SL vs Australia, 2nd ODI: Who is 25-year-old Matthew Kuhnemann?
25-year-old Matthew Kuhnemann scalped 2/48 on his ODI debut for Australia in the second of five-match series against Sri Lanka on Thursday. The slow left-arm orthodox was pulled aside from the Australia A game underway in Hambantota to make his presence felt in the one-dayer. Notably, he is Australia's 237th inductee into the men's ODI team. We decode his profile.
Australian cricket team marred with injuries
Both Ashton Agar and Marcus Stoinis suffered side strains and have been ruled out of the ODI series. Mitchell Starc and Sean Abbott have suffered finger injuries, while Mitchell Marsh is recovering from a hamstring. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa is unavailable owing to the birth of his first child. Meanwhile, all-rounder Cameron Green is being managed and thus, he is available only as a batter.
Why does this story matter?
Kuhemann's induction to the side comes as a result of the ongoing injuries in the Aussie tent. He dismissed Pathum Nissanka (14) in the sixth over and later on, Chamika Karunaratne (18) in the 34th over. Notably, it is one of the rare occasions with two specialist spinners from Queensland to have played for the national team, with the other being leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson.
Kuhmemann had a sublime run in 2021-22 Sheffield Season
Kuhnemann was the joint-fourth-most wicket-taker in the 2021-22 Sheffield Season. He claimed 25 scalps in seven matches, including three five-wicket hauls. He shared his wicket-tally with team-mate Gurinder Sandhu. Notably, he pocketed the most wickets by a spinner in the tournament.
A look at his domestic career
Playing for Cricket Australia XI, Kuhnemann marked his domestic debut in a List A match against New South Wales in JLT One-Day Cup (2017). So far, he has pocketed 37 scalps at 28.78. Kuhnemann made his T20 debut against Perth Scorchers in BBL 2018-19. He has claimed 11 T20 scalps at an economy of 7.69. He has 29 wickets in 10 FC matches.
Presenting his early cricketing journey
Born in Brisbane, Kuhnemann moved to Gold Coast and started his cricketing career at the age of 10. At age 17, he made his first-grade debut for the Gold Coast Dolphins. He was handed a rookie contract by Queensland for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. Having made his debuts in List A and T20, Kuhnemann arrived on the FC circuit in the 2020-21 Sheffield Season.
