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 known for his fast-medium bowling and powerful hitting as a lower-order batsman. Alfonso played for many teams around the world.
He played for several South African teams like North West and the Titans. He also played in England for Warwickshire and Somerset. In India, he played for the Pune Warriors. In Australia, he joined the Adelaide Strikers and Perth Scorchers. A cool moment in his career was in June 2014. He took four wickets in four balls in a game against Sussex! He was also one of the first players to be really good at "death bowling." This is a special way of bowling at the very end of a Twenty20 game.
Contents
Alfonso Thomas: A Cricket Journey
Starting Out in South Africa
Alfonso Thomas began his top-level cricket career in the 1998/99 season. He played for Western Province B. He later moved to the North West team in the 2000/01 season. In his first game for North West, he took six wickets.
Just two games later, Alfonso scored his first century (100 runs). He hit 106 not out while batting at number ten. He set a record for North West with a 174-run partnership for the tenth wicket. A few months later, he was part of another big partnership. He scored 95 not out in that game.
Alfonso also showed his bowling skills. He took his first "five-wicket haul" (five wickets in one innings) against Easterns. He got six wickets for only 26 runs. He continued his great form in the 2001/02 season. He took five wickets in an innings three times in the first five games.
He even represented South Africa in the Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes. He was the top wicket-taker for North West that season. His good performance led him to play for South Africa A. In 2003, he scored his second century, making 119 not out.
Moving to Northerns and the Titans
In 2003, Alfonso joined the Northerns team. He quickly took 36 wickets in eight matches. He also helped Northerns reach the semi-finals of the Standard Bank Cup.
That year, Twenty20 cricket started in South Africa. Alfonso played for the Titans, a new team. He took five wickets in six matches for them. In one game, he took the top three batsmen's wickets early on. This helped his team win by 90 runs. He also played one Twenty20 International for South Africa, taking three wickets for 25 runs.
Playing Cricket Around the World
English County Cricket
In August 2007, Alfonso joined Warwickshire in England. He played nine matches for them. The next summer, he signed with Somerset. He played for Somerset until the end of the 2015 season.
Exciting Win in 2009 Champions League
Alfonso played a key role in a thrilling win for Somerset in 2009. They were playing against Deccan Chargers. Somerset needed 55 runs with only 37 balls left. Alfonso helped guide his team.
In the final over, Somerset needed five runs from five balls. Two wickets fell, leaving Alfonso to hit the winning runs. He hit a boundary (four runs) on the fourth ball. Then, with one ball left and needing one run, he hit another four! This gave Somerset an amazing victory.
Australian Big Bash League
Alfonso also played in Australia's Big Bash League. He joined the Adelaide Strikers for the first season in 2011–12. He played all seven games for them. He took five wickets, including three wickets for 24 runs in one match.
For the 2012–13 season, he moved to the Perth Scorchers. He took 12 wickets in eight matches. This made him Perth's top wicket-taker. His best performance was four wickets for only eight runs against the Melbourne Renegades. This was his best bowling in any Twenty20 match!
Life After Playing: Coaching
After his playing career, Alfonso Thomas became a cricket coach. In February 2018, he was named the bowling coach for the West Indies.
In February 2019, he became the bowling coach for Hampshire in England. From 2016 to 2019, he also worked as a cricket development coach at Downside School. In November 2023, he was appointed head coach of Leicestershire County Cricket Club.
