The brothers’ XI

Last year during the 2nd T20 International Match between South Africa and Australia at the Wanderers, Mitchell Marsh made his debut. The match proved to be a special one for the Marsh family as both Shaun and brother Mitchell were representing Australia together for the first time, making them yet another brother pair to have walked into a cricket ground.

This prompts us to take a look at eleven other such prominent brother pairs who have made a name for themselves in the game of Cricket and have donned their national colors.

We can call it – The Brothers’ XI.

1. The Pollocks (Peter and Graeme) – One of the most well-known cricketing families of South Africa, the Pollocks made a distinguished contribution to the game of cricket in their country.

Primarily a fast bowler, Peter Pollock was also a more than useful lower order batsman, the proof of which is batting average of 21.67 in test matches and 22.58 in first-class cricket to go with top scores of 75* and 79 respectively. Peter was named Wisden Cricketer of the year in 1966. He then assumed the responsibility of convenor of selectors in the 1990s, as they were re-admitted into cricket.

Graeme Pollock, nicknamed “Little Dog”, continues till date to be regarded as one of the best batsmen South Africa has ever produced. To which his test batting average of 60.97 and a top score of 274 bears a resounding testimony.

2. The Chappells (Ian, Greg and Trevor) - Another noted cricket family, the Chappells’ cricket legacy runs deep into their maternal roots. Their maternal grandfather, Vic Richardson was himself a distinguished cricketer leading the Australian team in the 1930s and his son-in-law, Martin Chappell (father of the three brothers) was a noted Adelaide grade cricketer.

Both Ian and Greg went on to make a distinguished name for themselves both as cricketers and leaders with Ian Chappell in particular being regarded as the best Australian skipper of all time.

Though their 3rd brother Trevor didn’t have an international career over a longer stretch, he is more famous for his involvement in the unfortunate underarm incident of 1981 when elder brother Greg, the then Australian Captain told him to bowl underarm to batsman Brian Mckechnie as New Zealand needed a 6 off the last ball to tie the game.

3. The Amarnath Brothers (Mohinder and Surinder) - Second generation cricketers of a renowned cricketing family from India, Mohinder and Surinder were sons of the legendary Lala Amarnath.

An aggressive left-hand batsman, Surinder Amarnath had a terrific track-record in domestic cricket but never got enough opportunities to channelize that talent at the test level. He ended up playing 10 test matches with a batting average of 30.55 and a career best score of 124.

Mohinder Amarnath on the other hand though didn’t have to face that kind of ordeal in making the cut to the Indian team and till date has been one of India’s best batsmen to have played the game. A tough nut to crack and always up to the challenge, he had earned the praises of Imran Khan and Malcom Marshall as in the 1982-83 season, he played 11 tests, 6 against Pakistan and 5 against West Indies and scored over a 1000 runs that season.

4. The Waugh Brothers (Steve and Mark) - Yet another legendary pair of brothers to have stepped onto the cricket field.

Making his test debut in the 1985-86 season against India, Steve Waugh was later joined by his fraternal twin brother Mark Waugh in 1991 and the two played for Australia until 2002 when Mark retired.

Distinguished batsmen in their own right, Mark and Steve were useful contributors with the ball as well and Steve went on to become one of the most successful Australian captains, leading the team from 1999 to 2004.

5. The Flower Brothers (Andy and Grant) – A pair that played an instrumental role in lifting Zimbabwe’s standards as a cricket team, the Flower brothers were the backbone of the team’s top and middle order throughout the 90s and early 2000s.

Andy, a genius of a left-handed batsman and a superb Wicket-keeper, is hailed as one of the greatest cricketers among his contemporaries.

Grant on the other hand was a clean striker of the cricket ball in the top order and a more than useful contributor with the ball with his left-arm spin.

6. The Hussey Brothers (Micheal and David) – Going back to Australia and we find another remarkable pair of brothers to have contributed to Australian cricket. This time, it’s the Husseys.

Micheal since his arrival has been the go-to man for the Aussies in crisis situations, with the man bailing his team out of trouble more often than not and also winning matches from near impossible situations. A superb striker of the ball, Micheal has time and again shown the ability to adopt according to the situation and turn the game on its head on his own.

While David hasn’t always been a regular feature in the Australian XI since his arrival, his good form off-late has made him an essential part of the line-up to go with his handy off-breaks that he chips in with.

7. The McCullum Brothers (Brendon and Nathan) – One of the more recent pairs to have made an international appearance together.

A wicket-keeper and a quick-scoring opener, Brendon takes care of the top-order duties while younger brother Nathan adds strength to the Black Caps’ bowling unit with his off-spin bowling and substantial contribution with the bat lower down the order.

8. The Pathan Brothers (Irfan and Yusuf) – The second Indian pair of brothers to feature in this list. A sparkling start to his career in 2004 in the tour of Australia followed with another impressive show in Pakistan, Irfan became a household name overnight. However, Irfan for quiet some time now has been on and off the team due to some indifferent form coupled with injuries. Though he finally seems to be able to get back to grips and fit himself in as a bowling all-rounder.

Elder brother Yusuf who made International debut much later, also made his presence felt in the big stage with his powerful hitting, sometimes turning the course of the game single-handedly. Though off-late he too has found himself being juggled in and out of the team.

9. The Morkel Brothers (Albie and Morne) – A pair of second generation cricketers, as their father Albert Morkel played Provincial cricket in South Africa.

While Albie has proved to be an important asset with his powerful hitting in the lower middle order and medium pace bowling in the limited overs’ format, brother Morne has been in-charge of the team’s pace battery in both the short and long versions of the game, forming a lethal combination with the likes of Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander.

The Morkels continue to be an integral part of South Africa’s cricketing scheme of things.

10. The Akmal Brothers (Kamran, Umar and Adnan) - Over the last few years, the Akmals have been a part of Pakistan’s line-ups in limited overs as well as tests. However, more often than not, Kamran Akmal has been struck by bad form and poor wicket-keeping which has pushed him to the sidelines for now. However, poor form notwithstanding, he has played some crucial and important knocks for Pakistan throughout the batting order, from the top to the lower middle order, including a test century against India at Mohali batting at number 8, helping his team in securing a draw.

Umar Akmal has risen through the ranks of the U-19 team and has made an impactful beginning to his international career and continues to shoulder responsibility in the Pakistan middle-order and often taking up the roll of a part-time Wicket-keeper.

Adnan is the latest addition to the Akmal dynasty as he made his debut last year against England in Dubai playing as a Wicket-keeper batting in the lower-middle order.

11. The Obuya Brothers (Kennedy, Collins and David) – For nearly two decades, the Obuya family has served Kenyan Cricket.

While Kennedy Otieno Obuya made his debut for Kenya in 1993 as a middle order batsman, brother Collins and David joined the Kenyan ranks in 2001.

Kennedy’s moment of glory came in 1997 when he scored a career-best 144 against Bangladesh sharing a the then record 225 run partnership with Deepak Chudasama.

Collins started off as a leg spinner and gained reasonable success, however lack of match practice since joining a players’ strike in England, he lost his rhythm. When subsequent attempts could not help him regain his bowling form, he decided to focus more on his batting. In the 2011 World Cup played in the Indian sub-continent, he scored a superb 98* against Australia in Bangalore.

David Obuya was a wicket-keeper batsman having batted both up and down the order and shared his debut with Collins.

12. (Twelfth Pair) The O’Brien Brothers (Niall and Kevin) – Hailing from a traditional sports family, the O’Brien brothers are an exciting pair of cricketers from Ireland. Born to a cricketer father Brendan O’Brien, the brothers have played an instrumental role In Ireland’s rise to significant prominence in World Cricket over the last few years.

A wicket-keeper batsman batting in the middle order, Niall has been the backbone of the Irish team both in front and behind the stumps.

Kevin on the other hand has played the more aggressive role with the bat. His most noted contribution being the fastest ever century in a World Cup, scoring off just 50 balls against England in the 2011 World Cup, helping his team to an unbelievable victory.

Other XIs you might like

https://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/03/31/a-team-out-of-the-test-world-associates-odi-xi/

https://www.sportskeeda.com/2011/11/21/icc-world-cup-2015-indias-new-look/