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Full name Steven Paul Kirby
Born October 4, 1977, Bury, Lancashire
Current age 30 years 288 days
Major teams Gloucestershire,Leicestershire,Yorkshire
Nickname Tango
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium
Height
6 ft 3 in
Education Elton High School, Bury College
Batting and fielding averages
Mat
Inns
NO
Runs
HS
Ave
BF
SR
100
50
4s
6s
Ct
St
First-class
94
128
40
718
57
8.15
2651
27.08
0
1
18
0
List A
49
21
7
64
15
4.57
153
41.83
0
0
9
0
Twenty20
16
6
2
5
3*
1.25
11
45.45
0
0
0
0
2
0
Bowling averages
Mat
Inns
Balls
Runs
Wkts
BBI
BBM
Ave
Econ
SR
4w
5w
10
First-class
94
16910
9914
338
8/80
29.33
3.51
50.0
13
13
4
List A
49
2041
1930
52
5/36
5/36
37.11
5.67
39.2
1
1
0
Twenty20
16
15
330
434
17
2/15
2/15
25.52
7.89
19.4
0
0
0
Career statistics
First-class debut
2001
Last First-class
Gloucestershire v Middlesex at Bristol, Jul 11-14, 2008 scorecard
List A debut
2001
Last List A
Gloucestershire v Somerset at Bristol, May 11, 2008 scorecard
Twenty20 debut
Nottinghamshire v Yorkshire at Nottingham, Jul 7, 2004 scorecard
Last Twenty20
Gloucestershire v Worcestershire at Bristol, Jun 25, 2008 scorecard
Profile
Steve Kirby is a highly competitive right-arm fast bowler who burst upon the
scene in 2000, when it looked like his chance of county honours was on the
point of passing him by in favour of his other trade, selling industrial
flooring. Discarded by Leicestershire without playing a single first-class game,
Kirby took seven wickets on his Yorkshire debut in 2001. His third match saw him pitted against his former employers, Leicestershire, and the heroics continued as he recorded match figures of 12 for 72. Kirby went on to play a vital role in Yorkshire's championship-winning side, taking 47 first-class wickets at just over 20 apiece. This performance earned him a place in the first England Academy squad, based in Australia in November 2001.
Kirby is a fiery character on the field, remarkable for his gestures and
occasionally colourful utterances, which have come close to getting him into
trouble with umpires. His often surreal sledging has already made it into
cricket folklore. He once famously remarked to Mike Atherton that he had
seen better players in his fridge. Kirby had the last word in this exchange
in more ways than one, dismissing Atherton in both innings of what
transpired to be his last championship game.
Since 2001, he struggled to produce the same form. In 2004, he claimed only 31 wickets for Yorkshire at an average of more than 36, after suffering with a niggling back problem. He left Yorkshire at his own request at the end of the 2004 season, and was promptly signed by Gloucestershire. At Gloucestershire, Kirby has taken wickets regularly without threatening to make the step-up to international level.
Cricinfo staff September 2006
