Nathan Michael Hauritz Profile
Nathan Hauritz appeared on the international stage as a promising off-spinner, but somehow couldn’t build on his early success and was quickly forgotten. His fledgling career was however given a boost in 2008 when he was recalled to the Australian side.
The Queensland born off-spinner made his debut in 2002 after a good stint with the national Under-19 side. He impressed with his tight bowling, but with Shane Warne still playing, the youngster had to wait in the wings patiently. His golden chance came after the 2003 World Cup when Warne officially retired from the shorter format. After playing only three ODIs and a solitary Test, Hauritz was dropped altogether and was left out in the wilderness. Brad Hogg and Stuart MacGill impressed during this period and it was not until four years later that he made a return against New Zealand, bagging four wickets in his comeback Test. Followed by a brilliant Test series against the West Indies and Pakistan at home, Hauritz once again reiterated his potential to prevail on the big stage.
Not a big spinner of the ball, Hauritz tends to keep opposition batsmen on their feet with his variations in pace and length. A handy batsman lower down the order, he is also a decent fielder. He may have lost a huge chunk of his career with years on the sidelines but the ‘offie’ looks hugely determined to make up for lost time.
