Shaun Tait (born 22 February 1983) is a former Australian professional

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 was appointed as the bowling coach of the

Pakistan national cricket team The Pakistan men's national cricket team represents Pakistan in international cricket. It is controlled by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the governing body for cricket in Pakistan, which is a Full Member of the International Cricket Counc ...

in February 2022. He played as a right arm

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 ...

Shaun Tait – ESPNcricinfo Profile
ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 December 2007 and represented Australia in all three forms of cricket, but had most success in One Day Internationals, in which he was a member of Australia's undefeated team at the

2007 Cricket World Cup The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth Cricket World Cup, a One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007. There were a total of 51 matches played, three fewer than at the 2 ...

, and

Twenty20 cricket 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 ...

. Tait won four different awards throughout his career including the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year in 2004. He is considered one of the fastest bowlers of all time. He is currently the

Fast bowling 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 ...

coach of

Bangladesh national cricket team The Bangladesh men's national cricket team (), commonly known as The Tigers, is the national cricket team of Bangladesh, administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). They are a Full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with ...

Tait retired from

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 ...

in 2009, and later from

One Day International One Day International (ODI) is a format of cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of fifty overs, with the game lasting up to 7 hours. The World Cup, generally held every four yea ...

s in March 2011, to concentrate on playing T20 cricket. In March 2017, Tait announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.

Bowling style

Tait's delivery action was a sling style reminiscent of former Australian fast bowler Jeff Thomson's action. Dubbed "The Wild Thing", during his career Tait was considered one of the fastest bowlers in the world, regularly bowling at speeds up to 155 km/h. During a Twenty20 international match in February 2010 Tait bowled a ball measured at 160.7 km/h, the fastest ball ever recorded in Australia. Tait has often been described as "erratic" and is capable of bowling many extras, although his unpredictability can be a positive factor in dismissing batsmen. Tait has also been criticised as being "expensive." After a

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 ...

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 ...

on 11 December 2007, in which Tait troubled the batsmen and took 2/22, New Zealand captain

Daniel Vettori Daniel Luca Vettori (born 27 January 1979) is a New Zealand cricket coach and former cricketer who played for the New Zealand national cricket team. He was the 200th player to win their Test cricket cap for New Zealand and an inductee in the Ne ...

and coach John Bracewell publicly raised doubts over the legality of Tait's bowling action. Tait labelled the comments as a "disgrace" and added that he would be willing to undergo tests to prove his action was legal.

Early career

Tait played for

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 ...

throughout his first-class career, also playing for Australia A and, in 2004, for

Durham County Cricket Club Durham County Cricket Club (rebranded as Durham Cricket in February 2019) is one of eighteen first-class cricket, first-class county cricket, county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the Historic c ...

in England. He took almost 200 first-class wickets after making his first-class debut at the age of 19 against

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 ...

in December 2002 at

Adelaide Oval The Adelaide Oval is a stadium in Adelaide in the state of South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Parklands, parklands. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby league, ...

. He only bowled in one innings on debut, taking three wickets for the cost of 77 runs (3/77) from 22.2 overs. Tait played five matches during his first season, taking 20 wickets at a

bowling average In cricket, a player's bowling average is the number of runs they have conceded per wicket taken. The lower the bowling average is, the better the bowler is performing. It is one of a number of statistics used to compare bowlers, commonly use ...

of 22.55 runs per wicket. He made 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 in February 2003 and as a result of his strong first season, was awarded a place at the Australian Cricket Academy alongside players such as Ben Hilfenhaus and Luke Ronchi. Tait was South Australia's leading wicket taker, and the second leading wicket taker overall in the 2003–04 ING Cup with 18 wickets at an average of 19.61. The highlight of his season was his record-breaking haul of 8/43 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 ...

on 9 January 2004. These were the best figures by an Australian in List A cricket, and the eighth-best List A figures of all time. He was selected in the Australia A team to take on the touring India side. He took 3/85 in the Indians' first innings. He once again had a strong

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 ...

season, taking 30 wickets at an average of 28.33 and he was awarded the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year award. In July 2004, Tait was signed by

for the second half of the English

County Championship The County Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Rothesay County Championship, is the only domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales. Established in 1890, it is organised by the England and Wales Cri ...

season. His first match was against a

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

side captained by fellow Australian

Ricky Ponting Ricky Thomas Ponting (born 19 December 1974) is an Australian cricket coach, commentator, and former player. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time and is the most successful captain in international cricket history, ...

, although he did not take a wicket and bowled 21 no balls in his 12 overs. Tait only played one more first-class match for Durham before returning to Australia. Tait was awarded his first

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 ...

central-contract for the 2004–05 season, being included ahead of

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

fast bowler Andy Bichel. Tait repaid the selectors' faith in him by having his best season to date; he took 65 first-class wickets at an average of 20.16, surpassing Clarrie Grimmett's record for most wickets in a season for a South Australian bowler. After missing the opening half of the 2005–06 domestic season with an injury to his right shoulder, sustained on the Ashes tour, Tait struggled on his return, taking only 14 wickets at 38.35 in the four matches in which he was able to play. Despite this, he was still named as part of the Australia A squad to play in the 2006 Top End Series. A strong season in 2006–07, taking 29 wickets at 27.10, saw him win the Lord Hampden Trophy for South Australia's player of the season. An elbow injury kept Tait out for the opening parts of the 2007–08 Sheffield Shield season, however, upon recovery, a match against

at the

Brisbane Cricket Ground The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as the Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. The nickname Gabba derives from the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located. Over the years, the Ga ...

saw him take his first 10-wicket haul. He took 3/69 in the first innings and 7/29 in the second, his best first-class figures.

International debut

Tait was named in Australia's Test squad to tour Sri Lanka in 2004 as a replacement for the injured

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 ...

, although he did not play in a Test on the tour. After an impressive domestic summer, in April 2005 he was named in Australia's squad to tour England for the 2005 Ashes series and made his Test match debut against

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

on 25 August 2005 at

Trent Bridge Trent Bridge Cricket Ground is a cricket ground mostly used for Test cricket, Test, One-day cricket, One-Day International and county cricket located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, just across the River Trent from the city of Nott ...

in the fourth match of the series. Some suggested that Tait should have played in the first Test of the series, but an injury to

Glenn McGrath Glenn Donald McGrath (; born 9 February 1970) is an Australian former international cricketer whose career spanned 14 years. He was a fast-medium pace bowler and is considered one of cricket's greatest bowlers and a leading contributor to Aus ...

and the poor form of

Jason Gillespie Jason Neil Gillespie (born 19 April 1975) is an Australian cricket coach and former cricketer who played all three formats of the game. Jason Gillespie was appointed as the head coach for Pakistan's red-ball (Test) cricket team on April 28, 202 ...

gave Tait his chance later in the series. Tait bowled 24 overs and took 3/97 in his first innings, the best figures of any Australian fast bowler in the match. While he went wicketless in the second innings, he held his spot to play in the final Test of the Ashes series at

The Oval The Oval, currently named for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club sinc ...

, taking 1/61 in the first innings and 1/28 in the second. A shoulder injury ahead of the Super Series against the ICC World XI, saw Tait ruled out of playing and despite calls from Jason Gillespie and

Ian Chappell Ian Michael Chappell (born 26 September 1943) is a former cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. Known as "Chappelli", he is considered as one of the greatest captains the game has seen.

for his inclusion in the side for the

2006–07 Ashes series The 2006–07 cricket series between Australia national cricket team, Australia and England cricket team, England for The Ashes was played in Australia from 23 November 2006 to 5 January 2007. Australia won the series and regained the Ashes that ...

in Australia, he did not get a place in the team with the selectors opting for Stuart Clark. Tait made his

debut in February 2007 against England at 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 ...

in the 2006–07 Commonwealth Bank Series. Later that month, he was selected as a part of Australia's squad to take on New Zealand for the 2006–07 Chappell–Hadlee Trophy in New Zealand. Tait was selected for the final two games of the series, taking two wickets as New Zealand chased down scores of over 300 twice and whitewashed a strong Australian team. Tait was selected in Australia's 15-man squad for the

in the West Indies. Although he was not expected to play a major role in the Australian side, an injury to Brett Lee meant that a relatively inexperienced Tait assumed Lee's mantle as the spearhead of the bowling attack. Despite the added pressure, Tait performed to much acclaim in the World Cup, finishing the tournament as the equal second leading wicket-taker with 23 wickets at an average of 20.30. This included a Player of the Match performance against England in which he claimed 3/41, and taking 4/39 against a strong South African team in the semi-final. He went wicketless in a rain affected final against

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, ...

, but Australia won the tournament in what was described as the "most dominant campaign" by a team in World Cup history. Shaun Tait bowling

Tait was selected in the 13-man squad for Sri Lanka's tour of Australia in November 2007, however his ongoing elbow injury forced him out, being replaced by Ben Hilfenhaus. Having returned to fitness in December, he once again earned a spot in the Australian squad, this time for the series against

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 ...

. While there was some suggestion that Australia might use Tait in a four pronged pace-attack as early as the first Test, spinner Brad Hogg was selected over Tait for the first two Tests. Tait was eventually chosen in place of Hogg for the third Test, with the WACA wicket expected to suit his fast bowling. He went wicketless; his claims to "bowl over" the Indian team had backfired and he announced that he would take an indefinite break from cricket after the match.

Sabbatical

In January 2008, Tait announced that he would take an indefinite break from cricket, citing being physically and emotionally exhausted. He stated, "A break from professional cricket will hopefully give me a clear mind and a chance for my body to rest and recover." In March he said he was "feeling normal again" and was aiming for a comeback at the start of the 2008–09 season. He was awarded a central-contract for the season. In February 2009, the

Rajasthan Royals The Rajasthan Royals, also known as RR, are a professional Twenty20 cricket team based in Jaipur, Rajasthan, that competes in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Founded in 2008 as one of the initial eight franchises, the team is owned by Manoj ...

of the

Indian Premier League The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a professional Twenty20 (T20) cricket league in India, organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Founded in 2007, it features ten city-based Professional sports league organization, fr ...

bought Tait, although he later withdrew from the tournament following an injury. In May 2009 Cricket Australia announced that Tait would not have his contract renewed for the 2009–10 season. Tait described this as "a kick in the teeth". Following the withdrawal of

Andrew Symonds Andrew Symonds (9 June 1975 – 14 May 2022) was an Australian international cricketer, who played all three formats as a batting all-rounder. Commonly nicknamed "Roy", he was a key member of two Cricket World Cup, World Cup–winning squads. ...

' contract after he was sent back from Britain before the

2009 ICC World Twenty20 The 2009 ICC World Twenty20 was the second edition of the Men's T20 World Cup, formerly known as the ICC World Twenty20 that took place in England in June 2009. As before, the tournament featured 12 male teams – nine of the ten Test cricket, ...

, Tait was given a replacement contract.

2010 to retirement

In 2009, Tait gave up first-class cricket indefinitely to focus on the shorter forms of the game. He played in Australia's one-day squad in 2010 and rejoined the Australian one-day squad for the

2011 Cricket World Cup The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, while the latter hosted World Cup matches for the first time. India won the tournament, defeating Sri Lanka by six wickets in the 2 ...

, playing in seven games and taking 11 wickets before the side lost to India in the quarter-finals. Following Australia's exit from the tournament, Tait announced his retirement from 50-over cricket, stating that he intended to focus on playing Twenty20 cricket. He played in the Indian Premier League for Rajasthan between 2010 and 2013, in the Australian

Big Bash League The Big Bash League (BBL), also known as the KFC Big Bash League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in Australia. Established in 2011 by Cricket Australia, the Big Bash League replaced the previous competitio ...

for

Melbourne Renegades Melbourne Renegades are an Australian professional men's Twenty20 franchise cricket club based in Melbourne, the capital city of the Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. They compete in the Australian Twenty20 cricket competit ...

Adelaide Strikers The Adelaide Strikers are an Australian professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia that compete in the Big Bash League (BBL).Cricket Australia (n.d), Teams and Players, Cricket Australia, accessed 1 Decemb ...

and Hobart Hurricanes, in the United Kingdom for

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

and

Essex County Cricket Club Essex County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Essex. Founded in 1876, the club had minor county status until 1894 w ...

s and for sides in a number of other leagues around the world until his retirement from cricket in 2017. During the 2015–16 Big Bash season, he bowled an economical spell of 3/16 for Hobart and was recalled to the national team for the T20 International series against India, but missed selection for the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 after failing to take a wicket in the two matches he played. Tait announced his retirement from playing in March 2017 due to a chronic elbow injury.

Coaching

In August 2021 Tait was appointed as a bowling consultant to the

Afghanistan national cricket team The Afghanistan men's national cricket team (, ) represents Afghanistan in international cricket. It is a full Member of the International Cricket Council with Test, One-Day International and T20 International status. Cricket has been play ...

. At the end of the same year he resigned from the post and in February 2022 was appointed as the bowling coach of the

for 12 months. Currently appointed as a bowling coach of

Career best performances

Personal life

In August 2013, Tait became engaged to Indian model and entrepreneur Mashoom Singha. They were married in June 2014 in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

. In March 2017, Tait announced that he had become an overseas citizen of India.

Awards

* Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year: 2004 * Lord Hampden Trophy: 2007 * ICC Emerging Player of the Year: 2007 * Australian Cricketers' Association All-star Ford Ranger Cup team: 2007–08

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tait, Shaun Australia Test cricketers Australia One Day International cricketers Australia Twenty20 International cricketers Durham cricketers Australian expatriate cricketers in England South Australia cricketers 1983 births Living people Cricketers from Adelaide Rajasthan Royals cricketers Glamorgan cricketers Mid West Rhinos cricketers Wellington cricketers Cricketers at the 2007 Cricket World Cup Cricketers at the 2011 Cricket World Cup Melbourne Renegades cricketers Adelaide Strikers cricketers Hobart Hurricanes cricketers Essex cricketers Australian cricketers Peshawar Zalmi cricketers Lahore Qalandars cricketers Chattogram Challengers cricketers Australian expatriate cricketers in Bangladesh Australian expatriate cricketers in India Australian expatriate sportspeople in New Zealand Expatriate cricketers in New Zealand Australian expatriate cricketers in Pakistan Australian expatriate sportspeople in Wales Expatriate cricket coaches Coaches of the Pakistan national cricket team People with Overseas Citizenship of India 21st-century Australian sportsmen