Kurtis Patterson: The forgotten man of Australian cricket

Not many cricketers can boast they have a better Test batting average than Sir Donald Bradman, but this forgotten Aussie certainly can.

Kurtis Patterson celebrates his maiden Test century in Canberra.

Remember Kurtis Patterson? He brought up a maiden Test century in Canberra and hasn’t represented his country since — for varying reasons.

Patterson currently boasts a Test batting average of 144.00, statistically the largest of all-time — but you won’t see his name in the record books.

A minimum of 20 Test innings is typically required to qualify for the official list, which is topped by Sir Donald Bradman.

Stream the final of the 2020/21 Marsh Sheffield Shield Live with Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >

Patterson’s talent is undeniable, but due to an frustrating blend of untimely injuries and sporadic form, he’s still waiting for a Test recall.

And with an exciting crop of young talents emerging in the Sheffield Shield this summer, he might not get another opportunity to prove his worth at international level.

Surprise Test call-up

Patterson’s been a stalwart for the New South Wales side since scoring a century on Sheffield Shield debut back in November 2011, becoming the youngest cricketer to achieve the feat.

He burst onto the international scene in early 2019, rushed into the Australian Test squad for a two-match series against Sri Lanka.

The Aussies had weeks earlier lost a Border-Gavaskar Trophy series on home soil for the first time in history, and several high-profile batsman were subsequently axed.

Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Mitchell Marsh and Aaron Finch were all sent back to the Big Bash League, leaving the door open for some unproven talent to make their mark.

Patterson was not initially named in Australia’s squad, but the left-hander was flown up to Brisbane at the 11th hour after scoring 157 and 102 against the touring Sri Lankans in a warm-up fixture at Hobart’s Bellerive Oval.

Kurtis Patterson diving to take a catch to dismiss Dilruwan Perera.

He was selected in the starting XI ahead of Victorian young gun Will Pucovski for the first Test, making his debut alongside paceman Jhye Richardson at the Gabba.

Although he didn’t contribute much with the bat, Patterson made headlines for his one-handed blinder at gully to remove Dilruwan Perera.

Runs galore in Canberra

After six consecutive Tests with no Australians reaching triple figures, the floodgates suddenly opened during the second match against Sri Lanka in Canberra.

Joe Burns, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja and Patterson each brought up centuries at Manuka Oval as Australia cruised to a 2-0 series whitewash.

Sri Lanka’s short leg fielder kindly gave the Australian No. 6 an extra life by dropping a dolly on his first ball.

“It’s very special,” Patterson told Fox Cricket after reaching triple figures. “I’ve played that innings in my head since I was a kid. It was nice to make it a reality.”

Patterson registered 30 and 114 not out against the Sri Lankans, and national selectors rewarded the left-hander by including him in the Australia A squad for a winter tour of England.

Travis Head, Kurtis Patterson, Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja.

2019 tour of England

The inevitable return of suspended powerhouses Steve Smith and David Warner meant the Australia A batsmen were competing for a limited number of spots in the 2019 Ashes squad.

Matthew Wade and Marcus Harris plundered mountains of runs on the tour, while Patterson made two, 32, 38, two and 0 across five red-ball innings. His spot in the Test XI was suddenly in jeopardy.

Before selectors finalised the Ashes squad, Patterson’s last audition was an Australia vs Australia A tour match at Southampton’s Ageas Bowl.

But the New South Welshman registered two and 0 in a low-scoring affair dominated by bowlers.

“I knew I wasn’t going to be in the squad,” Patterson said later that year. “Of course you always hold out a little bit of hope, but the logical person inside me knew I wasn’t going to get picked, which probably made it a little bit easier.

“The selectors were after blokes who were in form, and unfortunately I couldn’t put that together.”

Patterson joined an unwanted list of cricketers to be dropped after scoring a Test century, with Joe Burns suffering the same fate — national selectors exiled him from the Test side almost as quickly they rushed him into it.

To rub salt into the wound, Patterson missed most of the 2019/20 summer with a quad injury which sidelined him for several months.

A classy knock against the England Lions in February 2020 caught the attention of national selector Trevor Hohns, but a global pandemic interrupted any further progress on his comeback.

“I have certainly fallen out of the frame, and some other guys have done very well and earned the right to play for Australia,” Patterson told cricket.com.au earlier this year.

“But at the same time, you’re always only two or three good hundreds away from being back in the frame.

“I genuinely believe that I’m a better player than I was two years ago.”

Kurtis Patterson after being dismissed by Jackson Bird in Southampton.

Patterson’s forgettable summer

After Matthew Wade was axed from the Test squad earlier this year, a vacancy opened up in Australia’s middle order.

Travis Head and Moises Henriques remain prime candidates for the No. 5 spot next summer, but cricket pundits rarely mention Patterson in the ongoing debate, and understandably so.

The 27-year-old endured a horror 2020/21 summer with the bat, registering just one 50-plus score in 19 innings for New South Wales.

Patterson averaged 20.40 with the bat in a high-scoring Sheffield Shield tournament, his lone highlight being a century against wooden-spooners South Australia in March.

And his numbers sadly weren’t much better in the 50-over competition, where he mustered 61 runs from five knocks.

With Pat Cummins unavailable due to Indian Premier League commitments, Patterson captained New South Wales in Sunday’s highly-anticipated Marsh Cup Final against Western Australia at Bankstown Oval.

Although the Blues ultimately secured a 102-run victory, Patterson’s woeful dismissal summarised his ongoing troubles with the bat.

Facing his seventh delivery of the day, the left-hander recklessly threw his hands at a wide full toss from seamer Liam Guthrie.

Poor weight distribution and a lack of footwork meant the Kookaburra ricocheted off his inside edge onto the stumps.

When teammate Jason Sangha was dismissed the following over, New South Wales was suddenly in dire straits at 3/50 — before a century from Jack Edwards saved the Blues.

Kurtis Patterson is bowled out by Liam Guthrie in Bankstown.

Sheffield Shield Final

Patterson has one final chance to redeem an otherwise forgettable summer — the illustrious Sheffield Shield final.

New South Wales will be chasing back-to-back titles when they come up against Queensland at Allan Border Oval this week. Patterson will once again captain the side, while Khawaja will lead the Bulls.

“It’s certainly on myself and Dan Hughes as the two older guys in the group to make sure we do our part and play our roles,” Patterson told reporters on Wednesday.

Queensland’s side features a talented batting line-up which includes Marnus Labuschagne and Joe Burns, while New South Wales boasts a world-class bowling attack comprised of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and Sean Abbott.

The first ball is scheduled for Thursday morning 9.30am AEST.

Queensland squad: Usman Khawaja (c), Xavier Bartlett, Joe Burns, Brendan Doggett, Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Billy Stanlake, Bryce Street, Mitchell Swepson, Jack Wildermuth

New South Wales squad: Sean Abbott, Harry Conway, Trent Copeland, Jack Edwards, Matthew Gilkes, Josh Hazlewood, Lachlan Hearne, Baxter Holt, Daniel Hughes, Nathan Lyon, Peter Nevill, Kurtis Patterson, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha, Mitchell Starc

Originally published as Kurtis Patterson: The forgotten man of Australian cricket