Beau Casson (born 7 December 1982) is a former Australian

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er who played for

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

and

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

from 2002 to 2011, and represented

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Test cricket Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last fo ...

. Primarily a left-arm

wrist spin Wrist spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket. It refers to the cricket technique and specific hand movements associated with imparting a particular direction of spin to the cricket ball. The other spinning technique, usually used to ...

ner, Casson was also capable with the bat and had a highest first-class score of 99. He retired from first-class cricket in 2011.

Early and personal life

Casson was born and grew up in the

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

suburb of Subiaco as one of seven children. He began bowling wrist-spin as a child after watching

Shane Warne Shane Keith Warne (13 September 1969 – 4 March 2022) was an Australian international cricketer, whose career ran from 1991 to 2007. Warne played as a right-arm leg spin bowler and a right-handed batsman for Victoria, Hampshire and Australia ...

, citing him as a major influence in his career. Casson was born with

Tetralogy of Fallot Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), formerly known as Steno-Fallot tetralogy, is a congenital heart defect characterized by four specific cardiac defects. Classically, the four defects are: *pulmonary stenosis, which is narrowing of the exit from the ri ...

, a congenital heart defect for which he has undergone three open-heart surgeries.

Junior career

A talented junior cricketer, Casson represented the

Australian U-19 cricket team The Australian Under-19 cricket team have been playing official Under-19 test matches since 1978. Former captains include Stuart Law, Damien Martyn, Brad Haddin, Nathan Hauritz and Cameron White who have all gone on to play international cricket ...

in Youth Test and One Day International matches between 2001 and 2002. He was a vital part of the Australian Under 19 team that won the 2002

Under 19 Cricket World Cup The ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup is an international cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) contested by national under-19 teams. First contested in 1988, as the Youth World Cup, it was not staged again u ...

in New Zealand, taking 12 wickets at 15.08 in 6 matches. He was also a part of the Youth Test team that took on the

Sri Lankan U-19 cricket team The Sri Lankan Under-19 cricket team is the cricket team that represents Sri Lanka in International Under-19 Cricket. It consists of school-aged cricketers. Sri Lanka's squad was announced on 23 December 2015. Sri Lanka went on to win the tri seri ...

at Perth and

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

in 2001. Australia swept the series 3-0 and Casson performed solidly taking 8 wickets at 17.37 with best figures of 5/52. Casson represented Western Australia at all junior levels, from playing in their Under 17 team in 1999 to their Under 19 team in 2001. He was also a multiple graduate of the

Australian Cricket Academy The Australian Cricket Academy was founded in 1987 as a joint initiative of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and the Australian Cricket Board (ACB). It was initially located at Henley Beach in Adelaide before moving to the Allan Border Fie ...

, being a part of the academy intake in 2001, 2002 and 2006.

Domestic career

Western Australia

As a junior, Casson competed for the Western Australian Under 17 and 19 teams as well as their Second XI team, however it wasn't until the 2002–03 season when he won his first full state contract. Prior to making his first-class debut, Casson also played for a Western Australian XI that took on the travelling

English cricket team The England cricket team represents England and Wales in international cricket. Since 1997, it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club (the MCC) since 1903. Engla ...

, taking the wicket of James Foster and finishing with figures of 1/32. With seven of Western Australia's players away on international duties, Casson made his first-class debut on 8 December 2003 against

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

at the

WACA Ground The WACA (formally the WACA Ground) is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. The stadium's name derives from the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association. The WACA has been referred to as Wester ...

.Western Australia v Tasmania - Pura Cup 2002/03
Cricket Archive. Retrieved 17 June 2008 He had a quiet debut with the ball, taking 0/44 in Tasmania's first innings, but had a solid showing with the bat, scoring 35 runs in Western Australia's second innings. He had an excellent second first-class match as he tore through South Australia's batting line-up in the first innings to finish with 6/64 and went on to take 10 wickets for the match and was named Man of the Match for the first time in his senior career. Casson played the remaining games of the

Pura Cup The Sheffield Shield (currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Marsh Sheffield Shield) is the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Sheffield Shi ...

for Western Australia, however he faded with the ball towards the end of the season, finishing with 17 wickets at 39.35. The 2002–03 season also saw Casson make his

List A List A cricket is a classification of the limited-overs (one-day) form of the sport of cricket, with games lasting up to eight hours. List A cricket includes One Day International (ODI) matches and various domestic competitions in which the numbe ...

debut on 10 January 2003 against

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

at the

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadiu ...

. He failed to take a wicket on debut, and in the three other matches he played in the

ING Cup The Ing Cup () is an international Go tournament with a cash prize of over US$400,000. It was created by, and is named after, Ing Chang-ki. The tournament is held once every four years and hence often nicknamed the Go Olympics. In the 7th Ing ...

season. Casson had a solid second season for Western Australia, taking 17 wickets at 34.11 in the

and 4 wickets at 33.50 in the

, however he missed part of the season due to strained ligaments in his bowling hand. After recovering from his hand injury, Casson had mixed fortunes in the 2004-05 Australian season. He struggled with the ball and bat in the 2004-05 Pura Cup, taking 9 wickets at an average of 40.33 and scoring 36 runs at an average of 9.00. In contrast, he performed well with the ball in the

taking 8 wickets at 17.75. The 2005–06 season was Casson's last for Western Australia, and he performed poorly, managing 17 wickets at the hefty average of 54.29 in the

and only 3 wickets at 41.33 in the

. In his four years with the Warriors, Casson took 71 first-class wickets at 39.38 and 15 List A wickets at 30.20.

New South Wales

In May 2006, Casson announced he was making a move east to play for the New South Wales Blues.Casson trades in Perth for Sydney
Cricinfo. Retrieved 17 June 2008 Although Western Australia tried to keep him, Casson felt that bowling on the more spin-friendly pitches of the

Sydney Cricket Ground The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in Sydney, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australian rules football and occasionally for rugby league, rugby union and as ...

would help his career. Western Australia claimed that New South Wales had breached the transfer laws in signing him.

Cricket Australia Cricket Australia (CA), formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board (ACB), 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 Crick ...

, however, ruled that his transfer was lawful and Casson was cleared to play for New South Wales. While there were doubts over whether Casson would be able to hold down a permanent place in the New South Wales team with four other spinners in the squad, he managed to play seven matches in his first season with the Blues. Despite this, he had a very poor first season, taking only 7 wickets at an average of 72.00, however his form was not helped by a shoulder injury that eventually required reconstructive surgery. Coming back from shoulder injury, Casson had an excellent 2007-08

season. Playing nine matches in the season, he took 29 wickets at an average of 35.13 and scored 485 runs at 60.62. He hit a career top score of 99 off 180 balls against

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

at the

and he played a vital role in the Blues' 2007-08 Pura Cup final win. After scoring 89 in a state record seventh wicket stand with

Brett Lee Brett Lee (born 8 November 1976) 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. In each of his first two ...

, he took 4 wickets in Victoria's unsuccessful run chase, including the final wicket that won the Cup for New South Wales. His strong season was rewarded with his first

contract on 9 April 2008. Despite performing well in first-class cricket, Casson struggled to make the New South Wales one-day side with

Nathan Hauritz Nathan Michael Hauritz (; born 18 October 1981) is a former Australian cricketer who has represented Australia in Tests, One-dayers and Twenty20 Internationals. He is mainly noted for his off spin bowling. After representing Australia at Und ...

being the first choice

spinner for the Blues. Casson only played one List A game and two

Twenty20 Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single innin ...

for New South Wales. He announced his retirement from all cricket in November 2011 due to his long-standing heart condition.

International career

On 1 April 2008, Casson was named in Australia's squad for the tour of the West Indies as a back-up for

Stuart MacGill Stuart Charles Glyndwr MacGill (born 25 February 1971) is an Australian former cricketer who played 44 Test matches and three One Day Internationals for the Australian national cricket team. He is a right-arm leg spin bowler, who has been cred ...

. After the retirement of MacGill following the Second Test in

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...

, Casson was named in the Australian team for the final Test in

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

. His Test debut came on 12 June 2008 at

Kensington Oval The Kensington Oval is a stadium located to the west of the capital city Bridgetown on the island of Barbados. It is the pre-eminent sporting facility on the island and is primarily used for cricket. it has hosted many important and exciting c ...

Bridgetown Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the capital and largest city of Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Island ...

, making him the 401st man to play Test cricket for Australia. Despite going wicket-less in his first innings of the match, he picked up vital wickets in the final innings, taking 3/86. His first Test wicket was that of

Xavier Marshall Xavier Melbourne Marshall (born 27 March 1986) is a Jamaican-American cricketer. He played for the West Indies as a batsman. Since January 2019, he has represented the United States cricket team. International career Marshall represented the We ...

, caught at short leg by

Phil Jaques Phil may refer to: * Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names * Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil" * Phil, Kentucky, United States * ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film * -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as a root term ...

for 85.

Later life

Casson became a coach, working with New South Wales under-age players. He was appointed New South Wales' senior batting coach in 2018.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Casson, Beau 1982 births Living people Western Australia cricketers Australian cricketers Australia Test cricketers People educated at Trinity College, Perth New South Wales cricketers Cricketers from Perth, Western Australia Australian cricket coaches