Month: June 2022

4 International Cricketers Who Played Other Sports Before Cricket

There are several excellent cricket players who dabbled in other sports before discovering their passion for the game. While many athletes specialise in one sport, there are also some exceptions that are skilled and expert in a variety of other sports. Despite the fact that it is hard for individuals to balance both, a lot of them have done so with great effort, but have finally chosen to focus solely on a single sport as a career. Many of the players in online fantasy cricket were also associated with some other sports before they began their career in cricket. There are a few cricketers who excel in other sports and also represented their country at the international level. They eventually elected to stick to cricket and are now regarded as legends of the game.

In this article, we will discuss about 4 cricketers who were previously associated with other sports before getting settled as one of the best bowlers or batsmen.

Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum, the former New Zealand captain, completed his career as one of the best batsmen in international cricket for the Black Caps. With his pure spirit, he not only awed the audience with his blazing knocks with the bat, but he also remained the ideal brand ambassador for the gentlemen sport. Brendon McCullum had played rugby for his school team at a higher level before switching to cricket. But he didn’t continue with the game even though he was impeccable at that sport. Then he finally decided on cricket, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Ellyse Perry

Ellyse Perry is one of the best all-rounders from the Australian women’s cricket team. Her records are enough to showcase her talents on the field and in online cricket fantasy games. Perry has scored 3022 runs with a strike rate of 52.1 in his 112 ODI appearances. She also has bagged 152 wickets at an average of 24.29 in her bowling career. She’s also the first Australian to play in the women’s football and cricket World Cups. At the early age of 16, she made her professional debut for both teams. Perry has also represented Sydney FC and Canberra United.

Jonty Rhodes

Jonty Rhodes was widely regarded as one of the best fielders to have ever graced in cricket. Following his breakthrough in 1992, he had already played 52 Test matches and 245 ODI International matches for South Africa, compiling a whopping total of 2,532 and 5,935 runs. However, many of you may not be aware of the fact that, apart from cricket, Rhodes was also highly trained in hockey. He was selected for South Africa’s National Hockey team to compete in the 1992 Olympics, however, the country failed to qualify for the competition. Later, Rhodes was selected for the 1996 edition but had to withdraw due to a hamstring injury.

Suzie Bates

This right-handed cricketer for the New Zealand Women’s Team is one of the few women who have dominated the ICC charts for several years. Her uncanny capacity to hit the ball high and her outstanding medium-pace bowling put her in the top tier of the game. Apart from being one of the finest all-rounders, Bates also mastered the art of captaincy with her superb skills on the field. Except for cricket, Bates also competed for New Zealand in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a basketball player. Bates stopped playing basketball when she was awarded the captaincy in 2011.

Conclusion

Once a sportsman always will be a sportsman. These players equally excelled at all the games they played previously but for every cricket fantasy apps, they are the cricket legends they all look up to.

Read More:
1. List of Online Fantasy Cricketers with their Unknown Real Names
2. Top Cricket Coaches Every Fantasy Player Should be Well Aware Of
3. Eccentric Superstitious of Cricketers Fantasy Cricketers Should Know

List of Online Fantasy Cricketers with their Unknown Real Names

Cricket is a multifaceted sport that continues to evolve both in the real world as well as the virtual. The game, which originated in territories that were once under British authority, is now spreading its roots as online fantasy games and also in locations like Papua New Guinea, Netherlands, and mostly in every corner of the world. As a result, the game’s players also have a wide range of surnames. While most players’ names are well-known, some use their initials to shorten or even, at times, eliminate parts of their names.

In this article, we bring you the names of some cricketers whose real names are still unknown to many of you.

Ross Taylor

Many people believe Ross Taylor is a member of New Zealand’s indigenous Maori community. He is, however, half-Samoan. Apart from the Taylor family name, Ross is the only one of his four names that sound English. His initials, LRPL, means Luteru Ross Poutoa Lote, as you may have seen. It’s easy to see why he opted Ross into his first name in cricket over the other three alternatives.

Vijay Merchant

Vijay Merchant, whose first-class achievements have drawn comparisons to Sir Donald Bradman, is actually Vijay Thackersey, not Vijay Merchant. When Vijay was at school, his teacher inquired about his father’s name. He misheard the name and heard profession and therefore responded “merchant,” and because of this, he obtained his surname from his school time. Even his children adopted the surname Merchant rather than Thackersey.

Tony Greig

Tony Greig was one of cricket’s most popular figures, having been born in South Africa, led team England as captain, and lived in Australia. His deep voice and enthusiastic commentary established him as cricket’s default voice. His entire name, on the other hand, was rarely spoken. For those who witnessed cricket in the 1970s, Anthony William Greig was a combative, rebellious cricketer, but for 90s youngsters and millennials, he will be remembered as the enthusiastic commentator who brought the game to life.

Lala Amarnath

Lala Amarnath is a significant figure in Indian cricket history, having become the first test captain of independent India and the first Indian to make a Test century. However, only a few people are aware that his real name is neither Lala nor Amarnath. His real name is Nanik Amarnath Bhardwaj. But, like his son Mohinder Amarnath, he also became well-known with the surname Amarnath (Bharadwaj).

VVS Laxman

Laxman has always been recognized by his initials VVS and is considered one of the best batsmen India has ever produced. But, only a few people are aware of what VVS stands for. Out of respect, this name has also been awarded yet another full form – Very Very Special. But in reality, the batting legend’s full name is Vangipurapu Venkata Sai Laxman. However, being referred to as “very, very exceptional” will also not go unnoticed.

Hansie Cronje

Hansie Cronje, the former captain of South Africa, could have been recognized as a great leader if he had not been humiliated by shady bookmaker practices. Even now, few people realize that Hansie was only a nickname for the former Proteas captain. South Africa has a substantial Afrikaner population who do not speak English and have unusual names. Cronje, whose real name was Wessel Johannes Hansie Cronje, was one of them.

Harbhajan Singh

Earning a reputation as Harbhajan Singh, the ‘turbanator’ has a different surname that was never revealed. Harbhajan Singh’s real name is Harbhajan Singh Plaha which he inherited from his family. However, because the player never even used this name very often, it is a little-known fact.

Conclusion

Well, there are some players who prefer not to use their real names but that doesn’t matters much. What matters is how they play and perform on the field. If you check fantasy cricket websites, you will eventually find some players there also who don’t use their full names. So, worry not much about that and focus on how the players perform.

Read More:
1. Top Cricket Coaches Every Fantasy Player Should be Well Aware Of
2. Eccentric Superstitious of Cricketers Fantasy Cricketers Should Know
3. Top Fantasy Cricketers with Record Runs in Indian T20 League