Karl Brown (cricketer)

Karl Robert Brown (born 17 May 1988 in Atherton, Greater Manchester) is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler who played for Lancashire until 2018. Brown made his first-class debut in 2006 and his list A debut the following year. Between 2005 and 2007, Brown played 15 Youth One Day Internationals. In 2011, Brown scored his maiden centuries in first-class and list A cricket and debuted for Lancashire in twenty20s.

Karl Brown

Personal information
Full name	Karl Robert Brown
Born	17 May 1988 Atherton, Greater Manchester, England
Nickname	Brownie, Charlie
Batting	Right-hand
Bowling	Right-arm medium
Role	Batsman
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2006–2018	Lancashire (squad no. 14)
2012	Moors Sports Club
First-class debut	10 May 2006 Lancashire v Durham MCCU
List A debut	22 April 2007 Lancashire v Worcestershire
Career statistics
Competition FC LA T20 Matches 85 80 91 Runs scored 3,572 2,420 2,188 Batting average 26.65 37.81 27.69 100s/50s 2/22 2/14 0/16 Top score 132 129 69 Balls bowled 90 6 – Wickets 2 0 – Bowling average 32.50 – – 5 wickets in innings 0 – – 10 wickets in match 0 n/a n/a Best bowling 2/30 – – Catches/stumpings 52/– 21/– 30/–
Source: Cricket Archive, 28 September 2018

Career

Early career and youth internationals

He was one half of his home town team's youngest opening partnership when he opened on 31 May 2003 for Atherton Cricket Club's First XI.[1] Brown's career with Lancashire stretches back to 2003, when, as a 15-year-old, he made his Second XI debut in a defeat against Somerset Second XI.[2] In 2005 Brown moved to Northern and helped them to their Premier League championship success that year. He moved again for the 2007 season to Milnrow,[3] following career advice to gain experience as a nominated club professional.

Brown has played twelve Youth One-Day Internationals,[4] making a top score of 109 in one such match.[5] He has been awarded the Man of the Match trophy on two occasions for the England Under-19 team, once thanks to a speedy half-century,[6] and secondly thanks to a one-man batting onslaught in a rain-affected defeat against the Indian Under-19 squad, the match in which he scored his maiden century.[7]

On 11 May 2006, Brown made his first-class debut. The match was against Durham University and, alongside veteran Iain Sutcliffe, he opened the batting for Lancashire. He scored 2 and 32.[8] It was the only match Brown played for Lancashire's first team that year.[9] The next year, he made his list a (one-day) debut; playing against Worcestershire on 22 April 2007, he came in at the fall of Lancashire's first wicket and was dismissed for one run.[10] Brown has struggled to cement a regular place in the Lancashire side, and between 2006 and 2009 he played just seven first-class matches, scoring 156 runs with a high score of 40,[9] and five one-day appearances, managing 72 runs with a highest score of 41.[11]

Struggling to force his way into Lancashire's batting line-up in 2009 – made up of the likes of Tom Smith, Paul Horton, Mal Loye, Mark Chilton, V V S Laxman, and Francois du Plessis[12] – Brown was a regular in the top order of Lancashire's second team which progressed to the final of the Second XI Championship and the semi-final of the Second XI Trophy.[13] He played just two first team matches for Lancashire in 2009, scoring 40 runs from 4 innings.[9][11] In the last innings of England's 2010 Test series against Bangladesh he took a catch standing at wide mid-off claiming the wicket of Mushfiqur Rahim off Steven Finn's bowling, one of many substitute fielding appearances that day.[14] After scoring 56 for Lancashire's first team against West Indies A in a 50-over friendly,[15] Brown make his first 40-over appearance of the season in a Clydesdale Bank 40 group tie against the Unicorns. After Lancashire bowled the Unicorns out for 143 Brown scored a career-best of 65 not out in their run chase which resulted in Lancashire winning with 144/1.[16] In the seven one-day matches Brown played in the 2010 season, he scored 286 runs at an average of 47.66, including his first three half-centuries in the format.[11]

Breakthrough

Playing against Oxford Marylebone Cricket Club University in Lancashire's opening match of the 2011 season, Brown scored his maiden first-class half-century, beating his previous highest score of 40. His innings of 72[17] was surpassed in the next match when Brown scored 114 against Sussex to help Lancashire to victory in their first match of the 2011 County Championship.[18] During the course of an innings of 85 against Worcestershire in August, Brown passed the landmark of 1,000 first-class runs.[19] Brown batted alongside Steven Croft to win the final County Championship match of the season on 15 September against Somerset and in doing so winning the competition outright for the first time since 1934.[20] The season ended with Brown scoring 795 first-class runs with an average of 31.80 (26 innings),[21] 309 List A runs with an average of 44.14 (9 innings)[22] and 240 Twenty20 runs with an average of 30.00 (9 innings).[23] The performance meant he was named Lancashire's Young Player of the Year, an award for the club's under-24s.[24] On the back of his performances for Lancashire, Brown was included in the 13-man England Development squad.[25]

Personal life

Brown is an avid supporter of Bolton Wanderers Football Club.[26]

References

1. Youth Opens The Way For Atherton 1st XI Archived 12 July 2012 at Archive.today
2. Second Eleven Championship Matches played by Karl Brown (50), Cricket Archive, retrieved 15 December 2009
3. Kark Brown leaves Northern for Milnrow
4. List of Youth ODI's
5. England Under-19s vs. India Under-19s
6. England Under-19s vs. Malaysia Under-19s
7. England Under-19s vs. India Under-19s
8. f49136 Durham University Centre of Cricketing Excellence v Lancashire: University Centres of Cricketing Excellence 2006, Cricket Archive, retrieved 15 December 2009
9. First-class Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Karl Brown, Cricket Archive, retrieved 15 December 2009
10. a18182 Lancashire v Worcestershire: Friends Provident Trophy 2007 (North Division), Cricket Archive, retrieved 15 December 2009
11. ListA Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Karl Brown, Cricket Archive, retrieved 15 December 2009
12. Season 2009 – Lancashire / Records / First-class matches / Most runs, Cricinfo, retrieved 15 December 2009
13. Ostick, Chris (4 September 2009), "Lancashire seconds on glory hunt", Manchester Evening News, retrieved 15 December 2009
14. Ruthless England seal innings win against Bangladesh, BBC, 6 June 2010, retrieved 27 July 2010, he chipped straight to substitute fielder Karl Brown at wide mid-on
15. Lancashire v West Indies A Triangular A Team Series 2010, Cricket Archive, retrieved 27 July 2010
16. Lancashire cruise past Unicorns at Old Trafford, BBC, 24 July 2010, retrieved 27 July 2010
17. f53134 Oxford Marylebone Cricket Club University v Lancashire: Marylebone Cricket Club University Matches 2011, Cricket Archive, retrieved 11 April 2011
18. Karl Brown century gives Lancashire control over Sussex, BBC Sport, 9 April 2011, retrieved 11 April 2011
19. f53324 Lancashire v Worcestershire: LV County Championship 2011 (Division 1), Cricket Archive, retrieved 10 September 2011
20. Lancashire win County Championship Division One title, BBC Sport, retrieved 18 November 2011
21. BBC Sport – Cricket – County Championship averages, BBC Sport, retrieved 18 November 2011
22. BBC Sport – Cricket – Clydesdale bank 40 averages, BBC Sport, retrieved 18 November 2011
23. BBC Sport – Cricket – Twenty20 Cup averages, BBC Sport, retrieved 18 November 2011
24. Wilson, Andy (18 October 2011), Modest Chapple is Lancashire's player of the year, The Cricketer, retrieved 7 November 2011
25. England youngsters set for busy winter, Cricinfo, 29 September 2011, retrieved 6 January 2012
26. County Cricketer Backing Bolton at Wembley, Bolton Wanderers Football Club, retrieved 18 November 2011

External links

• Karl Brown at ESPNcricinfo
• Karl Brown at CricketArchive (subscription required)