Christi Viljoen
Personal information
Full name
Christoffel Viljoen
Born (1987-09-28) 28 September 1987 (age 36)
Pretoria, Transvaal, South Africa
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium
RoleAll-rounder
International information
National side
ODI debut (cap 24)27 April 2019 v Oman
Last ODI17 September 2019 v United States
T20I debut (cap 11)20 May 2019 v Ghana
Last T20I2 November 2019 v Ireland
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
2015/16–2018/19Otago
Career statistics
Competition ODI T20I FC LA
Matches 2 12 80 89
Runs scored 19 68 2,788 1,209
Batting average 19.00 17.00 22.12 21.21
100s/50s 0/0 0/0 1/12 0/6
Top score 17* 33 182* 87*
Balls bowled 30 223 12,313 3,882
Wickets 2 20 225 102
Bowling average 7.00 11.80 26.98 30.98
5 wickets in innings 0 1 8 1
10 wickets in match 0 0 0 0
Best bowling 2/6 5/9 7/61 5/27
Catches/stumpings 2/– 5/– 37/– 29/–
Source: Cricinfo, 6 July 2020

Christoffel "Christi" Viljoen (born 28 September 1987) is a former cricketer who played for the Namibia national team. He played as a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium-fast. He also played for Otago in New Zealand domestic cricket.[1]

Career

Viljoen made his first-class debut for Namibia in the CSA Provincial Three-Day Challenge competition held in South Africa on 21 January 2010 against KwaZulu-Natal.[2] He also made his T20 debut (along with 9 other players in Namibia) against Zimbabwe on 13 February 2010. Opening the bowling with Louis Klazinga, Viljoen took a single wicket (that of Sikandar Raza) for seven runs.[3] He played six matches in the tournament, scoring 61 runs from three innings with a highest of 41,[4] and took six wickets at an average of 16.83.[5]

After experimenting with a two-division format the International Cricket Council decided that the 2011–13 ICC Intercontinental Cup would feature eight teams, including Namibia who were previously in the Shield competition, playing first-class cricket.[6] Namibia played their opening fixture of the Cup in September. Batting at number three Viljoen scored a four-ball duck in the first innings but in the second managed 87 from 136 balls, in the process passing 500 first-class runs in his career and beating his previous highest score in the format.[7]

A side made up of some of the leading players from Associate and Affiliate teams was put together to face England in Dubai in January 2012. The three-day match was part of England's preparation for a series against Pakistan later that month. Along with Craig Williams, Viljoen was one of two Namibia players included in the 12-man squad.[8] Coming in to bat at 90/6, Viljoen top-scored with 98 runs from 189 balls against a bowling line-up including James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, and Graeme Swann.[9]

The UAE hosted the 2012 World Twenty20 Qualifier in March. Namibia progressed to the preliminary finals where they lost to Ireland.[10] With 14 wickets from 9 matches, Viljoen was Namibia's leading wicket-taker in the tournament (equal fourth overall),[11] and scored 48 runs from 5 innings.[12] Shortly after the tournament concluded, Namibia hosted Canada in the Intercontinental Cup. Namibia won by eight wickets and in the second innings Viljoen finished with career-best bowling figures of 7/61.[13]

In January 2018, he was named in Namibia's squad for the 2018 ICC World Cricket League Division Two tournament.[14]

He was the joint-leading wicket-taker for Otago in the 2018–19 Super Smash, with thirteen dismissals in seven matches.[15]

In March 2019, he was named in Namibia's squad for the 2019 ICC World Cricket League Division Two tournament.[16] Namibia finished in the top four places in the tournament, therefore gaining One Day International (ODI) status.[17] Viljoen made his ODI debut for Namibia on 27 April 2019, against Oman, in the tournament's final.[18]

In May 2019, he was named in Namibia's squad for the Regional Finals of the 2018–19 ICC T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier tournament in Uganda.[19][20] He made his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut for Namibia against Ghana on 20 May 2019.[21] In Namibia's third match of the tournament, against Botswana, Viljoen took his first five-wicket haul in a T20I match, finishing with figures of five wickets for nine runs from his four overs.[22][23] He finished as the leading wicket-taker in the Regional Finals, with nine dismissals in three matches.[24] However, following the conclusion of the tournament, the International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended Viljoen for four matches, after he breached the ICC's Anti-Racism Code during the match against Uganda.[25]

In June 2019, he was one of twenty-five cricketers to be named in Cricket Namibia's Elite Men's Squad ahead of the 2019–20 international season.[26][27] In September 2019, he was named in Namibia's squad for the 2019 ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier tournament in the United Arab Emirates.[28] Ahead of the tournament, the International Cricket Council (ICC) named him as the player to watch in Namibia's squad.[29]

References

  1. ^ "Christi Viljoen". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  2. ^ f52226 KwaZulu-Natal v Namibia: CSA Provincial Three-Day Competition 2009/10, CricketArchive, retrieved 7 January 2012
  3. ^ tt1525 Southern Rocks v Namibia: Stanbic Bank Twenty20 2009/10, CricketArchive, retrieved 7 January 2012
  4. ^ Batting and fielding in Stanbic Bank Twenty20 2009/10 (ordered by runs), CricketArchive, retrieved 7 January 2012
  5. ^ Bowling in Stanbic Bank Twenty20 2009/10 (ordered by wickets), CricketArchive, retrieved 7 January 2012
  6. ^ "UAE and Namibia join Intercontinental Cup", ESPNcricinfo, 17 May 2011, retrieved 7 January 2012
  7. ^ f53346 Ireland v Namibia: ICC Inter-Continental Cup 2011 to 2013, Cricket Archive, retrieved 7 January 2012
  8. ^ Porterfield leads ICC side against England, Cricinfo, 16 December 2011, retrieved 18 December 2011
  9. ^ "England frustrated by lower-order rally", ESPNcricinfo, 7 January 2012, retrieved 7 January 2012
  10. ^ Siggins, Gerard (24 March 2012), "Ireland demolish Namibia to qualify for World T20", ESPNcricinfo, retrieved 2 May 2012
  11. ^ "ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, 2011/12 / Records / Most wickets", ESPNcricinfo, archived from the original on 24 April 2012, retrieved 2 May 2012
  12. ^ Batting and fielding in ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2011/12 (ordered by runs), Cricket Archive, retrieved 2 May 2012
  13. ^ "Burger, Viljoen star in Namibia win", ESPNcricinfo, 8 April 2012, retrieved 2 May 2012
  14. ^ "Six teams vying for the final two spots in ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  15. ^ "Super Smash, 2018/19 – Otago: Batting and bowling averages". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  16. ^ "The Squad Participating in the ICC World League 2 Tournament". Cricket Namibia. 18 March 2019. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  17. ^ "Papua New Guinea secure top-four finish on dramatic final day". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  18. ^ "Final, ICC World Cricket League Division Two at Windhoek, Apr 27 2019". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  19. ^ "Namibia squad revealed for ICC T20 World Cup Africa finals". Xinhua News Agency (Africa). Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  20. ^ "African men in Uganda for T20 showdown". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  21. ^ "5th Match, ICC Men's T20 World Cup Africa Region Final at Kampala, May 20 2019". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  22. ^ "11th Match, ICC Men's T20 World Cup Africa Region Final at Kampala, May 22 2019". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  23. ^ "Viljoen rips through Botswana". The Namibian. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  24. ^ "ICC Men's T20 World Cup Africa Region Final, 2019: Most wickets". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  25. ^ "Namibia's Christi Viljoen earns four-match suspension". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  26. ^ "Breaking News – Announcement of the 2019–2020 National Elite Training Squad". Cricket Namibia. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  27. ^ "Elite cricket training squad announced". Erongo. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  28. ^ "ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier Send Off". Cricket Namibia. Archived from the original on 2 October 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  29. ^ "Team preview: Namibia". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 15 October 2019.

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