Michael Halliday (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Michael Halliday is an Irish former cricketer
. A right-handed batsman and right-arm off spin
bowler, he played 93 times for the Ireland cricket team between 1970 and 1989, including fourteen first-class
matches and nine List A matches.
and the MCC
. He next played for Ireland in September 1973, against the USA at Griffith Park
in Los Angeles
. 1975 saw him play a second first-class match against Scotland in addition to a match against Denmark.
playing opposition. 1977 saw matches against Wales, the MCC and Sussex
, his first match against an English county
side.
His first match of 1978 was against the MCC at Eglinton
in County Londonderry
. He took 7/58 in the MCC first innings, which were to remain his best bowling figures for Ireland. He also took three wickets in the second innings, taking ten wickets in a match for the first time. He also played against Denmark, Scotland and Wales that year. In 1979, he played against Surrey
, FW Millet's XI
, the MCC and Wales, in addition to first-class matches against Sri Lanka and Scotland. In the match against Scotland he took 5/39 in Scotland's second innings, his best bowling performance in first-class cricket.
, winning the man of the match
award in the process. A week later he made his List A debut, playing a Gillette Cup match against Middlesex
at Lord's
. He took 4/22 in the match, which remained his best List A bowling performance. He finished the year with matches against Wales and Scotland.
He continued the 1980s playing mainly against various county sides, in addition to internationals against Canada, Scotland, Wales, the West Indies, Australia, India and Pakistan. In 1986, he toured Zimbabwe with Ireland, taking eleven wickets in the match against Matabeleand
, the second and final time he took ten wickets in a match for Ireland. Later in 1986, he scored 62 not out
against the MCC in Dublin, his only half-century
for Ireland.
His last match for Ireland was against Wales in Usk
in August 1989.
at an average of 15.08. He took 192 wickets at an average
of 30.31.
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
. A right-handed batsman and right-arm off spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
bowler, he played 93 times for the Ireland cricket team between 1970 and 1989, including fourteen first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
matches and nine List A matches.
Early Days
Halliday first played for Ireland in 1970, making his debut against Scotland in June in a first-class match. He played four more times that year, against the Netherlands, Denmark, the Combined ServicesCombined Services cricket team
The Combined Services cricket team represents the British armed forces. The team played at first-class level in England for more than forty years in the mid-twentieth century. Their first first-class match was against Gentlemen of England at Lord's in 1920, while their last was against Oxford...
and the MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
. He next played for Ireland in September 1973, against the USA at Griffith Park
Griffith Park
Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. 1975 saw him play a second first-class match against Scotland in addition to a match against Denmark.
1976 to 1979
He began to be a more regular fixture in the Ireland side in the second half of the 1970s. 1976 saw games against the MCC, the Netherlands and Scotland in addition to a match against the West Indies, his first match against TestTest cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
playing opposition. 1977 saw matches against Wales, the MCC and Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
, his first match against an English county
County cricket
County cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
side.
His first match of 1978 was against the MCC at Eglinton
Eglinton, County Londonderry
Eglinton is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies east of Derry, to which it serves as a sleeper village, and west of Limavady. Many inhabitants of the village work in Derry city and send their children to school there. Eglinton had a population of 3,165 people in the 2001...
in County Londonderry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
. He took 7/58 in the MCC first innings, which were to remain his best bowling figures for Ireland. He also took three wickets in the second innings, taking ten wickets in a match for the first time. He also played against Denmark, Scotland and Wales that year. In 1979, he played against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
, FW Millet's XI
Frederick Millett
Frederick William Millett was an English cricketer. A right-handed batsman and right-arm off-break bowler, he played for Cheshire from 1949 to 1972, captaining them from 1960 to 1970...
, the MCC and Wales, in addition to first-class matches against Sri Lanka and Scotland. In the match against Scotland he took 5/39 in Scotland's second innings, his best bowling performance in first-class cricket.
1980s
In 1980, after a match against the MCC, he played twice against the West Indies in Dublin. In the second match, whilst most of the Irish bowlers were expensive, Halliday took 1/29 from his eleven oversOver (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....
, winning the man of the match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
award in the process. A week later he made his List A debut, playing a Gillette Cup match against Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
. He took 4/22 in the match, which remained his best List A bowling performance. He finished the year with matches against Wales and Scotland.
He continued the 1980s playing mainly against various county sides, in addition to internationals against Canada, Scotland, Wales, the West Indies, Australia, India and Pakistan. In 1986, he toured Zimbabwe with Ireland, taking eleven wickets in the match against Matabeleand
Matabeleland cricket team
Matabeleland cricket team was a first-class cricket team representing the Matabeleland province in Zimbabwe. They competed in the Logan Cup from 1994 until the format was revamped in 2007....
, the second and final time he took ten wickets in a match for Ireland. Later in 1986, he scored 62 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
against the MCC in Dublin, his only half-century
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
for Ireland.
His last match for Ireland was against Wales in Usk
Usk
Usk is a small town in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated 10 miles northeast of Newport.The River Usk flows through the town and is spanned by an ancient, arched stone bridge at the western entrance to the town. A castle above the town overlooks the ancient Anglo-Welsh border crossing - the river can...
in August 1989.
MCC career
Halliday played twice for the MCC. He first played for them in July 1984 against Scotland at Lord's. His next game for them came in July 1999, ten years after his last game for Ireland. He was fifty years old at the time of the second game and he showed no signs of his age, being the pick of the MCC bowlers against the Minor Counties, taking 4/46.Statistics
In all matches for Ireland, he scored 724 runsRun (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...
at an average of 15.08. He took 192 wickets at an average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 30.31.