Luke Ronchi

Luke Ronchi (/ˈrɒŋki/ RONG-ki; born 23 April 1981) is a New Zealand-Australian cricket coach and cricketer. He represented both the Australia national cricket team and New Zealand national cricket team in international cricket.[1] Ronchi is the only player to have played for both Australia and New Zealand in cricketing history and was part of the New Zealand World Cup side that finished runners-up in the 2015 Cricket World Cup, after their defeat in the final to Australia.[2] He plays for Wellington in New Zealand domestic matches and has played Twenty20 matches for a range of sides.

Luke Ronchi
Personal information
Born (1981-04-23) 23 April 1981
Dannevirke, New Zealand
NicknameRock
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
BattingRight-handed
RoleWicket-keeper, batsman
International information
National sides
Test debut (cap 267)29 May 2015 
New Zealand v England
Last Test8 October 2016 
New Zealand v India
ODI debut (cap 166/180)27 June 2008 
Australia v West Indies
Last ODI9 June 2017 
New Zealand v Bangladesh
ODI shirt no.54 (was 34 for Australia)
T20I debut (cap 31/63)15 October 2008 
Australia v West Indies
Last T20I31 May 2018 
World XI v West Indies
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
2001/02–2011/12Western Australia
2002Hampshire Cricket Board
2008–2009Mumbai Indians
2011/12–2012/13Perth Scorchers
2011/12–2017/18Wellington (squad no. 54)
2015Somerset
2016Birmingham Bears
2017Leicestershire Foxes
2017–2018Guyana Amazon Warriors
2017Chittagong Vikings
2018–2020Islamabad United (squad no. 54)
2018Kabul Zwanan
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 4 85 100 190
Runs scored 319 1,397 5,614 4,194
Batting average 39.87 23.67 39.25 27.77
100s/50s 0/2 1/4 16/23 7/21
Top score 88 170* 148 170*
Balls bowled – – 30 –
Wickets – – 0 –
Bowling average – – – –
5 wickets in innings – – – –
10 wickets in match – – – –
Best bowling – – – –
Catches/stumpings 5/0 105/12 343/17 249/32
Source: CricInfo, 9 May 2019

Born in Dannevirke in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand, Ronchi emigrated to Perth, Western Australia, with his family at an early age. He is an aggressive batsman and fields as a wicket-keeper. He debuted for Western Australia in January 2002. After a period as second-choice wicket-keeper behind Ryan Campbell, Ronchi became Western Australia's first-choice keeper after Campbell's retirement in 2006. For a period of time between 2007 and 2009, he served as Australia's second-choice keeper behind Brad Haddin, and played several matches for Australia A.

After Haddin broke his finger during the national team's 2008 tour of the West Indies, Ronchi played one Twenty20 International (T20I) and four One-Day International (ODI) matches, and later played two further Twenty20 International matches against the touring South African team in 2009. In February 2012, Ronchi announced his intention to return to New Zealand to further his cricketing career, and signed with the Wellington cricket team the following month. He made his ODI debut for New Zealand in May 2013, becoming the first player to play for both Australia and New Zealand at international level.

Ronchi made his Test debut for New Zealand in May 2015 against England scoring 88 off 70 balls.[3] Ronchi's first innings runs were critical in propping up New Zealand after a shaky start on an overcast morning in Leeds. New Zealand won the match in only their fifth win in England and their first in nearly 30 years on English soil.[4]

Ronchi announced his retirement from international cricket on 21 June 2017.[5] Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, under whom Ronchi spent most of his career playing under, described Ronchi as someone who, "embodied all that is important about the Black Caps culture. Selfless, respectful, humble and hard working."[6]

Domestic career

Ronchi is well known for his ability to score runs quickly and on 7 February 2007 he broke the record for the fastest domestic one-day hundred in Australian cricket. Opening the batting against New South Wales, Ronchi scored his maiden one-day ton off only 56 deliveries, beating the previous record held by fellow West Australian Adam Voges of 62 deliveries. When dismissed, he had scored 105 runs from just 64 balls and easily guided Western Australia to an 8-wicket victory over New South Wales.

Ronchi began the 2007–08 season in strong fashion. Proving that he is in the Australian selectors minds for the future, Ronchi was chosen as Australia A wicketkeeper for their tour of Pakistan. In the second first-class match of the tour, Ronchi scored a blistering 107 off 109 balls, striking 16 fours and 2 sixes. His good form continued into the Australian Domestic season, as he scored 104 against New South Wales in Western Australia's first List A match of the season.

In November 2007 Ronchi scored one of the fastest centuries in Australian Domestic history with a ton from 51 balls against Queensland. Ronchi struck 11 sixes in his innings of 105* with his second fifty coming from just 11 balls.

Ronchi was also recruited by the Mumbai Indians team in 2007, one of the eight Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises. He played five matches for the team, spread throughout the 2008 and 2009 tournaments,[7] scoring a total of 34 runs at an average of 6.80.[8]

International career

Australia

In April 2008, Cricket Australia named Brad Haddin as the only wicketkeeper in its list of 25 contracted players, overlooking Ronchi.[9] Despite failing to receive a contract, Ronchi was called up to the Australian team in June 2008 during their tour of the West Indies when Haddin was unable to play after breaking his finger. After making his international debut in the tour's Twenty20 match (scoring 36 from 22 balls opening the batting with fellow West Australian on international debut, Shaun Marsh),[10] he was not required to bat in his first two ODI matches.

In the final game of the series, he was elevated up the batting order to number three and batted very well to record the equal second fastest fifty by an Australian on his way to scoring 64 from 28 balls, including six sixes and was awarded the player of the match award (later in the same match David Hussey scored an even faster fifty relegating Ronchi's innings to equal third fastest).[11]

Ronchi made his debut on home soil in a Twenty20 match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) against the South Africans as wicketkeeper when Haddin was rested from the team.[12]

New Zealand

In February 2012, Ronchi announced his intention to return to New Zealand in an attempt to qualify for the national team.[13] He signed with Wellington in March 2012, and made his Plunket Shield debut on 18 March against Central Districts, scoring a century, 111, on debut for the team.[14][15]

In April 2013, Ronchi was selected by the New Zealand cricket board as part of the limited-overs squad for the New Zealand tour of England the following month.[16] He made his debut for the team on 31 May 2013 at Lord's, scoring a duck and taking three catches.[17] He thus became the first player to play international cricket for both Australia and New Zealand, 8th player in ODI history and the first since Kepler Wessels (Australia and South Africa) in the 1980s to play for two full members of the International Cricket Council (ICC).[18]

In January 2015, Ronchi hit an unbeaten 170 off 99 balls against Sri Lanka at University Oval in Dunedin. This was the highest by a batsman batting seventh or lower in ODIs, and also the third-highest score by a wicket-keeper, behind MS Dhoni's 183 not out and Adam Gilchrist's 172.[19] Ronchi is also the only batsman to have scored a 150 in an ODI innings when batting at number 7 position or lower.[20]

Ronchi along with Grant Elliott set the highest ever record stand of 267 not out for the sixth wicket in ODI history.[21]

During the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, in what was to be his final international matches, Ronchi played as an opening wicket-keeper-batsman. On 22 June, he announced his retirement from international cricket, and will be available in domestic cricket for Wellington and Leicestershire.[5]

Post international retirement

Following his international retirement, Ronchi signed for Leicestershire County Cricket Club to play in the 2017 NatWest t20 Blast.[22] He enjoyed a successful tournament racking up 429 runs at a strike rate of 180.25 as an opener[23] and scored three half-centuries, including a 16-ball 50 against Durham, the third fastest half-century in English T20 history.[24] In the 2018 Pakistan Super League, Ronchi scored a half-century off 19 balls for Islamabad United, the second fastest in the history of the Pakistan Super League.

In June 2018, he was drafted by Edmonton Royals to play in the inaugural edition of the Global T20 Canada tournament[25][26] and in September 2018 was named in Kabul's squad in the first edition of the Afghanistan Premier League tournament.[27] In October he was drafted by Chittagong Vikings for the 2018–19 Bangladesh Premier League.[28]

In July 2019, he was selected to play for the Rotterdam Rhinos in the inaugural edition of the Euro T20 Slam cricket tournament.[29][30] However, the following month the tournament was cancelled.[31]

Coaching career

In April 2019, he was also appointed as fielding and wicketkeeping coach for New Zealand until the end of 2019 Cricket World Cup.[32]

See also

References
  1. "Greenidge's final frenzy". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. "World Cup final: Prodigal son Luke Ronchi returns to Australia with New Zealand". 29 March 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  3. "New Zealand tour of England, 2nd Investec Test: England v New Zealand at Leeds, May 29 – Jun 2, 2015". ESPN Cricinfo. 29 May 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  4. "Craig, Williamson spin NZ to famous win". Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  5. "Ronchi retires from international cricket". ESPN Cricinfo. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  6. McCullum, Brendon (22 June 2017). "@ronchi04, embodied all that is important about the Black Caps culture. Selfless, respectful, humble and hard working. Congrats bro & thanks". @Bazmccullum. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  7. Twenty20 Matches played by Luke Ronchi (43) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  8. Twenty20 Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Luke Ronchi – CricketArchive. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  9. Bollinger and Marsh receive contracts; Cricinfo; 9 April 2008
  10. West Indies vs Australia Scorecard; Cricket Archive; 20 June 2008
  11. Brown, Alex; Ronchi and Hussey blast Australia to record win; Sydney Morning Herald; 7 July 2008
  12. AAP/Cooper, Adam; Haddin's back-up ready to excel; 11 January 2009
  13. Foreman, Glen (2012). WA wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi set to move to New Zealand – PerthNow. Posted 16 February 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  14. Wellington v Central Districts – ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  15. Bidwell, Hamish (2012). Luke Ronchi flies in for CD shield clash – stuff.co.nz. Published 17 March 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  16. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/22038288
  17. Former Australia wicket-keeper Luke Ronchi to make debut for New Zealand in ODI against England – Fox Sports. Published 31 May 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  18. McGlashan, Andrew (2013). Ronchi reappears over the Tasman sea – ESPNCricinfo. Published 31 May 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  19. Fox Sports New Zealand v Sri Lanka 2015: Luke Ronchi belts brilliant century as records tumble; 23 January 2015
  20. "Records | One-Day Internationals | Batting records | Most runs in an innings (by batting position) | ESPN Cricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  21. "Records | One-Day Internationals | Partnership records | Highest partnerships by wicket | ESPN Cricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  22. "Luke Ronchi: Leicestershire sign New Zealand wicketkeeper for T20 Blast". BBC Sport. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  23. "Cricket Records | NatWest t20 Blast, 2017 | / | Records | Most runs | ESPN Cricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  24. "Luke Ronchi smashes third-fastest English T20 50 – to no avail". Stuff. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  25. "Global T20 Canada: Complete Squads". SportsKeeda. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  26. "Global T20 Canada League – Full Squads announced". CricTracker. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  27. "Afghanistan Premier League 2018 – All you need to know from the player draft". CricTracker. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  28. "Full players list of the teams following Players Draft of BPL T20 2018-19". Bangladesh Cricket Board. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  29. "Eoin Morgan to represent Dublin franchise in inaugural Euro T20 Slam". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  30. "Euro T20 Slam Player Draft completed". Cricket Europe. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  31. "Inaugural Euro T20 Slam cancelled at two weeks' notice". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  32. "Cricket World Cup secret weapon: Black Caps set to call in Luke Ronchi as fielding coach". 2 April 2019. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
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