Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Robert Charles Russell | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born |
Stroud, Gloucestershire, England |
15 August 1963 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 5 ft 8.5 in (1.74 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Batting style | Left-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bowling style | Right arm off break | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Role | Wicket-keeper | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Test debut (cap 536) | 25 August 1988 v Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last Test | 24 March 1998 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ODI debut (cap 96) | 22 November 1987 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last ODI | 25 October 1998 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1981–2004 | Gloucestershire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 20 August 2009
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Robert Charles "Jack" Russell, MBE, (born 15 August 1963) is a retired English international cricketer, now known for his abilities as an artist, as a cricket wicketkeeping coach, and a football goalkeeping coach.
Russell was born in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England. He gained the support he needed to become a first-class cricketer from his father, John, at Stroud Cricket Club, and at Archway School. Two days before his fourteenth birthday, he saw a catch on television: McCosker, caught Knott, bowled Greig, at Headingley in 1977. Russell himself has commented: "Low-down, one-handed, across first-slip. Brilliant. I thought then that I would like to be able to do that. That's where it started; that was the inspiration [for becoming a wicket keeper]."
The other inspiration cited was the death of his brother, David, of a brain haemorrhage; Russell quickly rededicated himself. Archway School's sports master, Ricky Rutter, guided Russell towards Gloucestershire County Cricket Club; and, as a result, Russell stayed at Archway for one year of Sixth-Form college. He then headed to Bristol Technical College to study accountancy, leaving before completion to join Gloucestershire full-time in 1981.
It was not until his late teens that it was pointed out that he would turn into an international wicket-keeper, as he was a budding fast bowler that was building up a good reputation at junior level. He was clocked at 75 mph at the age of 14, although the only issue was that the majority of his bowling was waist-high. He then moved onto unorthodox off-breaks, which were deemed illegal right from the start, and so he started to keep wicket for his school.