Ray Price (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Raymond William Price (born June 12, 1976) is a Zimbabwe
an cricket
er. He bowls left-arm orthodox spin
. He is the nephew of the renowned Zimbabwean golfer Nick Price
.
Price was born two months prematurely and contracted meningitis
when he was a few months old. He was given only a one in four chance of survival, but survive he did. However, although it was not realised for some time, he was left totally deaf by the disease. When he was four, he had an operation to regain his hearing. The operation was successful, but left him with terrible coordination difficulties. He was consequently some way behind his age group when he went to school.
Price first played cricket with friends in his back garden. When he was at primary school he was a pace bowler, but took up spin at Watershed College, a boarding school near Marondera
. He gradually got better and better at cricket, ending up as a key figure for the school team.
He had attracted the attention of the Mashonaland County Districts cricket side, and he made his first-class
debut in 1995/6, although only as an amateur. He was a trained installer of refrigeration
and air conditioning
units during this period of his career.
Price began to impress the Zimbabwe selectors and, when an injury and form crisis robbed Zimbabwe of the first-choice spinner Paul Strang
, Adam Huckle
and Andy Whittall, they selected him for the third Test of the series against Sri Lanka
in 1999/2000.
He became a marginal figure in the squad, sometimes he played and sometimes he did not, however in 2001/02 he began to put in some good performances for the national side, including 5-181, his first Test five wicket haul, against South Africa
at Bulawayo
and 4-116 against Pakistan
at the same ground.
In 2003 Price toured England
and impressed everyone who saw him bowl. He was rated as a better spinner than the English spinner Ashley Giles
. It was in that winter's tour of Australia
, however, that Ray truly established himself as a world-class bowler, taking 6-121 in the second Test at Sydney
. Against the West Indies back home that winter Price ran through their strong batting lineup twice, taking 6-73 and 4-88 in the first Test at Harare and then again in Bulawayo, taking 5-119 and 4-36. He played a pivotal role in Zimbabwe's series win over Bangladesh
that winter too, taking 8 wickets in two Tests. He was becoming disaffected with the politicisation of Zimbabwean cricket however, and in 2004 he joined the player rebellion led by captain Heath Streak
. Soon afterwards he signed for Worcestershire
and announced an ambition to play for England.
Many Zimbabwean cricket fans rate him as the second-best spinner ever to play for Zimbabwe, bested only by Paul Strang. He is a handy golfer, carrying on his family's proficiency at the game, and also a committed Christian
.
Price has built up a devoted following among supporters of other counties. His appearance at the 2005 Bath Festival was met with jubilation by his fans as they chanted his name throughout the day. His clever left arm spin bamboozled Somerset that day as 'Ray's Barmy Army' went through a selection of pop hits based on the popular Zimbabwe international.
In 2006 Price revealed to the Press Association
that he hoped to play international cricket again — for England after the required qualification period.
In 2007 he made a surprise return to Zimbabwe, and played in several National League matches for Old Hararians. Some believed this may have been a hint to the national selectors, with the 2007 World Cup approaching. However, he was not selected for the Zimbabwe squad.
Price rejected a one-year contract with Worcestershire at the end of the 2007 season
, ending his three and a half year spell at the club.
In late 2007, he officially returned to the Zimbabwe team. He was selected for the Zimbabwe squad to play the West Indies. Ever since, he has been a regular and influential member of the team, used to dry up runs and to take crucial wicket
s. He has been one of many rebel cricketers who have returned due to the improving situation in Zimbabwe
. He has had a superb comeback to the Zimbabwe cricket team, rising to 3rd in the ICC
Cricket ODI Bowling Rankings, taking 45 wickets in just 27 matches, while bowling very economically. He played in all ODIs for Zimbabwe in 2009, against the South Africa cricket team, the Bangladesh cricket team, the Sri Lanka cricket team and the Kenya cricket team.Price was unsold at the original IPL 2011 player auction in January and Mumbai Indians
bought him at his reserve price of $50,000,in place of the injured Moises Henriques
.
as a replacement for the injured Australian all-rounder Moises Henriques
, due to being selected in the middle of the event, Price was being paid a base price of $50000 per over.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
an 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. He bowls 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...
. He is the nephew of the renowned Zimbabwean golfer Nick Price
Nick Price
Nicholas Raymond Leige Price is a South African-Zimbabwean Professional golfer and an inductee in the World Golf Hall of Fame. In the mid-1990s, Price reached number one in the Official World Golf Rankings.-Background:...
.
Price was born two months prematurely and contracted meningitis
Meningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs...
when he was a few months old. He was given only a one in four chance of survival, but survive he did. However, although it was not realised for some time, he was left totally deaf by the disease. When he was four, he had an operation to regain his hearing. The operation was successful, but left him with terrible coordination difficulties. He was consequently some way behind his age group when he went to school.
Price first played cricket with friends in his back garden. When he was at primary school he was a pace bowler, but took up spin at Watershed College, a boarding school near Marondera
Marondera
Marondera is a town in Mashonaland East, Zimbabwe, located about 72 km east of Harare; population 39,384...
. He gradually got better and better at cricket, ending up as a key figure for the school team.
He had attracted the attention of the Mashonaland County Districts cricket side, and 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 in 1995/6, although only as an amateur. He was a trained installer of refrigeration
Refrigeration
Refrigeration is a process in which work is done to move heat from one location to another. This work is traditionally done by mechanical work, but can also be done by magnetism, laser or other means...
and air conditioning
Air conditioning
An air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
units during this period of his career.
Price began to impress the Zimbabwe selectors and, when an injury and form crisis robbed Zimbabwe of the first-choice spinner Paul Strang
Paul Strang
Paul Andrew Strang is a Zimbabwean cricket coach and former international player. A leg-spinning all-rounder, he played in 24 Tests and 95 ODIs for Zimbabwe between 1994 and 2001...
, Adam Huckle
Adam Huckle
Adam George Huckle is a former Zimbabwean cricketer who played in 8 Tests and 19 ODIs from 1997 to 1999.In his second Test in 1997, against New Zealand, he took 11-255 in the match . As of 27 April 2006, this remains the only occasion when a Zimbabwean bowler has taken 11 wickets in a Test...
and Andy Whittall, they selected him for the third Test of the series against 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...
in 1999/2000.
He became a marginal figure in the squad, sometimes he played and sometimes he did not, however in 2001/02 he began to put in some good performances for the national side, including 5-181, his first Test five wicket haul, against South Africa
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...
at Bulawayo
Bulawayo
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with an estimated population in 2010 of 2,000,000. It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland...
and 4-116 against 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...
at the same ground.
In 2003 Price toured England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and impressed everyone who saw him bowl. He was rated as a better spinner than the English spinner Ashley Giles
Ashley Giles
Ashley Fraser Giles MBE is a retired English cricketer. Giles played the entirety of his 14-year first-class career at Warwickshire County Cricket Club where he is now employed as Director of Cricket...
. It was in that winter's tour of Australia
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...
, however, that Ray truly established himself as a world-class bowler, taking 6-121 in the second Test at Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. Against the West Indies back home that winter Price ran through their strong batting lineup twice, taking 6-73 and 4-88 in the first Test at Harare and then again in Bulawayo, taking 5-119 and 4-36. He played a pivotal role in Zimbabwe's series win over Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
that winter too, taking 8 wickets in two Tests. He was becoming disaffected with the politicisation of Zimbabwean cricket however, and in 2004 he joined the player rebellion led by captain Heath Streak
Heath Streak
Heath Hilton Streak is a former Zimbabwean cricketer. He made his Test debut in Zimbabwe's tour of Pakistan 1993/1994 making his mark by taking 8 wickets in the 2nd Test at Rawalpindi...
. Soon afterwards he signed for Worcestershire
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...
and announced an ambition to play for England.
Many Zimbabwean cricket fans rate him as the second-best spinner ever to play for Zimbabwe, bested only by Paul Strang. He is a handy golfer, carrying on his family's proficiency at the game, and also a committed Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
.
Price has built up a devoted following among supporters of other counties. His appearance at the 2005 Bath Festival was met with jubilation by his fans as they chanted his name throughout the day. His clever left arm spin bamboozled Somerset that day as 'Ray's Barmy Army' went through a selection of pop hits based on the popular Zimbabwe international.
In 2006 Price revealed to the Press Association
Press Association
The Press Association is the national news agency of the United Kingdom and Ireland, supplying multimedia news content to almost all national and regional newspapers, television and radio news, as well as many websites with text, pictures, video and data content globally...
that he hoped to play international cricket again — for England after the required qualification period.
In 2007 he made a surprise return to Zimbabwe, and played in several National League matches for Old Hararians. Some believed this may have been a hint to the national selectors, with the 2007 World Cup approaching. However, he was not selected for the Zimbabwe squad.
Price rejected a one-year contract with Worcestershire at the end 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....
, ending his three and a half year spell at the club.
In late 2007, he officially returned to the Zimbabwe team. He was selected for the Zimbabwe squad to play the West Indies. Ever since, he has been a regular and influential member of the team, used to dry up runs and to take crucial wicket
Wicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...
s. He has been one of many rebel cricketers who have returned due to the improving situation in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. He has had a superb comeback to the Zimbabwe cricket team, rising to 3rd in the ICC
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
Cricket ODI Bowling Rankings, taking 45 wickets in just 27 matches, while bowling very economically. He played in all ODIs for Zimbabwe in 2009, against the South Africa cricket team, the Bangladesh cricket team, the Sri Lanka cricket team and the Kenya cricket team.Price was unsold at the original IPL 2011 player auction in January and 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...
bought him at his reserve price of $50,000,in place of the injured Moises Henriques
Moises Henriques
Moisés Constantino Henriques is a professional Australian cricketer who currently plays for the New South Wales Blues. An all-rounder, Henriques is widely considered to be one of the best young talents in Australian cricket.-Early and personal life:...
.
Indian Premier League
In 2011 Price only became the second Zimbabwean to play in the IPL, he was signed up by the Mumbai IndiansMumbai 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...
as a replacement for the injured Australian all-rounder Moises Henriques
Moises Henriques
Moisés Constantino Henriques is a professional Australian cricketer who currently plays for the New South Wales Blues. An all-rounder, Henriques is widely considered to be one of the best young talents in Australian cricket.-Early and personal life:...
, due to being selected in the middle of the event, Price was being paid a base price of $50000 per over.