Ray Bright
Encyclopedia
Raymond James Bright is a former Australia
n Test
and One Day International cricket
er.
A left-arm orthodox spin
bowler and useful lower order right-handed batsman, Bright made his first-class
debut for Victoria
at eighteen years of age, against New South Wales in Sydney in the 1972–1973 domestic season.
Bright made his One Day International debut for Australia
on the tour of New Zealand in the 1976–77 season. He was 12th man in the Centenary Test against England at Melbourne a few weeks later, and fielded throughout England's two innings as substitute for Rick McCosker who had suffered a broken jaw when batting in Australia's first innings.
He toured England in 1977, and made his Test debut in the Second Test at Old Trafford. Over the next decade he was a fixture in the Australian squad without ever holding down a regular place in the Test or One Day teams, playing in only twenty-five Tests and eleven One Day Internationals during his twelve-year international career. He played in the Australian team in World Series Cricket in 1977–78 and 1978–79, and had some good performances against the strong West Indies batting lineup.
Arguably his finest moment in international cricket came in the famous tied Test in Madras against India
in 1986, when he took 5 for 94 in India's second innings. He also captained Australia in one match (a loss), his final One Day International appearance for his country, against Pakistan
in April 1986.
Despite a relatively modest international career, Bright was a stalwart at Australian domestic level for Victoria. He ended his first-class career with 471 wickets at an average of 32.08 and scored two centuries.
Since retiring from playing professionally after the 1987–1988 season, Bright has served as a selector for the Victorian state team and has taken on a number of coaching roles. His son, Adam Bright
, plays baseball for Australia
.
, Manchester
, 1977
Last Test: vs India
, Mumbai
, 1986–1987
, Dunedin
, 1973–1974
Last ODI: vs Pakistan, Sharjah
, 1985–1986
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n 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...
and One Day International 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.
A left-arm orthodox spin
Left-arm orthodox spin
Left-arm orthodox spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket.Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left arm bowler using the fingers to spin the ball from right to left of the cricket pitch...
bowler and useful lower order right-handed batsman, Bright 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 for 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 eighteen years of age, against New South Wales in Sydney in the 1972–1973 domestic season.
Bright made his One Day International debut 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...
on the tour of New Zealand in the 1976–77 season. He was 12th man in the Centenary Test against England at Melbourne a few weeks later, and fielded throughout England's two innings as substitute for Rick McCosker who had suffered a broken jaw when batting in Australia's first innings.
He toured England in 1977, and made his Test debut in the Second Test at Old Trafford. Over the next decade he was a fixture in the Australian squad without ever holding down a regular place in the Test or One Day teams, playing in only twenty-five Tests and eleven One Day Internationals during his twelve-year international career. He played in the Australian team in World Series Cricket in 1977–78 and 1978–79, and had some good performances against the strong West Indies batting lineup.
Arguably his finest moment in international cricket came in the famous tied Test in Madras 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 1986, when he took 5 for 94 in India's second innings. He also captained Australia in one match (a loss), his final One Day International appearance for his country, against Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team
The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
in April 1986.
Despite a relatively modest international career, Bright was a stalwart at Australian domestic level for Victoria. He ended his first-class career with 471 wickets at an average of 32.08 and scored two centuries.
Since retiring from playing professionally after the 1987–1988 season, Bright has served as a selector for the Victorian state team and has taken on a number of coaching roles. His son, Adam Bright
Adam Bright
Adam Bright is an Australian left-handed pitcher. He is son of ex-star Australian spin bowler Ray Bright....
, plays baseball for Australia
Australia national baseball team
The Australian national baseball team represents Australia in international baseball tournaments and competitions. They are ranked as the top team in Oceania, and are the Oceanian Champions, having been awarded the title in 2007 when New Zealand withdrew from the Oceania Baseball Championship. They...
.
Tests
Test Debut: vs EnglandEnglish cricket team
The 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...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, 1977
Last Test: vs 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....
, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, 1986–1987
- Bright's best Test batting score of 33 was made against England, Lord's, 1981
- His best Test bowling figures of 7 for 87 came against PakistanPakistani cricket teamThe Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
, KarachiKarachiKarachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, 1979–1980
One-day internationals
ODI Debut: vs New ZealandNew 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...
, Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, 1973–1974
Last ODI: vs Pakistan, Sharjah
Sharjah (city)
Sharjah is the third largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates. It is located along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula.Sharjah is the seat of government of the emirate of Sharjah...
, 1985–1986
- Bright's best ODI batting score of 19 not out was made against West IndiesWest Indian cricket teamThe 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,...
, MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne 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...
, 1979–1980 - His best ODI bowling figures of 1 for 28 came against Pakistan, Sharjah, 1985–1986
- He captained Australia in one ODI, a loss