Michael Bevan
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Michael Gwyl Bevan (born 8 May 1970 in the Australian Capital Territory) is a left-handed cricket batsman (LHB) and a slow left arm chinaman (SLC) bowler. He is widely regarded as one of the finest ODI batsman in the world for his ability to see out a match, and his phenomenal average. He played 232 ODI matches for Australia, and was a part of the 1999 and 2003 teams that won the World Cup.
ODI career
Bevan is the only player with 40 ODI innings or more to maintain a batting average above 50,[1] a feat helped by the fact that he frequently batted in the lower-middle order. Of the players to have played 30 or more ODI innings, he is the only one whose batting average never dropped below 40.[2]. This, coupled with the high price he put on his wicket, resulted in many not-out innings.
Nonetheless, he proved a reliable anchor at the bottom of the middle order, and he would often patiently guide Australia to victory following a rare top-order collapse - leading to him being nicknamed "The Finisher". One of his most famous "anchor" innings was in the New Years Day one-day international at the Sydney Cricket Ground against the West Indies in 1996. With the Australians at one stage 6/38 chasing 173, his unbeaten 150-minute 78 got the Australians over the line on the last ball of the innings. [3]
Test career
Despite his ODI success, Bevan's Test career, however, was not nearly as successful - thought to be susceptible to short-pitched deliveries, he never really succeeded in the longer form of the game, with an average of only 29.
The major teams he has played for are: South Australia, NSW, Yorkshire, Sussex, Leicestershire and of course Australia. He is currently playing for Tasmania, where in the 2004/05 season, he scored a Pura Cup/Sheffield Shield record for number of runs scored in a season. Despite this form, he was dismissed for Australian selection due to his age.
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Categories: 1970 births | Living people | Australian batsmen | Australian bowlers | Australian cricketers | Australian ODI cricketers | Australian Test cricketers | Kent cricketers | Leicestershire cricketers | New South Wales cricketers | People from the Australian Capital Territory | South Australia cricketers | Sussex cricketers | Tasmania cricketers | Yorkshire cricketers