Craig Spearman

New Zealand|Opening Batter
Craig Spearman
INTL CAREER: 1995 - 2001
Browse other players
Pakistan
All

Alphabetically sorted top ten of players who have played the most matches across formats in the last 12 months

Full Name

Craig Murray Spearman

Born

July 04, 1972, Auckland

Age

51y 259d

Nicknames

Spears

Batting Style

Right hand Bat

Playing Role

Opening Batter

Height

6ft

Education

Kelstone Boys High School, Auckland. Massey University, New Zealand

Primarily a one-day batsman, where his strokeplay could be destructive at the top of the order, Craig Spearman was a better player than his statistics and international record give him credit for. Having ended his New Zealand career prematurely, he went on to become a legend at Gloucestershire.

Spearman made his debut for New Zealand as an opening batsman in December 1995 against Pakistan at Christchurch. Despite reasonable success over the years, he struggled to secure a top-order batting position, and was mainly preferred for one-day matches. He scored a solitary Test hundred, 112 against Zimbabwe, and an average of only 26 did his talent no justice. And despite being considered as something of a one-day specialist he only averaged 18.72 in that form of the game.

Spearman had a business-studies degree and decided to give up his New Zealand career in 2001 for a career in banking, which brought him to London. It was there that John Bracewell, Gloucestershire coach at the time, asked if he fancied a few games at Bristol. He didn't look back and after a fairly ordinary international career became one of the county's most consistent batsmen.

In his debut season in 2002 he made 1444 first-class runs at 48.13 with five centuries and would go on to top 1000 runs in a season twice more, with six centuries in 2006. But it was 2004 that he really left his mark after breaking WG Grace's record for the highest first-class score for the county. The 128-year-old record fell when Spearman made 341 against Middlesex at Archdeacon Meadow, Gloucester.

He also helped the Glosters to Twenty20 Finals day in 2003 and 2007 and back-to-back C&G Trophy titles in 2003 and 2004, scoring 70 in the latter. His career was effectively ended when Johannes van der Wath shattered his eye socket with a bouncer at Milton Keynes in 2008; he struggled on with little success, fewer appearances and left the county a year before his contract expired at the end of 2009.
ESPNcricinfo staff

Craig Spearman Career Stats

Batting & Fielding

FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAveBFSR100s50s4s6sCtSt
Tests1937292211226.34221241.68131154210
ODIs515009368618.72120277.87051239150
FC201360161302134137.85--3056--1970
List A28528211805815329.73--852--1040
T20s504638308819.30597139.02059229200

Bowling

FormatMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
Tests19------------
ODIs511360---12.00-000
FC201-785511/37-55.004.2378.0-00
List A285-33430---7.81-000
T20s50------------
Craig Murray Spearman

Explore Statsguru Analysis

Test
ODI

Recent Matches of Craig Spearman

Photos of Craig Spearman

Tim Bresnan and Co. celebrate the wicket of Craig Spearman
Craig Spearman reverse-sweeps fearlessly during his match-winning 86
Craig Spearman bludgeons one over midwicket
Craig Spearman loses his middle stump
Craig Spearman launches into a cover drive
Craig Spearman cuts hard