Andris Karlis Zesers (born 11 March 1967) is a former

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

er. He played as a right-arm specialist

fast bowler Fast bowling (also referred to as pace bowling) is a type of bowling in cricket, in which the ball is delivered at high speed. The fastest bowlers bowl the ball at over . Practitioners of fast bowling are known as fast bowlers or quicks. Also ...

. The son of a

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

n-born construction worker, Zesers ascended quickly to first-class ranks. He was selected at the age of 17 years and 256 days to represent

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

against

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

in late 1984, whilst still a student at

Marden High School Marden High School is a coeducational secondary school located in Cullercoats, Tyne and Wear, England. The Marden City Learning Centre, opened 15 July 2003, was situated on the grounds in front of the school. However, Woodlawn School has now ...

after less than a year in grade cricket. He was a tall fast bowler, and demonstrated all-round potential when he scored 85 and took 6/76 in a

Sheffield Shield The Sheffield Shield is the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams representing the six states of Australia. The Sheffield Shield is named after Henry Holroyd, 3rd Earl of Sheffield, Lor ...

match against Victoria in his debut season. This earned him selection on the 1984–85 Australian Under-19 team to tour

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. His efforts in claiming 11 wickets, at an average of just 12, put him into contention for higher honours in the limited-overs format. By the age of 21, Zesers had collected more than 100 first-class wickets, the only person to have achieved this feat. He was subsequently selected for the

1987 Cricket World Cup The 1987 Cricket World Cup (officially known as the Reliance Cup 1987 for sponsorship reasons) was the fourth Cricket World Cup. It was held from 8 October to 8 November 1987 in India and Pakistan – the first such tournament to be held outsid ...

, with Australia winning the tournament and claiming its first world title. Zesers made his ODI debut against

in the group phase in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

, taking 0/37 as India reached 8/289. In Australia's run-chase, he made two not out batting at number 10 as Australia was bowled out for 233. Zesers played his second match against

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Chandigarh Chandigarh is a city and union territory in northern India, serving as the shared capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana. Situated near the foothills of the Shivalik range of Himalayas, it borders Haryana to the east and Punjab in the ...

, and scored eight not out from four balls after coming in during the final overs of Australia’s innings. He took his only international wicket in dismissing John Wright, but after conceding 37 runs in just six overs, he was dropped and never again represented his country.Cricinfo – 20th Match: Australia v New Zealand at Chandigarh, 27 October 1987
/ref> A chronic shoulder injury ended his career in 1989–90, at the age of just 23, having played 45 first-class matches and taken 142 wickets at an average of 30.44 with four five-wicket hauls, and having scored 763 runs at 16.58 with two half-centuries. His bowling was characterised by a tendency to attack the stumps, with 36% of his wickets coming through either bowling the batsman out or trapping them

leg before wicket Leg before wicket (lbw) is one of the ways in which a Batting (cricket), batter can be dismissal (cricket), dismissed in the sport of cricket. Following an Appeal (cricket), appeal by the Fielding (cricket), fielding side, the umpire (cricket), ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zesers, Andrew 1967 births Living people Australia One Day International cricketers South Australia cricketers Australian cricketers Australian people of Latvian descent Cricketers at the 1987 Cricket World Cup Cricketers from Adelaide Prospect cricketers 20th-century Australian sportsmen