elliott to join 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...
.
In the 05/06 season Elliott struggled with injury and inconsistent form.
The 2006/7 Australian domestic season was equally disappointing, with just 193 runs at 13.8 from seven first class (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...
) games. As a result he was axed from the South Australian state side. Curiously his form in the domestic one-day competition was much better with 465 runs at 51.6, highlighed by two centuries.
English County Cricket
On the English county scene, Elliott had recently signed a short-term contract for the 2007 season with Yorkshire CCC. This was as cover for Yorkshire's primary overseas player Younis KhanYounis Khan
Mohammad Younus Khan is a Pakistani cricketer and former captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. Younus' name is often spelled Younis Khan, but he has been quoted as saying, "My name is Younus Khan...
, who was due to be participating in the 2007 Cricket World Cup
2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
. However, following Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
's untimely exit, Younis was able to take up his role at his new county from the start of the season, thus Matt was left surplus to requirements. Following the cancellation, Elliott has agreed to join Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
on a four week deal as cover for Australian left-handed batsmen Jimmy Maher
Jimmy Maher
James Patrick Maher is a former Australian cricketer. He is "an attractive left-handed batsman with a clumping cover-drive"....
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/counties/glamorgan/6508993.stm.
English county
- GlamorganGlamorgan County Cricket ClubGlamorgan 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...
- YorkshireYorkshire County Cricket ClubYorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
Tests
Test Debut: vs West IndiesWest 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,...
, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, 1996–1997
Latest Test: vs Sri Lanka, Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, 2004
- Elliott's best Test batting score of 199 was made against EnglandEnglish cricket teamThe 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...
, LeedsLeedsLeeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, 1997
One-day internationals
Only ODI: vs England, Lord's, 1997- Elliott's best ODI batting score of 1 was made in this match
Retirement
Elliott announced his retirement from first-class cricket in February 2008. He then played for the Chandigarh LionsChandigarh Lions
Chandigarh Lions was one of the nine teams played in the defunct Indian Cricket League. They were one of the six founding teams and were the runners-up in the inaugural Twenty20 Championship, which was won by Chennai Superstars...
in the ICL
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...
.