/ Mar 12, 2025
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That innings is not his favourite. Nor is his memorable last-ball effort at the SCG against the West Indies to clinch a one-wicket win, though the affection others hold for that performance has rubbed off.
“It’d be close,” Bevan told this masthead on Sunday. “I would say there’s a number of other innings I was happier with how I hit them or felt the situation was more difficult.”
Bevan prefers his unbeaten 102 off 95 balls after Australia had collapsed to 6-82 chasing 246 against New Zealand in Melbourne, which kept his team alive in the 2002-03 tri-series.
There’s also a 103 he made to clinch a series against South Africa in 1997, and the 185 off 132 deliveries he made for a Rest of the World XI against an Asia XI. That game did not have international or even List A status, so does not sit on his official record.
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“I don’t think I could have hit them any better – it was not the normal way I’d played,” Bevan said. “I surprised myself how quickly I could score or what I could do.”
To strategise on the run and work out the boundary zones for various deliveries requires composure, something Bevan did not always have. Teammates coined the term “Bev attacks” to describe the room-clearing tantrums that would often accompany his dismissals. Pads were shoved down toilets.
“I’ve heard those stories, I can’t confirm or deny,” Bevan recalled with a chuckle. “I chucked a tanty pretty often when I was young and definitely got over-angry. That could have happened. I don’t know if they went in the toilet, but there were a few things that were a bit absurd.”
A superhero in the green and gold, Bevan could never crack the code in the baggy green.
Scores of 82, 70 and 91 in his debut series in 1994 against a Pakistan team featuring Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis promised a bright future. An unbeaten 87 on the fiery WACA against Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Ian Bishop was proof he could play high-class pace bowling, yet it was a weakness against the short ball that limited him to 18 Tests and an average of 29. He did not make a century.
Bevan has a different take on his shortcomings. To him, his problem was more mental than technical. This, he said, explained why he could average 55 one series and 18 the next – a fluctuation he described as “not survivable”.
“I played a lot of first-class cricket, faced a lot of short balls, still had a pretty damn good record,” Bevan, who had a first-class average of 57, said. “It wasn’t so much the short ball but how I perceived it and how I placed pressure on myself to play it perfectly or not get out to it.
“That affected my naturalness at the crease. That was the outcome but not the major problem.”
Dumped for a second time from the Test side, Bevan realised his temperament “wasn’t helpful”.
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There was a short phase when Bevan waspicked successfully for his unpredictable but dangerous left-arm wrist-spin over his batting. This did not sit comfortably with his sense of self.
“Upon reflection, I was probably too rigid or regimented in not really accepting that I was probably a genuine all-rounder then and rolling with the good fortune that I had with the ball,” Bevan said.
“I spent a lot of time over-obsessing being in the team as a batsman, the short ball. If I had chilled out a bit more I would’ve made a better fist of it.”
Unfortunately for Bevan, his last Test came aged 27. By comparison, Steve Waugh averaged 58 after his 28th birthday compared to 36 before. If Bevan’s time was today, he would have played significantly more Tests, but he has come to terms with his lot.
“At the time I was certainly frustrated but I don’t tend to linger or dwell on the past too much,” Bevan said. “When I reflect on my career, both ODIs and the longer version, I’m pretty proud of what I achieved.”
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
That innings is not his favourite. Nor is his memorable last-ball effort at the SCG against the West Indies to clinch a one-wicket win, though the affection others hold for that performance has rubbed off.
“It’d be close,” Bevan told this masthead on Sunday. “I would say there’s a number of other innings I was happier with how I hit them or felt the situation was more difficult.”
Bevan prefers his unbeaten 102 off 95 balls after Australia had collapsed to 6-82 chasing 246 against New Zealand in Melbourne, which kept his team alive in the 2002-03 tri-series.
There’s also a 103 he made to clinch a series against South Africa in 1997, and the 185 off 132 deliveries he made for a Rest of the World XI against an Asia XI. That game did not have international or even List A status, so does not sit on his official record.
Loading
“I don’t think I could have hit them any better – it was not the normal way I’d played,” Bevan said. “I surprised myself how quickly I could score or what I could do.”
To strategise on the run and work out the boundary zones for various deliveries requires composure, something Bevan did not always have. Teammates coined the term “Bev attacks” to describe the room-clearing tantrums that would often accompany his dismissals. Pads were shoved down toilets.
“I’ve heard those stories, I can’t confirm or deny,” Bevan recalled with a chuckle. “I chucked a tanty pretty often when I was young and definitely got over-angry. That could have happened. I don’t know if they went in the toilet, but there were a few things that were a bit absurd.”
A superhero in the green and gold, Bevan could never crack the code in the baggy green.
Scores of 82, 70 and 91 in his debut series in 1994 against a Pakistan team featuring Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis promised a bright future. An unbeaten 87 on the fiery WACA against Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Ian Bishop was proof he could play high-class pace bowling, yet it was a weakness against the short ball that limited him to 18 Tests and an average of 29. He did not make a century.
Bevan has a different take on his shortcomings. To him, his problem was more mental than technical. This, he said, explained why he could average 55 one series and 18 the next – a fluctuation he described as “not survivable”.
“I played a lot of first-class cricket, faced a lot of short balls, still had a pretty damn good record,” Bevan, who had a first-class average of 57, said. “It wasn’t so much the short ball but how I perceived it and how I placed pressure on myself to play it perfectly or not get out to it.
“That affected my naturalness at the crease. That was the outcome but not the major problem.”
Dumped for a second time from the Test side, Bevan realised his temperament “wasn’t helpful”.
Loading
There was a short phase when Bevan waspicked successfully for his unpredictable but dangerous left-arm wrist-spin over his batting. This did not sit comfortably with his sense of self.
“Upon reflection, I was probably too rigid or regimented in not really accepting that I was probably a genuine all-rounder then and rolling with the good fortune that I had with the ball,” Bevan said.
“I spent a lot of time over-obsessing being in the team as a batsman, the short ball. If I had chilled out a bit more I would’ve made a better fist of it.”
Unfortunately for Bevan, his last Test came aged 27. By comparison, Steve Waugh averaged 58 after his 28th birthday compared to 36 before. If Bevan’s time was today, he would have played significantly more Tests, but he has come to terms with his lot.
“At the time I was certainly frustrated but I don’t tend to linger or dwell on the past too much,” Bevan said. “When I reflect on my career, both ODIs and the longer version, I’m pretty proud of what I achieved.”
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
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