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Full name Edward James McKenzie Cowan
Born June 16, 1982, Paddington, New South Wales
Current age 26 years 119 days
Major teams British Universities, New South Wales, Oxford UCCE
Nickname Fred
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Legbreak
Height 1.77 m

Batting and fielding averages

Mat

Inns

Runs

Ave

100

First-class

1251

137*

32.92

2566

48.75

List A

502

119

26.42

824

60.92

Twenty20

13.25

126.19

Bowling averages

Mat

Inns

Balls

Runs

Wkts

BBI

BBM

Ave

Econ

First-class

3.00

List A

Twenty20

Career statistics

First-class debut

2003

Last First-class

New South Wales v Tasmania at Sydney, Nov 20-23, 2007 scorecard

List A debut

2004/05

Last List A

Yorkshire v Scotland at Leeds, May 26, 2008 scorecard

Twenty20 debut

Western Australia v New South Wales at Perth, Jan 1, 2007 scorecard

Last Twenty20

New South Wales v Tasmania at Sydney, Jan 10, 2007 scorecard

Ed Cowan's aim at the start of 2006-07 was to establish himself at the top of the New South Wales order. He did that, playing every Pura Cup game and six one-dayers while securing himself a place at the Academy. However, Cowan, a highly-talented left-hand opening batsman, slipped last summer when he appeared in only four Pura Cup matches, with a best of 56, and six FR Cup affairs. By the end of the season he had been overtaken by the young batsman Phillip Hughes. A trip to Scotland to play league cricket followed and he was picked seven times for the country in the ECB's 50-over competition.

In 2006-07 Cowan had a quiet pre-Christmas period but made his first two Pura Cup centuries in the new year and finished with 640 runs at 30.47. His 108 against Tasmania helped set up an innings victory and he recorded 128 as the Blues drew with Queensland at Sydney. He was just as effective in the limited-overs game and averaged 43.20 at a strike-rate of 82. His maiden one-day hundred - 119 from 120 balls - came as the Blues posted 295 against Victoria at Canberra. It was an encouraging year after Cowan played only one ING Cup game in 2005-06. That season he required a reconstruction of the big toe on his left foot after he damaged it while batting in a club match.

Cowan fielded for Australia as a substitute before he had even played for New South Wales. Called from the Members' Bar, he was on the SCG for about five minutes against Pakistan in 2004-05. His state career started in the same season; he played three games but was 12th man for the final victory at the Gabba. In 2003 Cowan was an exchange student to Oxford Brookes University, and after playing first-class matches against English counties for the Academy side twinned with Oxford, he was selected for the British Universities, scoring an unbeaten 137 against Zimbabwe. As a junior, Cowan was the player of the under-17 national championships in Sydney in 1998-99, where he set the record for the highest individual score for a New South Wales player in the tournament's history (218 not out v ACT). He was also a member of the Australian Under-19 World Cup team in Sri Lanka in 2000. Cowan balances his cricket with studies; he has a commerce degree, has worked as an analyst for an investment bank and is studying his masters in applied finance.
Brydon Coverdale September 2008

Jan 11, 2008

Ed Cowan is bowled by Ishant Sharma © AFP

Nov 21, 2007

Ed Cowan takes evasive action as Michael Dighton pulls © Getty Images

Nov 7, 2007

Ed Cowan had a few let-offs on his way to 37 © Getty Images

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