Full Name

Christopher Rushworth

Born

July 11, 1986, Sunderland

Age

37y 252d

Batting Style

Right hand Bat

Bowling Style

Right arm Fast medium

Playing Role

Bowler

RELATIONS

(cousin)

Chris Rushworth was released by Durham in 2006, after which he took a series of jobs, selling satellite dishes and answering phones in a call centre. Yet he never lost the belief that he could play first-class cricket. As rugged a figure as the Durham Heritage Coast, he became a Durham Heritage Cricketer, a player who with every insistent delivery represents the traditions and the culture of the region that he represents.

Eight years later, Rushworth stood before his fellow professionals at Tobacco Dock in London as the PCA Player of the Year, the top wicket-taker in Division One of the Championship with 83 scalps at 20.61. Not particularly quick, but immensely busy; insistent rather than eye-catching; and increasingly challenging on good surfaces as well as the responsive pitches in the northeast, as could be testified by the fact that 50% of his wickets between 2013-15 had come away from home, he was a bit of a throwback. He even voiced ambitions to play for England.

Rushworth's tally was a Durham record, surpassing Ottis Gibson's 80-wicket season in 2007. A hat-trick divided between two innings against Hampshire saw him join Steve Harmison as one of only two players to achieve the feat for Durham in the Championship.

His rise helped Durham win the Championship in 2013 and, if most attention centred upon the tenacious talent of Graham Onions, he was an excellent foil, missing only one game and taking 54 wickets at 22.25 runs apiece with his bustling fast-medium.

It was all a fitting reward for a refusal to abandon hope of a future in county cricket. A product of Durham's academy, he had trials with Northants and Sussex after he was released, both of which came to nothing, but proved himself again in club cricket for Sunderland before, as he turned 27, he had a Championship medal on his mantelpiece.

A cousin of Durham's wicketkeeper and former captain Phil Mustard, Rushworth made his debut in county cricket for Northumberland against Suffolk in 2004 in the Minor Counties Championship before being given his Durham debut in a 50-over match against Sri Lanka A in the same season. Yet he would not feature for Durham again until 2010 when he made his first-class debut against Yorkshire in the Championship. As Paul Collingwood replaced Mustard as captain, he responded with the best form of his career, his 38 wickets at 16.39, three times claiming five in an innings, helping to stave off relegation in 2012 and similar form contributing to Durham's Championship win a year later.

But nothing compared with his match figures of 15 for 95 from 20 overs, including nine in the first innings - achieved within a single day - as Northamptonshire were bowled out twice at Chester-le-Street as the 2014 season drew to a close. Northants, already relegated, subsided for 83 and 90 to lose by an innings and 219 runs, batting for only 40.2 overs in total. Rushworth smashed the previous Durham record for most wickets in a match, held by the bowling coach Alan Walker, who took 14 for 177 against Essex at Chelmsford in 1995. Rushworth had abstained from alcohol for 2012 to raise money for charity. "I have to admit I feel like a drink," he said afterwards.

Another outstanding day ended Sussex's promotion ambitions in 2018 as he turned in a redoubtable shift of 8 for 51 against somewhat fatalistic batting, the second best figures of his career.
ESPNcricinfo staff

Chris Rushworth Career Stats

Bowling

FormatMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
FC16829229931147116569/5215/9522.422.9445.625326
List A87-395934161405/315/3124.405.1728.2320
T20s858216232121783/143/1427.197.8420.8000

Batting & Fielding

FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAveBFSR100s50s4s6sCtSt
FC1682227417655711.92280362.960124614370
List A87381921538*11.3125683.9800165190
T20s851592053.334050.000010180

Recent Matches of Chris Rushworth

MatchBatBowlDateGroundFormat
Warwickshire vs Somerset8*5/47 & 0/826-Sep-2023BirminghamFC
Warwickshire vs Middlesex6*2/46 & 1/5919-Sep-2023Lord'sFC
Warwickshire vs Northants--2/7110-Sep-2023BirminghamFC
Warwickshire vs Surrey2* & 61/7603-Sep-2023The OvalFC
Warwcks 2nd vs Glouc 2nd XI--1/3628-Aug-2023BristolOTHER

Photos of Chris Rushworth

Chris Rushworth celebrates a wicket
Chris Rushworth gets into his delivery stride
Chris Rushworth roars an appeal
Chris Rushworth celebrates taking the wicket of Alastair Cook
Chris Rushworth takes the applause of his team-mates after becoming Durham's all-time leading wicket-taker
Chris Rushworth is overwhelmed after passing Graham Onions to become Durham's leading first-class wicket-taker