James Kirtley
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Robert James Kirtley (born 10 January 1975) is a former English
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 ...
er. He is a right arm fast medium bowler and a right hand batsman. After prep school at St. Andrews School, Eastbourne, he was educated at
Clifton College ''The spirit nourishes within'' , established = 160 years ago , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent boarding and day school , religion = Christian , president = , head_label = Head of College , head ...
. Kirtley is perhaps best known for taking a spectacular catch in a
One Day International A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World C ...
against India at
Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and ...
.
Simon Hughes Sir Simon Henry Ward Hughes (born 17 May 1951) is a former British politician. He is now the Chancellor of London South Bank University, an External Adviser to The Open University, and UK Strategic Adviser to Talgo. Hughes was Deputy Leader ...
rated it as the fifth greatest catch of all time.


ODI career


First ODI

His first
One Day International A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World C ...
was in 2001, as
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
beat
Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
by 5 wickets. Whilst not batting, he did take 2-33 off 9.1 overs with the ball. This was his first 'international' encounter, although he bowled Mashonaland to victory ''against'' England on their tour of Zimbabwe in 1996/1997. Later in 2001, he received the
NBC Denis Compton Award The NBC Denis Compton Award was an annual award given to 'The Most Promising Young Player' at each of the 18 first-class counties in England and Wales. The award was made between 1996 and 2011. A player may receive the award more than once. Hist ...
.


2001–2004

Kirtley has played eleven
One Day International A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World C ...
s. He has needed to bat on just two occasions, each time scoring 1. He has taken nine wickets, notably nabbing
Virender Sehwag Virender Sehwag (born 20 October 1978) is a former Indian cricketer who represented India from 1999 to 2013. Widely regarded as one of the most destructive opener, he played for Delhi Capitals in IPL and Delhi and Haryana in Indian domestic c ...
of
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and
Matthew Hayden Matthew Lawrence Hayden (born 29 October 1971) is an Australian cricket commentator and former cricketer. His career spanned fifteen years. Hayden was a powerful and aggressive left-handed batting order (cricket)#opening batsman, opening batsm ...
of
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 ...
. His best bowling figures in this form of cricket are 2-33, against
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
, and he has a one-day bowling average of 53.44.


Test career


First Test

He made his
Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
debut in 2003 against
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, as
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
won by 70 runs. He contributed 4 with the bat over the two innings, facing 54 deliveries. He had more success bowling and took 2–80 in the first innings, off 31 overs - an economy of 2.58 and 6-34 in the second innings, off 16.2 overs. He first trapped
Graeme Smith Graeme Craig Smith (born 1 February 1981) is a South African cricket commentator and former cricketer who played for South Africa in all formats. In 2003, he was appointed captain of the national team, taking over from Shaun Pollock. He held th ...
lbw for 5, then
Jacques Rudolph Jacobus Andries "Jacques" Rudolph (born 4 May 1981) is a former South African cricketer who played for Glamorgan and in South Africa with Titans. He attended Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool, a popular and renowned public school located in Pretoria. ...
lbw for a duck, leaving the Proteas 28–2. Next, he clean bowled
Neil McKenzie Neil Douglas McKenzie (born 24 November 1975) is a South African former cricketer, who played all three forms of the game. He was a right-handed opening batsman who played for South Africa, making his first appearance in 2000. He is currently t ...
for 11, snaffled
Andrew Hall Andrew James Hall (born 31 July 1975) is a former South African first-class cricketer who played from 1999 until 2011. He played as an all-rounder who bowled fast-medium pace and has been used as both an opening batsman and in the lower order. ...
(caught by
Marcus Trescothick Marcus Edward Trescothick (born 25 December 1975) is an English former cricketer who played first-class cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club, and represented England in 76 Test matches and 123 One Day Internationals.Paul Adams for 15. Finally, he dismissed
Mark Boucher Mark Verdon Boucher (born 3 December 1976) is a South African cricket coach and former cricketer who played all three formats of the game. Boucher is regarded as one of the best wicket-keeper batsmen of all time, and holds the record for the ...
(caught by
Alec Stewart Alec James Stewart (born 8 April 1963) is an English former cricketer, and former captain of the England cricket team, who played Test cricket and One Day Internationals as a right-handed wicket-keeper-batsman. He is the fourth-most-capped Eng ...
) for 52, as the South Africans crumbled for 131. Finishing with match bowling figures of 8–114, Kirtley was awarded the player of the match award.


2003–2004

Kirtley represented
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
on three more occasions. After an excellent debut, he was included in the team that again faced
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
in August 2003. He chipped in with twelve over two innings with the bat, and took 5–145 with the ball, although The Proteas ran out winners by 191 runs. The third and fourth matches of Kirtley's four match
Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
career were against
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
in December 2003. The first game was drawn, with Kirtley taking 2-109 and 2-62, and hitting 3 not out in the first innings. The second encounter was won comprehensively by
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, by an innings and 215 runs.
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
batted first and scored 265, with Kirtley scoring 1. In their reply, the Sri Lankans amassed 628, with all bowlers struggling.
Ashley Giles Ashley Fraser Giles (born 19 March 1973) is a former English first-class cricketer, who played 54 Test matches and 62 One Day Internationals for England before being forced to retire due to a recurring hip injury. Giles played the entirety of ...
took two wickets at the cost of 190 runs and
Gareth Batty Gareth Jon Batty (born 13 October 1977) is an English former cricketer who is best known as a spin-bowler. He has represented England in all formats and was the captain of Surrey County Cricket Club between 2015 and 2017. In October 2021, Batt ...
conceded 137 with no reward, making Kirtley's return of 2-131 look distinctly presentable. In their reply,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
were dismissed for 148. Despite this batting failure by the team, Kirtley hit 12, his best ever score in a
Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
, off 25 deliveries, including a six, before being bowled by
Muttiah Muralitharan Deshabandu Muttiah Muralitharan ( si, මුත්තයියා මුරලිදරන්, ta, முத்தையா முரளிதரன், also spelt Muralidaran; born 1972) is a Sri Lankan cricket coach, former professional c ...
.


Twenty20 career

He bowled the first ever t20 ball, against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl. Kirtley was a surprising selection in the England squad for the 2007 World Twenty20 in South Africa, he was named alongside other specialists
Darren Maddy Darren Lee Maddy (born 23 May 1974) is an English former professional cricketer who played for Leicestershire and Warwickshire County Cricket Clubs and for the England cricket team. Maddy made three Test match, eight One Day International (O ...
, leg spinner
Chris Schofield Christopher Paul Schofield (born 6 October 1978) is an English cricketer, who played Tests and Twenty20 Internationals. Schofield is one of the few leg-spinners to play cricket for England in the 21st century. Early career Born on 6 Octobe ...
and veteran off spinner and former spin coach
Jeremy Snape Jeremy Nicholas Snape (born 27 April 1973) is a former English cricketer, who played limited over internationals, and a sports psychologist. He was a right-handed batsman and bowled right-arm off-break. He was the 20/20 captain for Leicester. ...
.England go for Twenty20 specialists
Cricinfo, retrieved 16 April 2009
Kirtley played one (wicketless) match against Australia.


Bowling

At his best, he was a skiddy bowler with good accuracy, and an excellent cricketing brain. At his worst, he was banned from bowling because of doubts about his action.


County career

In the 2006
C&G Trophy The Friends Provident Trophy was a one-day cricket competition in the United Kingdom. It was one of the four tournaments in which the eighteen first-class counties competed each season. They were joined by teams from Scotland and Ireland. Lan ...
final, Kirtley bowled
Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
to a seemingly improbable victory with match figures of 5-27. (These 5 wickets were notable for all being LBWs). On taking the final, winning wicket, Kirtley was mobbed in celebration on the pitch by his teammates. His last match for Sussex before retiring from professional cricket after a sixteen-year career, was a Pro 40 one day match against Surrey on Saturday 4 September 2010 at Hove. His final victim was England batsman
Kevin Pietersen Kevin Peter Pietersen (born 27 June 1980) is a cricket commentator, conservationist, and former England international cricket player. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who played in all three formats for England betw ...
as the match ended in a tie. Kirtley's figures were 3-61.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirtley, James 1975 births Living people England One Day International cricketers England Test cricketers England Twenty20 International cricketers English cricketers Mashonaland cricketers Sussex cricketers People educated at Clifton College NBC Denis Compton Award recipients Cricketers who have taken five wickets on Test debut Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Test and County Cricket Board XI cricketers Cricketers from Eastbourne