15 Interesting facts about Kepler Wessels

15 Interesting facts about Kepler Wessels: Born on 14 Septemper 1947 Kepler Wessels battled his way through South African isolation, going through fascinating and curious journeys around the globe and across teams. He played as a rebel, multiple times, as an Australian cricketer and led South Africa after their readmission into cricket. He was in many ways a unique cricketer. After retiring from the game, he took to coaching and was a vital figure in the Chennai Super Kings unit.

On his 58^th birthday Crictracker lists out 15 interesting facts you need to know about Kepler Wessels, his life and a notable cricketing journey:

1. Thank God!!

Wessels was incredibly talented in tennis, and it was a difficult for him to choose from cricket or his racket skills, but thankfully for the cricket fans he chose the former.

2. The famous Chappell quote

Ian Chappell won Kepler’s heart. He introduced the new recruit to the Australian side in World Series Cricket by saying “Wessels is coming to play with us. If you don’t like it, score more runs than him.”

3. Test debut

The South-African born cricketer was an important member of the Australian team and shot to prominence when in his debut Test against England in 1982, he scored 162 and 46, dominating the English bowlers in the process.  He thus became the first South-African born person to play for Australia, and the 13th Australian player to score a century on debut.

4. Representing two national sides

Kepler Wessels holds the unique distinction of playing his trade for both, the Australian and the South African national teams.

Also Read – How does a player become eligible to play for another country?

5. Take a bow!!!

Wessels’ true test of character came in 1984 in the disastrous tour of the West Indies. Starting off poorly, he was in danger of being dropped, but since the entire Australian batting line up succumbed to the might of the West Indian speedsters, he was retained. He repaid the selectors in some style and went on to score a mammoth 505 runs at an average of 56.11 in the series which was more than double of any other Australian batsman.

6. A clear no

Ali Bacher and his men were busy recruiting Australian cricketers for a planned rebel tour of 1985-86. Kepler Wessels was approached by Bacher as well as by members of the Australian team. But he made it clear to both Bacher and the Australian Board that he had no intention to desert Australia at that moment.

7. The retirement which never happened

Soon after the 1985 Test against New Zealand, Kepler Wessels announced his retirement, expressing his disillusionment with Australian cricket. Little did he realise that 6 years later he would be playing Test Cricket again, this time for his home nation.

8. The switch

In 1992, Kepler Wessels moved back to his native South Africa after the apartheid issue was cleared and was made Test and ODI captain at the age of 34, mainly due to his vast experience in international cricket with Australia.

9. So close yet so far

Kepler Wessels captained the South African team to the semi-finals on the 1992 World Cup where they narrowly lost to England due to an unfortunate rain break. The game is famously remembered for the Duckworth Lewis equation which left the Proteas needing 21 runs off 1 ball after the rain halt.

10. Memorable

In 1993/94 he went back to Australia, this time as a member of the opposition team. After the first drawn Test, South Africa managed to win the Sydney Test in front of a capacity crowd.

11. A Record to savour

His 118 at Johannesburg against a Mohammad Azharuddin led Indian side made him the first man to score Test hundreds for two countries. He still remains the only one to the feat.

12. International Career in numbers

His Test career stats tailed off towards the end but stand at a respectable 2,788 runs at 41.00 with six hundreds. In 109 ODIs he amassed 3,367 runs at 34.35 with a solitary hundred and 26 fifties.

13. Cricket career in numbers

In a mercenary career which saw him play for seven different First-Class sides across South Africa, Australia and England, and Tests for two countries, he turned out in 316 matches and scored just under 25,000 runs with 66 hundreds.

14. Lacked style but was effective

Never a pretty batsman to watch, Kepler Wessels often dismayed the cricket romantics with his ugly stance and his obstinate, adhesive batting style. The shoulders were stooped, the toes twitched, the back-lift was short and the bat prodded around the front pad. Despite all this he was mighty effective.

15. Post retirement ventures

Following his retirement, he took to coaching and was in charge of English county side Northamptonshire till the year 2006. He got a lucrative coaching offer from Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2008 which he gladly accepted.