Alfonso Thomas facts for kids
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name |
Alfonso Clive Thomas
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| Born | 9 February 1977 Cape Town, South Africa |
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| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm fast-medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Bowler | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Only T20I (cap 26) | 2 February 2007 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2003 | North West | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2006 | Northerns | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Titans | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Staffordshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Warwickshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2010 | Dolphins | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2015 | Somerset (squad no. 8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | → Sussex (on loan) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Lions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Pune Warriors | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Adelaide Strikers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Titans | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Perth Scorchers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Dhaka Gladiators | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricketArchive, 30 September 2015
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Alfonso Clive Thomas (born 9 February 1977) is a former professional cricketer from South Africa. He was a right-arm fast-medium bowler. He was also known as a strong lower-order batsman.
Alfonso Thomas played for many teams around the world. In South Africa, he played for North West, Northerns, the Titans, the Lions, and the Dolphins. He also played English county cricket for Warwickshire and Somerset. He joined the Pune Warriors in the Indian Premier League. In Australia, he played for the Adelaide Strikers and the Perth Scorchers. In June 2014, Thomas achieved something special. He took four wickets in four balls in a County Championship game. He was also one of the first players to be very good at "death bowling" in early Twenty20 (T20) cricket.
Contents
Alfonso Thomas's Cricket Journey
Playing in South Africa
Alfonso Thomas started his first-class cricket career in the 1998/99 season. He played for Western Province B. After a short break, he joined the North West team in the 2000/01 season. In one of his early games, he scored his first century (100 runs). He made 106 runs without being out. This helped set a new record for the tenth wicket partnership for North West.
He continued to play well for North West. In the 2001/02 season, he took five wickets in an innings three times. He was the top wicket-taker for North West that season. His good performance led him to play for South Africa A. He also represented South Africa in the Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes tournament. In the 2002/03 season, he scored another century, making 119 runs not out.
In 2003, Thomas moved to the Northerns. He quickly took 36 wickets in eight matches. He also played in the new Twenty20 cricket format. This was for the Titans, a team made from Northerns and Easterns. He took five wickets in six matches for the Titans. He even took the top three batsmen's wickets in one game.
Playing in England
In August 2007, Alfonso Thomas joined Warwickshire in England. He played nine matches for them. The next year, he signed with Somerset. He played for Somerset until the end of the 2015 season.
Champions League Twenty20 Success
In 2009, Thomas helped Somerset win a thrilling match in the 2009 Champions League Twenty20. Somerset needed 55 runs from 37 balls when he came to bat. He formed a record partnership with James Hildreth. In the final over, Somerset needed five runs from two balls. Thomas hit a boundary (four runs) from the last ball to win the game!
Playing in Australia
Alfonso Thomas also played in Australia's Big Bash League. He joined the Adelaide Strikers for the first season in 2011–12. He played in all seven of their matches and took five wickets.
For the 2012–13 season, he moved to the Perth Scorchers. He had a fantastic season, taking twelve wickets in eight matches. He was the top wicket-taker for Perth. His best performance was taking 4 wickets for only 8 runs against the Melbourne Renegades. This was his best bowling in any Twenty20 match.
Alfonso Thomas's Coaching Career
After his playing career, Alfonso Thomas became a cricket coach.
- In February 2018, he became the bowling coach for the West Indies.
- In February 2019, he was appointed bowling coach for Hampshire in England.
- From 2016 to 2019, he worked at Downside School. He was in charge of cricket development and coaching there.
- In November 2023, he was named the head coach of Leicestershire County Cricket Club.
