Daniel Christian retires from professional cricket: Decoding his stats
Former Australian all-rounder Daniel Christian bided adieu to professional cricket on Wednesday (February 3). His final appearance came for Sydney Sixers in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) 2022-23 Challenger clash versus Brisbane Heat. The Sixers lost the contest by four wickets and bowed out of the competition. Here we look at Christian's stellar stats and feats in T20 cricket.
How Christian fared in BBL 2022-23?
Though the Sixers reached the playoffs, Christian couldn't do much either in the batting department or in the bowling arena. Across 16 matches, Christian aggregated 89 runs with the best score of 21* (vs Melbourne Renegades). The right-arm medium pacer snapped up four wickets at 15.57. (BBI: 2/7 vs Perth Scorchers). He could only manage a 12-ball seven in his last outing.
Christian owns nine T20 honors
Christian lifted the 2010 England T20 Cup with Hampshire. He won Twenty20 Big Bash with South Australia (2011), before winning BBL with Brisbane Heat (2013), Renegades (2019), and Sixers (2021). Christian won T20 Blast twice with Notts Outlaws (2017 and 2020). He won Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2017 with Trinbago Knight Riders while winning SA Super League 2018 with Jozi Stars.
A highly impactful player!
Christian had an emphatic run as he led Renegades and Sixers to titles in BBL 2018-19 and 2020-21, respectively. In 2018-19, he tallied 254 runs and 15 wickets. In 2020-21, he managed 272 runs while striking at 180-plus. He also garnered 15 wickets. He was also a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, where they reached the playoffs.
Second-fastest BBL fifty
Meanwhile, Christian owns the second-fastest fifty in the history of BBL. He accomplished the milestone off 15 balls against the Adelaide Strikers in the 2020-21 edition. Chris Gayle tops the list, having smoked a 12-ball fifty versus the Strikers in the 2015-16 season.
A unique feat for Christian
As per Opta, Christian is the only player to have aggregated 2,000-plus runs (2,098) and taken 90-plus wickets (93) in the history of BBL. He made a total of 137 appearances in the competition.
Christian's performance in international cricket
Christian featured in 20 ODIs and 23 T20Is for Australia. He scored 118 runs in T20Is and also took 13 wickets. His last international appearance was in a T20I match against Bangladesh in August 2021. He was also named as a reserve in Australia's squad for the 2021 T20 WC. As for ODIs, the all-rounder tallied 273 runs and 20 scalps.
Hat-trick in ODIs
Christian is one of the only six Aussie bowlers to take an ODI hat-trick. He accomplished the milestone versus Sri Lanka in 2012. Bruce Reid, Anthony Stuart, Brett Lee, Clint McKay, and James Faulkner are the other Aussies on the elite list.
A look at his overall numbers
Christian made his T20 debut back in 2006. He amassed 5,825 runs at 22.66 (SR: 137.73). He owns two centuries and 17 fifties. On the bowling front, Christian has clipped 280 wickets at 28.9 (5WI: 2). He played 120 List A and 83 First-Class matches. He last played a List A game in 2021, while his final FC appearance dates back to 2018.
What's next for Christian?
There is a possibility that Christian might take up coaching roles in the future. Having played across the globe, Christian holds a wealth of T20 experience. He also worked as a coaching consultant for the Netherlands at the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup in Australia.
