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Top 10 Facts about Jonty Rhodes

Jonathan Neil “Jonty” Rhodes was born on 27 July 1969. He is a South African professional cricket commentator and former Test and One Day International cricketer. He is regarded as one of the greatest fielders of all time and was the first South African cricketer to take 100 ODI catches.

He played for the South African cricket team between 1992 and 2003. He is currently the assistant coach of Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League. In the article are the top ten facts about Jonty Rhodes.

1. He had effected the ninth-highest number of run outs in ODI cricket of any fieldsman

A photo of Jonty Rhodes by jontyRhodes8 –

Whilst being noted for his quick running as a right-handed batsman, he was especially noted for his defensive fielding, particularly catching, ground fielding, and throwing from his most common position of backward point.

A report prepared by Cricinfo in late 2005 showed that since the 1999 Cricket World Cup, he had effected the ninth-highest number of run outs in ODI cricket of any fieldsman, with the third-highest success rate.

2. Rhodes also represented South Africa in hockey

He was chosen as part of the 1992 Olympic Games squad. The 1992 Summer Olympics officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad and commonly known as Barcelona ’92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

However, the squad did not qualify to go to the tournament. He was also called up for trials to play in the 1996 Olympics but was ruled out by a hamstring injury.

3. Rhodes made his Test début against India in 1992

Jonty Rhodes photo by Afrika Force –

On 13 November 1992, Rhodes made his Test début against India in the first Test of the “Friendship Tour” The effervescent Jonty Rhodes was such a great fielder it seemed difficult for him to persuade South African selectors his batting was as good as it was. He scored scoring 41 in the first innings and 26 not out in the second at his home ground in Kingsmead, Durban.

4. Rhodes scored his first Test century against Sri Lanka in the 1993-1994 season

Sri Lanka’s national cricket team notably known as The Lions achieved considerable success beginning in the 1990s, rising from underdog status to winning the Cricket World Cup in 1996, under the captaincy of Arjuna Ranatunga.

This, therefore, speculates that under the pressure of South Africa playing against The Lions was never a joke worth bearing. So, Rhodes scored his first Test century since he joined the Test Competition on 13 November 1992.

4. Rhodes retired from Test Match in 2001

Rhodes announced his retirement from Test match cricket in 2001. He retired so as would be allowed to continue playing until the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa. His last Test match was on 6 August 2000 at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo against Sri Lanka.

Rhodes made scores of 21 and 54 in the two innings. Sri Lanka went on to win the match by six wickets. He was also well known for hitting reverse sweep and has also hit the first reverse sweep shot which had gone for a six.

5. Rhodes made his One Day International début against Australia in 1992

Jonty Rhodes photo by SIddarthArvind – Wikimedia commons

A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited-overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours.

Rhodes made his One Day International début against Australia in South Africa’s opening match of the 1992 Cricket World Cup at the Sydney Cricket Ground on 26 February 1992.

Australia batted first, scoring 170, and Rhodes dismissed Craig McDermott via a run-out. South Africa scored 171 to win the match by nine wickets and Rhodes was not required to bat.

6. When did Rhodes shoot to fame?

Rhodes shot to fame after South Africa’s fifth game of the World Cup, against Pakistan on 8 March 1992 at the Brisbane Cricket Ground. South Africa batted first, scoring 211 off 50 overs. Pakistan’s innings were reduced to 36 overs because of rain interruptions, with the target revised from 212 to 194 runs.

Inzamam-ul-Haq and Pakistan captain Imran Khan resumed the innings when play was restarted. With the score at 135/2 Inzamam, who was at the time on 48, set off for a run but was turned back by Khan.

The ball had rolled out towards Rhodes who ran in from a backward point, gathered the ball and raced the retreating Inzamam to the wicket.

Rhodes, with the ball in hand, dived full length to break the stumps and effect the run-out. The run-out, the subject of a famous photograph by Jim Fenwick, is still considered one of the more spectacular feats of that World Cup and the defining moment of Rhodes’ career.

7. Why was Rhodes replaced by Graeme Smith?

Graeme Smith photo by TonyPatterson –

Initially, Rhodes had announced that he planned to retire from One-Day International cricket after the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa. However, his tournament was cut short when he got injured in a match against Kenya.

During Kenya’s innings, Maurice Odumbe hit the ball in the air toward Rhodes. Rhodes dropped the catch and in the process broke his hand. The South African team’s medical staff concluded that it would take four to five weeks to heal, effectively ruling Rhodes out of the rest of the tournament.

Rhodes was withdrawn from the squad and replaced by Graeme Smith. So, it is because of the injury that Rhodes retired early for the One Day Internationals as he and all other his fans had expected.

8. What did Rhodes do after he retired from cricket?

After retiring from playing cricket Rhodes was employed by Standard Bank as an account executive and is also involved with the bank’s cricket sponsorship in South Africa. Rhodes then worked as a fielding coach in the South African national cricket team.

He was the fielding coach for IPL Team Mumbai Indians, followed by the fielding coach for Kings XI Punjab in the 13th season of the Indian Premier League. The Kenyan cricket team announced that Rhodes had been hired as the team’s assistant coach, assisting Kenya with fielding and batting until the 2011 Cricket World Cup.

9. Rhodes started his coaching career in 2020

He was appointed as fielding coach for Kings XI Punjab. In September 2020, Rhodes signed a contract with the Swedish Cricket Federation, ahead of moving to Sweden permanently. In Feb 2022 he was also named as batting coach for Punjab Kings for IPL 2022 in addition to his responsibilities as fielding coach for the side.

10. Did you know that Rhodes was once married to the niece of Cuan McCarthy

Cuan McCarthy photo by Paul Venter –

Cuan Neil McCarthy was a South African cricketer who played in fifteen Tests from 1948 to 1951. Kate McCarthy, a niece of Cuan McCarthy, married Rhodes on 16 April 1994 in Pietermaritzburg. The couple has two children; a girl, Danella Rhodes, and a boy, Ross Rhodes. The couple unfortunately divorced.