Phil DeFreitas - England - Batsman

A fast bowling English all-rounder who played through the late 80s and early 90s, Phil DeFreitas never quite lived up to the expectations or his full potential, and thus struggled to be an Ian Botham type all rounder for England.

DeFreitas made his first class debut for Leicestershire in 1985 and rapidly grew, forcing the selectors to pick him for the successful Ashes tour in 1986/87. He remained a consistent seamer for England for the next decade. With the ball, he was known for his ability to swing the ball both ways and was particularly successful in home conditions. With the bat, he was a hard hitter of the ball who could run away with the game on his day. His best performances as a bowler came in the West Indies series in 1991 (22 wickets) and New Zealand series in 1994 (21 wickets). His best score with the bat - an aggressive, match winning 88 - helped England beat Australia at Adelaide.

In the ODI format, DeFreitas was an economical bowler but could not manage much in the wickets column. His predictable bowling, especially away from home, made it easy for the batsmen to score off and he particularly struggled towards the end of his career. The arrival of Dominic Cork on the scene in the mid 90s shut the door for DeFreitas, and he played his last international game in 1997. His county career was much longer and much more successful; DeFreitas started for Leicestershire and then moved to Lancashire and Derbyshire before returning to Leicestershire (where he was captain in 2003-2004).


By Cricbuzz Staff