Cricketers who have excelled at other Sports..

[shaka]

I don't know where else to put this but Hayden Shaw (Canterbury pace bowler) is giving cricket back up to play hockey again.

I thought it was a mistake for him to leave hockey in the first place...anyone who knows anything about hockey can tell you how good he is.

The drag flick rings a bell

 

[age_master]

Kumar Sangakkara is a top class tennis player apparently (well for sri lanka...)

 

[morgieb]

Liam Botham did the same if I am not wrong. Where is he know btw!? And Viv Richard's son still playing cricket?

Liam Botham played rugby. And Johnny Wilkinson also played Cricket.


Apparently Graham Thorpe was a decent footballer in his youth.

I am not English however.

 

[pasag]

Craig Bradley who played for Carlton Football Club also played in a high standard of cricket.

 

[Prince EWS]

Bring back captaincovell - anyone who loves marginal revenue as much as that guy did can't be all bad. Gun poster.

 

[readie]

Max walker played about 50 games of AFL for The Melbourne Demons in VFL (now AFL) as a ruckman

 

[corza_nz]

i believe oram was a new zealand representative soccer goal keeper at age group levels. and ab de villiers apparantly is multi talented at a few sports. i heard that he could have made it pro in either cricket, tennis or rugby union and when he was 20ish he went with cricket. he turned down a tennis scholarship over in the USA with that Nick Boliterri academy which has had players like agassi, sampras, tommy haas and heaps others.

 

[readie]

Also Shane Watson played Junior Rep Rugby Union as a breakaway

 

[pasag]

And lol, just saw this in the paper now:

Howzat — flag for AFL star … at cricket

A PREMIERSHIP never came the way of Rohan Smith during his fabulous football career, one that ended in tears in his 300th and last AFL game last year when the Western Bulldogs went down to West Coast in the first semi-final. Well, this no way makes up for it — but it certainly helps. You see, when he hung up his footy boots, the 33-year-old veteran also decided to drag out his old cricket boots for his old team, Williamstown, in sub-district competition. And after quickly progressing through the ranks, from the seconds to the firsts (not bad for a bloke who had been out of the game for 25 years) last weekend, he and his teammates went all the way to a flag. All-rounder Smith, who bowls and bats left-handed despite being a right-foot kick, was even one of the stars of the match against Altona, taking 4-67 with his medium pacers and next day blazing a brilliant 44 not out, including seven fours, five of which were his last scoring shots. What's more, his final four delivered the winning runs. "He had a great game — he and skipper Craig Sheedy (who made 120 and shared in a 95-run stand with Smith for the fourth wicket) were the stars of our win," club secretary Geoff Hart said. "The boys have been celebrating ever since." Smith, who recently admitted retirement from football had been harder than he had ever imagined, was a brilliant schoolboy cricketer, some of his ex-teammates in particular recalling his powerful, clean hitting. Smith decided to return to the game just so he could remain actively involved in sport and was content with playing in the seconds, but after several big scores and some impressive bowling, the club persuaded him to step up to the firsts. All that now remains for Williamstown, the south-west division winner, is to go all the way and win the overall sub-district premiership in next weekend's play-off against the north-east premier, Box Hill. The only trouble is that Smith is now a boundary rider for Fox Sports, and because his round-one commitments include a trip to Brisbane for Saturday's Brisbane Lions-Hawthorn game, he'll miss the Saturday-Sunday cricket decider.

 

[DCC_legend]

I was told by a South African guy at my club (who went to the sam school as AB De Villiers) that AB could have played rugby for south africa had he showed more intrest in it. From what he told me i think he played outhalf.

 

[Hoppy1987]

didn't Graham Thorpe have the choice of playing cricket or football?
as did my mate Joe Gatting (nephew of Mike son of Steve) had the choice of playing cricket for sussex or football for Brighton and Hove Albion, he chose football! IDIOT!!

 

[Poker Boy]

He certainly played List A ODs. Good knowledge!

http://www.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/PLAYERS/ENG/O/OGRIZOVIC_S_01035138/

I'm pretty certain Andy Goram (ex-Rangers keeper & all-round UVF sympathising tool) played cricket for Scotland against OZ too, but he's not listed in Cricinfo, so I may've imagined it!

Yes he did (1989) and got fined by his then club for doing it! An Aussie fast bowler (no names but he's fat, has a big moustache and is now an Aussie selector) apparently told him to stick to football. Two years later (when he joined Rangers) he had to..btw, Chris Balderstone played cricket and football on the same day (he was 50 something no in the game Leics clinched the '75 CC in and his football manager drove him from Chesterfield to play in his football match (Div 3 or 4 I think)). He played his football, resumed his innings the next day and completed a hundered. He helped Carlise get into the old Division One (they topped it briefly) and he must be the only Test cricketer to play for Queen of the South.

 

[Goughy]

Maybe he has already been mentioned in this thread, but Gibbs was an exceptional athlete.

Firstly both his parents were sprinters and he did very well in athletics.

Then he played SA Football Junior Rep alongside guys like Mark Fish.

Then at Bishops, he was the stand out Rugby star amongst teams that fielded future Springboks.

Gibbs could have made it in any of SA's major sports. Which is good for him as academics were hardly his forte.

 

[grrr_squirrel]

Phil Neville played for England schoolbys at cricket and football in the same week. He is the youngest player to score a century for Lancashire seconds, or something like that.

Think Liam Botham retired from Rugby due to injury.

 

[pup11]

From what i have heard Ricky Ponting is a very good golfer and he is a natural talent in that game too many say, so we now know what sports Ricky might take seriously once he retires from cricket.


Dhoni was also a soccer goalie at school level before he decided to keep wickets.

 

[Evermind]

Doesn't AB DeVilliers have professional experience in a slew of different sports: Squash, Tennis, etc?

Anyway, Glenn McGrath is a champion sledger. I'm sure that counts for something?

 

[haroon510]

i heard rana navid was playing hockey before. after his rabbish performance in world cup and SA tour, he was better off playing hockey then cricket. i have never been a fan of this guy.

 

[FRAZ]

Saleem Malik : Gambling (Cards , Poker) etc !

 

[pup11]

Noone beats Warney in Gambling [Poker] he is a champion at losing money in that.

Michael Clarke btw is pretty good at Poker and wins a lot mostly against Warney though.


And if there would be a Beer drinking competition ever held David Boon would easily win it on any given day. He is a tanker when it comes down to gulping beer.

 

[steds]

Think Liam Botham retired from Rugby due to injury.

Indeed. Buggered his neck when at Wigan.