OTD | Australian opener Michael Slater was born today in 1970

Former Australian player Michel Slater is celebrating his 54th birthday today. The right-hander from New South Wales had a considerably long Test career for Australia. Not only in Test cricket but he also represented the Aussies in ODI cricket. Slater was a belligerent player and his risk-taking approach made him a tough batter to bowl against. 

Michael Slater made his debut for the Kangaroos in 1993. The occasion could not have been better as he got the opportunity to represent Australia for the first time in international cricket against England in a Test match at Manchester. Slater grabbed the opportunity and scored a half-century in the first innings of the Test match conveying a message that his selection was the right decision made by the team management. 

His impressive performances in Test and domestic cricket furthered his case for selection in the ODI squad. A few months later, in December 1993, Slater played his maiden One-Day international match against South Africa in Melbourne. Just like his Test debut, Slater smashed a half-century on his ODI debut as well. He opened the innings for his team with Mark Taylor and scored 73 runs off just 69 deliveries. 

Indomitable character

Michael Slater was known for his ability to take on the opposition and get under their skin. He had a brilliant start to both his Test and ODI career but he could not continue that momentum in ODI cricket and was soon out of the equation. Slater played 42 ODIs for Australia where he scored 987 runs at a poor average of 24.07. 

However, there was no such dip in his form in Test cricket. Over his decade-long career for Australia, he played 74 Test matches scoring 5312 runs at an average of 42.83. He had 14 centuries to his name in the longest format of the game along with 21 half-centuries. Incidentally, he played his last international game against the same opposition that he started his international career against, England.