Full name Dirk Peter Viljoen
Born March 11, 1977, Salisbury (now Harare)
Current age 32 years 256 days
Major teams Zimbabwe, Mashonaland, Mashonaland A, Mashonaland Under-24s, Matabeleland Invitation XI, Midlands, Young Mashonaland
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Slow left-arm orthodox
| Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100 | 50 | 4s | 6s | Ct | St | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 2 | 4 | 0 | 57 | 38 | 14.25 | 174 | 32.75 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ODIs | 53 | 43 | 7 | 512 | 63* | 14.22 | 827 | 61.91 | 0 | 2 | 26 | 5 | 18 | 0 |
| First-class | 46 | 71 | 8 | 1956 | 207* | 31.04 | 2 | 11 | 32 | 0 | ||||
| List A | 87 | 69 | 11 | 995 | 73 | 17.15 | 0 | 3 | 32 | 0 |
| Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 2 | 2 | 105 | 65 | 1 | 1/14 | 1/14 | 65.00 | 3.71 | 105.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ODIs | 53 | 46 | 2075 | 1639 | 44 | 3/20 | 3/20 | 37.25 | 4.73 | 47.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| First-class | 46 | 4117 | 1998 | 67 | 6/73 | 29.82 | 2.91 | 61.4 | 1 | 0 | |||
| List A | 87 | 3099 | 2440 | 63 | 3/20 | 3/20 | 38.73 | 4.72 | 49.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Test debut | Zimbabwe v Pakistan at Bulawayo, Mar 14-18, 1998 scorecard |
| Last Test | India v Zimbabwe at Nagpur, Nov 25-29, 2000 scorecard |
| Test statistics | |
| ODI debut | Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe at Sharjah, Apr 3, 1997 scorecard |
| Last ODI | Zimbabwe v England at Bulawayo, Oct 13, 2001 scorecard |
| ODI statistics | |
| First-class span | 1994/95 - 2002/03 |
| List A span | 1996/97 - 2002/03 |
Dirk Viljoen is a genuine allrounder - a left-hand middle-order batsman and slow left-armer - but one who has not fulfilled his early promise - he was Zimbabwe's Young Cricketer of the Year in 1996-97, and gained valuable experience in the Australian Cricket Academy. His footwork and sound technique with the bat promised much, and his bowling showed enough intelligence, with good variation in flight and pace, for him to be a real force for Zimbabwe. It was a surprise when he made the full Zimbabwe squad shortly after his 20th birthday, and he soon became regarded by selectors as a one-day specialist - he made two forgettable Test appearances - and was given a good run in the side. But his batting increasingly disappointed and his bowling became expensive and he was dropped at the end of the 2001-02 series against England. Originally with Mashonaland, he subsequently became player-captain at Midlands. In 2002 his family farm was repossessed by Robert Mugabe's government.
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