16 Facts about Kevin O’Brien - The burly Irish all-rounder

Kevin O’Brien wrote his name into Irish cricketing lore with a magical innings against England on a warm March evening in Bangalore. Entering to bat with his team 106-4 – and soon 111-5 – in pursuit of England’s 327, he hit six huge sixes in a 50-ball century – the fastest in World Cup history – to set up a historic 3-wicket win. It was the highest successful run chase in World Cup history and inspired new urgency into Ireland’s claims for greater opportunities against Test-playing sides. He and his brother Niall O’Brien have over the years been two pillars of strength for Irish cricket.

1. Birth:

Kevin O’Brien was born on 4^th March 1984 in Dublin, Ireland. He was educated at Marian College, Ballsbridge and has a degree in marketing and advertising.

2. Sporting family:

While brother Niall is also a popular member of the Irish team their father Brendan also played for Ireland. All three have played their club cricket for the Railway Union. His sister, Ciara, played for the Irish women’s hockey team.

3. U-19 cricket:

Kevin O’Brien represented Ireland in the Under-19s World Cup of 2004 in which he made 241 runs to help his country reach the Plate Semi-Final before being defeated by Australia. The following year he played for the MCC Young Cricketers.

4. ODI debut:

In June 2006, he made his ODI debut in Ireland’s inaugural ODI game, against England in Belfast. Bowling first he took 1 for 47 off his 10 overs as England scored 301. His wicket came off his first delivery and was that of English skipper Andrew Strauss. Batting at number 8, O’Brien made 35 from 48 balls but Ireland fell short by 38 runs.

5. World Cricket League:

Taking part in Ireland’s disappointing World Cricket League campaign in Kenya, O’Brien was one of the success stories. He finished as the second top scorer in the League with 263 runs at 52.80. When Ireland made 284 batting first against Kenya in the following game it was O’Brien who made half of the runs. His innings of 142 was the highest ever by an Irish batsman and was made off 128 balls, containing 10 fours and 6 sixes.

6. 2007 World Cup:

In a game against Zimbabwe, the all-rounder bowled a wicket-maiden when the African side needed 9 off 12 balls with 3 wickets in hand. The match ended in a tie with both teams scoring 221. Ireland came up against Pakistan and beat them in a thrilling upset. O’Brien took the wicket of Shoaib Malik and came in to bat with his side at 70/4 and he added 38 runs with his brother Niall. He finished unbeaten on 16 from 52 balls. In the Super Eight stage against New Zealand where he made 49, hitting 3 sixes. Arguably his best performance of the World Cup was his quick fire 48 that helped his side to a win over Bangladesh.

7. ICC nomination:

In June 2009, O’Brien guided Ireland to victory over Bangladesh in the Twenty20 Cricket World Cup. O’Brien was one of seven Ireland players to be nominated for the 2009 Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year although he did not make the shortlist.

8. Trial with Nottinghamshire:

He was signed by Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club in 2009 on a trial basis. The previous season O’Brien had scored 93 against the club, impressing Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket. In his stint with the club, O’Brien played eight List A matches, scoring 79 runs at an average of 13.16 with a highest of 42 and taking one wicket for 72 runs. He also played 5 T20 matches scoring 31 runs and taking 2 wickets. During his time with Nottinghamshire, he also played as a professional for Plumtree Cricket Club in the Nottinghamshire Premier League.

9. Contract with Ireland:

Cricket Ireland, the governing body for cricket in Ireland, awarded O’Brien a full-time ‘category A’ contract in January 2010. He was one of six players to be awarded such contracts with Cricket Ireland (four players received category B contracts and five category C) and came just a year after the first professional contracts were awarded to Ireland’s cricketers.

10. A memorable knock against Pakistan:

A couple of years after his 2001 World Cup exploits, he scored an unbeaten 84 in 47 balls against Pakistan which helped the Ireland to tie the match in Dublin at the Clontarf Cricket Club Ground on 23/05/2013. Ireland required 15 runs in the last over to win the match, O’Brien hit the last ball of Saeed Ajmal to the boundary to pull out a thrilling tie for the Irish team.

11. County cricket:

O’Brien’s performance at the World Cup attracted the attention of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club and he secured a contract with the club for 2011. In June he scored his first century in twenty20 cricket, beating his previous highest score of 39. His innings of 119 runs against Middlesex came from 52 deliveries and helped lift Gloucestershire to the then highest total in the history of domestic T20 cricket. He has again signed for Gloucestershire to play a single season in 2016.

12. Leadership role:

In the absence of regular captain William Porterfield, O’Brien led his country against Namibia n the team’s opening match of the 2011–13 Intercontinental Cup. He has also led Ireland in ODI matches but this was the first time he had captained in First-class cricket. Ireland has also participated in the Hong Kong Sixes tournament under the captaincy of O’Brien.

13. Player of the Year Award:

Kevin O’Brien was awarded the Irish International Cricketer of the Year in 2010 by The Sunday Independent (Irish Newspaper). He was presented the Alan Ruddock Trophy for his splendid performances for the national side.

14. Hair-raiser:

Together with several team-mates, O’Brien has dyed his hair Pink in support of a campaign by the Irish Cancer Society.

15. Stats:

Kevin O’Brien has played 94 ODIs scoring 2340 runs at an average of 31.62 including 2 tons and 11 fifties. He has picked up 77 wickets with a best of 4/13 in this format. His 48 T20Is have produced 550 runs and 43 wickets while his 34 First-class matches have amounted to 1436 runs with a best of 171 not out and 32 wickets with a best of 5/39.

16. The Kevin O’Brien Cricket Academy:

He set up The Kevin O’Brien Cricket Academy in 2011 in Dublin. The Academy works with Irish clubs, colleges and schools in improving their game through tailored coaching, 1 on 1 sessions and team development, with remarkable success to date. School/summer camps and 1 on 1 consultation is also available at the academy.