Birthday special: Corey Anderson – Swashbuckling New Zealander seeking new horizons
After becoming the youngest New Zealand cricketer to get a central contract at 16, the hard-hitting all-rounder Corey Anderson, hailing from Canterbury, was touted as the next big thing in New Zealand cricket. However, in a sudden turn of events, Anderson announced his retirement from New Zealand cricket at the age of 29 and is all set to start a new innings in his career as he has accepted a three-year contract with the upcoming Major League Cricket (MLC) in the USA.
The beginning
Right from a young age, people expected big things from the all-rounder. Anderson made his first-class debut in 2007 and represented the Black Caps in two Under-19 World Cups; 2008 and 2010. After some stunning performances to his name in the domestic circuit, Anderson earned recognition and was added in the National squad in 2012 for a T20I against South Africa. However, he had a forgettable start to his career and had to wait for one year to earn his maiden ODI and Test cap.
Corey announced himself on the world stage after breaking Shahid Afridi’s 17-year long record of smashing the fastest hundred in ODIs. On the New Year’s day in 2014, playing against West Indies, Anderson smashed a scintillating ton in just 36 deliveries by hitting six boundaries and 14 maximums. However, Anderson couldn’t hold the record for long as AB de Villiers slammed an ODI century in just 31 deliveries against the same opposition in 2015.
Career highlights and fresh turn of event
Meanwhile, Corey’s power-hitting and his ability to swing the ball and give crucial breakthroughs to his team gave him a permanent place in New Zealand’s playing XI. He was also picked by Mumbai Indians in IPL 2014 for a whopping INR 4.5 crores and had a decent outing.
Anderson was a key member of the New Zealand team that made it to the final of the World Cup 2015. It was New Zealand’s first-ever appearance in the World Cup final. The stocky all-rounder had scored an impressive 231 runs at an average of 33 and picked up 14 wickets with his left-arm medium pace.
However, Anderson’s career took an unfortunate dip as he suffered multiple injuries during the early stages of his career. Stress fractures, groin injuries and back issues unfortunately plagued his short career for the Black Caps. The all-rounder last represented New Zealand in 2018. He could play only 13 Tests, 49 ODIs and 31 T20Is for his country and scored more than 2000 runs in addition to taking 90 wickets across formats.
The cricketer has now decided to switch his base to the USA and continue his game in a relatively stress-free and less competitive environment. Though Anderson wasn’t a part of the New Zealand squad for a long period of time, he would be dearly missed by the Black Caps fans.
