5 cricketers who share their names with rivers

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What are the few things that strike your mind on coming across the word cricket? People can come up with different answers, most of which will be centred around the sport. But how many of us can see a connection between cricket and rivers?

Yes, cricket, which is primarily a sport that generates a huge amount of data and excitement has a connect with water bodies around the world.

In this article, let us see five such cricketers who share their names with different rivers of the world.


#1 Daren Ganga

The Ganga is India's most holy and important river
The Ganga is India's most holy and important river

Trinidadian cricketer Daren Ganga, who represented the Windies in 48 Tests, 35 ODIs and a lone T20I in a career that spanned a decade between 1998 and 2008, shares his second name with the holiest of all Indian rivers- the Ganga.

Daren though, could not have the kind of impact on cricket as the majestic river has in the regions that it flows through. Ganga, often flooding the areas situated on its banks when in full flow, is the lifeline for numerous farmer households and the backbone of the Indian economy.

Unlike the river, Daren Ganga could neither score runs in abundance nor could he prove to be the backbone of the Windies batting order at any point during his playing days.

In a career that never took off, Daren Ganga, primarily an opening batsman, managed to amass 2160 Test runs and 843 ODI runs averaging around 25 across both formats.

He is a product of that phase of Windies cricket which saw the once dreaded men from the Carribean turn into a docile cricketing force. He was also elevated to the role of skipper for the Windies in Tests in 2007, but he ended up on the losing side on both such occasions.

He did have success as captain of his home team, Trinidad & Tobago in the 2009 CLT20 as they ended the tournament as runners-up. More recently, Ganga has been seen doing commentary in various T20 leagues across the world.

#2 Nathan Coulter-Nile

The Nile is regarded as the longest river in the world
The Nile is regarded as the longest river in the world

Australian fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile shares his name with the longest river in the world- Nile. Just like the length of the river, Coulter-Nile is one of the tallest bowlers going around at present in world cricket.

He hails from Western Australia and having played formative cricket at the WACA, he is a canny pacer who can get the ball to kick off a good length, much like the river which takes off from its basin during its complex course.

Coulter-Nile made his debut in 2013 and has since been in and out of Australia's limited overs sides, his absence is primarily owing to frequent injuries. He has featured in 21 ODIs and 19 T20Is picking up 37 and 23 wickets in the respective versions of the game.

Making the squad as a frontline bowler who opens the attack, the tall cricketer is a handy batsman down the order as he has proven with his exploits in the BBL in the past. He was picked up by RCB for the upcoming IPL season, but a failure to recover from a stress fracture meant that he would have to miss out on the league after being KKR's second highest wicket-taker in 2017.

#3 Karun Nair

Karun is the most important river of Iran
Karun is the most important river of Iran

Only the second Indian batsman to score a triple century in Tests after legendary opener Virender Sehwag, Karun Nair shares his name with Iran's most affluent and only navigable river- Karun.

Nair, who is the mainstay of the Karnataka batting order, just like the affluent river, has been prolific with run scoring in the domestic circuit in the past seasons. He is yet to cement his place in the national squad despite proving his worth at the international level by becoming only the third man in the history of the sport to convert a maiden Test match ton into a triple century score.

In fact, if anyone in the cricket world has a deep link with rivers, it is Karun Nair as the 26-year-old braved a life-threatening incident that occurred just prior to his triple century effort in 2016. In a boat mishap en route a temple in the waters of river Pampa of Kerala, Nair battled after his boat sank and drowned 6 people.

Consistent performances across his stints with Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils in the IPL have earned him a solid reputation which is best exemplified by his ₹5.6 crore price this year. A hugely successful Syed Mushtaq Trophy 2018 has put him in good shape ahead of IPL 2018 where he is expected to shoulder batting responsibilities for Kings XI Punjab.

#4 Chris Jordan

Jordan is a river that flows in the Middle East
Jordan is a river that flows in the Middle East

English bowler Chris Jordan shares his name with the river Jordan, which flows through the countries of Jordan and Israel in the Middle East before culminating in the Dead Sea. The Jordan River, much like Jordan's career, has been shrinking with its water levels going down year after year.

Pollution is a major issue that is affecting the health of the river and if not controlled, could well lead to the water body being gone forever. Similarly, Jordan will have to save himself from frequent injuries that can plague a fast bowler's career, if he wishes to play for long.

Jordan, who has represented England across all formats, is an effective medium pace bowler who is considered to be a specialist in the shorter versions of the game owing to his adeptness at foxing batsmen with his variations. Apart from being an effective exponent of the slower ball, Jordan can use the long handle to good effect and is a handy addition lower down the batting order.

In a career that began in 2013, the 29-year-old right arm pacer has featured in 8 Tests, 31 ODI's and 30 T20I's picking up close to 100 international wickets across the three formats.

In IPL 2018, he will be seen in the Sunrisers Hyderabad camp. Although he will not start the tournament as an imminent contender in the playing XI, his services might come into play in the middle of the long event if the team thinks of tinkering with its combination.

#5 Dean Jones

Dean is a major river of Canada
Dean is a major river of Canada

Legendary Australian batsman Dean Jones shares his name with one of the major rivers of the British Columbia state of Canada- Dean. Just as the river holds much importance for Canada, Jones shouldered a lot of responsibility in the Australian batting order.

This though is not the only similarity that the cricketer and the river share. One of the few rivers to fully penetrate the wall of the Coast Mountains between Fraser's Mouth and the mouth of the Skeena River, Dean lends similar potency to Jones who was always ready to attack opposition fast bowlers by advancing down the track.

In a glittering career that spanned a decade between 1984 and 1994, Jones featured in 52 Tests and 164 ODI's for Australia and redefined batting, especially in limited overs cricket. He was amongst the few of his era who attacked pacers by dancing down the track and scored his runs at a fair clip.

Having amassed close to 10,000 international runs, Dean Jones is one cricketer who would have loved to play the T20 format of the game. Attacking ground fielding and eccentric running between the wickets, two of the most important ingredients for T20 cricket were a part of Jones' game even a couple of decades ago.

After retiring in 1994, he has kept himself associated with the sport by giving back in the form of a coach and commentator. A thorough analyst of the game, Jones has had successful coaching stints with Islamabad United team in the Pakistan Super League where his team has won two titles in three years, the latest one being in 2018.

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Edited by Kishan Prasad