Gary Keedy

Full Name	Gary Keedy
Nickname	Keeds
DoB	27th November 1974
Height	6' 0''
Bats/Bowls	Left Hand/Left arm spin
Shirt Number	23
Lancashire	Debut 1995. Cap 2000. Previous Club: Yorkshire 1994
Tests	0
ODI	0

Profile

Gary Keedy is very similar to Lancashire colleague Glen Chapple. Like Glen, Gary has often been described as one of the best county cricketers never to have been capped by England. Both have been hailed as perfect club men, having performed for the county for many a year. While Chapple was awarded the county captaincy for 2009, Gary was named as the club’s beneficiary.

Reiterating the point made above about Keedy’s England credentials, the magazine, All Out Cricket, named Keedy as the best county player never to have played for England in October, 2006.

Rumour has it that he was close to selection for the 2003 tour to Bangladesh, and he also went for the necessary jabs at Loughborough prior to the 2005 winter tour of Pakistan but didn't make the squad.

But the only concrete recognition he has received from the England selectors was a call up to the England Lions side to play against Australia in a two-day friendly match at Canterbury in mid-2009.

He was in the midst of a mammoth run of bowling in the Championship – he bowled 82.1 overs in the match against Durham which finished just the day before.

And he returned admirable figures of 3-70 from 19 overs against the Aussies, claiming the wickets of Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee and Stuart Clark.

By the end of the 2009 campaign, he was celebrating the fact that he was the only Red Rose player to play in every match in all four competitions, and he also pipped Chapple and Sajid Mahmood to the title of leading Championship wicket taker with 42 at 34.69.

Gary, who signed on at Old Trafford from Roses rivals Yorkshire in 1994 following just one appearance, has come to the fore in recent seasons with his effective left-arm spin.

The Wakefield born twirler was quite rightly awarded the 2004 Player of the Year Award after his 72 wickets were the highlight in an otherwise disappointing season for the club.

Throughout the majority of his Red Rose career, Gary has not been seen as a one-day player. But the advent of Twenty20 Cup has come to his aid and he is now seen as a permanent fixture in the limited overs arena.

Spin has played a major part in stifling the runs in the shortest of all formats and Gary's performances were key in the club's progression to Finals Days in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Unfortunately a knee injury ruled him out of what promised to be the biggest day of his career, and he was replaced by Kartik Murali for the 2006 C&G Trophy Final at Lord's against Sussex.

Despite having a disrupted season with many suggesting a blip in form, Gary still finished the club's leading wicket taker in first-class cricket with 61 victims.

2007 was yet another year where he was frustrated, appearances wise, by the arrival of Muttiah Muralitharan at Old Trafford. Keedy has often spoke of his admiration for the Sri Lankan star, admitting that he has learnt a lot from netting alongside him and playing alongside him when the conditions have allowed.

On the field, 2008 was another frustrating year for the left-armer, who performed far better than his tally of 28 Championship wickets at 41.32 would suggest. But at least he finished it in fine style with a season’s best of 5-56 against Somerset at Taunton. And he also passed the impressive milestone of taking 500 first-class wickets for the club.

It gave him the confidence to take into 2009, which was a busy year on and off the field for the player who will be 35 come the start of 2010.

He is also studying Physiotherapy at Salford University, although his second year had to be put on hold so he could deal with the benefit campaign.

Whether or not further England honours come on the back of his England Lions call up, that remains to be seen. You can rule nothing out in sport.
Graham Hardcastle
(c) Lancashire County Cricket Club Ltd
Click here for career stats