Introduction
Andrew Hall was born on July 31, 1975, in Johannesburg, Transvaal. The former South African all-rounder played 21 Tests, 88 ODI’s, and 2 T20Is from 1999 until 2007. Andrew Hall can play at any number, in the middle order or as an opening batsman. His fast-medium bowling adds an extra resource to the team. Before his debut for South Africa, he used to play indoor cricket in 1995–96 for Easterns, Gauteng, and Transvaal.
Education
Andrew Hall completed his education with Hoërskool Alberton in Alberton, Gauteng.
ODI Cricket
Andrew Hall was initially thought to be a product of ODI cricket. Hence, in 1999, he made his ODI debut against West Indies at Durban. He scored 9 not outs and didn’t take a wicket in a seven-over spell, costing 38 runs. In the 2003 Nat West series, he scored 56 off 51 balls with the help of 3 fours and 3 sixes and took 3 for 38 at Canterbury. He was a member of the 2003 World Cup squad and played his last ODI in 2007.
Andrew Hall shared a world-record 8th wicket partnership of 138 runs with Justin Kemp against India in the 3rd ODI at Cape Town 2006. Hall’s contribution was 56* off 47 balls, including 7 boundaries. He also took the 3 for 45. Moreover, against England in a 2007 Cricket World Cup match, he produced a magnificent spell of 5 for 18 at Bridgetown. In 2006, he was a member of the South African side, which beat Australia in a nail-biting world record chase of 438 at Johannesburg.
Test Cricket
Although he was a regular member of the ODI side, gradually he improved his abilities and made his Test debut against Australia in the second Match of the series at Cape Town in March 2002. In the first innings, South Africa was reeling 6 for 92, then Andrew Hall scored a handsome contribution of 70 runs off 186 balls with the help of 11 boundaries.
Andrew Hall received a late call to join the South African side for the England tour in 2003. In the bowling department, he impressed everyone by taking 16 wickets in the series. In the 4th Test of Leeds, his brilliant knock of 99* gives South Africa victory by 191 runs. Further, he became 5th batsman in the history of the game and was stranded at 99 not out.
The other batsman is G Boycott, vs Australia in 1979, SR Waugh vs England at Perth in 1995, AJ Tudor vs New Zealand at Birmingham in July 1999, Shaun Pollock vs Sri Lanka at Centurion in 2002. Recently, Misbah ul Haq was added to the list against West Indies at Kingston in 2017. Against Pakistan, Andrew Hall was found guilty of breaching the ICC code of conduct, eventually banned for two matches and dropped from the Test side as well. Therefore, he made a comeback against Sri Lanka and India.
Retirement
In Sep 2007, Andrew Hall decides to hang up his boots for international cricket and retired from cricket. However, He continued to play domestic cricket in England and South Africa until 2014. The major reason behind his retirement was his omission from the 2007 T20 World Cup. It was extremely disappointing for him to be left out of the inaugural T20 World Cup.
Opening Batsman
In 2004, Gary Kirsten retired from cricket and Herschelle Gibbs wasn’t in the squad. Then Andrew Hall was promoted to open the inning in the Test series against India. He grabbed the opportunity with both hands and scored a brilliant 163 runs (454 balls, 588 minutes, 17 fours) in the First Test of the series at Kanpur. This was his first Test century at this level and stayed at the crease for almost 10 hours. Indian bowling line consists of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.
County career
Andrew Hall played county cricket for Durham in the 1999 NatWest Trophy. In 2002, he made his only appearance for Suffolk in the Lancashire league. Therefore, in 2003 and 2004, he played a full season for Worcestershire. From 2005 to 2007, Andrew Hall moved to Kent and randomly played county cricket when he was not representing the South African side. After retirement in 2007, he has done a Kolpak deal with Northamptonshire and produced a record bowling analysis in T20, taking 6 for 21 against Worcestershire.
In the same match, he also scored a career-best T20 score of 66 Not Out. When his fellow teammate Nicky Boje resigned, he became the captain until the 2012 season. Under his leadership, Northants were promoted on the points’ table in the County Championship. He carried his journey with Northants until the 2014 season and didn’t offer a new contract. Hence, he decides to retire from all forms of cricket.
In 2011–2012, he helped and led the Mashonaland Eagles to victory in the inaugural Zimbabwean T20 competition. In 1999, he faced a setback, the victim of a robbery at an ATM and being fired six shots in his left hand. Moreover, in 2002, another unforgettable moment for him, when he was driving around in his car with a gun pointed towards his head.
