Craig John McDermott (born 14 April 1965) is a former Australian cricketer. Between 1984 and 1996 he played 71 Tests for Australia, taking 291 wickets. Following the end of his playing career, he was the bowling coach for the Australian team for two spells between 2011 and 2016.[1] McDermott was a part of the Australian team that won their first world title during the 1987 Cricket World Cup.
McDermott was the spearhead of the Australian attack in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was powerfully built at 191cm tall. He started his career with Queensland in 1983–84 and made his Test match debut in 1984–85 whilst still 19 against West Indies (his youth engendering his nickname "Billy" – from Billy the Kid). In his first Ashes tour of 1985, he took 30 wickets. But he was over-bowled and was burnt out. He had an excellent World Cup in 1987, helping Australia win the trophy. He took 18 wickets in the tournament, including 5/44 in the semi-final win over Pakistan.
McDermott was a rhythm bowler, and when this was right, he would have an aggressive approach to the wicket and an excellent sideways-on action, giving him sharp pace and outswing. He always saved his best for England, taking 32 wickets in the last full series that he was able to play before injuries took over. Injuries seemed to hit him at wrong times, and he missed the history-making West Indies tour of 1995, and most of the 1996 World Cup. He also missed most of the 1993 Ashes tour when Shane Warne and Merv Hughes shared the spoils in his absence. His best bowling analysis in Tests is 8/97 against England in 1991. He ended with 291 wickets from 70 Tests and 203 one-day wickets with the best analysis being the 5/44.
In batting, even though McDermott's average was that of a tail-ender, he could still hit the ball with power and could stand his ground against fast bowling. In two of the closest Tests that Australia lost, McDermott played a key role with the bat. In January 1993, Australia lost by 1 run to West Indies when McDermott, on 18 and batting with stout resistance, was given out controversially when attempting to play a bouncer from Courtney Walsh.[2] In January 1994, he was on 29 not out in the Test against South Africa that Australia lost by 5 runs in chasing 117.[3]
As a fieldsman, McDermott was renowned for his powerful and accurate returns to the wicket-keeper from the outfield. The New Zealand player and administrator Walter Hadlee regarded McDermott as the best thrower-in he had ever seen.[4]
In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer")[6] refers to a bowler taking five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded as a notable achievement,[7] and as of August 2015 only 43 bowlers have taken 15 or more five-wicket hauls at the international level.[8] Craig John McDermott is a former Australian cricketer who, according to the sports journalist Greg Baum, was "Australia's premier strike bowler in the early 1990s".[9] A right-arm fast bowler, he played 71 Test matches and 138 ODIs in his career, taking 291 and 203 wickets respectively.[9] He took fourteen five-wicket hauls in Test cricket, including two in a single ten-wicket match, and one in the ODI format.[10]
McDermott made his Test match debut for Australia against the West Indies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in December 1984, with Richie Richardson being his first Test victim.[11] His first Test five-wicket haul came at Lord's in the second Test of the 1985 Ashes series in June of that year, taking 6 wickets for 70 runs in a 4-wicket victory for Australia.[12] McDermott's best bowling analysis in Test cricket is 8 for 97 against England in the fifth Test of the 1990–91 Ashes series.[9] He was most successful against England, taking eight of his fourteen five-wicket hauls against them, including four during the 1994–95 Ashes in which he was named player of the series.[10]
McDermott's ODI debut came against the West Indies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in January 1985.[9] He did not bat and although he took the wicket of Viv Richards, Australia lost the game by seven wickets.[13] McDermott played 138 ODIs, and took a solitary five-wicket haul against Pakistan in November 1987, in the Cricket World Cup semi-final.[14] His figures of 5 for 44, and an Australian victory by 18 runs, saw him awarded man of the match as Australia progressed to the final.[14]
Coaching career
On 12 May 2011, it was announced that McDermott had been appointed the new bowling coach for the Australian cricket team replacing Troy Cooley.[15] On 11 May 2012, McDermott announced his resignation as Australia's bowling coach, citing the heavy touring schedule as the reason.[16] Craig McDermott has been appointed as the new bowling coach and consultant for Ireland cricket team.[17] In November 2012, he announced that he would be opening a fast-bowling clinic.[18]
McDermott returned to a coaching role with the Australian cricket team on a two-year contract in May 2014.[19]
Courtney Andrew Walsh OJ is a former Jamaican cricketer who represented the West Indies from 1984 to 2001, captaining the West Indies in 22 Test matches. He is a fast bowler and considered one of the all-time greats, best known for a remarkable opening bowling partnership along with fellow West Indian Curtly Ambrose for several years. Walsh played 132 Tests and 205 ODIs for the West Indies and took 519 and 227 wickets respectively. He shared 421 Test wickets with Ambrose in 49 matches. He held the record of most Test wickets from 2000, after he broke the record of Kapil Dev. This record was later broken in 2004 by Shane Warne. He was the first bowler to reach 500 wickets in Test cricket. His autobiography is entitled "Heart of the Lion". Walsh was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1987. In October 2010, he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. He was appointed as the Specialist Bowling Coach of Bangladesh Cricket Team in August 2016.
The Australia men's national cricket team represents Australia in men's international cricket. As the joint oldest team in Test cricket history, playing in the first ever Test match in 1877, the team also plays One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket, participating in both the first ODI, against England in the 1970–71 season and the first T20I, against New Zealand in the 2004–05 season, winning both games. The team draws its players from teams playing in the Australian domestic competitions – the Sheffield Shield, the Australian domestic limited-overs cricket tournament and the Big Bash League. Australia are the current ICC World Test Championship and ICC Cricket World Cup champions. They are regarded as most successful cricket teams in the history of Cricket.
Brett Lee is an Australian former international cricketer, who played all three formats of the game. During his international career, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in the world. With his time representing Australia, Lee won multiple ICC titles with the team: the 2003 Cricket World Cup, the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy, and the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy. Lee was the first bowler to take a hat-trick in the T20 format of the game which he did in 2007 ICC World Twenty20 in the inaugural tournament against Bangladesh, subsequently being the first bowler to do so at an ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Lee was also the first Australian bowler to take a hat-trick at a Cricket World Cup which he did in the 2003 Cricket World Cup Super Match game against Kenya.
James Michael Anderson is an English cricketer who plays for the England and Wales cricket team and Lancashire, and previously played for England's limited overs cricket teams. Anderson is widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers of all time. He holds the record for most wickets by a pace bowler in Test cricket history, having taken 700 wickets as of 9 March 2024. Anderson was a member of the England team that won the 2010 ICC World Twenty20.
Graham Douglas McKenzie – commonly known as "Garth", after the comic strip hero – is an Australian cricketer who played for Western Australia (1960–74), Leicestershire (1969–75), Transvaal (1979–80) and Australia (1961–71) and was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1965. He succeeded Alan Davidson as Australia's premier fast bowler and was in turn succeeded by Dennis Lillee, playing with both at either end of his career. McKenzie was particularly noted for his muscular physique and ability to take wickets on good batting tracks. His father Eric McKenzie and uncle Douglas McKenzie played cricket for Western Australia. Garth was chosen for the Ashes tour of England in 1961 aged only 20. He made his debut in the Second Test at Lord's, where his 5/37 wrapped up the England innings to give Australia a 5-wicket victory.
Ottis Delroy Gibson is a Barbadian cricket coach and former cricketer who played for the West Indies cricket team. From 2010 to 2014, Gibson was the head coach for the West Indies, where he led the team to be champions of the 2012 T20 World Cup. He has been appointed as Bangladesh bowling head coach and previously twice worked as bowling coach for England, from 2007 to 2010 and again from 2015 to 2017. Gibson also coached the South African cricket team from 2017 to 2019. He was the pace bowling coach of the Bangladesh national cricket team and Multan Sultans. In January 2022 Gibson was appointed the head coach of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, he is set to join the team after the conclusion of the 2022 Pakistan Super League season.
Graeme Peter Swann is an English former cricketer who played all three formats of the game. Born in Northampton, he attended Sponne School in Towcester, Northamptonshire. He was primarily a right-arm off-spinner, and also a capable late-order batsman with four first-class centuries, and often fielded at second slip. Swann could score quickly; his test strike rate is the third highest of any male English batter to have scored at least 1000 runs after Harry Brook and Ben Duckett. Swann was a member of the England team that won the 2010 ICC World Twenty20.
Ryan James Harris is an Australian cricket coach and former cricketer. He was a right-arm fast bowler who was a member of the Australia national cricket team until retiring in the Ashes tour lead up of 2015 due to a knee injury. It had hampered him for a majority of his career, but despite this, he performed as one of Australia's most highly rated fast bowlers.
Kuldeep Yadav is an Indian international cricketer. He bowls Left-arm unorthodox spin who plays for India and for Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket. He was signed by the Delhi Capitals for the Indian Premier League. He was a part of the Indian squads which won the 2018 Asia Cup and the 2023 Asia Cup.
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