Simon O'Donnell
Encyclopedia
Simon Patrick O'Donnell (born 26 January 1963 in Deniliquin, New South Wales) is a former Australian cricket
er and VFL
footballer, currently a horse racing
and cricket commentator.
for Victoria
in the Sheffield Shield between 1984 and 1993, scoring a century in his first match. He went on to play 6 Test matches
in 1985, 5 on the Ashes tour of England and one at home, but with a low bowling strike rate in 5 and 4 day cricket
, he was more successful in the shorter form of the game.
Seen as a limited-overs specialist with clever medium pace bowling and explosive lower order hitting, he played 87 ODIs between 1985 and 1992, scoring 1242 runs and taking 108 wickets in his career. He played in Australia's 1987 World Cup Final
victory, but soon after he suffered severe pain that was diagnosed as non-Hodgkin lymphoma
. He staged a remarkable recovery to return to the Australian One-Day team in the 1988–89 season.
O'Donnell maintained a very good batting strike rate of 80.96 runs per 100 balls in ODIs, almost double his scoring rate in Tests. For six years, O'Donnell held the record for the fastest half-century in One Day Internationals (18 balls v Sri Lanka
, Sharjah, 1990, until Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya
scored 50 from 17 balls v Pakistan
at Singapore on 7 April 1996), a record which still stands.
He was captain of Victoria
for five seasons from 1988–89 until his retirement in 1993. This was a mixed period, which included a Sheffield Shield victory in 90–91, but Victoria also finished last in 1988–89, 1989–90 and 1992–93.
for Assumption College, Kilmore
, where he kicked 100 goals in his senior year. This led to him being recruited for senior football by the St Kilda Football Club, where his father Kevin had played 49 games on a forward flank in the 1940s. Coincidentally, Kevin O'Donnell played alongside two more notable Australian cricketers; Sam Loxton
and Keith Miller
, members of the legendary 1948 Invincibles
.
O'Donnell played 24 games and kicked 18 goals between 1982 and 1983 in what was then the VFL
. However, he had continued to play cricket and retired from football to focus on his cricket career.
O'Donnell hosted Melbourne
radio station Sport 927
's morning program with Kevin Bartlett until 2004.
With the Nine Network
, O'Donnell has been a commentator of cricket
and now presents The Cricket Show
. Having owned and managed race horses through his company, O'Donnell Thoroughbreds International, he is also used as an expert on horseracing and hosts Nine's racing coverage.
In November 2011, it was announced that O'Donnell would replace James Brayshaw
was host of The Sunday Footy Show.
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 and VFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
footballer, currently a horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
and cricket commentator.
Cricket
O'Donnell played as an all-rounderAll-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...
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...
in the Sheffield Shield between 1984 and 1993, scoring a century in his first match. He went on to play 6 Test matches
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...
in 1985, 5 on the Ashes tour of England and one at home, but with a low bowling strike rate in 5 and 4 day cricket
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...
, he was more successful in the shorter form of the game.
Seen as a limited-overs specialist with clever medium pace bowling and explosive lower order hitting, he played 87 ODIs between 1985 and 1992, scoring 1242 runs and taking 108 wickets in his career. He played in Australia's 1987 World Cup Final
Cricket World Cup
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...
victory, but soon after he suffered severe pain that was diagnosed as non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
The non-Hodgkin lymphomas are a diverse group of blood cancers that include any kind of lymphoma except Hodgkin's lymphomas. Types of NHL vary significantly in their severity, from indolent to very aggressive....
. He staged a remarkable recovery to return to the Australian One-Day team in the 1988–89 season.
O'Donnell maintained a very good batting strike rate of 80.96 runs per 100 balls in ODIs, almost double his scoring rate in Tests. For six years, O'Donnell held the record for the fastest half-century in One Day Internationals (18 balls v 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...
, Sharjah, 1990, until Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya
Sanath Jayasuriya
Sanath Teran Jayasuriya is a former Sri Lankan cricketer. An all-rounder, he played for the Sri Lankan cricket team from 1989 to 2011...
scored 50 from 17 balls v 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....
at Singapore on 7 April 1996), a record which still stands.
He was captain of 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...
for five seasons from 1988–89 until his retirement in 1993. This was a mixed period, which included a Sheffield Shield victory in 90–91, but Victoria also finished last in 1988–89, 1989–90 and 1992–93.
Australian rules football
As a junior, Simon played Australian rules footballAustralian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
for Assumption College, Kilmore
Assumption College, Kilmore
Assumption College is a Roman Catholic, secondary, co-educational, day and Boarding school, located in Kilmore, Victoria, Australia.Founded in 1893, the college first took boarders in 1901, and was a boys' school until 1982, when it became coeducational. The current principal is Mr...
, where he kicked 100 goals in his senior year. This led to him being recruited for senior football by the St Kilda Football Club, where his father Kevin had played 49 games on a forward flank in the 1940s. Coincidentally, Kevin O'Donnell played alongside two more notable Australian cricketers; Sam Loxton
Sam Loxton
Samuel John Everett "Sam" Loxton OBE is a former Australian cricketer, footballer and politician. Among these three pursuits, his greatest achievements were attained on the cricket field; he played in 12 Tests for Australia from 1948 to 1951...
and Keith Miller
Keith Miller
Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...
, members of the legendary 1948 Invincibles
The Invincibles (cricket)
The Australian cricket team in England in 1948 was captained by Don Bradman, who was making his fourth and final tour of England. The team is famous for being the first Test match side to play an entire tour of England without losing a match. This feat earned them the nickname of The Invincibles,...
.
O'Donnell played 24 games and kicked 18 goals between 1982 and 1983 in what was then the VFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
. However, he had continued to play cricket and retired from football to focus on his cricket career.
Media career
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...
radio station Sport 927
Sport 927
Radio Sport National is a Melbourne based radio network dedicated to covering horse and greyhound racing. While much of the station is dedicated to Gallops, Harness and greyhound racing, it does also cover other sports....
's morning program with Kevin Bartlett until 2004.
With the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
, O'Donnell has been a commentator of 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...
and now presents The Cricket Show
The Cricket Show
The Cricket Show is an Australian cricket television show, screened during the lunch breaks of Test matches in Australia on the Nine Network....
. Having owned and managed race horses through his company, O'Donnell Thoroughbreds International, he is also used as an expert on horseracing and hosts Nine's racing coverage.
In November 2011, it was announced that O'Donnell would replace James Brayshaw
James Brayshaw
James Antony Brayshaw is a former state cricketer and now Australian television and radio personality. As a cricketer he was known as Jamie Brayshaw. He is the son of former Western Australian cricketer and Australian rules footballer Ian Brayshaw, and the brother of Mark Brayshaw, a former...
was host of The Sunday Footy Show.
External links
- Simon O'Donnell's Cricinfo statistics
- Simon O'Donnell's ODI Howstat statistics
- AFL Statistics: Simon O'Donnell
- Brydon Coverdale, "Australia's Winter Allrounders: XI Test Cricketers who played Australian Rules football at the highest level", Cricinfo, 28 May 2007
- Nine network's Cricket Show
See also
- List of Australian rules football and cricket players