Andrew Hudson
Encyclopedia
Andrew Charles Hudson (born 17 March 1965 in Eshowe, Natal
) was a South Africa
n Test and ODI cricket
er. The right-handed batsman played 35 Tests
and 89 One Day Internationals for South Africa in the 1990s. His career spanned 16 consecutive summers, playing for both his country and his province KwaZulu-Natal. Although his career statistics do not match up to the best, he was a treat to watch as he played the square cut, cover drive and pull exceptionally well.
on 18 April 1992. The South African side was led by Kepler Wessels
and it would be a one off Test for the side who had just returned from Test exile. The West Indian bowling lineup was strong with Patrick Patterson
, Curtley Ambrose, Kenny Benjamin and Courtney Walsh
. In a stunning nine hour innings, Hudson was unfazed by the West Indian fast bowlers and scored 163. He brought up his hundred by pushing Jimmy Adams
for a single to mid-on and became the first ever South African to score a Test century on debut. The feat would not be emulated until Jacques Rudolph
scored 222 not out against Bangladesh some nine years later. Hudson's innings ended when he was clean bowled by a yorker from Benjamin and the South Africans would go on to lose the game by just 53 runs. He also recorded a duck in the game, one of only three cricketers to have scored a hundred and a duck on their Test debuts.
Hudson was at his best against Australia whom he scored 481 runs against at 43.73. His only century against them came in 1993/94 against the likes of Craig McDermott
, Shane Warne
, Merv Hughes
and Glenn McGrath
.
Hudson opened the batting with Gary Kirsten
in 22 of his 35 Tests and together they put on 1289 runs at 32.23. Their highest stand came in November 1996 at Eden Gardens
where they put on 236 runs for the first wicket. Hudson fell just short of his highest Test score, bowled by Venkatesh Prasad
for 146.
Arguably his most famous match apart from his debut came a month later against the same opponents in Kingsmead. Hudson was man of the match with his innings of 80 and 52 on a juicy track as he helped the South Africans to win the game by 328 runs. The 80 came in a team total of 235 and the second highest score of the innings was just 35. His 80 was also more than the entire Indian team scored in their second innings.
came in 2000/01 and was restricted by the quota system as he played just four matches for his province.
Natal Province
Natal, meaning "Christmas" in Portuguese, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994. Its capital was Pietermaritzburg. The Natal Province included the bantustan of KwaZulu...
) was a South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n Test and ODI cricket
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. The right-handed batsman played 35 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 89 One Day Internationals for South Africa in the 1990s. His career spanned 16 consecutive summers, playing for both his country and his province KwaZulu-Natal. Although his career statistics do not match up to the best, he was a treat to watch as he played the square cut, cover drive and pull exceptionally well.
Debut Century
Hudson made his Test debut against the West Indies in BridgetownBridgetown
The city of Bridgetown , metropolitan pop 96,578 , is the capital and largest city of the nation of Barbados. Formerly, the Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael...
on 18 April 1992. The South African side was led by Kepler Wessels
Kepler Wessels
Kepler Christoffel Wessels is a former South African cricketer who captained South Africa after playing 24 Tests for Australia. He was the first man to have played One Day International cricket for two countries....
and it would be a one off Test for the side who had just returned from Test exile. The West Indian bowling lineup was strong with Patrick Patterson
Patrick Patterson
Balfour Patrick Patterson is a former fast bowler for the West Indian cricket team in the late 1980s and early 1990s.-Early life:...
, Curtley Ambrose, Kenny Benjamin and Courtney Walsh
Courtney Walsh
Courtney Andrew Walsh is a former international cricketer who represented the West Indies from 1984 to 2001, captaining the West Indies in 22 Test matches...
. In a stunning nine hour innings, Hudson was unfazed by the West Indian fast bowlers and scored 163. He brought up his hundred by pushing Jimmy Adams
Jimmy Adams
James Clive "Jimmy" Adams is a former Jamaican cricketer, who represented the West Indies as player and captain during his career. He was a steady left-handed batsman, useful left-arm orthodox spin bowler and good fielder, especially in the gully position...
for a single to mid-on and became the first ever South African to score a Test century on debut. The feat would not be emulated until Jacques Rudolph
Jacques Rudolph
Jacobus Andries Rudolph , popularly known as Jacques Rudolph, is a South African Test and ODI cricketer currently playing in England with Yorkshire CCC and in South Africa with Titans.He had an unbeaten 222 in his debut Test inning...
scored 222 not out against Bangladesh some nine years later. Hudson's innings ended when he was clean bowled by a yorker from Benjamin and the South Africans would go on to lose the game by just 53 runs. He also recorded a duck in the game, one of only three cricketers to have scored a hundred and a duck on their Test debuts.
International cricket
It was a career that started in the best possible way but ended with a form slump that led to an average which was not a true reflection of the impact that he had on the game of cricket. His average had been above 40 for a long time but after his last Test match, against Pakistan in 1997-98 was at a career low of 33.Hudson was at his best against Australia whom he scored 481 runs against at 43.73. His only century against them came in 1993/94 against the likes of Craig McDermott
Craig McDermott
Craig John McDermott is a former Australian cricketer. He is currently the bowling coach for the Australian cricket team....
, Shane Warne
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
, Merv Hughes
Merv Hughes
Mervyn Gregory Hughes is a former Australian cricketer. A right-arm fast bowler, he represented Australia between 1985 and 1994 in 53 Test matches, taking 212 wickets. He played 33 One Day Internationals, taking 38 wickets. He took a hat trick in a Test against the West Indies at the WACA in...
and Glenn McGrath
Glenn McGrath
Glenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century...
.
Hudson opened the batting with Gary Kirsten
Gary Kirsten
Gary Kirsten is a former South African cricketer, and the World Cup winning coach of the Indian cricket team. He played 101 Test matches and 185 One-day internationals for South Africa between 1993 and 2004, mainly as an opening batsman...
in 22 of his 35 Tests and together they put on 1289 runs at 32.23. Their highest stand came in November 1996 at Eden Gardens
Eden Gardens
Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata , India. It is the home of the Bengal cricket team and the Indian Premier League's Kolkata Knight Riders, as well as being a Test and One Day International ground. It is the largest cricket stadium in India by seating capacity...
where they put on 236 runs for the first wicket. Hudson fell just short of his highest Test score, bowled by Venkatesh Prasad
Venkatesh Prasad
Bapu Krishnarao Venkatesh Prasad is a former Indian cricketer. He is the bowling coach for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, having formerly performed the same role for the Indian cricket team from 2007 to 2009. He made his debut in 1996...
for 146.
Arguably his most famous match apart from his debut came a month later against the same opponents in Kingsmead. Hudson was man of the match with his innings of 80 and 52 on a juicy track as he helped the South Africans to win the game by 328 runs. The 80 came in a team total of 235 and the second highest score of the innings was just 35. His 80 was also more than the entire Indian team scored in their second innings.
Retirement
His final year in first-class cricketFirst-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...
came in 2000/01 and was restricted by the quota system as he played just four matches for his province.