Michael Di Venuto

Michael James Di Venuto (born 12 December 1973) is an Australian cricket coach and former first-class cricketer who represented both Australia (in One Day Internationals) and Italy.

The bulk of his first-class cricket career was spent playing for Tasmanian Tigers.

A left hand opening batsman, his form for Tasmania throughout the mid-1990s earned him a call up for the Australian national cricket team in the One Day International arena, although after nine games he was dropped.

Like some of his contemporary Tasmanian teammates such as Jamie Cox, Dene Hills, and Shaun Young, Di Venuto can be considered unlucky to have not had a more successful international career, as he was playing at a time when the Australian national cricket team was highly dominant, and difficult to earn selection for.

His form for Tasmania in the late 1990s soon drew the attention of English county sides, and he signed for Sussex County Cricket Club for the 1999 season.

His form in the TCA competition soon drew the attention of state selectors, and Di Venuto was selected to make his first-class debut in the 1991–92 whilst still a teenager.

In the 1992–93 season, he returned to club cricket to find some more experience.

His return worked well, and he won the Roger Wolley Medal for man-of-the-match in that season's TCA Grand Final, guiding them to the championship in the process.

In that season, he also scored a brilliant innings score of 187 against University, still the second-highest score in Tasmanian grade competitions.

In a match played at the Gabba from 13–16 March 1992, Di Venuto came into the Tasmanian side for the first time.

Although not performing exceptionally, his 33 not out showed he had the temperament to move onto the next level, and helped Tasmania to a total of 400/6 declared.

The match ended in a draw, but Di Venuto was now in the minds of the Tasmanian selectors.

The following season Di Venuto did not feature for his state at first-class level, but returned to grade cricket to refine his technique.

The break worked.

Di Venuto returned for the 1993/94 season, and scored 678 runs at 37.66, with a high score of 125 a highlight.

Di Venuto's return also helped Tasmania qualify for the Sheffield Shield final for the first time ever.

They played against the New South Wales Blues at the Sydney Cricket Ground, but the occasion of reaching the final proved too much, with New South Wales won by an innings and 61 runs.

The following season he returned figures of 656 runs at 32.80 batting at number four, cementing his spot in the Tasmanian middle order.

Di Venuto truly came to the fore in the 1995/96 season.

His 791 runs at 43.94 saw him end the season as Tasmania's third most effective batsman, behind only experienced opener Dene Hills, and international legend David Boon.

Following a move to Kingborough Cricket Club, he again won the award in 1996–97, helping them to the trophy as well.

In all, Di Venuto played in 8 TCA grand finals for both clubs.

With his regular place in the order assured by the 1996/97 season, Di Venuto regularly moved into the number three spot to cover Ricky Ponting's absence through international duties.

Although his form dipped slightly at times during the season under this extra pressure, he still returned 799 runs at 39.95.

This was Tasmania's third highest tally for the year, but was well overshadowed by Jamie Cox, who scored a remarkable 1349 runs at 67.45.

Along with Ponting (850 at 70.83), they kept the Tiger's in the hunt for another final, although the season fell away with Tasmania finishing fourth.

Di Venuto's form in the 1996/97 Mercantile Mutual Cup was just as impressive – in five innings he scored 274 runs at 68.50, including a high-score of 129 not out.

This was the second highest season tally behind only Queensland Bulls batsman Jimmy Maher, and earned him a call up to the Australian One Day International side.

In 2005–06, Di Venuto decided to return to the North Hobart Cricket Club where his grade cricket career had begun.

He scored 1,133 runs for Derbyshire in 2005 but it was not enough to prevent relegation.

Di Venuto has made the switch to Durham in readiness for the 2007 season, having served Derbyshire for eight years.

Although his first-class career occupied much of his time, Di Venuto has returned to North Hobart occasionally, such as in March 2009, when a superbly-made 111 helped the Demons to victory over Clarence District Cricket Club to reach the TCA Grand Final, although the final was lost to arch-rivals University of Tasmania Cricket Club.

Di Venuto was called up to make his first-class debut against Queensland at the age of 19.

After retiring from representative cricket in Australia, he continued playing for Durham County Cricket Club till July 2012, when he announced retirement from County Cricket.

He has also previously played cricket in England for Derbyshire and Sussex.

After retiring from Durham, he was appointed Australia's full-time batting coach by head coach Mickey Arthur, and was then head coach of Surrey from 2016 until 2020.

Born in Hobart, Tasmania of Italian Australian extraction, Michael Di Venuto attended St Virgil's College, and began his cricketing career representing St. Virgil's Cricket Club.

Michael's father, Enrico, and brother, Peter, were also talented cricketers, but were both surpassed by his own ability.

Showing his talent from an early age, he soon joined North Hobart Cricket Club, who participate in the Tasmanian Cricket Association's TCA Grade Cricket Competition.

It was in that competition that Di Venuto first made a name for himself.