Paul Best (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Paul Merwood Best is an English
cricket
er. Best is a left-handed batsman who bowls slow left-arm orthodox. He was born at Nuneaton
, Warwickshire
and educated at Bablake School
, Coventry.
, Best made his first-class
debut for Cambridge MCCU against Essex
in 2011, with Best scoring an unbeaten
50 in the MCCU's first-innings. A further first-class appearance followed for Cambridge MCCU against Middlesex
, with him taking his maiden five wicket haul with figures of 6/101 in Middlesex's first-innings. Following this he made his debut for Warwickshire
in the County Championship
against Durham
at the Riverside Ground
. His final first-class appearance that season for Cambridge MCCU followed in May against Surrey
, with Best scoring his maiden century
with a score of 150 from 181 balls while batting at number eight. He appeared in The University Match
for Cambridge University Cricket Club
against Oxford University Cricket Club
at Lord's Cricket Ground
in July, taking his second five wicket haul with figures of 6/86 in Oxford University's second-innings.
Prior to this, Best had made his List A debut for Warwickshire in May against Leicestershire
in the Clydesdale Bank 40
. He made a second appearance in that competition for Warwickshire against Durham. In July 2011, Best joined Northamptonshire
on loan for the remainder of that season
. He made a single County Championship appearance against Glamorgan
, as well as four List A appearances in the Clydesdale Bank 40.
. Best captained
the team during this tour. He later played for the team in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand
,though the team was captained on this occasion by Azeem Rafiq
. Best captained England U19s against Sri Lanka U19s during Summer 2010 in 1 Test, 5 One Day games and 2 Twenty Twenty games. He was named 'Man of the Series' in the One Day games. In total, Best made two Youth Test
, twelve Youth One Day International and two Youth Twenty20 International
appearances.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
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. Best is a left-handed batsman who bowls slow left-arm orthodox. He was born at Nuneaton
Nuneaton
Nuneaton is the largest town in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth and in the English county of Warwickshire.Nuneaton is most famous for its associations with the 19th century author George Eliot, who was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
and educated at Bablake School
Bablake School
Bablake School is a co-educational Independent school located in Coventry, England and founded in 1344 by Queen Isabella, making it one of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom...
, Coventry.
Domestic career
While studying Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at the University of CambridgeUniversity of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, Best made his first-class
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...
debut for Cambridge MCCU against Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
in 2011, with Best scoring an unbeaten
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
50 in the MCCU's first-innings. A further first-class appearance followed for Cambridge MCCU against Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
, with him taking his maiden five wicket haul with figures of 6/101 in Middlesex's first-innings. Following this he made his debut for Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
in the County Championship
2011 County Championship
The 2011 County Championship season, known as the LV County Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the 112th cricket County Championship season. It is contested through two divisions: Division One and Division Two. Each team plays all the others in their division both home and away...
against Durham
Durham County Cricket Club
Durham County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Durham. Its limited overs team is called the Durham Dynamos. Their kit colours are blue with yellow trim and the shirt sponsor was...
at the Riverside Ground
Riverside Ground
The Riverside Ground, officially called the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground, is a cricket venue in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. It is home to Durham County Cricket Club....
. His final first-class appearance that season for Cambridge MCCU followed in May against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
, with Best scoring his maiden century
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
with a score of 150 from 181 balls while batting at number eight. He appeared in The University Match
The University Match (cricket)
The University Match in a cricketing context is generally understood to refer to the annual fixture between Oxford University Cricket Club and Cambridge University Cricket Club...
for Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
against Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
at Lord's Cricket Ground
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...
in July, taking his second five wicket haul with figures of 6/86 in Oxford University's second-innings.
Prior to this, Best had made his List A debut for Warwickshire in May against Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
in the Clydesdale Bank 40
2011 Clydesdale Bank 40
The 2011 Clydesdale Bank 40 tournament is the second season of the Clydesdale Bank 40 limited overs cricket competition for the England and Wales first-class counties...
. He made a second appearance in that competition for Warwickshire against Durham. In July 2011, Best joined Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
on loan for the remainder of that season
2011 English cricket season
The 2011 English cricket season began on 2 April with a round of university matches, and will continue until the final of the Clydesdale Bank 40 on 17 September. Three major domestic competitions are contested: the 2011 County Championship, the 2011 Clydesdale Bank 40 and the 2011 Friends Life t20...
. He made a single County Championship appearance against Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
, as well as four List A appearances in the Clydesdale Bank 40.
International career
Prior to playing first-class cricket, Best played for England Under-19s, making his debut against Bangladesh Under-19s during their tour of BangladeshBangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. Best captained
Captain (cricket)
The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player...
the team during this tour. He later played for the team in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
,though the team was captained on this occasion by Azeem Rafiq
Azeem Rafiq
Azeem Rafiq is an English cricketer. A right arm off-spin bowler with a scholarship to Yorkshire, Azeem he current loan short-term signing of Derbyshire season 2011. Azeem was also captain of the England Under-15s and Under-19s, and the first Yorkshire cricket player of an Asian background to...
. Best captained England U19s against Sri Lanka U19s during Summer 2010 in 1 Test, 5 One Day games and 2 Twenty Twenty games. He was named 'Man of the Series' in the One Day games. In total, Best made two Youth 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...
, twelve Youth One Day International and two Youth Twenty20 International
Twenty20 International
A Twenty20 International is a form of cricket which is played over 20 overs per side between two national cricket teams. The game is played under the rules of Twenty20 cricket...
appearances.
External links
- Paul Best at ESPNcricinfo
- Paul Best at CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...