- Neil Mallender
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Neil Mallender Personal information Full name Neil Alan Mallender Born 13 August 1961
Kirk Sandall, Yorkshire, EnglandNickname Ghostie Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Batting style Right-handed Bowling style Right arm fast-medium Role Bowler, umpire International information National side England Test debut (cap 556) 23 July 1992 v Pakistan Last Test 9 August 1992 v Pakistan Domestic team information Years Team 1995–1996 Northamptonshire 1987–1994 Somerset 1983–1993 Otago 1980–1986 Northamptonshire Umpiring information Tests umpired 3 (2003–2004) ODIs umpired 22 (2001–2003) Career statistics Competition Test First-class List A Matches 2 345 325 Runs scored 8 4,709 1,146 Batting average 2.66 17.18 13.02 100s/50s –/– 1/10 –/– Top score 4 100* 38* Balls bowled 449 53,215 15,488 Wickets 10 937 387 Bowling average 21.50 26.31 25.44 5 wickets in innings 1 36 3 10 wickets in match – 5 n/a Best bowling 5/50 7/27 7/37 Catches/stumpings –/– 111/– 60/– Source: Cricinfo, 17 April 2009 Neil Mallender (born Neil Alan Mallender, 13 August 1961, Kirk Sandall, Yorkshire)[1] is a former English cricketer. A right-arm fast-medium bowler and a right-hand lower order batsman who improved as his career progressed, Mallender played first-class cricket in England for Northamptonshire (1980–1986 and 1995–1996), and for Somerset (1987–1994).[2] He also played for Otago (1983–84 to 1992–93), captaining the side in 1990–91 and 1991–92.
Life and career
Neil Mallender was born in Yorkshire, but spent the early part of his childhood in Somerset, before returning to Yorkshire as a teenager, where he attended Beverley Grammar School, showing himself as a natural sportsman in cricket and football, though notably struggling to pass his maths O'level. During this time Neil gained representative honors at schoolboy level for county and country, captaining England youth on a tour of the West Indies.
After school, Neil was courted by several counties, including his birth county of Yorkshire, but began his first-class career for Northamptonshire in 1980, having impressed on a tour of the West Indies with England Young Cricketers. A right-arm fast-medium bowler, and an increasingly useful lower-order batsman, he was capable of bowling at a sharp pace, operating within himself and using the conditions expertly. He won his county cap in 1984, but moved to Somerset in 1987. He was an important part of the rebuilding process at Taunton, and soon became popular with members and players alike.
He had come close to selection twice for England, when the touring side were struggling with injuries in 1983-84 and 1991-92 as England searched for replacements to injury-hit squads during England tours to New Zealand,[1] but he did not make his Test debut until 1992, in the home series against Pakistan at Headingley in July 1992, as his style was thought to be particularly suited to the Headingley pitch.[3]
Mallender proved to be a good selection, bowling with controlled swing and pace and able to lure the Pakistan batsmen, unfamiliar with the conditions, into rash strokes.[1] He returned 5 for 50 in the second innings and 8 for 122 in the match to help England square the series 1–1. He retained his place for the fifth Test at The Oval, where he opened the bowling, but took only two lower-order wickets in the match, which Pakistan won decisively. He was then not selected for the winter tour to Sri Lanka and India, and never played Test cricket again.[3][1] Although such a decision was almost Australian in its ruthlessness, it hardly seemed right that a man who had a Test bowling average of 10 wickets at 21.50 should have a Test career which lasted less than three weeks.
Mallender spent ten consecutive seasons(1983-84 to 1992-93) playing for Otago in New Zealand, for whom he became something of a local. He captained the side for two years (1990-91, 1991-92) and generally revelled in the New Zealand conditions, always featuring near the top of the bowling averages. He took over 250 First-class wickets, at a touch over 20 apiece, as well as scoring his only First-class century in 1991-92 against Central Districts . His efforts helped Otago (traditionally one of New Zealand domestic cricket’s bridesmaids) win the Shell Trophy twice during his stay. As a consequence Mallender was awarded the rare honour, to a foreigner, of a testimonial
Always whole-hearted and sometimes inspired, he left Somerset after a richly deserved benefit season in 1994 to return to Northamptonshire. But the length of time between injuries became ever shorter, and the body could clearly take no more. He called it a day in 1996 with 937 first-class wickets, and nearly 5,000 runs.
He later became an international umpire, officiating in three Tests in 2003-4, and twenty two ODIs between 2001 and 2003. He was a member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires in 2004.
References
- ^ a b c d Bateman, Colin (1993). If The Cap Fits. Tony Williams Publications. p. 116. ISBN 1-869833-21-X.
- ^ "Teams Neil Mallender played for". CricketArchive. http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/2/2036/all_teams.html. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
- ^ a b "Player Profile: Neil Mallender". Cricinfo. http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/16886.html. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
External links
Categories: 1961 births | Living people | English cricket umpires | England Test cricketers | English cricketers | Northamptonshire cricketers | Otago cricketers | Somerset cricketers | Buckinghamshire cricketers | People educated at Bourne Grammar School
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