Brendan Nash

Brendan Nash was born in Attadale, Western Australia. He lived in Perth, Cairns and Brisbane and studied at Nudgee College in 1993–94.[2] Brendan Nash qualified to play for Jamaica through his father, Paul, a Jamaican Olympic swimmer.[3][4]

On 5 November 2005, Nash fielded for Australia as a substitute in a Test match against the West Indies, for whom he would later play. He dropped a catch fielding at point.[18][19] On 12 August 2008 Nash was named in the West Indies One Day International (ODI) squad to play in the tri-series against Bermuda and Canada.[4] He made his ODI debut on 20 August 2008 – along with batsman Leon Johnson and bowler Kemar Roach – when the West Indies played Bermuda. He bowled in the first innings and achieved figures of 10–1–43–1; his first international wicket was that of Delyone Borden, caught behind by wicket keeper Carlton Baugh. Batting at number five, Nash shared in an unbeaten partnership of 69 with vice-captain, Ramnaresh Sarwan to see the West Indies to a six wicket victory; Nash scored 27 not out.[20] In the second match of the series, against Canada, Nash scored 39 not out batting at number six, sharing in an unbeaten 111 run partnership with Xavier Marshall who in that innings broke the record for most sixes in an ODI innings. He finished with figures of 10–1–56–3.[21] In the final that followed, also against Canada, Nash took 1/33 and did not bat as the West Indies won by seven wickets.[22]

On 1 November 2008, the ODI squad to tour Pakistan was announced, with Nash as one of the members. John Dyson, the West Indies coach, stated that Nash's performance against Canada and Bermuda had shown he was ready to perform against leading cricket teams such as Pakistan.[23] On the same day, it was announced that Nash was one of four players – along with Lionel Baker, Leon Johnson, and Kemar Roach – without a Test cap to be named in the 15-man squad selected to tour New Zealand for a Test series. Dyson said that he expected Nash's bowling to "be a handful on the New Zealand wickets".[23]

Nash made his Test debut for the West Indies on 11  December 2008, playing against New Zealand. In the same match, fast-bowler Lionel Baker also made his debut.[24] It was widely reported in the media that he was the first white man to play for the West Indies since Geoff Greenidge played five Tests in the early 1970s.[25] He was subjected to racial abuse for being a "white boy" during trials for Jamaica.[26] Chris Gayle, Jamaica's captain, helped Nash telling him that "You are one of us, don't worry about what anyone's saying to you. If anyone troubles you, I am here for you."[27] It later emerged that he was of mixed race.[26] He took his first Test wicket in the third Test against England when Matt Prior was caught by Shivnarine Chanderpaul off Nash's bowling.[28] During the fifth Test in Trinidad Nash scored his maiden Test century, his innings of 109 included 17 fours. He shared a 234-run fifth wicket partnership with Chanderpaul. Nash continued his good form in the first Test against England with 81 during a 143-run partnership with Denesh Ramdin who made 61.

In November 2009, less than a year after making his Test debut, Nash was awarded a central retainer contract with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).[29] Nash was appointed West Indies vice-captain in October 2010. The previous captain and vice, Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo, had chosen not to sign central contracts with the WICB and were replaced.[30] In the final fixture of the three-match series, Nash passed 1,000 Test runs.[31] The series was a 0–0 draw with bad weather curtailing the matches.[32] Nash scored 160 runs at an average of 53.33.[33] Nash was the third-highest run-scorer for the 2010/11 season of the Caribbean regional first-class tournament,[34] scoring 626 runs from nine matches at an average of 62.60;[35] Jamaica won the tournament.[36] In the semi-final of the competition, Nash scored his maiden first-class double century, scoring 207 runs off 349 balls and beating his previous highest score of 176.[37] Pakistan toured the West Indies in April and May 2011, and Nash was selected for the two-Test series. The series was drawn 1–1, with West Indies securing their first Test victory in nearly two years.[38][39] Nash scored 44 runs in four innings.[40] Between 13 October 2007 and 27 May 2011, Nash scored 1,093 Test runs for West Indies at an average of 35.25, with only Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Chris Gayle, and Ramnaresh Sarwan scoring more for the team.[41] India toured in June and following a run of poor form – scoring 53 runs in his last six innings – was dropped after the first Test.[42] In October, Nash's central contract with the WICB was allowed to lapse.[43]

After retiring, Nash moved back to Australia, and set up a mortgage broker firm in Brisbane.[44][45]

Updated 1 October 2013

Brendan Nash at ESPNcricinfo