Emmanuel Benjamin
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Emmanuel Benjamin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Jullundur, Punjab, India | 2 February 1955||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Batting | Left-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bowling | Slow left-arm[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Role | All-rounder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1973–1978 | Punjab (India) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1980 | Bedfordshire (minor counties) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1982 | Tasmania | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricketArchive, 2 April 2014 |
Emmanuel Benjamin (born 2 February 1955), nicknamed Benji,[2] is an Australian former professional cricketer who played at high levels in Australia, England, and India. He was born in India, but emigrated to Australia in the 1980s and became a naturalised Australian citizen.
Life and career
[edit]Born in Jullundur,[3] Benjamin toured the British Isles with an India Schools representative side during the 1973 English season, playing six matches alongside future Test player Bharath Reddy and several other future first-class cricketers.[4] After playing for a North Zone schools side in the under-age Cooch Behar Trophy, Benjamin made his first-class debut in October 1973,[5] taking two wickets for a Vazir Sultan Tobacco Colts XI against a Hyderabad Cricket Association XI in the quarter-final of the Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup Tournament.[6] A bowling all-rounder, he debuted for Punjab later that month, taking 5/37 on debut against Jammu and Kashmir,[7] and was a regular in Ranji Trophy teams through to the 1977–78 season.[8] His best innings figures also came against Jammu and Kashmir – 6/51 in November 1975 to help bowl out the side for 167 in the first innings.[9]
Benjamin spent the 1980 English season playing for Bedfordshire in the Minor Counties Championship, a spell which included half-centuries against Buckinghamshire and Shropshire.[10][11] His best figures in the competition, 6/85, came against Suffolk in both teams' last match of the season, which was not enough to prevent a one-wicket loss after Suffolk's final three batsmen put on 89 runs (including 53 not out from Colin Rutterford).[12]
During the 1981–82 Sheffield Shield season, Benjamin played a single match for Tasmania, bowling 23 overs without taking a wicket.[13] Remaining in Australia, he had a long career for the Ulverstone Cricket Club at grade cricket level,[14] and became a naturalised citizen of Australia in 1991.[15]
A resident of Leith (near Ulverstone), Benjamin unsuccessfully contested the Division of Braddon for the Tasmanian branch of the National Party at the 2014 state election. He received 0.79% of first preference votes, while the party's candidates collectively received 2.16% on first preferences.[16]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Emmanuel Benjamin, an all-rounder who bowls a deceptively slow left-arm delivery…" "Shield bats face early rehearsal" – The Canberra Times. Published 18 September 1981. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
- ^ Tasmanian Election 2014: Braddon – Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
- ^ Emmanuel Benjamin player profile – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
- ^ Miscellaneous matches played by Emmanuel Benjamin (10) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
- ^ First-class matches played by Emmanuel Benjamin (22) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
- ^ Hyderabad Cricket Association XI v Vazir Sultan Tobacco Colts XI, Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup Tournament 1973/74 (Quarter-Final) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
- ^ Punjab v Jammu and Kashmir, Ranji Trophy 1973/74 (North Zone) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
- ^ Ranji Trophy matches played by Emmanuel Benjamin (20) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
- ^ Punjab v Jammu and Kashmir, Ranji Trophy 1975/76 (North Zone) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
- ^ Bedfordshire v Buckinghamshire, Minor Counties Championship 1980 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
- ^ Shropshire v Bedfordshire, Minor Counties Championship 1980 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
- ^ Suffolk v Bedfordshire, Minor Counties Championship 1980 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
- ^ Tasmania v Queensland, Sheffield Shield 1981/82 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
- ^ History Archived 12 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine – Ulverstone District Cricket Club. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
- ^ Braddon: Benji Benjamin – Tasmanian Nationals. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
- ^ Final results: 2014 House of Assembly elections Archived 18 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine – Tasmanian Electoral Commission. Final as of 27 March 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
- 1955 births
- Australian cricketers
- Australian people of Punjabi descent
- Bedfordshire cricketers
- Australian expatriate cricketers in England
- Indian cricketers
- Indian emigrants to Australia
- Living people
- National Party of Australia politicians
- Naturalised citizens of Australia
- Cricketers from Jalandhar
- Punjab, India cricketers
- Tasmania cricketers