Full Name

John Marshall Buchanan

Born

April 05, 1953, Ipswich, Queensland

Age

70y 358d

Nicknames

Buck

Batting Style

Right hand Bat

Bowling Style

Right arm Medium

Playing Role

Batter

Height

1.95 m

RELATIONS

Other

Coach

Tall and tanned, bespectacled and analytical, John Buchanan was an unlikely choice as Australian coach in 1999. A teacher by trade, and a one-time university lecturer, his first-class career never progressed beyond seven Sheffield Shield appearances for Queensland in 1978-79; so following in the footsteps of Bob Simpson and Geoff Marsh was never going to be easy. But Buchanan had already been written into Australian folklore as the man who finally delivered Queensland their first Sheffield Shield title in 1994-95, and at one stage his record as national coach read Played 15 Won 15 - you can't do much better than that.

Put in charge of a team that was used to being led by example, Buchanan approached his job with a whole new perspective, and, crucially, the approval of his captain, Steve Waugh, who was a keen student of the game. Buchanan believed his role was to expand the horizons of his team by developing the individuals within - and not just in a cricket sense. So, while Australia continued on their barnstorming run of success, Buchanan was constantly calculating in the background, encouraging his charges to improve their self-assurance by delivering lectures and reciting poetry in the dressing room. Not everyone approved of his methods, not least Shane Warne, who resented having this interloper pass judgment on his weight and cricket ability, and on the 2001 Ashes tour, Buchanan's interpretation of the teachings of the warlord Sun Tzu were greeted with unanimous mirth by the English media (not that the laughter affected the destination of the Ashes). In 1998, he proved too much for Middlesex, who accused him of over-complicating a simple game as they slumped to their lowest position of 17th in the old County Championship. But dismissing him as a mad boffin is too simplistic, as the Australians demonstrated during his time in charge. In 2005 his contract was extended and he worked with the team until the 2007 World Cup. They won that too.
Andrew Miller

John Buchanan Career Stats

Batting & Fielding

FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAve100s50sCtSt
FC71301604112.300050
List A110646464.000110

Bowling

FormatMatBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
FC732150---3.75-000
List A112110---5.50-000

Debut/Last Matches of John Buchanan

FC Matches

Span
1978/79 - 1978/79

List A Matches

Span
1978/79 - 1978/79

Recent Matches of John Buchanan

MatchBatBowlDateGroundFormat
Queensland vs Victoria23 & 0--02-Mar-1979MelbourneFC
Queensland vs South Aust3 & 00/124-Feb-1979AdelaideFC
Queensland vs West Aust6 & 0--17-Feb-1979PerthFC
Queensland vs NSW41--27-Jan-1979SydneyFC
Queensland vs South Aust15 & 0--19-Jan-1979BrisbaneFC

Photos of John Buchanan

New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White looks on as John Buchanan speaks to the press
John Buchanan, Shah Rukh Khan and Sourav Ganguly unveil the Kolkata franchise's jersey
John Buchanan, coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders, speaks at the function
John Buchanan, Shah Rukh Khan and Sourav Ganguly unveil the Kolkata franchise's jersey
John Buchanan gets some treatment from the Aussie physio
John Buchanan joins the Australian team in a game of touch rugby