Andrew Hilditch
Encyclopedia
Andrew Mark Jefferson Hilditch (born 20 May 1956, North Adelaide, South Australia) is a former Australian cricket
er who played in 18 Tests
and 8 ODIs from 1979 to 1985. He played for New South Wales
from 1977 to 1981 and for South Australia
from 1982 to 1992. He was an Australian cricket selector from 1996 until 2011.
debut for New South Wales
against Tasmania
in Hobart
in February 1977, scoring 5 and 42. Tasmania was not yet in the Sheffield Shield and the NSW side was mostly full of younger players. Hilditch played a further four matches for NSW in 1977/78 when the NSW side was weakened through the loss of players to World Series Cricket
. He filled in as NSW captain in only his third match for them.
, scoring 124 against South Australia
. He also scored 93 against the touring England team.
With England leading the six-Test series 4-1, Hilditch was selected to make his Test
debut in the final Test in Sydney
. He scored just 3 and 1 but was retained for the following two-Test series against Pakistan.
In the first Test in Melbourne
, Hilditch failed again in the first innings but scored a composed 62 in the second innings before being the second of 9 dismissals for Sarfraz Nawaz
.
In the second Test in Perth
, Hilditch had made 29 as Australia chased 236 for victory in their second innings. When a wayward throw from a Pakistani fieldsman dribbled onto the pitch, Hilditch picked up the ball and handed it back to the bowler, Sarfraz Nawaz
. Sarfraz appealed and the umpire had no option but to uphold the letter of the law and give Hilditch out. Hilditch was only the second player to be given out handled the ball
in a Test match and the first non-striker.
Despite playing in the 1979 Cricket World Cup
and in all six Tests on the 1979/80 Australian tour to India, Hilditch was dropped from the Australian side once the World Series Cricket
players were available again and even found it difficult to get a regular game for NSW. Hilditch did not play First-class cricket
in the 1981/82 season.
. He played most of the season batting at three and scored his first century (109) for his new team in Adelaide
against a Tasmanian
bowling attack led by West Indian Michael Holding
.
Hilditch returned to his preferred opening role and enjoyed a brilliant 1983/84 season for South Australia scoring 937 runs at 58.56. This run included his highest first class score of 230 against Victoria
in Melbourne
.
in the opening match of the 1984/85 Sheffield Shield, plus a string of other good scores, led to his recall to the Australian Test
team for the fourth Test against the West Indies at Melbourne
. Hilditch made 70 and 113, his maiden Test century, to not only win the Man of the Match
award, but also help end the West Indies then-record run of 11 consecutive Test victories. For the next Test in Sydney
, Hilditch was named as Australian vice-captain.
Hilditch retained his vice-captaincy role for the 1985 Australian tour of England
. He began the tour, scoring 119, his highest Test innings, and 80 in the first Test loss at Headingley
. He was then dismissed three times in the forties in the middle of the series. In the second Test at Lord's
with Australia chasing a small target, Hilditch played a hook shot
against an Ian Botham
bouncer and was caught on the leg side boundary. In the fifth Test at Edgbaston
, Hilditch again fell to Botham in the same manner. This happened a third time in the sixth Test at The Oval
. Hilditch gained a reputation as a compulsive player of the hook shot.
On returning to Australia, Hilditch played against New Zealand in Brisbane
and was twice caught at fine leg playing the hook shot. Hilditch would never play for Australia again.
Hilditch re-appeared on the Australian cricket scene as a national selector in 1996/97. He became the Chairman of the selection panel in April 2006 following the resignation of Trevor Hohns
. When he became Chairman, Australia were first placed in the ICC Test rankings, but fell to fifth place by October 2010, shortly before his removal in August 2011. Criticism by some members of the press and former players included his missing the Third Test in 2009 to walk on the beach wth his daughter and dog, the selectors' use of ten spinners in the four years after the retirement of Shane Warne, and the removal of Simon Katich's contract after he had been the second highest Test run scorer in the world after Alastair Cook since his Test recall. Hilditch is the son-in-law of former Australian captain and coach, Bob Simpson
.
Mr Hilditch is a partner in Adelaide law firm Winter Hilditch & Fotheringham. He specialises in insurance law.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played in 18 Tests
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
and 8 ODIs from 1979 to 1985. He played for New South Wales
New South Wales Blues
The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
from 1977 to 1981 and for South Australia
Southern Redbacks
The South Australia cricket team, nicknamed the Southern Redbacks and known as the West End Redbacks due to their sponsorship agreement with local brewers West End, are an Australian first class cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia, and represent the state of South Australia...
from 1982 to 1992. He was an Australian cricket selector from 1996 until 2011.
Early career
Hilditch made his First-classFirst-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
debut for New South Wales
New South Wales Blues
The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
against Tasmania
Tasmanian Tigers
The Tasmanian cricket team, nicknamed the Tigers, represents the Australian state of Tasmania in cricket tournaments. They compete annually in the Australian domestic senior men's cricket season, which currently consists of the first-class Sheffield Shield, the limited overs Ford Ranger Cup, and...
in Hobart
TCA Ground
The TCA Ground, or Tasmanian Cricket Association Ground, is one of two First Class standard cricket grounds in Hobart, Tasmania in Australia...
in February 1977, scoring 5 and 42. Tasmania was not yet in the Sheffield Shield and the NSW side was mostly full of younger players. Hilditch played a further four matches for NSW in 1977/78 when the NSW side was weakened through the loss of players to World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket was a break away professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 and organised by Kerry Packer for his Australian television network, Nine Network. The matches ran in opposition to established international cricket...
. He filled in as NSW captain in only his third match for them.
First time in Australian team
The 1978/79 season was the breakthrough for Hilditch, establishing himself as a regular opener in the NSW side, scoring 778 runs at 45.76. His maiden first-class century came in his birth city of AdelaideAdelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
, scoring 124 against South Australia
Southern Redbacks
The South Australia cricket team, nicknamed the Southern Redbacks and known as the West End Redbacks due to their sponsorship agreement with local brewers West End, are an Australian first class cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia, and represent the state of South Australia...
. He also scored 93 against the touring England team.
With England leading the six-Test series 4-1, Hilditch was selected to make his Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
debut in the final Test in Sydney
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
. He scored just 3 and 1 but was retained for the following two-Test series against Pakistan.
In the first Test in Melbourne
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
, Hilditch failed again in the first innings but scored a composed 62 in the second innings before being the second of 9 dismissals for Sarfraz Nawaz
Sarfraz Nawaz
Sarfraz Nawaz Malik is a former Pakistani Test cricketer and politician who discovered reverse swing and was instrumental in Pakistan's first Test series victories over India and England. Between 1969 and 1984 he played 55 Tests and 45 One Day Internationals and was Imran Khan's regular new ball...
.
In the second Test in Perth
WACA Ground
The WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association....
, Hilditch had made 29 as Australia chased 236 for victory in their second innings. When a wayward throw from a Pakistani fieldsman dribbled onto the pitch, Hilditch picked up the ball and handed it back to the bowler, Sarfraz Nawaz
Sarfraz Nawaz
Sarfraz Nawaz Malik is a former Pakistani Test cricketer and politician who discovered reverse swing and was instrumental in Pakistan's first Test series victories over India and England. Between 1969 and 1984 he played 55 Tests and 45 One Day Internationals and was Imran Khan's regular new ball...
. Sarfraz appealed and the umpire had no option but to uphold the letter of the law and give Hilditch out. Hilditch was only the second player to be given out handled the ball
Handled the ball
Handled the ball is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket.-Definition:Law 33 of the Laws of cricket provides that:"Either batsman is out Handled the ball if he wilfully touches the ball while in play with a hand or hands not holding the bat unless he does so with the consent of the opposing...
in a Test match and the first non-striker.
Despite playing in the 1979 Cricket World Cup
1979 Cricket World Cup
The 1979 Cricket World Cup was the second edition of the tournament and was won by the West Indies. It was held from June 9 to June 23, 1979 in England. The format had remained unchanged from 1975. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in 2 groups of 4...
and in all six Tests on the 1979/80 Australian tour to India, Hilditch was dropped from the Australian side once the World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket was a break away professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 and organised by Kerry Packer for his Australian television network, Nine Network. The matches ran in opposition to established international cricket...
players were available again and even found it difficult to get a regular game for NSW. Hilditch did not play First-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
in the 1981/82 season.
Move to South Australia
For the 1982/83 season, Hilditch returned to his birth state of South AustraliaSouthern Redbacks
The South Australia cricket team, nicknamed the Southern Redbacks and known as the West End Redbacks due to their sponsorship agreement with local brewers West End, are an Australian first class cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia, and represent the state of South Australia...
. He played most of the season batting at three and scored his first century (109) for his new team in Adelaide
Adelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
against a Tasmanian
Tasmanian Tigers
The Tasmanian cricket team, nicknamed the Tigers, represents the Australian state of Tasmania in cricket tournaments. They compete annually in the Australian domestic senior men's cricket season, which currently consists of the first-class Sheffield Shield, the limited overs Ford Ranger Cup, and...
bowling attack led by West Indian Michael Holding
Michael Holding
Michael Anthony Holding is a former West Indian cricketer. One of the fastest bowlers ever to play Test cricket, he was nicknamed 'Whispering Death' by umpires due to his quiet approach to the bowling crease...
.
Hilditch returned to his preferred opening role and enjoyed a brilliant 1983/84 season for South Australia scoring 937 runs at 58.56. This run included his highest first class score of 230 against Victoria
Victorian Bushrangers
The Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
in Melbourne
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
.
Australian recall
An innings of 184 against NSWNew South Wales Blues
The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
in the opening match of the 1984/85 Sheffield Shield, plus a string of other good scores, led to his recall to the Australian Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
team for the fourth Test against the West Indies at Melbourne
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
. Hilditch made 70 and 113, his maiden Test century, to not only win the Man of the Match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
award, but also help end the West Indies then-record run of 11 consecutive Test victories. For the next Test in Sydney
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
, Hilditch was named as Australian vice-captain.
Hilditch retained his vice-captaincy role for the 1985 Australian tour of England
Australian cricket team in England in 1985
The Australian cricket team toured England in the 1985 season to play a six-match Test series against England.England won the series 3-1 with two matches drawn...
. He began the tour, scoring 119, his highest Test innings, and 80 in the first Test loss at Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
. He was then dismissed three times in the forties in the middle of the series. In the second Test at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
with Australia chasing a small target, Hilditch played a hook shot
Batting (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the cricket ball with a cricket bat to score runs or prevent the loss of one's wicket. A player who is currently batting is denoted as a batsman, while the act of hitting the ball is called a shot or stroke...
against an Ian Botham
Ian Botham
Sir Ian Terence Botham OBE is a former England Test cricketer and Test team captain, and current cricket commentator. He was a genuine all-rounder with 14 centuries and 383 wickets in Test cricket, and remains well-known by his nickname "Beefy"...
bouncer and was caught on the leg side boundary. In the fifth Test at Edgbaston
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
, Hilditch again fell to Botham in the same manner. This happened a third time in the sixth Test at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
. Hilditch gained a reputation as a compulsive player of the hook shot.
On returning to Australia, Hilditch played against New Zealand in Brisbane
Brisbane Cricket Ground
The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as The Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. It is named after the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located....
and was twice caught at fine leg playing the hook shot. Hilditch would never play for Australia again.
Post-Test career
He continued to play for South Australia and was made captain of the side for the 1990/91 season. He finished the 1991/92 as South Australia's leading runscorer for the season and then retired to concentrate on his career in law.Hilditch re-appeared on the Australian cricket scene as a national selector in 1996/97. He became the Chairman of the selection panel in April 2006 following the resignation of Trevor Hohns
Trevor Hohns
Trevor Victor Hohns is a former Queensland and.Australian cricketer who played in 7 Tests in 1989.Hohns resigned as chairman of selectors for Cricket Australia in early 2006, being replaced with fellow selector and former Test cricketer Andrew Hilditch.-External links:...
. When he became Chairman, Australia were first placed in the ICC Test rankings, but fell to fifth place by October 2010, shortly before his removal in August 2011. Criticism by some members of the press and former players included his missing the Third Test in 2009 to walk on the beach wth his daughter and dog, the selectors' use of ten spinners in the four years after the retirement of Shane Warne, and the removal of Simon Katich's contract after he had been the second highest Test run scorer in the world after Alastair Cook since his Test recall. Hilditch is the son-in-law of former Australian captain and coach, Bob Simpson
Bob Simpson (cricketer)
Robert Baddeley Simpson AO is a former cricketer who played for New South Wales, Western Australia and Australia, captaining the national team from 1963–64 until 1967–68, and again in 1977–78. He later had a highly successful term as the coach of the Australian team...
.
Mr Hilditch is a partner in Adelaide law firm Winter Hilditch & Fotheringham. He specialises in insurance law.