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Vaughan's Shirt Number 99. Why?

Neil Pickup

Cricket Web Moderator
I've been asked this twice in the last couple of weeks, and both times my answer's been "erm..."

Does anyone have any idea?
 

steds

Hall of Fame Member
Because it's the highest number he'll ever see in close proximity his name in ODIs.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Why did Patrick Symcox suddenly insist on wearing 77, in the days when most people didn't even venture into the 20s with shirt-numbers?
Some people like unusual shirt-numbers - simple as.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Can't remember which ones they were.
Jog my memory?
I remember SA in WC99 having the best numbers system - all the batsmen bar Rhodes simply had batting-order (Kirsten 1, Gibbs 2, Kallis 3, Cullinan 4, Cronje 5, Rhodes 8).
Nowadays it seems pretty football-esque ad hoc.
 
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Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Of course - occasionally players choose numbers for certain purposes (Zamorano was the first to do this - Baggio took 10 from Ronaldo, Ronaldo took 9 from Zamorano, Zamorano took 18 so he could have 1+8 to make 9) - Kallis taking 65 for a short time when his father was on his death-bed, because it was the age his father had reached. Prince wears 50 for Zamorano-esque reasons - the number-five shirt has been retired in SA, as a tribute to Cronje, so Prince has 5+0.
I'm sure there are a few other examples...
 

steds

Hall of Fame Member
Richard said:
Eh?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
What has that to do with quoted part, prey?










It is?
It's serious enough to keep him out of a test, and I thought it might joy your memory.
 

Jungle Jumbo

International Vice-Captain
I personally hate it when players wear high numbers, even if they have a good reason for it... makes them look like American sports players. Herschelle Gibbs: 00? Ridiculous.

In the '99 World Cup all the players were numbered 1-15 (I think), with the captain 1, and the rest of the players 2-15 in alphabetical order. Looked far better, hope it gets brought back for next year.
 

Barney Rubble

International Coach
Personally I think it should work like it does in football. In footy the keeper wears 1, and the rest of the players wear 2-11 in international matches, in whatever order they like. Saves confusion.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Ah, but Hansie Cronje wasn't. He took number-five - with the number-one batsman, Gary Kirsten, taking number-one.
I, too, preferred the simple number system but, sadly, I feel the ad hoc system is here to stay.
You can't really justify saying to a player "no, you're not allowed 58 because it's got to be 1-15".
In any case - since about 2000, shirts have become much more perminant - in WC99 I think numbers were only World Cup things - otherwise in pyjamas it was just names.
And with numbers being perminant, you can't give a player a number recently used because of the chance of replaced player coming back.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
BoyBrumby said:
What about the order they were capped in? Eg: 154 for Fred. Would seem to settle any arguments.
Might lead to a few problems 200 years down the line.
Can't see 12,302 being fitted easily...
 

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