Alex Cusack
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Alex Richard Cusack | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | 29 October 1980|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bowling | Right arm medium-fast | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Role | All-rounder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National side |
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ODI debut (cap 20) | 24 June 2007 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last ODI | 8 May 2015 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ODI shirt no. | 83 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
T20I debut (cap 3) | 2 August 2008 v Scotland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last T20I | 25 July 2015 v Netherlands | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
T20I shirt no. | 83 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricketArchive, 9 March 2016 |
Alex Richard Cusack (born 29 October 1980) is a former Australian-born-Irish cricketer. A club cricketer for Clontarf, Cusack was a carpenter by trade until he was awarded a professional contract with the Irish Cricket Union in 2009. He played as a middle-order right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium-fast deliveries. Cusack made his international debut in 2007.
In 2009, Cusack became one of the first two players to be given contracts with Cricket Ireland. A year later, the number of cricketers with contracts with CI had increased to six, with Cusack still amongst their number. In the 2011 Cricket World Cup match against England, Cusack was part of the highest sixth wicket partnership in World Cup history, putting on 162 runs with Kevin O'Brien as Ireland defeated England.[1]
In August 2015, Cusack announced his retirement from cricket.[2]
Youth and early career
Born in
International breakthrough
Cusack made his debut for Ireland in a one-day match against Middlesex on 10 June 2007. He bowled two expensive overs, conceding 29 runs, however he did score 29 batting at number six from Ireland's total of 175; Ireland went on to lose the match by six wickets.[4] Trent Johnston, his captain, attributed Cusack's lack of success in his first match to nervousness.[5] However, Cusack was much more effective on his international debut, in which he was named man-of-the-match.
The uncapped Cusack was named in Ireland's squad to face
Cusack also made a successful first class debut in August 2007, scoring 130 against Scotland in Belfast. The match, which ended in a draw, was Ireland's opening match in the 2007–08 ICC Intercontinental Cup.[8] His partnership with Andre Botha in the match for the sixth wicket set a record for Ireland. It beat the team's previous highest sixth wicket partnership broke the record established in 1896 by Daniel Comyn and Drummond Hamilton against I Zingari. It was only Cusack's sixth match for Ireland.[9] In the final of the tournament, Cusack scored 95* alongside centurion Niall O'Brien to help guide Ireland to victory, their third consecutive title in the competition. He was named man-of-the-match for his performance.[10] Cusack finished the tournament with 361 runs from 7 matches at an average of 51.57 and was Ireland's fourth highest run-scorer;[11] he also took 7 wickets at an average of 13.28.[12]
In common with much of the Ireland team, he had a full-time job away from cricket which interfered with the game.
Cusack played in the
In January 2010 Cricket Ireland, the governing body for cricket in Ireland, awarded Cusack a full-time contract. He was one of six players awarded such contracts with Cricket Ireland,[21] and came just a year after the first professional contracts were awarded to Ireland's cricketers. Before that players were amateurs relying on income from other jobs and playing cricket in their spare time. The contract allowed Cusack and the others to focus on cricket, with the aim of improving ahead of the 2011 World Cup.[22] He was selected in Ireland's 15-man squad for the 2011 World Cup.[23]
References
- ^ "Highest World cup partnerships for each wicket". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
- ^ "Cusack announces retirement". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
- ^ a b The Quiet Man – Alex Cusack, cricketEurope4.net, 25 August 2009, archived from the original on 21 February 2013, retrieved 3 September 2009
- ^ "a18255 Ireland v Middlesex Friends Provident Trophy 2007 (South Division)", CricketArchive, 10 June 2007, retrieved 7 August 2009
- ^ a b McGlashan, Andrew (1 September 2007), "He's going to be in Irish colours for a long time" – Johnston, ESPNcricinfo, retrieved 7 August 2009
- ^ ESPNcricinfo staff (15 June 2007), Depleted Ireland announce ODI squad, ESPNcricinfo, retrieved 7 August 2009
- ^ "a18274 o2591 Ireland v South Africa: South Africa in Ireland 2007 (Only ODI)", CricketArchive, 24 June 2007, retrieved 7 August 2009
- ^ ESPNcricinfo staff (12 August 2007), Botha and Cusack flay tired Scotland, ESPNcricinfo, retrieved 7 August 2009
- ^ Boomer, John (14 August 2007), Botha rewrites the record books, CricketEurope4.net, archived from the original on 16 April 2009, retrieved 7 August 2009
- ^ ESPNcricinfo staff (2 November 2008), Niall O'Brien century pilots Ireland to title, ESPNcricinfo, retrieved 7 August 2009
- ^ Records / ICC Intercontinental Cup, 2007 / Most runs, ESPNcricinfo, retrieved 7 August 2009
- ^ Records / ICC Intercontinental Cup, 2007 / Most wickets, ESPNcricinfo, retrieved 7 August 2009
- ^ Andrew McGlashan (1 September 2007), Tough at the top, ESPNcricinfo, retrieved 7 August 2009
- ^ George Binoy (8 June 2009), Associated with the best, ESPNcricinfo, retrieved 10 June 2009
- ^ McGlashan, Andrew (23 December 2007), Early promise gives way to uncertainty, Cicinfo.com, retrieved 11 November 2008
- ^ Alter, Jamie (8 June 2009), Ireland storm into Super Eights, ESPNcricinfo, retrieved 11 June 2009
- ^ Miller, Andrew (14 June 2009), Jayawardene saves Sri Lanka's blushes, ESPNcricinfo, retrieved 7 August 2009
- ^ ICC World Twenty20, 2009 / Records / Most wickets, ESPNcricinfo, archived from the original on 6 August 2009, retrieved 7 August 2009
- ^ Ireland / Records / Twenty20 Internationals / Most wickets, ESPNcricinfo, retrieved 7 August 2009
- ^ ESPNcricinfo staff (2 September 2009), Dhoni, Dilshan pick up maximum nominations, ESPNcricinfo, retrieved 3 September 2009
- ^ Ireland back players ahead of 2011 World Cup, ESPNcricinfo, 15 January 2010, retrieved 10 September 2011
- ^ Cricket Ireland announce player contract details, CricketEurope, 13 January 2010, archived from the original on 23 July 2011, retrieved 10 September 2011
- ^ ESPNcricinfo staff (19 January 2011), Ireland pick Ed Joyce for World Cup, ESPNcricinfo, retrieved 27 January 2011