11 Facts about Craig Kieswetter - The Adversity hit Englishman

Craig Kieswetter was a confident and hard-hitting wicketkeeper-batsman who was compared to Kevin Pietersen by many cricket pundits for his batting potential at the start of his career. He was more highly regarded for his batting skills than his wicket-keeping skills which often drew criticism for him. Kieswetter earned his place in the England squad and was a bright future prospect for them. But a terrible eye injury cut short the career of this highly talented batsman who had a career full of promise. Here are some interesting facts about Craig Kieswetter:

1. Born on:

Craig Kieswetter was born on 28 November 1987 at Transvaal, Johannesburg. He was born to an Afrikaner father, Wayne Kieswetter and Scottish mother, Belinda Kieswetter.

2. Growing years:

Craig Kieswetter grew up in South Africa and studied at Diocesan College in Cape Town.

3. Early cricketing years:

Craig Kieswetter played cricket for Western Province junior teams between the ages of 13 to 18. However, lack of progress led him to seek an alternative career route. Therefore, he moved to England and studied at Mill field, where he was spotted by county side, Somerset. The lack of a strong wicket-keeper in the Somerset side gave Kieswetter an opportunity to play for them. Subsequently, he made his debut for the team early in the 2007 season.

4. South Africa U-19’s:

Craig Kieswetter represented South Africa in the 2006 Under-19s World Cup in Sri Lanka.

5. South African call:

The then captain of South Africa, Graeme Smith made an interesting proposal to Kieswetter. Craig Kieswetter invited him to return to play in South Africa. However, Kieswetter showed his desire to play for England.

6. Memorable county seasons:

During the 2007 and 2008 season, Kieswetter was in prolific form and was awarded the NBC Denis Compton Award, as the “most promising young player”, for Somerset.

7. England call-up:

Craig Kieswetter was selected for the lions squad with whom he toured UAE.

8. Unfortunate end to the career:

Craig Kieswetter‘s career was cut short due to an eye injury. While batting for Somerset in July 2014, a ball sneaked through the gap between his helmet’s grill and visor and struck him on the face. His eyes took a sickening blow which damaged his vision. He also suffered a broken nose and fractured cheek bone.

Also Read – 5 Enthralling Cricketing Careers that Ended Due to Injuries

9. Untimely retirement from cricket:

Following the injury, it was expected by many that Craig Kieswetter would recover from the career threatening injury. He returned to play county cricket after a facial surgery and eye treatment. However, Craig Kieswetter continued to face problems with his vision which eventually forced him to retire from cricket, aged 27.

10. Life post-retirement:

Shortly after his retirement, Craig Kieswetter in an interview to a leading cricket website said that he would be interested in working in the media as part of a commentary team for Twenty20 matches.

11. Career:

Craig Kieswetter played 46 ODIs for England and scored 1054 runs at an average of 30.11. He has one century and 5 half-centuries to his name. He also played 25 T20I matches and 526 runs at an average of around 20, including 3 half-centuries. He also played for Eastern Province and Somerset in doemstic cricket.