Alec Stewart

Infobox cricketer biography
playername = Alec Stewart


country = England
fullname = Alec James Stewart
living = true
dayofbirth = 8
monthofbirth = 4
yearofbirth = 1963
placeofbirth = Merton, Surrey
countryofbirth = England
batting = Right-handed
bowling = Occasional right-arm medium
role = Wicket-keeper
family = MJ Stewart (father)
international = true
testdebutdate = 24 February
testdebutyear = 1990
testdebutagainst = West Indies
testc

lasttestdate = 8 September
lasttestyear = 2003
lasttestagainst = South Africa
odidebutdate = 15 October
odidebutyear = 1989
odidebutagainst = Sri Lanka
odic

lastodidate = 2 March
lastodiyear = 2003
lastodiagainst = Australia
odishirt = 4
club1 = Surrey
year1 = 1981 – 2003
deliveries = balls
columns = 4
column1 = Tests
matches1 = 133
runs1 = 8463
bat avg1 = 39.54
100s/50s1 = 15/45
top score1 = 190
deliveries1 = 20
wickets1 = 0
bowl avg1 = –
fivefor1 = –
tenfor1 = –
best bowling1 = –
catches/stumpings1 = 263/14
column2 = ODI
matches2 = 170
runs2 = 4677
bat avg2 = 31.60
100s/50s2 = 4/28
top score2 = 116
deliveries2 = 0
wickets2 = –
bowl avg2 = –
fivefor2 = –
tenfor2 = n/a
best bowling2 = –
catches/stumpings2 = 159/15
column3 = FC
matches3 = 447
runs3 = 26165
bat avg3 = 40.06
100s/50s3 = 48/148
top score3 = 271*
deliveries3 = 502
wickets3 = 3
bowl avg3 = 148.66
fivefor3 = 0
tenfor3 = 0
best bowling3 = 1/7
catches/stumpings3 = 721/32
column4 = LA
matches4 = 504
runs4 = 14771
bat avg4 = 35.08
100s/50s4 = 19/94
top score4 = 167*
deliveries4 = 4
wickets4 = 0
bowl avg4 = –
fivefor4 = –
tenfor4 = n/a
best bowling4 = –
catches/stumpings4 = 442/48
date = 14 October
year = 2007
source = http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/PLAYERS/ENG/S/STEWART_AJ_01001953/ Cricinfo

Alec James Stewart OBE (born 8 April 1963 in Merton, Greater London) is a retired English cricketer, a right-handed batsman-wicketkeeper and former captain of the English cricket team. He is the most capped English cricketer of all time in both Test matches and One Day International, having played in 133 Tests and 170 ODIs.

Career

He was educated at Tiffin School in Kingston upon Thames [ [http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-6011601.html "Alec was aggressive - He'd even sledge the teachers Says the England captain's Games Master!"] , Sunday Mirror, Steve Whiting, 24 May 1998] and made his début for Surrey in 1981 earning a reputation as an aggressive opening batsman and occasional wicketkeeper. He made his England début in the first Test of the 1989/90 tour of the West Indies, along with Nasser Hussain, who would eventually replace him as England captain.

At the start of his career, Stewart was a specialist opening batsman for England, with wicketkeeping duties being retained by Jack Russell, who was generally recognised as the superior gloveman and who batted down the order. However, Russell, the inferior batsman, would often be dropped to improve the balance of the side (i.e. to accommodate an extra bowler or batsman), in which case Stewart would don the gloves. After enduring years of selection and deselection, Russell retired from international cricket in 1998, leaving Stewart unrivalled as England's keeper-batsman until his own retirement in 2003.

He was vice-captain of the England side during most of Michael Atherton's tenure as captain, eventually succeeding him in 1998. While England won their first series under him, against South Africa, failures against Australia and in the 1999 cricket World Cup saw him sacked from the captaincy to be replaced by Hussain. During his captaincy, he had the unusual distinction of simultaneously captaining the side, opening the batting and keeping wicket.

He continued as an England player for five more seasons, and became only the fourth player to score a century in his 100th Test, at Old Trafford.

In 1994 at the Kensington Oval in the West Indies he became only the 7th English batsmen to score centuries in both innings of a Test match. His highest Test score, 190, was against Pakistan in the first Edgbaston Test on 4 June 1992 - a match that was drawn. Stewart has the lowest batting average of any player to have scored 8000 or more runs in Test cricket. However, this still represents a fine return given he had the burden of keeping wicket in 82 of his 133 test matches.

As a specialist batsman in Test cricket, Stewart averaged 46.90 in 51 games with 9 centuries. As wicketkeeper batsman he averaged an impressive 34.92 from 82 tests, higher than many of his contemporaries and many of the current batch of international wicketkeepers. He was unlucky enough to be on the losing side in a record 54 Test Matches.

He is also the younger son of a former English Test cricketer, Micky Stewart. Stewart is a well-known supporter of Surrey County Cricket Club and Chelsea F.C. His favourite Chelsea player when growing up was John Hollins, which is why he always wore the number 4 shirt in One Day Internationals. [ [http://www.arundelpromotions.com/clients/alec_stewart.php Profile at Arundel Promotions] ]

Honours

* "Wisden" Cricketer of the Year 1993
* Awarded the MBE on 13 June 1998
* Awarded the OBE on 14 June 2003

Trivia

*Stewart has been victim to Shane Warne for three of Warne's landmarks, his 150th, 250th and 400th wickets. He is also the legspinner's most frequent victim, having been dismissed by Warne 14 times during his career.

*England and Surrey batsman Mark Butcher was married to Alec Stewart's sister Judy. [http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/9327.html]

*Stewart has less body fat than an average supermodel. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/cricket/features/newsid_2194000/2194100.stm BBC Sport Academy | Cricket | Features | Alec Stewart the model pro! ] ]

*Alec has two children, Andrew James Stewart and Emily Elizabeth Stewart

References

External links

* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/core/Slideshow/slideshowContentFrameFrag.jhtml?xml=/sport/gallery/cricket/icc/alecXI/ualec.xml Alec Stewart's Greatest One-Day XI]
*cricinfo|ref=england/content/player/20372.html
* [http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1952/1952.html Alec Stewart] at Cricket Archive