Nathan Astle

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Nathan Astle New Zealand (NZ)
Batting style	Right-handed batsman (RHB)
Bowling type	Right-arm medium (RM)
	Tests	ODIs
Matches	78	212
Runs scored	4585	6890
Batting average	37.89	35.69
100s/50s	11/24	16/40
Top score	222	145*
Balls bowled	5622	4768
Wickets	51	99
Bowling average	41.33	37.78
5 wickets in innings	-	-
10 wickets in match	-	N/A
Best bowling	3/27	4/43
Catches/stumpings	69/-	80/-
As of 6 May 2006 Source: Cricinfo.com

Nathan John Astle (born September 15, 1971 in Christchurch) is a New Zealand cricketer. He is currently one of the senior members of the side. He is an attacking batsman who likes to play batting shots such as the cover drive and the pull shot. He has also scored the world's fastest Test double century in terms of balls faced (total innings: 222 vs England in Jade Stadium, Christchurch 2002, in a remarkable innings of just 168 balls, Astle reached the double-century after only 153 balls).

He has 15 ODI Centuries and 37 ODI Fifties to his name and is the second highest run-scorer of all time in One Day Internationals for New Zealand. His highest ODI score of 145* was recorded against relative minnows USA although he has won several matches for his country against countries with full Test match status. He has played County Cricket in England for Derbyshire, Durham and Nottinghamshire and plays for Canterbury in New Zealand.

On 31st May 2006, Lancashire announced that Astle would be a short term overseas replacement for Australian International Brad Hodge in the month of July.

Astle is also an occasional partnership-breaking medium pace bowler and a competent fielder. He may be a certain selection, but his laid-back attitude means he has never been considered for the captaincy, despite his seniority. He began at Canterbury as a no-account batsman and the most parsimonious of medium-paced bowlers; albeit his batting developed quickly. After becoming a free-scoring one-day player Astle was turned by the national coach Glenn Turner into a first-rate Test top-order batsman, with consecutive hundreds in West Indies in 1995-96.

Nathan Astle passed Martin Crowe's record number of one-day hundreds for New Zealand (4) during the 1997-1998 summer. When Astle raised his bat to celebrate his century against Zimbabwe at the 2003 World Cup, it was his 13th hundred for New Zealand. Unsurprisingly, he also holds the record for most runs scored in one-day cricket by a New Zealander. Unfortunately, Astle has been increasingly inhibited by a knee complaint and, following the World Cup, will be following fellow player Chris Cairns down the path of surgery and rehabilitation during 2003.

During the 2005 Chappell-Hadlee Series and the preceding tour to South Africa Astle incurred criticism, along with fellow Black Caps Craig McMillan, Hamish Marshall and James Marshall, from the media for a slump in form. ^{[1] [2]}

As of December 23 2005, Astle has been dropped from the national team ^[3]. He now intends to re-evaluate his batting style in the hopes of being re-selected in future ^[4].

He returned in 2006, for the home series against the West Indies. He returned to form, and was New Zealands leading run scorer in the ODI's.

[edit] Reference

1. ↑  Black Caps' careers on the line by Jonathan Millmow, from The Dominion Post, published on Stuff.co.nz 7 December 2005
2. ↑  McMillan and Astle seek runs by Geoff Longley, from The Press, published on Stuff.co.nz , 12 December 2005
3. ↑  Astle and McMillan hit for six by Stuff.co.nz and NZPA, 23 December 2005
4. ↑ Disappointed Astle vows return to all-out attack by Jonathan Millmow, from The Dominion Post, published on Stuff.co.nz 24 December 2005

[edit] External links

• Profile on Cricinfo

	New Zealand squad - 2003 Cricket World Cup
1 Fleming | 2 Adams | 3 Astle | 4 Bond | 5 Cairns | 6 Harris | 7 McCullum | 8 McMillan | 9 Mills | 10 Oram | 11 Sinclair | 12 Styris | 13 Tuffey | 14 Vettori | 15 Vincent