Gary Cosier
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| Gary Cosier | ||||
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 Australia |
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| Personal information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batting style | Right-hand bat | |||
| Bowling style | Right-arm medium | |||
| Career statistics | ||||
| Tests | ODIs | |||
| Matches | 18 | 9 | ||
| Runs scored | 897 | 154 | ||
| Batting average | 28.93 | 30.80 | ||
| 100s/50s | 2/3 | -/1 | ||
| Top score | 168 | 84 | ||
| Balls bowled | 899 | 409 | ||
| Wickets | 5 | 14 | ||
| Bowling average | 68.20 | 17.71 | ||
| 5 wickets in innings | - | 1 | ||
| 10 wickets in match | - | n/a | ||
| Best bowling | 2/26 | 5/18 | ||
| Catches/stumpings | 14/- | 4/- | ||
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As of 12 December 2005 |
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Gary John Cosier (born 25 April 1953 at Richmond, Victoria) is a former Australian test cricketer who played in 18 Tests and 9 ODIs from 1975 to 1979. Cosier's star shone very briefly following a sensational test debut, when he became only the ninth Australian to post a century in his first Test.
The stocky, redheaded Cosier was an aggressive middle-order batsman who often attacked the bowling when a more judicious method was the order of the day. Given an extended trial at international level over four seasons, he never really established himself as a Test batsman, although he was vice-captain of Australia for a brief period. He had two major highlights at Test level – a swashbuckling (if lucky) hundred on Test debut at Melbourne against the West Indies in 1975-76, and a brutal 168 against Pakistan the following season. Test bowlers were quick to exploit his technical deficiencies, in particular a very short backlift and abbreviated footwork. Cosier was all brute force with little finesse, but he did try to modify his technique somewhat during the 1978-79 Ashes series, when he was incongruously used as an opener.
He could back his batting with slow medium-pacers that swung alarmingly when the conditions favoured him. On the 1977 tour of England he showed in an ODI at Edgbaston that he could’ve been well suited to the burgeoning genre of one-day cricket when he snared five for 18. However, Cosier’s bowling was not really used in Tests and his first Test wicket didn't come until his 13th match. He was also an excellent close-in fielder and secure slipper.
Born and raised in Melbourne, Cosier made a first-class debut aged 18, but he relocated to South Australia to play regular first class cricket. Coming under the influence of SA skipper Ian Chappell, Cosier pursued his positive approach to batting and seemed to be headed for the top, although Chappell doubted his commitment to the game. Ultimately, Cosier was one of two batsman who toured England in 1977 who wasn’t offered a contract to join the break away professional troupe World Series Cricket (WSC). This was a direct result of Chappell’s opinion.
With the WSC players absent, Cosier’s form during 1977-78 was mediocre, but he moved to Queensland the following year in a lucrative deal reported to be worth $50,000 per year. Yet by mid summer, the opening experiment having failed miserably, he was out of the Australian team, never to return. The readmission of WSC players in 1979-80 curtailed his opportunities at state level and he eventually returned to his native Melbourne where his first class career ended with two outings for Victoria in 1981-82.
Cosier now manages Abdur Rahman Bukhatir's cricket and golf interests in Tangier, Morocco. The North African nation boasts an eight-team national league, and proudly claims an indigenous-participation rate of 95%, and Cosier manages the national team, which is an ICC affiliate member.
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