Michael Klinger

Personal information
Full name	Michael Klinger
Born	(1980-07-04) 4 July 1980 (age 31) Kew, Victoria, Australia
Nickname	Maxy
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Batting style	Right-hand
Role	Opening Batsman
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1999/2000–2007/08	Victoria
2008/09 –	South Australia
FC debut	27 March 1999 Australian Cricket Academy v Matebeleland Invitational XI
List-A debut	24 March 1999 Australian Cricket Academy v Matebeleland Invitational XI
Career statistics
Competition	FC	LA	T20
Matches	82	94	41
Runs scored	5,006	3,471	949
Batting average	38.21	41.32	27.11
100s/50s	10/23	9/22	0/5
Top score	255	133*	78
Balls bowled	6	–	–
Wickets	0	–	–
Bowling average	–	–	–
5 wickets in innings	0	–	–
10 wickets in match	0	–	–
Best bowling	0/3	–	–
Catches/stumpings	74/–	31/–	15/–
Source: CricketArchive, 3 April 2012

Michael Klinger (born 4 July 1980) is a first-class cricketer with the South Australia Redbacks. His nickname is "Maxy", after the M*A*S*H character Maxwell Klinger.^[1]

Before the 2008–09 season, Klinger played for Victoria and for St Kilda Cricket Club in Premier Cricket. He joined the South Australia Redbacks for the 2008–09 season, was named their Captain in 2010, and won the Allan Border Medal as Cricket Player of the Year in both 2009 and 2010. He was one of the 350 players under the hammer for the IPL Auction 2011, and was bought by Kochi Tuskers Kerala.

Career[link]

Victoria[link]

He attended Mount Scopus Memorial College, of which he graduated in 1998. As a young batsman, Klinger was named Captain of the Australia Under 19's Mens Cricket team – his deputy being Michael Clarke latterly Australia Vice Captain and as of 2011 Captain of the Test and ODI teams.^[2]

Klinger began as an 18-year old youngster in the 1998–99 season. His career lowlight was the 2000–01 season when he made a famous 99 not out, with captain Paul Reiffel declaring the innings closed, a move which brought great controversy.^{[citation needed]} This move caused Klinger some great upset, and following it Klinger had several less successful years, but returned to contention for a spot in the Victorian Bushrangers side for the 2005–06 season. He quickly made his first first-class cricket century, and then followed it up with his first List A one-day century, but his first class form soon dropped, and he was replaced in the side by Lloyd Mash, not to return in the Pura Cup all season. In 2003 he was the club professional for Walkden in the Bolton Cricket League.

In Season 2006–07 he started off in the outer from the Pura Cup side, but started off his Ford Ranger Cup season in style, nearly getting a century early on, and then following it up with one. He led the runs scoring in the competition for much of the season, eventuall finishing 3rd. Klinger's rise to the Pura Cup team came only when Brad Hodge was called up by Australia for their ODI Series, and Klinger's recent form had been wavy, with his last game for the 2nd XI yielding a first innings duck, but second innings century. Klinger was soon to do the same for the 1st XI, but the century ensured that when Hodge returned, Klinger survived. He finished the season as a regular fixture of the Bushrangers side, and was part of a great partnership with David Hussey in a match against NSW, in which the Vics defied all odds to chase down a massive total of 360 on an extremely poor 4th day pitch (it was later described as a 3rd day pitch on day 1 by Hussey), scoring 102.

South Australia[link]

Klinger joined the South Australia Redbacks for the 2008–09 season in order to get more opportunities at state level, where he began batting at number 3 rather than opening, and saw immediate success, scoring a maiden 150 against old state Victoria in his first game. Then, against Western Australia on 11 November, Klinger scored his maiden double century, finishing on 255, and he continued to score heavily in both the Sheffield Shield and the Ford Ranger Cup, and hit his third century for the season against Queensland at the Gabba, and his first away from the traditionally batting friendly Adelaide Oval.

On 11 December 2008, Klinger posted his highest individual score in one day cricket, with an unbeaten 133 off just 128 balls. This guided South Australia to victory in their high-scoring match against the Tasmania Tigers at the Adelaide Oval. This was Klinger's fourth one-day century. He won the Australian Cricketers' Association's December 2008 Johnnie Walker player-of-the-month award.^[3]

In 2010, Klinger was named Captain of the Redbacks.^[4]

Indian Premier League[link]

Klinger was one of the 350 players under the hammer for the IPL Auction 2011, and was bought by Kochi Tuskers Kerala for US$ 75,000.^[5]

Awards[link]

• State Cricket Players of the Year: 2009
• State Cricket Players of the Year: 2010

See also[link]

• List of select Jewish cricketers

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Michael Klinger

• Michael Klinger 133 not out against Tasmania
• Michael Klinger Cricinfo Profile

v t e South Australia squad – current squad 3 Blizzard 5 Cassell 7 Manou (†) 9 Bailey 10 Putland 11 O'Brien 12 Ferguson 14 George 16 Lang 18 Klinger (c) 19 Smith 20 Brinsley 21 Haberfield 22 Ludeman (†) 23 Borgas 25 Moffat 26 Cooper 28 Edmondson 29 Harris 32 Tait 35 Cranmer 36 Duval 39 Delaney 41 Davies 43 Dougall 45 Christian 47 Richardson 55 Pollard 95 Rashid Coach: vacant