A Look Back: Hampshire's Australian Legacy

Following the recent announcement that off-spin sensation Nathan Lyon will join Hampshire for the 2020 County Championship campaign, Lyon will be among a long list of accomplished Australian cricketers to have featured for Hampshire.

The club has attracted high profile Australian cricketers for many years now including the likes of Simon Katich, Shane Watson, Andy Bichel, Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke and of course, Shane Warne with one of the The Ageas Bowl's iconic stands named after the latter.

In 1980, Shaun Graf became the first Australian international cricketer to feature for Hampshire and since then, many have followed in his footsteps. Matthew Hayden’s 1997 season, in which he scored a combined total of 2,426 runs across First Class and List A fixtures, saw him make key contributions during his time with the club.

Simon Katich is another who made significant contributions, featuring in 93 games between 2003-2004 and then 2012. Across this period the Western Australian was able to accumulate a whopping 4,232 runs across 3 seasons in all formats, with the left hander's contribution in 2012 proving to be imperative to helping Hampshire securing a white-ball double.

Arguably the most influential Australian of all to feature for Hampshire is leg-spin great Shane Warne who kick started the new era at the Rose Bowl between 2004 – 2007 as club captain. Warne took an astounding 396 wickets across all formats for the club in addition to guiding the 2005 squad to the C&G Trophy and catapulting the squad to within 3 points of securing a County Championship title for the first time since 1973.

Shane Watson and Andy Bichel also played an instrumental part in success in the 2005 C&G trophy campaign with the pair taking six wickets between them in the competition's Lord's final. The powerful all-rounder accumulated 1,198 runs and 15 wickets in just 17 games in his two-year span under Warne’s reign whilst Bichel took an impressive 26 wickets in 11 contests in 2005.

T20 Finals Day on 14^th August 2010 will live long in the memory of every Hampshire and Somerset fan as one of the most nail-biting games of cricket witnessed. Hampshire’s saviour in the key moments that day was New South Wales all-rounder Dan Christian as he managed to steer Hampshire to their first T20 title.

Glenn Maxwell is another Australian all-rounder with his destructive approach to batting, particularly in white-ball cricket, endearing him to the Hampshire fans. He made an immediate impact after impressing at local club South Wilts in 2012, making nine T20 appearances that year in which he averaged an impressive 44.75 - all of which led to the Victorian re-signing for the 2014 season. Lancashire felt the full force of Maxwell in a Hampshire shirt that season after striking an explosive 146 from just 96 balls in a List A game against the red rose. The right hander went onto become the most valuable player in the 2014 IPL later that year after being purchased in the auction for a staggering $1 million. At present, Maxwell is regarded as one of Australia’s most valuable assets in both white-ball formats.

To appreciate the signifcance of the players who have represented Hampshire in recent years, it is worth remembering that five Hampshire players were present in the Australian Ashes squad for the epic 2005 series. Nathan Lyon will be hoping to emulate the success of his countrymen that have represented the club as he looks to push Hampshire tored-ball success in 2020,

Below is a list of many of the Australian international players that have represented Hampshire: 

Shaun Graf, Matthew Hayden, Shane Warne, Simon Katich, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke, Andy Bichel, Stuart Clarke, Adam Voges, Ian Harvey, Marcus North, Phillip Hughes, Dan Christian, Glenn Maxwell, George Bailey and Jackson Bird.

The best way to catch Nathan and the rest of the Hampshire squad in action all year long next season is with a 2020 Hampshire Cricket Membership and there’s never been a better time to join or renew with Early Bird and Direct Debit discounts now available.

2020 Members also receive access to an exclusive allocation of tickets for next summer’s international fixtures at the The Ageas Bowl all at a discounted price, including for the sold-out England v Australia One-Day International on Tuesday 14th July as well as England’s IT20 against Pakistan on Wednesday 2nd September.

More information on each Membership offering can be found online, over the phone on 0844 847 1863 or in person at the The Ageas Bowl Ticket Office (Mon-Fri: 9am-5pm).