- Niall O'Brien (cricketer)
-
Niall O'Brien 
Personal information Full name Niall John O'Brien Born 8 November 1981
Dublin, IrelandNickname Paddy[1] Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) Batting style Left Handed Role Wicketkeeper/Batsman Relations Brendan O'Brien (father)
Kevin O'Brien (brother)International information National side Ireland ODI debut (cap 13) 5 August 2006 v Scotland Last ODI 18 March 2011 v Netherlands Domestic team information Years Team 2004–2006 Kent 2005–present Ireland (squad no. 00) 2007–present Northamptonshire (squad no. 81) 2001–2007 Railway Union Career statistics Competition ODI FC LA T20I Matches 49 98 135 16 Runs scored 1,198 4,705 2,949 260 Batting average 26.62 35.64 29.49 18.57 100s/50s –/8 10/20 1/20 0/1 Top score 72 176 121 50 Balls bowled – 12 – – Wickets – 1 – – Bowling average – 8.00 – – 5 wickets in innings – 0 – – 10 wickets in match – 0 – – Best bowling – 1/4 – – Catches/stumpings 38/7 290/30 111/31 10/8 Source: CricketArchive, 7 0ct 2011 Niall John O'Brien (born 8 November 1981 in Dublin) is an Irish cricketer educated at Marian College, Ballsbridge. He is a left-handed batsman and wicket-keeper. O'Brien's brother Kevin plays with him in the Irish team. His father, Brendan, played cricket for Ireland from 1966 to 1981,[2] and his sister Ciara O'Brien is in the Irish women's hockey team.
Contents
Personal life and education
O'Brien was educated in Marian College, Ballsbridge.[3] His brother Kevin is also a member of the Irish team. Their father Brendan played 52 times for Ireland.[4]
Domestic career
Kent
O'Brien's batting statistics with Kent Matches Runs Average 100/50 Highest score First-class[5] 38 1,122 24.93 0/7 69 LA[6] 35 220 15.71 0/0 43 T20[7] 20 59 11.80 0/0 12 Along with fellow Irish player Ed Joyce, O'Brien made a series of impressive performances for Ireland before starting to take part in English cricket with Kent. O'Brien found multiple chances to perform for his county as fellow wicket-keeper Geraint Jones has found himself performing more often for the England cricket team.
Northamptonshire
O'Brien's batting statistics with Northamptonshire up to the end of 2010 Matches Runs Average 100/50 Highest score First-class[5] 34 1,816 34.26 4/6 168 LA[6] 31 817 31.42 0/6 95 T20[7] 27 582 24.25 0/1 69 After being released by Kent he signed a one-year deal with Northamptonshire for 2007. At the end of the 2008 season, O'Brien was named Northamptonshire's player of the year and was rewarded for his consistent performances with a three year contract with the club. A representative of Northamptonshire CCC said "Niall, who has just returned from international duty, was in sensational form last season with the bat, scoring over 850 championship runs and piling on the runs in one-day competitions in a new pinch-hitter role".[8] In a tour match against Australia during the 2009 Ashes in July 2009, O'Brien made scores of 30 and 58 in a match Northamptonshire lost. During his half century, he scored seven boundaries off the struggling Mitchell Johnson.[9] O'Brien missed most of the 2010 after undergoing finger surgery in July; in his absence, David Murphy was Northamptonshire's first-choice wicket-keeper.[10]
International career
O'Brien keeping wicket against Pakistan during an ODI in June 2010.
Niall first gained recognition playing domestic cricket in Leinster for the Railway Union Cricket Club earning a call up to the Ireland A team. From there he established himself as Ireland's number one wicketkeeper. O'Brien himself has said that he has a fiery temperament. On 17 June 2004, he angered Brian Lara when Lara refused to walk after being apparently caught behind.[11] Ireland caused an upset when they went on to win the match, with O'Brien scoring 58* off 57 balls.[12] In 2006 he was banned for one ICC Intercontinental Cup match after an outburst criticising the groundsman at an Intercontinental Cup game with Scotland because of condition of the pitch.[13]
His innings of 72 from 107 balls in the 2007 Cricket World Cup group match against Pakistan helped Ireland earn an upset victory and also earned him the man of the match award.[14][15]
In the same year, he joined the Essel Group's Indian Cricket League (ICL) to represent the Delhi Jets team for one season.[16] O'Brien became the first player to play international cricket after playing in the ICL when he played an Intercontinental Cup match against United Arab Emirates in March 2008; he went on to score 174 in Ireland's nine-wicket win.[17]
O'Brien set a World Twenty20 record with his 4 dismissals against Sri Lanka in the Super 8 stage of the 2009 ICC World Twenty20.
O'Brien was one of seven Ireland players to be nominated for the 2009 Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year (there were fourteen nominees in all),[18] although he did not make the 4-man short-list.[19] O'Brien was selected in Ireland's 15-man squad for the 2011 World Cup.[20]
O'Brien was selected in Ireland's 15-man squad for the 2011 World Cup to be hosted by Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka between February and April.[21] During the tournament he became the third player to score 1,000 ODI runs for Ireland after William Porterfield and his brother Kevin.[22] He passed this landmark in Ireland's five-wicket defeat to India. In the same match, O'Brien and Porterfield established a new records for Ireland's third wicket in ODI, putting on 113 runs together.[23]
Cricket in Australia
O'Brien has spent many an Australian summer playing for Mosman Cricket Club in the Sydney Grade Cricket competition. O'Brien also assumed a part time coaching role while at the club and considers the time spent in Australia as some of the most vital parts of his career.
He also played two seasons of first grade for North Sydney in the Sydney Grade Competition in 2003/04 and 2005/06. He also played a season with the Mosman club as an 18 year old.
Career best performances
as of 13 July 2011
Batting Bowling Score Fixture Venue Season Score Fixture Venue Season ODI 72 Ireland v Pakistan Kingston 2007 n/a T20I 50 Ireland v Canada Colombo (SSC) 2010 n/a FC 176 Ireland v United Arab Emirates Windhoek 2005 1-4 Kent v Cambridge UCCE Cambridge 2006 LA 121 Northamptonshire v Hampshire Southampton 2011 n/a T20 84 Ireland v United States of America Abu Dhabi 2010 n/a References
- ^ Niall O'Brien player profile, Cricinfo, http://www.espncricinfo.com/countycricket2009/content/player/24289.html, retrieved 2011-02-09
- ^ Brendan O'Brien, Cricketarchive.com, http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/26/26858/26858.html Retrieved on 11 March 2008.
- ^ Kevin O'Brien –Congrats!, Marian College, http://www.mariancollege.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=130:kevin-obrien-congrats&catid=34:latest-news&Itemid=27, retrieved 2011-03-06
- ^ O'Brien is toast of Ireland. Retrieved on 2009-06-08.
- ^ a b First-class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Niall O'Brien, CricketArchive.com, http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/10/10231/f_Batting_by_Team.html, retrieved 2011-01-19
- ^ a b ListA Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Niall O'Brien, CricketArchive.com, http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/10/10231/a_Batting_by_Team.html, retrieved 2011-01-19
- ^ a b Twenty20 Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Niall O'Brien, CricketArchive.com, http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/10/10231/tt_Batting_by_Team.html, retrieved 2011-01-19
- ^ Northants pair get extended deals, BBC Online, 7 November 2008, http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/counties/northamptonshire/7715876.stm, retrieved 2008-11-07
- ^ Alex Brown (26 July 2009), Johnson's Edgbaston hopes recede, Cricinfo, http://www.cricinfo.com/countycricket2009/content/current/story/416471.html, retrieved 2009-07-31
- ^ Ireland's Niall O'Brien targets upsets at World Cup, BBC Sport, 2011-01-21, http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/counties/northamptonshire/9367295.stm, retrieved 2011-01-23
- ^ Cricinfo staff (22 March 2007), O'Brien to renew old ties with Lara, Cricinfo, http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/286654.html Retrieved on 7 March 2008.
- ^ Ireland v West Indians Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Belfast 17 June 2004 (50-over match), Cricinfo, 17 June 2004, http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2004/WI_IN_ENG/SCORECARDS/WI_IRELAND_17JUN2004.html Retrieved on 7 March 2008.
- ^ Cricinfo staff (3 September 2006), O'Brien receives one-match ban by match referee, Cricinfo, http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/258519.html Retrieved on 7 March 2008.
- ^ Will Luke (17 March 2007), Pakistan sent home by bold Ireland, Cricinfo, http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/285704.html Retrieved on 7 March 2008.
- ^ ICC World Cup - 9th match, Group D Ireland v Pakistan, Cricinfo, 17 March 2007, http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/wc2007/engine/current/match/247465.html Retrieved on 7 March 2008.
- ^ Cricinfo staff (14 November 2007), Lara and Inzamam named in ICL teams, Cricinfo, http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/icl/content/story/320289.html Retrieved on 20 November 2007.
- ^ Ashok Ganguly (10 March 2008), Niall O'Brien returns for Ireland, Cricinfo, http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ireland/content/current/story/341887.html Retrieved on 10 March 2008.
- ^ Cricinfo staff (2 September 2009), Dhoni, Dilshan pick up maximum nominations, Cricinfo, http://www.cricinfo.com/ci-icc/content/current/story/422973.html, retrieved 2009-09-03
- ^ Cricinfo staff (15 September 2010), Strauss, Johnson and Gambhir lead ICC nominations, http://www.cricinfo.com/ci-icc/content/story/425103.html, retrieved 2010-08-20
- ^ ESPNcricinfo staff (19 January 2011), Ireland pick Ed Joyce for World Cup, Cricinfo, http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/story/497464.html, retrieved 2011-01-27
- ^ Ireland pick Ed Joyce for World Cup, Cricinfo, 19 January 2011, http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/story/497464.html, retrieved 27 January 2011
- ^ Brickhill, Liam (6 March 2011), Chicken dance at the Chinnaswamy, Cricinfo, http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/current/story/504561.html, retrieved 2011-03-07
- ^ Brickhill, Liam (6 March 2011), Ireland beaten, but with their honour intact, Cricinfo, http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/current/story/504577.html, retrieved 2011-03-07
External links
- Niall O'Brien Homepage
- ECB Profile
- Cricinfo Profile
- Cricket Archive Profile
- Northants Cricket Profile
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club – current squad • 2 Botha • 3 Connell • 4 Cusack • 5 Dockrell • 6 Johnston • 7 Jones • 8 Kidd • 9 Mooney • 10 K O'Brien • 11 N O'Brien • 12 Rankin • 13 Stirling • 14 White • 15 Wilson • Coach: Simmons
Ireland squad – 2007 Cricket World Cup Ireland squad – 2011 Cricket World Cup Categories:- 1981 births
- Living people
- Irish cricketers
- Ireland One Day International cricketers
- Ireland Twenty20 International cricketers
- Irish wicket-keepers
- People from Dublin (city)
- Kent cricketers
- Northamptonshire cricketers
- Delhi (Indian Cricket League) cricketers
- Cricketers at the 2007 Cricket World Cup
- Cricketers at the 2011 Cricket World Cup
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