Five pairs of brothers to feature in international cricket
Since the inception of cricket, the sport has witnessed many brothers representing their national squad or franchise. It’s true that a sport often runs in the family and siblings share the passion for it.
It’s a dream for any player to don the national jersey one day. Ever since a player starts learning cricket, he aspires to break into the national side one day. And representing a country along with a sibling is truly like a dream come true for any individual. Even if it’s a domestic side or franchise, brothers always share a special bond on the field. Since the inception of cricket, there have been many famous brothers who’ve braced the field together.
Here are five such pairs:
5. Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya
Pandya brothers– Krunal and Hardik are inarguably one of the most famous cricketers at the moment. Be it on or off the field, the Pandya duo never fails to surprise their fans and followers. The two have been successful in establishing their place in the Mumbai Indians camp.
To top it off, they even made their first international appearance together in a T20I against New Zealand on 6th February 2019. Hardik has been a vital part of the national side since 2016 while Krunal is yet to leave an impact at the biggest level. Both Hardik and Krunal will be now seen in action in the much-awaited IPL 2020, starting from September 19th in the UAE.
4. Brendon McCullum and Nathan McCullum
The McCullum brothers were a part of the New Zealand side between 2009 and 2016. They played almost every international game together for the Kiwi side during that era.
Their playing styles were quite contrasting to each other. Nathan McCullum was an off-spinner and a reliable lower-order batsman while Brendon McCullum was an explosive opener. Nathan scalped 121 wickets in 140 matches while Brendon amassed over 15,000 runs in 432 international appearances. The McCullum brothers also played the 2015 World Cup final together. In the very same match, Brendon also became the first captain to lead New Zealand to a World Cup final.
3. Michael Hussey and David Hussey
The Hussey brothers made several appearances for Australia between 2008-2013. They were also a part of the Australian squad in the 2011 ODI World Cup.
Mike, the elder Hussey, made his debut in 2004 against India and eventually established himself as a vital part of the Australian side. He amassed more than 12,000 runs at an impressive average of over 50 in Test cricket. ‘Mr Cricket’ also gathered 22 centuries at the biggest stage. David, on the other hand, was a specialist in the shortest format of the game. David was known for his ability to smash runs along with plucking wickets with his off-spin.
2. Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan
The Baroda duo– Irfan and Yusuf is one of the most successful brother duos in international cricket. They even represented India in the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa where the Men in Blue clinched the trophy by defeating Pakistan in the final.
Irfan broke into the national side in 2003 and he was known for his ability to swing the ball. He was also a handy batsman who could hit vital runs for his side. Irfan is the only bowler to take a hat-trick in the very first over of a Test match. Unlike Irfan, Yusuf was known for his power-hitting. He was a member of the Indian squad which lifted the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup. Along with his explosive batting, Yusuf also was a part-time off-spinner, scalping about 50 wickets in international cricket.
1. Steve Waugh and Mark Waugh
The legendary duo of Steve and Mark Waugh were the first twin brothers to play an international match together. Steve was one of the most decorated skippers in international cricket. Along with amassing 18,500 runs at the biggest level, he steered Australia in Tests with an impressive win ratio of 72 per cent. He even led Australia to victory in ICC World Cup 1999.
Talking about Mark, he scored 16,529 international runs and was regarded as a better batsman than Steve in ODI cricket. Steve was certainly a better skipper but both the Waugh brothers delivered phenomenal performances for Australia with the bat.
