Scott Styris

Arriving on the scene in the early 2000s as a gentle medium-pace bowler who could fit in as a middle-order batsman, Scott Styris wasn’t predicted to last a decade in international cricket. But the gritty Kiwi has not only silenced his critics but also has enjoyed an immensely successful career at the highest level. An aggressive batsman, Styris has an added ability of filling in the middle overs with the ball; making him New Zealand’s most able all-rounder.

Styris debuted for Central Districts in 1994-95 before playing his first ODI against India in 1999. On a track that was dead as a dodo, Styris’ impressive 3-wicket haul was instrumental in a New Zealand win; but it was his eight wickets in the home series against West Indies in 2000 which hallmarked his arrival on the ODI stage. However the flipside of his impressive performances in the shorter format had its banes as Styris was branded by many as an ODI specialist and found it hard to break into the Test side. But when given a chance against the West Indies in mid-2002, Styris broke all myths scoring a ton on debut and went on to play a match-saving innings on the last day of the Test. From his first 15 Test matches, Styris scored four centuries which included a swashbuckling 170 against South Africa. He was no less impressive in ODIs contributing 101 in a then record ODI chase of 322 against Australia in 2005-06.

A back injury before the Sri Lanka series in late 2006 scuppered his progress but Styris came back invigorated and was one of the stars of the 2007 World Cup, playing a massive hand in New Zealand’s road to the semi-final. Loss of form combined with injuries resulted in him being dropped from the Test squad and after serious contemplation in 2008 he announced his retirement from Test cricket and first-class cricket to concentrate on the shorter formats of the game. Post New Zealand’s semi-final finish in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, Styris retired from all forms of international cricket, stating that he will continue to play domestic T20 tournaments. He was then usurped by the Deccan Chargers for the first few seasons of the IPL, followed by the Chennai Super Kings.