Andy Bichel

Andrew John Bichel (born 27 August 1970 in Laidley, Queensland) is a retired Australian cricket player and was the bowling coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders for the 2009 Indian Premier League.

Primarily a seam bowler, his style is right arm medium fast. Batting right-handed, Bichel was not averse to some hard-hitting in the lower order. Representing Queensland in the Australian domestic competitions, Bichel has earned a reputation as a hard worker, capable of bowling many overs into a strong wind.

Background and career

He made his Test debut for the Australian Cricket Team in Adelaide in 1996 in a match against the West Indies, and his One-day International Debut in Brisbane, also against the West Indies. As well as Queensland's state team, he has played for the English Counties Essex, Hampshire and Worcestershire.

Unfortunately for him, his rise to prominence coincided with the appearance of the younger New South Wales fast bowler Brett Lee, with whom he was often in a battle for a third fast-bowler spot in the lineup (with Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie holding the other two positions). Lee's startling pace and youth often proved the deciding factor, and Bichel now holds the record of being Twelfth Man for Australia on 19 occasions. He has recently made comments that he believes his bowling suffered during these times, as he missed out on the valuable match practice that he could have earned either playing for Australia or Queensland.

2003 Cricket World Cup

A...
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