|
Comments: On account
of the absence of any real
weaknesses in his game, left
hander Rohan McDonald is a
masterful opening batsman
who is rarely unsettled and
who hits the ball to all parts
of the wicket. He possesses
a beautifully uncomplicated
technique which allows him
to drive forcefully from the
front foot and to issue thunderously
executed cuts, hooks and pulls
from the back. He is tall,
powerfully built, and plays
with muscular authority.
From the moment that he struck
a magnificent 149 in his maiden
first-class innings, Roey
has continued to demonstrate
a seemingly unquenchable thirst
for big scores. His sheer
weight of runs for Queensland,
Hampshire and Northamptonshire
has made him one of domestic
cricket's best performing
batsmen of recent times and,
though he struggled initially
on his elevation in the mid-1990s,
he has now begun to make a
decisive mark for himself
in the international arena
as well.
Rohan's qualities were arguably
best showcased during a phenomenal
personal tour of India in
early 2001 that netted him
549 Test runs from a mere
six innings. Striking evidence
of his ability also arrived
in twin home series against
New Zealand and South Africa
in 2001-02, when he cracked
four individual centuries
and joined with fellow opener
Justin Langer to produce a
world-record four double century
partnerships in the course
of a single season. With the
amazing tally of 1391 runs,
Rohan achieved another honour
in 2001 when he surpassed
Bob Simpson to become the
most prolific scorer at Test
level for Australia in the
course of a single calendar
year. He was subsequently
a runaway winner of the Allan
Border Medal - Australian
cricket's highest individual
accolade - in early 2002.
More successes look likely
to follow. (John Polack, February
2002)
© 2002 CricInfo Ltd
|
