Darren Pattinson facts for kids

Darren John Pattinson (born 2 August 1979) is a former English cricket player. He played for teams like Victoria and Nottinghamshire. Darren became quite famous when he was unexpectedly chosen to play for the England cricket team in July 2008. This was for a big match, called a Test, against South Africa. The match took place at Headingley. A former England captain, Graham Gooch, said his selection was "one of the most leftfield decisions I've ever seen." This meant it was a very surprising choice.

Playing Career Highlights

Darren Pattinson was born in England but grew up in Australia. He played for the Dandenong Cricket Club in a league called Victorian Premier Cricket. In the 2006–07 season, many bowlers on the Victorian team got hurt. This led to Darren being chosen to play for them.

First-Class Debut

In January 2007, Darren played his first "first-class" cricket match. This was against South Australia at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground. In that game, he took four wickets, which is a great start for a bowler. Because he played so well, Victoria offered him a contract for the next season.

Moving to England

Darren was working as a roof-tiler, but he wanted to play cricket professionally. So, he signed a two-year contract to play for Nottinghamshire in England. He started playing for them in 2008. In his first game for Nottinghamshire, he took five wickets. Later, he took six wickets in another match against Lancashire at Trent Bridge.

Surprising Selection for England

On 3 July 2008, Darren Pattinson was named in England's 30-man squad for a big tournament. A couple of weeks later, he was called up to the England cricket team for a Test match. This was because another player, James Anderson, needed cover.

Test Match Debut

The very next day, another player, Ryan Sidebottom, couldn't play because of a back injury. This meant Darren Pattinson was chosen to make his Test debut for England! This was a huge step for him. Before this Test, he had only played in 11 first-class matches.

Why His Selection Was Surprising

Darren's selection was a big surprise to many people. He had been playing very well for Nottinghamshire, taking many wickets. But to be chosen for the national team so quickly was unexpected. Some famous former England captains shared their thoughts.

• Ian Botham called it "the most illogical, pathetic and diabolical piece of selecting I've seen." He felt the selectors had made a big mistake.
• Geoffrey Boycott said it was "one of the first big decisions taken by England's new selection panel, and they got it badly wrong."

England's captain at the time, Michael Vaughan, seemed to question the choice too. He later explained that another player, Matthew Hoggard, was unavailable for the match due to a prior commitment.

Darren's Only Test Match

Darren Pattinson played his only Test match against South Africa at Headingley.

Batting and Bowling

When he batted, Darren came in at number 11, which is the last player in the batting order. He scored 8 runs. Then, he started bowling with James Anderson. On the second day, he took his first Test wicket, getting Hashim Amla out. He later took his second wicket by getting Ashwell Prince out. He finished the innings with two wickets for 95 runs. He also had a couple of tough chances to catch the ball, but couldn't hold on.

Match Result

In England's second turn to bat, Darren scored 13 runs. He helped his teammate Stuart Broad add 61 runs for the last wicket. This meant South Africa had to bat again to win the game. South Africa eventually won the match by ten wickets.

After His Test Match

After his Test debut, Darren went back to play for Victoria in Australia. Even though he had played for England, he wasn't always chosen for the team. His younger brother, James, who is also a fast bowler, was often preferred. However, when other fast bowlers got injured, Darren was often picked to play.

Return to England

Darren returned to England in 2010 to play for Nottinghamshire again. That season, Nottinghamshire won the County Championship, which is a major cricket competition. Darren helped them win by taking 31 wickets. He was also their top wicket-taker in the T20 format that year.

In the 2010–11 Australian season, Darren had his best bowling performance ever. He took 8 wickets for only 35 runs against Western Australia.

Personal Life

Darren Pattinson has a younger brother named James. James has also played Test and One Day International (ODI) cricket for Australia. Darren has two daughters, Sophie and Olivia.

Greyhound Training

In 2013, Darren Pattinson started a new career. He became a licensed greyhound trainer. One of his most successful greyhounds was named Blazin’ Bomber. This dog won 27 out of 60 races.

See also

• One Test Wonder