Ray Bright
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| Full name | Raymond James Bright | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
13 July 1954 Footscray, Melbourne, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Candles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting style | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling style | Slow left arm orthodox | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Bowler | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 280) | 7 July 1977 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 19 October 1986 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 19) | 30 March 1974 v New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 11 April 1986 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1972–1988 | Victoria | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: Cricinfo, 20 November 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Raymond James Bright (born 13 July 1954) is a former Australian Test and One Day International cricketer.
Biography
A left-arm orthodox spin bowler and useful lower order right-handed batsman, Bright made his first-class debut for Victoria at eighteen years of age, against New South Wales in Sydney in the 1972–1973 domestic season.
International career
Bright made his One Day International debut for Australia on the tour of New Zealand in the 1976–77 season. He was 12th man in the Centenary Test against England at Melbourne a few weeks later, and fielded throughout England's two innings as substitute for Rick McCosker who had suffered a broken jaw when batting in Australia's first innings.
He toured England in 1977, and made his Test debut in the Second Test at Old Trafford. Over the next decade he was a fixture in the Australian squad without ever holding down a regular place in the Test or One Day teams, playing in only twenty-five Tests and eleven One Day Internationals during his twelve-year international career. He played in the Australian team in World Series Cricket in 1977–78 and 1978–79, and had some good performances against the strong West Indies batting lineup.
Arguably his finest moment in international cricket came in the famous tied Test in Madras against India in 1986, when he took 5 for 94 in India's second innings. He also captained Australia in one match (a loss), his final One Day International appearance for his country, against Pakistan in April 1986.
Gideon Haigh once wrote that "for a time, Ray Bright was colloquially and rather meanly known for having made almost as many tours as he had played Tests."[1] Bright was selected on a large number of Australian touring squads, including ones to New Zealand (1973-74, 1976-77, 1981-82 and 1985-86), England (1977, 1980 and 1981), the West Indies (1978-79), Pakistan (1979-80 and 1982-83), Sri Lanka (Australian cricket team in England in 1981|1980-81), Sharjah (1986) and India (1986-87).
Bright's last test was in 1986, though he was 12th man for Australia during the 3rd test of the 1986-87 Ashes.[2]
Despite a relatively modest international career, Bright was a stalwart at Australian domestic level for Victoria. He ended his first-class career with 471 wickets at an average of 32.08 and scored two centuries.
Post Retirement Career
Since retiring from playing professionally after the 1987–1988 season, Bright has served as a selector for the Victorian state team and has taken on a number of coaching roles. His son, Adam Bright, plays baseball for Australia.
Teams
International
- Australia
Australian state
- Victoria
Career highlights
Tests
Test Debut: vs England, Manchester, 1977
Last Test: vs India, Mumbai, 1986–1987
- Bright's best Test batting score of 33 was made against England, Lord's, 1981
- His best Test bowling figures of 7 for 87 came against Pakistan, Karachi, 1979–1980
One-day internationals
ODI Debut: vs New Zealand, Dunedin, 1973–1974
Last ODI: vs Pakistan, Sharjah, 1985–1986
- Bright's best ODI batting score of 19 not out was made against West Indies, Melbourne, 1979–1980
- His best ODI bowling figures of 1 for 28 came against Pakistan, Sharjah, 1985–1986
- He captained Australia in one ODI, a loss
References
External links
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