Arjun Nair (born 12 April 1998) is an Australian cricketer.[1][2] He is of Indian descent.[3]

Arjun Nair
Personal information
Full name
Arjun Jayanand Nair
Born (1998-04-12) 12 April 1998 (age 26)
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm offbreak
RoleAll-rounder
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
2015/16–presentNew South Wales (squad no. 7)
2016/17Cricket Australia XI (squad no. 7)
2016/17–presentSydney Thunder (squad no. 7)
FC debut25 February 2016 New South Wales v South Australia
LA debut13 August 2016 National Performance Squad v South Africa A
Career statistics
Competition FC LA T20
Matches 45 15 36
Runs scored 106 174 251
Batting average 15.14 19.33 20.91
100s/50s 0/0 0/1 0/0
Top score 42 67 45
Balls bowled 740 744 486
Wickets 4 20 23
Bowling average 86.00 34.25 27.08
5 wickets in innings 0 0 0
10 wickets in match 0 0 0
Best bowling 2/71 3/15 3/12
Catches/stumpings 2/– 4/– 9/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 3 January 2022

Nair is an all-rounder who bats in right hand and bowls right arm off-spin.

Early life and education edit

Nair was born on 12 April 1998 in Canberra, Australia to parents of Indian descent who moved to Australia from Tripunithura, Kerala.[4][3] He graduated from Patrician Brothers' College, Blacktown in 2015.[5]

Career edit

Nair started playing cricket at the age of three, with formal coaching starting at the age of four under Coach Ganesh.[4] Displaying early talent, he was playing under-10s cricket by the age of six.[4] At 13, Nair commenced playing Grade cricket and progressed to First Grade cricket at 15, making him the youngest player of Indian background to compete in Sydney's First Grade and the ninth youngest in its 120-year history.[4]

Nair, a right-hand top-order batsman and off-spin bowler, had notable achievements in Australian junior cricket by the age of 17.[4] He was a standout performer in the 2015 All Schools Under-19 championship, scoring five centuries in the Green Shield championship.[4] His performance in the Green Shield championship included an aggregate of 996 runs from 21 matches.[4] Additionally, he took a six-wicket haul in the Under-19 National Championship in Adelaide, earning him the player of the final award.[4]

Nair's consistent performance in junior cricket led to several accolades, including the Rising Star and Sports Person of the Year awards from Patrician Brothers College, and the Sports Person of the Year 2013 from Richmond.[4] He was also named the Sports Person of the Year in the 2012 Wenty Leagues. His performance earned him selection in the Australian Under-19 team for the junior Ashes series in the UK, where he debuted with a four-wicket spell against England.[4]

Nair was selected in National Performance Squad of Australia when he was 19 years old.[6] He made his first-class debut for New South Wales in February 2016 in the 2015–16 Sheffield Shield against South Australia at International Sports Stadium, Coffs Harbour.[7] Later, he became part of the Sydney Thunder squad in the Big Bash League. He made his Twenty20 (T20) debut for Sydney Thunder in the 2016–17 Big Bash League season on 22 December 2016.[8]

In 2018, Nair was banned for bowling for three months due to illegal bowling action.[9]

References edit

  1. ^ McMurtry, Andrew (31 October 2016). "Nair-ly there for rising cricket star". Hawkesbury Gazette.
  2. ^ "Arjun Nair". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Indian-origin cricketer Arjun Nair signs full professional contract with current BBL champions Sydney Thunder". SBS Language.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Kerala-origin Arjun reaches Australia U-19 team". gulfnews.com. 7 January 2016.
  5. ^ http://www.nationalchamps.com.au/cricket/reports/playercareerbowling.asp?playerID=950207&clubID=15411&eid=15411&entityID=15411
  6. ^ "Meet Arjun Nair, the rising star of Australian cricket". SBS Language.
  7. ^ "Sheffield Shield, 22nd Match: New South Wales v South Australia at Coffs Harbour, Feb 25-28, 2016". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  8. ^ "Big Bash League, 3rd Match: Melbourne Renegades v Sydney Thunder at Melbourne (Docklands), Dec 22, 2016". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  9. ^ "Young Aussie spinner reported for chucking". PerthNow. 19 January 2018.

External links edit