Grant Elliott

There are some players who may not have had excellent careers as such but with a handful of big performances on the big stage earned a name for themselves in the annals of cricketing history. New Zealand’s Grant Elliott was surely one among these. His nerveless unbeaten knock in the semifinal of the 2015 World Cup against South Africa is unforgettable, considering the last-over finish that it was. It ensured that New Zealand reached their first-ever World Cup final and the South African-born Elliott was pivotal to the cause. Although the Kiwis lost in the final against Australia, he again played decently albeit without any support from the rest of the team. Nevertheless, his semifinal heroics had given his adopted country their maiden World Cup runners-up medal.

Although Elliott’s innings in the 2015 semifinal was a masterclass, it wasn’t the first time he had done such a feat in a knockout game. In the 2009 Champions Trophy semi-final against Pakistan, he had stroked a measured fifty to see his side through in another tricky run chase to get New Zealand into the final. It’s certain that the man loved pressure moments but what would disappoint cricketing fans is the fact that he underachieved drastically in his career barring the odd flashes of brilliance that came about.

Having moved to New Zealand in 2001 to pursue his cricketing career, it took several seasons of domestic cricket before he was recognized with an international call-up in 2008. The 2008-09 season saw Grant not only featuring in limited-overs but also in a few Tests as well although it was clear that he was more at ease with white-ball cricket. His LOI career was fairly reasonable during this phase but injuries forced him out of the side and post that, he was mostly in and out of the squad.

After featuring briefly in the 2012-13, he was called back a few months before the 2015 World Cup due to his form in the domestic circuit. The management felt that the experience of Elliott would help the side during the showpiece tournament - a fact that he proved during the semifinal. Despite having a good 2015, his form dipped the next year and the age factor saw the Kiwis dropping him from the side. He retired the same year from the format and quit international cricket totally in 2017.

Elliott did have fairly good success with franchise cricket, especially in Pakistan Super League. In 2017, he got named in the World XI that visited Pakistan for a 3-match T20I series that was held in a bid to revive international cricket in the country. On the 21st of August 2018, Grant Elliott decided to call it quits from all cricket. It just so happens that some careers never end up being fulfilled. In the end, Elliot would agree and say that he could have done more after making a bold move to migrate, but overall he would be pleased with the big moments he was able to provide his country with.