Andrew Hall      

Andrew Hall is probably the only cricketer in the world to have been shot at point-blank range during a mugging and lived to tell the tale. Which is all the more remarkable considering that Hall took a bullet in his left hand as a mugger let fly six shots at him at an ATM machine late one night in 1998. Miraculously, the bullet lodged in his hand without causing serious damage and Hall recovered sufficiently to win a place in South Africa's one-day side against the West Indies in 1999. He played only one match and appeared to have slipped out of the selectors' minds until Australia arrived in April 2003 for three ODIs. With Herschelle Gibbs struggling for form, Hall was given a match as Gary Kirsten's opening partner. Against the world's fastest bowler, Brett Lee, Hall looked the part, scoring a composed 46 and it was enough to win him a place in the South African squad for Sri Lanka. When Gibbs was then out of the picture because of his involvement in the match-fixing scandal, Hall resumed his partnership with Kirsten and against a Sri Lankan attack which included Muttiah Muralitharan on a turning wicket, he made a most impressive 81.

An allrounder who played indoor cricket for South Africa before breaking into the first-class game, Hall was initially seen as a bowler who batted down the order. During the 2003 England tour, Hall cemented himself with 16 wickets in the series, and ensured South Africa won at Headingley with a buccaneering 99 not out.

Hall was banned for two Tests in 2003 after he was found guilty of breaching two of the ICC's conduct codes during an ODI in Pakistan. He lost out on a place for South Africa's tour to Sri Lanka in 2004, but fought his way back into the side for a series against India. Given the task of opening the innings in a Test in Kanpur in November 2004, Hall made the most of the opportunity with 163, his maiden hundred. The following month, he was signed by Kent as an overseas player for the 2005 season.

He remained a key figure in the ODI side for the year, and made it to the Test side for a series against New Zealand at home. He was a part of South Africa's nerve-wracking, unforgettable world record win over Australia at Johannesburg in March 2006. During a Test series against Pakistan in 2007, Hall was a constant source of drive for his team-mates, picked up the vital wickets of Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Yousuf at Newlands, and looked almost like Test cricket's version of the Supersub - can come in to do many jobs. Earned a spot in South Africa's 15-man World Cup squad, where he took 14 wickets, but was excluded for the ICC World Twenty20 - a decision which prompted him to retire from international cricket. Northamptonshire swooped a couple of weeks later, however, to secure his services on a three-year deal, and after Nicky Boje resigned the captaincy he took over the reins at the county for the 2010 season.
Jamie Alter May 2010