Steven John Rhodes (born 17 June 1964)[1] is an English cricket coach and former cricketer. He was the former coach of the Bangladesh national cricket team.[2] He was best known as a wicket-keeper, but was also a useful number six or seven batsman, making twelve first-class centuries.

Steve Rhodes
Rhodes in 2018
Personal information
Full name
Steven John Rhodes
Born (1964-06-17) 17 June 1964 (age 60)
Bradford, Yorkshire, England
NicknameBumpy
BattingRight-handed
RoleWicket-keeper-batsman
RelationsGeorge Rhodes (son)
William Rhodes (father)
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 566)2 June 1994 v New Zealand
Last Test3 February 1995 v Australia
ODI debut (cap 102)25 May 1989 v Australia
Last ODI10 January 1995 v Australia
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1981–1984Yorkshire
1985–2004Worcestershire
Head coaching information
YearsTeam
2018–2019Bangladesh
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 11 9 440 477
Runs scored 294 107 14,839 4,362
Batting average 24.50 17.83 32.82 19.82
100s/50s 0/1 0/1 12/72 1/6
Top score 65* 56 124 105
Catches/stumpings 46/3 9/2 1139/124 532/129
Source: CricketArchive, 7 June 2016

His father, William Rhodes, played more than 30 times for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club in the early 1960s.

Domestic career

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Emerging initially out of Birstall Cricket Club in West Yorkshire, Rhodes' county cricket career began with Yorkshire County Cricket Club in 1981. The incumbent was the international wicket-keeper David Bairstow and after limited chances he moved to Worcestershire County Cricket Club in 1985 staying with that county for the remaining two decades of his playing career.

Rhodes shared in Worcestershire's successes of the late 1980s and early 1990s, as they won the County Championship in 1988 and 1989, the Refuge Assurance League in 1987 and 1988, the Benson & Hedges Cup in 1991 and the NatWest Trophy in 1994. They also won the last Refuge Assurance Cup in 1991, Rhodes making 105, his highest score in limited over cricket and the only century in the four-year history of the tournament, in the final.[3]

Towards the end of the 2004 season, Rhodes briefly became county captain following Ben Smith's resignation during the home game with Northamptonshire County Cricket Club.

Rhodes was a particularly prolific wicketkeeper in limited over cricket, and as of 2022 holds the world records for the most dismissals and most catches in this format.[4]

International career

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He was selected for the England tour to India in 1988/89, but when this was cancelled for political reasons he lost his chance, and it was to be 1994 before he made his Test cricket debut.

His selection was primarily down to the new chairman of selectors, Ray Illingworth, who announced at his appointment that he wanted balanced sides i.e. an all-rounder at number 6 with a wicket-keeper at number 7. As such, Illingworth was saying that his chosen wicket-keeper had to contribute with bat and gloves. While Rhodes had a golden summer with the gloves in 1994, he did not make enough runs - especially against the powerful South African bowling attack in the second half of the season (although he did make his only Test half-century in this series at Leeds,[5] and had won plaudits for a "gritty display" in helping to save a Test against New Zealand earlier in the summer).[6]

Chosen to tour Australia in 1994–95, he had a poor tour with gloves and especially with the bat - frequently dismissed by Australian spearhead Craig McDermott, often leg before wicket (LBW). Having waited so long to make his Test debut (he had played three One Day Internationals in 1989), he was dropped in favour of Alec Stewart in 1995, and never played for England again. Nevertheless, Rhodes was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1994.

Coaching career

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Steve Rhodes in a post match interview in 2019
 
Steve Rhodes coaching Bangladesh team in a practice session at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Bangladesh

In May 2005, Worcestershire announced that Rhodes had been appointed Coach, following the departure of Tom Moody. He subsequently served as director of cricket between 2006 and 2017.

On 7 June 2018 Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) appointed Rhodes head coach for the national team until the end of the 2020 ICC World Twenty20.[7][8] In July 2018 Rhodes lost his first series as Bangladesh coach when West Indies won the two-match Test series 2–0.[9] In the ODI series, Bangladesh defeated West Indies 2–1 and recorded their second ODI series victory in West Indies.[10] Later, Bangladesh managed to beat West Indies in the T20I series with a 2–1 lead.[11] Rhodes praised his team for making a comeback and won the last two series after they were defeated in the Test series, and he was surprised that they won the T20 series against the world champions West Indies.[12]

Bangladesh also won their first ever tournament final under Rhodes after failing the previous 6 times. In the Tri-nation Series between Bangladesh, Ireland, and West Indies, the Tigers beat the Windies by 5 wickets and won the trophy for the first time ever in their history.

In July 2019, Rhodes' contract with the BCB was terminated, following the team's eighth-place finish in the 2019 Cricket World Cup.[13]

He was a coach with the Comilla Victorians, in the 2022 Bangladesh Premier League

References

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  1. ^ Warner, David (2011). The Yorkshire County Cricket Club: 2011 Yearbook (113th ed.). Ilkley, Yorkshire: Great Northern Books. p. 363. ISBN 978-1-905080-85-4.
  2. ^ "Bangladesh part ways with coach Steve Rhodes".
  3. ^ "Lancashire v Worcestershire at Manchester, 15 Sept 1991". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Records/ List A matches/ Wicketkeeping records/ Most dismissals in career". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Full Scorecard of England vs South Africa 2nd Test 1994". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  6. ^ "New Zealand v England, Test 2 played at Lord's, 16-20 Jun 94". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  7. ^ "Steve Rhodes takes over as Bangladesh coach". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  8. ^ "Steve Rhodes confirmed as Bangladesh head coach". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  9. ^ "Holder's six-for seals 2–0 sweep". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  10. ^ "Tamim, Mahmudullah set up series win for Bangladesh". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  11. ^ "Liton's blitz and Mustafizur's three-for seal Bangladesh's series win". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  12. ^ "T20I win against WI came as a surprise - Steve Rhodes". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  13. ^ "Bangladesh part ways with coach Steve Rhodes". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
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Sporting positions
Preceded by Worcestershire County Cricket Captain
2004
Succeeded by
Preceded by Worcestershire County Cricket Coach
2004-2017
Succeeded by
Preceded by
New Appointment
Worcestershire Director of Cricket
2006-2017
Succeeded by
Position Redesignated
Preceded by Head Coach of Bangladesh National Cricket Team
2018-2019
Succeeded by