Darren Ian Stevens (born 30 April 1976) is an English

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 str ...

er. An

all-rounder An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a handful of batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are consi ...

, he bats right-handed and bowls right-arm medium-pace. In

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officia ...

, he has scored over 16,000 runs and since the age of 35 has taken over 500 wickets and more than 30 five-wicket hauls.Hoad A (2020
Darren Stevens: 'If I never played cricket again I'd feel robbed'
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 2020-06-04. Retrieved 2020-06-04. Stevens was named as one of the

Wisden Cricketers of the Year The ''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season". The award began in 1889 with the naming ...

in the 2021 edition of the almanack. Since his debut in first-class cricket he has played county cricket for Leicestershire and Kent County Cricket Clubs, as well as featuring for the England Lions and winning the Bangladesh Premier League with both

Dhaka Gladiators The Dhaka Dominators (Dhakaiyas, Dhakaiya/ bn, ঢাকা ডমিনেটর্স) is a franchise cricket team that plays in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), representing the country's Dhaka City, Dhaka Division, Dhaka. The team was o ...

and

Comilla Victorians Comilla Victorians ( bn, কুমিল্লা ভিক্টোরিয়ান্স) is a Bangladeshi professional men's cricket team which competes in the Bangladesh Premier League, a Twenty20 cricket league. The team is based in Cum ...

Career

Born in Leicester, Stevens made his debut for his home county of Leicestershire in 1997. He was initially an opening batsmanLieu J (2017
County cricket's ultimate survivor: a celebration of Darren Stevens, on 20th anniversary of his first-class debut
''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'', 2017-04-19. Retrieved 2017-04-19. and his first century came in his fourth match, two years later against Sussex. This innings earned him a seal of approval (as well as a painting) from

Colin Cowdrey Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, (24 December 19324 December 2000) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Oxford University (1952–1954), Kent County Cricket Club (1950–1976) and England (1954–1975). Univers ...

. He remained, however, on the fringes of the side with

Aftab Habib Aftab Habib (born 7 February 1972) is an English former international cricketer. Habib was formerly the Hong Kong national coach, having been appointed on a three-year contract, including Hong Kong's appearance in the 2008 Asia Cup in Pakist ...

and Ben Smith being preferred in the Leicestershire middle-order. After a strong season in 2002, when he scored 850 runs at an average of 32.69, he was called up to England's Academy squad in Australia and was included in their 30-man squad for the

2003 Cricket World Cup The 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup was the eighth Cricket World Cup, organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya from 9 February to 23 March 2003. This edition of the World Cup was the ...

. After two average seasons for Leicestershire, Stevens was released by his home county at the end of the 2004 season, along with Damian Brandy and

George Walker George Walker may refer to: Arts and letters * George Walker (chess player) (1803–1879), English chess player and writer *George Walker (composer) (1922–2018), American composer * George Walker (illustrator) (1781–1856), author of ''The Co ...

. He then joined

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

for the 2005 season. He made a very good start to his Kent career, scoring over 1,000 runs in a season for the first time in his career. 2006 proved to be disappointing by comparison, yet he still averaged 39. His performances in the Pro40 League, however, brought Kent to the verge of promotion. In 2007 Stevens helped the Kent Spitfires win the Twenty20 Cup, scoring an unbeaten 30 including the winning runs, against Gloucestershire at

Edgbaston Edgbaston () is an affluent suburban area of central Birmingham, England, historically in Warwickshire, and curved around the southwest of the city centre. In the 19th century, the area was under the control of the Gough-Calthorpe family a ...

. However a week later he injured a groin muscle whilst top-scoring in Kent's victory over Durham and did not bowl for the rest of the season. He played for

Mid West Rhinos The Mid West Rhinos is one of the four cricket Zimbabwean cricket franchises. They are a first-class cricket team, based in Midlands Province and the Mashonaland West area. They play their home matches at Kwekwe Sports Club in Kwekwe. History ...

in the 2009–10 Stanbic Bank 20 Series in Zimbabwe and for Otago in New Zealand during the 2010–11 season.Cricket: Otago sign two English imports for Twenty20
, '' Otago Daily Times'', 2010-09-09. Retrieved 2015-12-16.Cricket: New Otago import cuts to the chase
'' Otago Daily Times'', 2010-09-27. Retrieved 2015-12-16.Cricket: T20's big-hitters and fast-slingers to watch
''

New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspapers ...

'', 2010-12-03. Retrieved 2015-12-16. Though his career began slowly with only four

County Championship The County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It bec ...

appearances between 1997 and 1999, Stevens made his mark with a century against Sussex which attracted the attention of former England batsman

. With the departure of several leading batsmen, Stevens secured a regular county place with Leicestershire and was taken on development tours of Australia in 2003. After moving to Kent in 2004 he began with a prolific season – 1,277 runs in first-class cricket – and improved his bowling. By 2012 he was a prolific scorer in the Championship and in

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 inn ...

and one-day cup competitions, where his attacking stroke-play and wicket-taking bowling cemented his place in the Kent middle order and made "Stevo" a firm crowd favourite. Stevens played for

during the first two Bangladesh Premier League seasons in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

and

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

. On both occasions the team won the title.Darren Stevens: Kent all-rounder defends Bangladesh return
BBC sport website, 2015-11-15. Retrieved 2015-12-15. In August 2013, Stevens was charged by the ICC for failing to report two corrupt approaches in connection to games in the BPL.Kent's Darren Stevens cleared of involvement in Bangladesh corruption
''

'', 2014-02-26. Retrieved 2015-12-15.Darren Stevens: Kent all-rounder charged by ICC
BBC sport website, 2013-08-14. Retrieved 2013-11-18.Darren Stevens: my two years of hell in anti-corruption spotlight
''

'', 2015-03-03. Retrieved 2015-12-16. The charges were connected to allegations of match fixing within the Gladiators organisation which saw a total of nine people charged by the ICC.Darren Stevens: Anti-corruption tribunal clears Kent all-rounder
BBC sport website, 2014-02-14. Retrieved 2015-12-15. In the last game of the 2013 season, Stevens hit 205 not out and believed that the knock could be his last ever innings.Darren Stevens: Kent all-rounder proud after double century
BBC sport website, 2013-09-30. Retrieved 2013-11-18. In February 2014, Stevens was found not guilty by the tribunal. In September 2015 Kent announced that Stevens would be awarded a benefit year in 2016.Kent hand Stevens benefit year
, England and Wales Cricket Board, 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-11-08.
''Canterbury Times'', 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2015-11-08. During the 2015 off-season he returned to Bangladesh to play in the third instalment of the Bangladesh Premier League, playing for

. He and Victorians captain

Mashrafe Mortaza Mashrafe Bin Mortaza ( bn, মাশরাফি বিন মর্তুজা ; born 5 October 1983), Popularly known as the 'Narail Express', is a Bangladeshi international cricketer and politician who is the former captain in all three form ...

were the only players to have taken part in the first three BPL seasons.Stevens happy with timely franchise payments
ESPN cricinfo, 2015-12-16. Retrieved 2015-12-16. The team won the 2015 Bangladesh Premier League title with Stevens playing in the final, meaning that he was part of the winning franchise in three BPL titles.Kapali 39* seals Comilla's tense title win
ESPN cricinfo, 2015-12-15. Retrieved 2015-12-15.Darren Stevens wins third BPL T20 title with Comilla Victorians
Kent County Cricket Club, 2015-12-15. Retrieved 2015-12-15.Comilla Victorians v Barisal Bulls
'' Dhaka Tribune'', 2015-12-16. Retrieved 2015-12-16. In July 2019 Stevens was loaned out by Kent to

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

for the T20 Blast competition. Stevens, who was still a major part of Kent's team in Championship, but had not played for Kent in the 2018 Blast, was not part of the county's plans for the competition but wanted to play T20 cricket during the season with an eye to maintaining his fitness.Hogwood C (2019
Vitality Blast: Darren Stevens leaves Kent on loan for T20 campaign
''

Kent Online KM Media Group is a multimedia company in the county of Kent, England which originated as the publisher of the Kent Messenger. The Group now produces local newspapers, radio stations and websites throughout the county. Iliffe Media acquired KM ...

'', 2019-07-17. Retrieved 2019-07-17. Later the same month it was announced that Stevens would leave Kent at the end of the season after 15 seasons playing for the county.Darren Stevens: Kent all-rounder to leave club after 15 years

BBC Sport BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC television, radio and online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadcasting the sport live or alongside flag ...

, 2019-07-23. Retrieved 2019-07-23. His performances, however, led to the decision being reversed and a new contract was offered to Stevens after he made his highest first-class score of 237, at more than a run a ball, against

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

in September at the age of 43.County Championship: Records fall as Stevens, 43, hits 237 in penultimate Kent game

, 2019-09-16. Retrieved 2019-09-16.Darren Stevens: Veteran all-rounder gets contract extended at age of 43 after Kent U-turn

, 2019-09-24. Retrieved 2021-04-15. In the same match, he took 5–20 to become the second-oldest player to score 200 and take five wickets in an innings in a first-class match, the oldest being W G Grace. In the shortened 2020 season, Stevens was the third leading wicket taker in the

2020 Bob Willis Trophy The 2020 Bob Willis Trophy was a first-class cricket tournament held in the 2020 English cricket season, and the inaugural edition of the Bob Willis Trophy. It was separate from the County Championship, which was not held in 2020 due to the i ...

, taking 29 wickets at a bowling average of under 16 runs per wicket.Darren Stevens named among Wisden Five Cricketers of the Year in 2021
''

Wisden ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...

'' online, 2021-04-14. Retrieved 2021-04-15. His contract was subsequently renewed for the 2021 season,Darren Stevens: Kent all-rounder, 44, signs one-year extension

, 2020-08-29. Retrieved 2021-04-15. and he was named as one of the

in the 2021 edition of the almanack, at the age of 44 becoming the fourth oldest player to be named.Ben Stokes: Wisden name England all-rounder leading cricketer in world again

, 2021-04-14. Retrieved 2021-04-15.

Lawrence Booth Lawrence Booth ( – 1480) served as Prince-Bishop of Durham and Lord Chancellor of England, before being appointed Archbishop of York. Life The illegitimate son of John Booth, lord of the manor of Barton, near Eccles, Lancashire, he w ...

, the editor of ''

'' was quoted as saying he was "one of the domestic game's most unsung heroes". He began the 2021 season by scoring a century in Kent's opening championship game against Northants, becoming the oldest player to score a County Championship century since 1986.County Championship: Darren Stevens century puts Kent on top against Northamptonshire

, 2021-04-09. Retrieved 2021-04-21. Later in the season came a record-breaking contribution of 160 out of a stand of 166 for the ninth wicket in a match against Glamorgan, the highest proportion of any stand over 100 in first-class cricket; coming in with Kent 80/5 he managed the strike from 128/8 until he was out for 190 with the score on 294. At the 2021 T20 finals day, his 47 not out from 28 balls proved decisive in the semi-final victory against Sussex, and though his contributions in the final were less spectacular, he was part of the victorious Kent side 14 years after hitting the winning runs in the 2007 final. Stevens last game for Kent was in the One-Day Cup final where his team beat Lancashire by 21 runs at

Trent Bridge Trent Bridge Cricket Ground is a cricket ground mostly used for Test, One-Day International and county cricket located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, just across the River Trent from the city of Nottingham. Trent Bridge is also ...

with Stevens scoring 33 from 31 balls. Kent presented Stevens with a framed team shirt with his shirt number 3 which they retired to mark his long career with the club. His best bowling figures are 8 for 75, against Leicestershire in 2017. He won Kent's Player of the Year award in 2005, 2010, 2013, 2019, 2020 and 2021.Darren Stevens reflects on the 2013 season
, Kent County Cricket Club, 2013-10-11. Retrieved 2015-12-15.Stevens named mens player of the year for the third season in a row
Kent County Cricket Club, 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2022-01-16.

Career best performances

''As of 17 September 2022''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, Darren 1976 births Living people English cricketers Leicestershire cricketers Kent cricketers Otago cricketers Dhaka Dominators cricketers Cricketers from Leicester Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Comilla Victorians cricketers Mid West Rhinos cricketers First-Class Counties Select XI cricketers Sussex Cricket Board cricketers Kala Bagan Cricket Academy cricketers Wisden Cricketers of the Year