Beau Casson (born 7 December 1982) is an Australian former

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 who played for

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

and

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

from 2002 to 2011, and represented

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Test cricket Test cricket is a Forms of cricket, format of the sport of cricket, considered the game’s most prestigious and traditional form. Often referred to as the "ultimate test" of a cricketer's skill, endurance, and temperament, it is a format of i ...

. Primarily a left-arm wrist spinner, Casson was also capable with the bat and had a highest first-class score of 99. He retired from first-class cricket in 2011.

Early and personal life

Casson was born and grew up in the

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

suburb of Subiaco as one of seven children. He began bowling wrist-spin as a child after watching

Shane Warne Shane Keith Warne (13 September 1969 – 4 March 2022) was an Australian international cricketer whose career ran from 1992 to 2007. Warne played as a right-arm leg spin bowler and a lower-order right-handed batter for Victoria, Hampshire ...

, citing him as a major influence in his career. Casson was born with

Tetralogy of Fallot Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), formerly known as Steno-Fallot tetralogy, is a congenital heart defect characterized by four specific cardiac defects. Classically, the four defects are: * Pulmonary stenosis, which is narrowing of the exit from the r ...

, a congenital heart defect for which he has undergone three open-heart surgeries.

Junior career

A talented junior cricketer, Casson represented the

Australian U-19 cricket team The Australian Under-19 cricket team have been playing official Under-19 test matches since 1978. Former captains include Stuart Law, Damien Martyn, Brad Haddin, Nathan Hauritz and Cameron White who have all gone on to play international crick ...

in Youth Test and One Day International matches between 2001 and 2002. He was a vital part of the Australian Under 19 team that won the 2002 Under 19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand, taking 12 wickets at 15.08 in 6 matches. He was also a part of the Youth Test team that took on the

Sri Lankan U-19 cricket team The Sri Lanka Under-19 cricket team represents the country of Sri Lanka in U-19 international cricket. The team controlled by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). Sri Lanka's squad was announced on 23 December 2015. Sri Lanka went on to win the tri series ...

at Perth and

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

in 2001. Australia swept the series 3-0 and Casson performed solidly taking 8 wickets at 17.37 with best figures of 5/52. Casson represented Western Australia at all junior levels, from playing in their Under 17 team in 1999 to their Under 19 team in 2001. He was also a multiple graduate of the Australian Cricket Academy, being a part of the academy intake in 2001, 2002 and 2006.

Domestic career

Western Australia

As a junior, Casson competed for the Western Australian Under 17 and 19 teams as well as their Second XI team, however it wasn't until the 2002–03 season when he won his first full state contract. Prior to making his first-class debut, Casson also played for a Western Australian XI that took on the travelling

English cricket team The England men's cricket team represents cricket in England, England and cricket in Wales, Wales in international cricket. Since 1997, it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), having been previously governed by Maryleb ...

, taking the wicket of James Foster and finishing with figures of 1/32. With seven of Western Australia's players away on international duties, Casson made his first-class debut on 8 December 2003 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 ...

at the

WACA Ground The WACA Ground () is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. The stadium's name derives from the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA). The WACA has been referred to as Western Australia' ...

.Western Australia v Tasmania - Pura Cup 2002/03
Cricket Archive. Retrieved 17 June 2008 He had a quiet debut with the ball, taking 0/44 in Tasmania's first innings, but had a solid showing with the bat, scoring 35 runs in Western Australia's second innings. He had an excellent second first-class match as he tore through South Australia's batting line-up in the first innings to finish with 6/64 and went on to take 10 wickets for the match and was named Man of the Match for the first time in his senior career. Casson played the remaining games of the Pura Cup for Western Australia, however he faded with the ball towards the end of the season, finishing with 17 wickets at 39.35. The 2002–03 season also saw Casson make his

List A List A cricket is a classification of the Limited overs cricket, limited-overs (one-day) form of the sport of cricket, with games lasting up to eight hours. List A cricket includes One Day International (ODI) matches and various domestic competit ...

debut on 10 January 2003 against Victoria at the

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as the 'G, is a sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the Lis ...

. He failed to take a wicket on debut, and in the three other matches he played in the ING Cup season. Casson had a solid second season for Western Australia, taking 17 wickets at 34.11 in the Pura Cup and 4 wickets at 33.50 in the ING Cup, however he missed part of the season due to strained ligaments in his bowling hand. After recovering from his hand injury, Casson had mixed fortunes in the 2004-05 Australian season. He struggled with the ball and bat in the 2004-05 Pura Cup, taking 9 wickets at an average of 40.33 and scoring 36 runs at an average of 9.00. In contrast, he performed well with the ball in the ING Cup taking 8 wickets at 17.75. The 2005–06 season was Casson's last for Western Australia, and he performed poorly, managing 17 wickets at the hefty average of 54.29 in the Pura Cup and only 3 wickets at 41.33 in the ING Cup. In his four years with the Warriors, Casson took 71 first-class wickets at 39.38 and 15 List A wickets at 30.20.

New South Wales

In May 2006, Casson announced he was making a move east to play for the New South Wales Blues.Casson trades in Perth for Sydney
Cricinfo. Retrieved 17 June 2008 Although Western Australia tried to keep him, Casson felt that bowling on the more spin-friendly pitches of the

Sydney Cricket Ground The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in the Moore Park, New South Wales, Moore Park suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australi ...

would help his career. Western Australia claimed that New South Wales had breached the transfer laws in signing him.

Cricket Australia Cricket Australia (CA) is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the 'Australian Board of Control for International Cricket'. It is incorporated as an Australian Public Company ...

, however, ruled that his transfer was lawful and Casson was cleared to play for New South Wales. While there were doubts over whether Casson would be able to hold down a permanent place in the New South Wales team with four other spinners in the squad, he managed to play seven matches in his first season with the Blues. Despite this, he had a very poor first season, taking only 7 wickets at an average of 72.00, however his form was not helped by a shoulder injury that eventually required reconstructive surgery. Coming back from shoulder injury, Casson had an excellent 2007-08 Pura Cup season. Playing nine matches in the season, he took 29 wickets at an average of 35.13 and scored 485 runs at 60.62. He hit a career top score of 99 off 180 balls against

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 ...

at the

and he played a vital role in the Blues' 2007-08 Pura Cup final win. After scoring 89 in a state record seventh wicket stand with

Brett Lee Brett Lee (born 8 November 1976) is an Australian former international cricketer, who played all three formats of the game. During his international career, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in the world. With his time representin ...

, he took 4 wickets in Victoria's unsuccessful run chase, including the final wicket that won the Cup for New South Wales. His strong season was rewarded with his first

contract on 9 April 2008. Despite performing well in first-class cricket, Casson struggled to make the New South Wales one-day side with Nathan Hauritz being the first choice

spinner for the Blues. Casson only played one List A game and two

Twenty20 Twenty20 (abbreviated T20) is a shortened format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the county cricket, inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two t ...

for New South Wales. He announced his retirement from all cricket in November 2011 due to his long-standing heart condition.

International career

On 1 April 2008, Casson was named in Australia's squad for the tour of the West Indies as a back-up for Stuart MacGill. After the retirement of MacGill following the Second Test in

Antigua Antigua ( ; ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua ...

, Casson was named in the Australian team for the final Test in

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

. His Test debut came on 12 June 2008 at

Kensington Oval The Kensington Oval is a stadium located in the western part of Bridgetown, Barbados. It is the pre-eminent sporting facility on the island and is primarily used for cricket. It has hosted many important cricket games between local, regional, ...

Bridgetown Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the Parishes of Barbados, parish of Saint Michael, Barbados, Saint Mic ...

, making him the 401st man to play Test cricket for Australia. Despite going wicket-less in his first innings of the match, he picked up vital wickets in the final innings, taking 3/86. His first Test wicket was that of

Xavier Marshall Xavier Melbourne Marshall (born 27 March 1986) is a Jamaican-American cricketer. He played for the West Indies as a batsman. Since January 2019, he has represented the United States cricket team. International career Marshall represented the W ...

, caught at short leg by Phil Jaques for 85.

Later life

Casson became a coach, working with New South Wales under-age players. He was appointed New South Wales' senior batting coach in 2018.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Casson, Beau 1982 births Living people Western Australia cricketers Australian cricketers Australia Test cricketers People educated at Trinity College, Perth New South Wales cricketers Cricketers from Perth, Western Australia Australian cricket coaches People with congenital heart defects 21st-century Australian sportsmen