Stephen John Rixon (born 25 February 1954) is an Australian cricket coach and former international cricketer. He played in 13
Test matches and six
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 between 1977 and 1985. He has coached the
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand national cricket team represents New Zealand in men's international cricket. Named the Black Caps, they played their first Test in 1930 against England in Christchurch, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. From 1930 ...
,
New South Wales cricket team
The New South Wales men's cricket team (formerly named NSW Blues) are an Australian men's professional first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales. The team competes in the Australian first class cricket competition known as the ...
,
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club (Surrey CCC) is a first-class club in county cricket, one of eighteen in the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Surrey, including areas that now form South London ...
,
Hyderabad Heroes
Hyderabad Heroes was one of the eight teams that competed in the Indian Cricket League. The team was based in Hyderabad and its captain was former New Zealand player Chris Harris.
Coach
The inaugural coach for the Hyderabad Heroes was the forme ...
and the
Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise cricket team based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Founded in 2008, the team plays its home matches at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The team is owned by India ...
of the
Indian Cricket League
The Indian Cricket League (ICL) was a private cricket league funded by Zee Entertainment Enterprises that operated between 2007 and 2009 in India. Its two seasons included tournaments between four international teams (World XI, India, Pakistan ...
and was the fielding coach of the
Australian national cricket team
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) an ...
,
Pakistan national cricket team
The Pakistan national cricket team or Pak cricket team, often referred to as the Shaheens (), Green Shirts, Men in Green and Cornered Tigers is administered by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The team is a Full Member of the International C ...
and
Sri Lanka national cricket team
The Sri Lanka men's national cricket team, ( si, ශ්රී ලංකා ජාතික ක්රිකට් කණ්ඩායම, ta, இலங்கை தேசிய கிரிக்கெட் அணி) nicknamed The Lions ...
.
Career
Rixon first came to public attention as a 16-year-old during the 1970/71
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influence ...
tour of Australia, when England's wicket-keeper
Alan Knott
Alan Philip Eric Knott (born 9 April 1946) is a former cricketer who represented England at international level in both Tests and One-Day Internationals (ODI). Knott is widely regarded as one of the most eccentric characters in cricket and as o ...
applauded Rixon's efforts for a Southern New South Wales team against the MCC.
[Rollings, B. "Top players for cup challenge", '']The Canberra Times
''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Australian Community Media. It was founded in 1926, and has changed ownership and format several times.
History
''The Canberra Times'' was launched in ...
'', 22 October 1978, p. 22. Rixon subsequently moved to Sydney to play initially for Waverley before transferring to Western Suburbs.
[ Rixon made his first class debut in 1974–75. He made a first class century, 115, but only scored 232 runs at 17.8 for the season. He took 27 catches and made 4 stumpings.
In 1976-77 Rixon scored 128 in a Shield game.
In 1977, the leading Australian players were signed to ]World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket (WSC) was a commercial professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 which was organised by Kerry Packer and his Australian television network, Nine Network. WSC ran in commercial competition to establishe ...
which led to them being banned from official cricket. These players included the then-Australian wicketkeeper Rod Marsh
Rodney William Marsh (4 November 1947 – 4 March 2022) was an Australian professional cricketer who played as a wicketkeeper for the Australian national team.
Marsh had a Test career spanning from the 1970–71 to the 1983–84 Australian ...
and the reserve keeper on the 1977 Ashes, Richie Robinson. There was a position open for test wicketkeeper. Leading contenders included the experienced John Maclean, the Queensland captain, and Rixon.
Rixon was picked in the first test against India in 1977–78. He scored 9 and 5 with the bat but took five catches in a narrow Australian victory.
In the second test, Rixon scored 50 runs in the first innings, taking part in a valuable 101 partnership with captain Bob Simpson. He took six catches and his second innings knock of 23 was crucial in helping Australia win by 2 wickets. In the third test he took four catches and scored 11 and 12. In the 4th he scored 17 and 11 and took 2 catches. In the final test, which Australia won, he scored 32 and 13 and took 5 catches.
Rixon kept his place on the subsequent tour of the West Indies. In the first test he scored 1 and 0, took two catches and a stumping. In the second he made 16 and 0. In the third he scored 54 (Australia's second top score of the innings) and 39 not out, the latter runs especially crucial in guiding Australia to a three wicket victory. In the fourth test he scored 21 and 13 not out. In the final test he scored 13 not out, took four catches and made a stumping.
Rixon was not selected for the 1978-79 Ashes, the selectors preferring John Maclean, and then Kevin Wright. Wright took the position of wicketkeeper for the 1979 tours of England and India. Rod Marsh returned to the test side in 1979-80 and remained Australia's first choice keeper until his retirement in 1984.
Rixon was back up wicketkeeper on the 1981 Ashes tour of England.
In 1981-82 Rixon captained NSW in the absence of Rick McCosker
Richard Bede McCosker (born 11 December 1946) is a former Australian cricketer.
McCosker played in 25 Test matches and 14 One Day Internationals in a career spanning 1975 to 1982, playing as a right hand batsman.
He is well remembered for ...
.
Rod Marsh elected not to tour Sri Lanka in 1982. However, the selectors picked Roger Woolley as keeper instead.
Rod Marsh announced his retirement in 1984 prior to the tour of the West Indies. Australia picked Roger Woolley as the keeper, with Wayne Phillips as reserve. During that tour, Woolley was injured before the first test and Phillips was picked as keeper. Phillips ended up playing four tests in that position, scoring a century in one of them. He played one test as a specialist with Woolley keeping.
Wayne Phillips' performances was seen to be one of the few successes of the 1984 West Indies tour, and Australia kept him on as wicketkeeper for the first two tests against the West Indies at home over the 1984-85 summer. Phillips was then injured and Rixon was recalled to replace him for the third test. This followed Rixon scoring a century in the Sheffield Shield
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 ...
.
Rixon scored 0 and 16 but took 7 catches. In the fourth test he scored 0 and 17. In the fifth test, which Australia won, he scored 20, took three catches and made a stumping.
Rixon was selected on the 1985 Ashes tour of England as reserve keeper, with Phillips as first choice. Then Rixon announced he had signed to play for two seasons in South Africa. He was dropped from the Ashes squad and banned from first class cricket in Australia for two seasons.
Rixon played for the Australian XI in the rebel tour of South Africa over two summers, 1985–86 and 1986–87, but on his return was unable to rejoin the national team.
He returned to NSW for the 1987–88 season but only played three first class games.
Coaching career
Since retiring from playing, he has been the coach of the New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand national cricket team represents New Zealand in men's international cricket. Named the Black Caps, they played their first Test in 1930 against England in Christchurch, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. From 1930 ...
, 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 ...
, Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, Hyderabad Heroes
Hyderabad Heroes was one of the eight teams that competed in the Indian Cricket League. The team was based in Hyderabad and its captain was former New Zealand player Chris Harris.
Coach
The inaugural coach for the Hyderabad Heroes was the forme ...
of the Indian Cricket League
The Indian Cricket League (ICL) was a private cricket league funded by Zee Entertainment Enterprises that operated between 2007 and 2009 in India. Its two seasons included tournaments between four international teams (World XI, India, Pakistan ...
and currently, The Scots College, Sydney.
It was also reported that Rixon was interested in taking over the head coaching job of the Australian cricket team
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) an ...
when John Buchanan left at the end of the 2006/07 Ashes series. He was not appointed and instead Tim Nielsen
Timothy John Nielsen (born 5 May 1968) is a former South Australia state cricketer and formerly the head coach of the Australian cricket team. Nielsen played 101 first-class matches for his state between 1990–91 and 1998–99.
Nielsen was co ...
took over.
In the Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 franchise cricket league of India. It is annually contested by ten teams based out of seven Indian cities and three Indian states. The leagu ...
, he coached the Hyderabad Heroes
Hyderabad Heroes was one of the eight teams that competed in the Indian Cricket League. The team was based in Hyderabad and its captain was former New Zealand player Chris Harris.
Coach
The inaugural coach for the Hyderabad Heroes was the forme ...
and later the Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise cricket team based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Founded in 2008, the team plays its home matches at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The team is owned by India ...
.
On 28 June 2011, he was appointed Fielding Coach of the Australian Cricket Team replacing Mike Young. In 2014 Rixon was dropped from the Australian coaching set up.
On 15 June 2016, he was appointed the Fielding Coach of the Pakistan Cricket Team under the recommendation of the new head coach, Mickey Arthur
John Michael Arthur (born 17 May 1968) is a South African-Australian cricket coach, commentator and former cricketer, who played in South African domestic cricket from 1986 to 2001. He has served as the head coach of the Derbyshire County Crick ...
. He worked as the Pakistan cricket fielding coach until June 2018. In December 2018, he was appointed fielding coach of Sri Lanka cricket team
The Sri Lanka men's national cricket team, ( si, ශ්රී ලංකා ජාතික ක්රිකට් කණ්ඩායම, ta, இலங்கை தேசிய கிரிக்கெட் அணி) nicknamed The Lions ...
, and on 14 March 2019 he was handed the coaching duties halfway through the Sri Lanka tour of South Africa.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rixon, Steve
1954 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Albury
Australia One Day International cricketers
Australia Test cricketers
Australian cricket coaches
New South Wales cricketers
Indian Cricket League coaches
Australian cricketers
Cricketers from New South Wales
Indian Premier League coaches
Australian expatriate sportspeople in Pakistan
Coaches of the New Zealand national cricket team
Australian expatriate sportspeople in India
Wicket-keepers