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Full name Kepler Christoffel Wessels
Born September 14, 1957, Bloemfontein, Orange Free State
Current age 51 years 65 days
Major teams Australia,South Africa,Eastern Province,Griqualand West,Northern Transvaal,Orange Free State,Queensland,Sussex,Western Province
Batting style Left-hand bat
Other Coach
Relations Son - MH Wessels
Batting and fielding averages
Mat
Inns
NO
Runs
HS
Ave
BF
SR
100
50
4s
6s
Ct
St
Tests
40
71
3
2788
179
41.00
6015
46.35
6
15
304
3
30
0
ODIs
109
105
7
3367
107
34.35
6088
55.30
1
26
263
2
49
0
First-class
316
539
50
24738
254
50.58
66
132
268
0
List A
337
331
30
12503
146
41.53
15
90
151
0
Bowling averages
Mat
Inns
Balls
Runs
Wkts
BBI
BBM
Ave
Econ
SR
4w
5w
10
Tests
40
6
90
42
0
-
-
-
2.80
-
0
0
0
ODIs
109
23
749
666
18
2/16
2/16
37.00
5.33
41.6
0
0
0
First-class
316
1416
574
13
2/25
44.15
2.43
108.9
0
0
List A
337
1321
1120
36
4/24
4/24
31.11
5.08
36.6
1
0
0
Career statistics
Test debut
Australia v England at Brisbane, Nov 26-Dec 1, 1982 scorecard
Last Test
England v South Africa at The Oval, Aug 18-21, 1994 scorecard
Test statistics
ODI debut
Australia v New Zealand at Melbourne, Jan 9, 1983 scorecard
Last ODI
Pakistan v South Africa at Faisalabad, Oct 28, 1994 scorecard
ODI statistics
First-class span
1973/74 - 1999/00
List A span
1974/75 - 1998/99
Profile
Kepler Wessels was a cricket itinerant and boxing aficionado who, before opening for Australia for four years, played in his native South Africa, in England and in World Series Cricket. He subsequently played for an Australian rebel team in South Africa, and then became SA's first Test captain of the modern era. A fit, lean, brave and slightly ungainly left-hand bat, he made 162 on debut for Australia and averaged 56 in a series against West Indies, no mean feat then. A seemingly severe man, Wessels enjoyed only qualified popularity among Australians, who were unsurprised to see him return to South Africa, but with an average of 43 in 24 Tests, he did give Australia stout service at a difficult time. He went into coaching after retiring, and while he was initially successful at Northants, he found it hard to drive a side operating on a shoestring and he left by mutual consent midway through the 2006 season.
Greg Baum
