12 Facts about Neil McKenzie - The Quirky Superstitious South African

Neil McKenzie was known for his work ethics, calmness, and maturity. Initially, he started as an opener but became a middle order batsman to suit his team’s requirements. After making his debut, he cemented his place in the side quickly and became a stalwart in the middle order for South in the early 2000s. McKenzie was a strong on-side player and played fluent shots. However, after some time into his international career, he was criticized for his inconsistency and inability to convert his starts which cost him in the future.

His international career had many ups and downs and could not have a career to his potential. However, he is a highly respected figure in South African cricketing circles and is known for mentoring young rising cricketers like Quinton de Kock and Chris Morris.

1. Birth:

Neil Douglas McKenzie was born on 24 November 1975 at Transvaal, Johannesburg. He did his schooling in the historically significant King Edward VII School.

2. Early life: 

Neil McKenzie was a keen cricketer from his childhood. He was a promising junior cricketer and captained the South African Schools teams and Under-19 sides.

3. Cricketing genes:

His father Kevin McKenzie was also a cricketer. He played for Transvaal at the domestic level and played seven unofficial Tests for South Africa during the Rebel era.

4. Relations:

His younger sister, Megan Mckenzie, is an international model (hence the ‘where’s your sister’ jibes from spectators whenever McKenzie fields near the boundary).

5. Life-threatening mishap:

McKenzie survived a dangerous accident in the family garage when he was about nine years of age. His father’s foot slipped from the brake onto the accelerator and the car moved forward quickly. Neil was trapped against a work bench. He suffered a broken leg and a crushed right knee in that freak accident

6. Debut for South Africa:

Neil McKenzie made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe on 2^nd February 2000 at Kingsmead, Durban. Later in the same year, he was called up for Tests during South Africa’s tour to Sri Lanka. On 20^th July 2000, he played his first Test at the Galle International Stadium. He also played 2 T20I matches.

7. World record opening stand:

On 1^st March 2008, McKenzie was involved in a world record opening stand of 415 with captain Graeme Smith against Bangladesh in the second and the final Test. They surpassed the previous record of 413 set by Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy.

Also Read – Highest Partnerships in Tests by Wicket

8. Recognition:

Neil McKenzie was dropped from the South African team in 2004 but made an impressive comeback to the side in 2008. He was in prolific form for two years. His achievements were recognized when he was named as one of the five Cricketers of the Year by Wisden in 2009.

9. First-class cricket:

He played for the Highveld Lions in South African domestic cricket and has also played County Cricket for Somerset and Durham in the 2007 and 2008 respectively. Later, McKenzie joined Hampshire in 2010 as a Kolpak player.

10. Retirement from cricket:

On 30th March 2015, Neil McKenzie announced his retirement from cricket after scoring an unbeaten double-ton in his final first-class match for his domestic team Highveld Lions. McKenzie scored 19,041 runs from 280 matches at an average of 45.77, including 53 centuries and 86 fifties since his debut in 1994-95. He also represented South Africa in 58 Tests, 64 ODIs, and 2 T20Is.  It was in the year 2009 when McKenzie last played for South Africa in any format.

11. Personal life:

He dated his sister’s close friend, Kerry McGregor, a 22-year-old Wonderbra model for some years. Both of them eventually married and have a son Luke.

12. Obsessive-compulsive disorder:

Neil McKenzie used to follow strange rituals. He feared to step on white lines (including the batting crease). He would tape his bat to the ceiling every night before a match because he scored a century after some of his teammates had done it as a prank on him earlier. He would also make sure that all toilet seats were down when he walked out to bat. When batting, McKenzie looked at square leg, fine leg and then the bowler.