Introduction
Cricket has been played in Australia for over 200 years now, and with that much time on the field, you can bet that we've produced some exceptional players. Cricket is one of those sports where it takes a lot of practice and dedication to get to the top of your game. That's why it's hard for people who don't watch cricket at all to even know who our best cricketers are! If you're looking for some new Aussie-themed reading material (and who isn't?), then this list will help you learn about some of our most iconic athletes from around the world:
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist
Gilchrist's Test career
The wicket-keeper batsman made his Test debut in 1999, against Pakistan at the Gabba in Brisbane. He played his first Test match as a specialist batsman and was dismissed for a duck by Saqlain Mushtaq. However, he went on to score his first century in only his second Test match, against South Africa at Johannesburg. In 2002, Gilchrist became Australia’s captain after Ricky Ponting stepped down from this position after leading them to victory in the 2001 Ashes series. Under Gilchrist’s leadership Australia won back the Ashes which they had lost earlier that year under Ponting’s captaincy.
Gilchrist retired from international cricket after playing his last Test for Australia against New Zealand at Hobart on 26 November 2010 where he scored 53 runs off just 23 balls including a six off Trent Boult which sealed victory for Australia ending their losing streak of three consecutive series vs Kiwis (excluding Tests). By the end of this innings Gilchrist had accumulated 6 centuries and 16 fifties against New Zealand in 17 matches which is an Australian record for most runs scored against any team in Tests outside Australia or New Zealand.[13] He also holds several other records including those related with fastest centuries and most catches by any wicketkeeper-batsman.[14][15][16]
Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting is a former Australian cricketer and current captain of Tasmania. He was an aggressive left-handed batsman and an occasional right arm medium pace bowler.
He played for Tasmania from 1991 to 2004, before moving to Victoria in 2005 and then to Indian Premier League side Mumbai Indians in 2012.
In the 1999 World Cup final against Pakistan at Lord's, he scored 132 runs off 123 balls, including 12 fours and 7 sixes; this is still the highest score by any batsman in a one day international final since the world cup format was introduced in 1975.
Shane Warne
Shane Warne is a leg spinner, right-handed batsman who played for Australia, Hampshire and Rajasthan Royals. He was born in Melbourne, Australia on September 13, 1969 and is a member of the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.
Warne made his first-class debut in 1988 at the age of 18. He was chosen to play for Australia’s Test team less than 12 months later against Sri Lanka at Colombo as a result of injuries to other players. With his international career already underway and despite having taken only eight wickets during his time playing first class cricket he claimed 26 wickets including two five wicket hauls against Pakistan at Brisbane (Queensland) in 1990 and India at Adelaide (South Australia) in 1992 before achieving stardom with his performances during England's visit to Australia where he took 32 wickets including three five wicket hauls against Bangladesh who were then known as East Pakistan
Shane Watson
Shane Watson, right-handed batsman and right-arm fast medium bowler
Born: February 5, 1981 (age 39) in Grafton, New South Wales
Shane Watson made his debut in 2003 and since then has played for Australia in different formats of the game. He was a part of the Australian team that won the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 title. The cricketer has even been honoured with an Order of Australia Medal.
Dennis Lillee
Dennis Lillee is one of the most legendary fast bowlers of all time. He's also an Australian cricket legend, as he holds the record for being the first player to take 300 Test wickets and was the leading wicket-taker in a series when he took 34 wickets against India in 1974.
Lillee made his debut for Australia in 1971 and played till 1984, winning four World Cups during his career along with many other accolades.
Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor was born on 3 April 1963 in the Australian state of New South Wales. He made his first-class debut for New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield in 1985, when he was 21 years old. He then made his Test cricket debut against India during their tour of Australia later that year.
Taylor played for Australia from 1984 to 1996, with a brief stint as captain between 1992 and 1993. During this time he led Australia to victory over England at Lord’s in 1993 before losing out 2-1 in an Ashes series later that year. It would be another 10 years until they won again!
Glenn McGrath
If you're looking for a fast bowler who can bowl at the death and take wickets, look no further than Glenn McGrath. With 563 test wickets and 326 one-dayers to his name, he was certainly a force to be reckoned with on the pitch. He also had the ability to bowl long spells at crucial points in the game and would often come back into the attack when his captain needed someone who could take wickets quickly - no matter what type of batsman it was facing him!
McGrath played in numerous Ashes series against England which are among some of Australia's most significant cricketing events. He also played in two Cricket World Cups (2003 and 2007) where he helped Australia win both times by taking down top international teams such as South Africa and New Zealand along with India before losing just once against Sri Lanka during their run through those tournaments' playoffs stages."
Allan Border
You may not be aware of this, but Allan Border was a pretty big deal in cricket. In fact, he's arguably the best Australian cricketer ever. He captained Australia to victory in five consecutive World Cups and led them to series wins against arch-rivals England on three separate occasions: 1987, 1992 and 1993 (the last two were both drawn).
When you're at the top of your game like this for so long, it can be easy to forget just how much work it took to get there. As Border himself says: "I don't know how many times I've done this or that—I just played my cricket." What matters most is that he did play his cricket very well indeed—and if you're looking for some motivation as an aspiring sportsman yourself then look no further than Mr Allan James Border himself!
Mitchell Johnson
Mitchell Johnson is a retired Australian cricketer who represented Australia in all formats of the game. He played for Western Australia, Queensland and Worcestershire as a fast bowler.
Johnson was an important member of Australia’s national team during the early years of his career, before injuries took their toll on his bowling action and he moved into coaching roles.
He made his international debut against South Africa in 2003 and played his last match in December 2015 against New Zealand at Perth Stadium
Keith Miller
Keith Miller was just about the most charismatic cricketer you could ever wish to meet. He was a very fast bowler, but also had an uncanny ability to score runs for Australia at any time, in any situation. Miller's batting average of 43 meant that he was always one of their best players when it mattered most - and he also bowled long spells as well!
Miller showed all this talent during World War II when he became one of Australia’s most popular personalities because of his bravery in combat. He later went on to become an influential coach, commentator, and advisor during his retirement from playing international cricket.
You can motivate yourself without being mean to yourself.
You can be motivated by your own goals and achievements. You can also be motivated by the achievements of others. It's a good thing to be inspired by the success of others and to see how far they have come, but it is even better to set your own goals and work toward achieving them.
It is not a bad thing for you to want to achieve something for yourself and not just because someone else has done it before you or because other people are doing it now. If you want something badly enough in life, then that should be motivation enough for you!
Conclusion
It’s important to remember that you don’t have to be mean or harsh with yourself when you’re trying to motivate yourself. It can be as simple as remembering your goals, following through on them, and not giving up!