Test Career
Elliot was called up to the Australian national team in the 1996–1997 season, making his Test debut against the West Indies in November 1996. Unfortunately for Elliott, in just his second Test match he was injured in a mid-pitch collision with teammate Mark Waugh, resulting in the need for knee surgery.
Elliott returned for the 1997 tour of South Africa. On the Ashes series in the same year in England and scored two centuries, including a career-best 199. He also made his One Day International debut in 1997 in the Texaco Cup, but scored 1, making it his only appearance in a limited overs international. Elliott was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year for 1998, although this wasn't enough for him to hold down a regular spot, and due to inconsistent performances after the Ashes series, he slipped out of the national team in 1999. Steve Waugh, in his autobiography, described Elliott as "technically gifted but temperamentally flawed" and "prone to serious bouts of self-doubt and a tendency to let injuries rule his thought processes." He stated that " would have been a perfect candidate... a sports psychologist."
He continued to perform at domestic level for Victoria and on the English county scene, and in the 2003–2004 season scored a remarkable 1381 runs in the Pura Cup, overtaking Graham Yallop's previous record (which was succeeded the very next year in 2004/05 by Michael Bevan). Rewarded with the Pura Cup Player of the Year Award and a new Cricket Australia contract, he was recalled to the national team for the first time in 5 years, albeit for one unsuccessful Test against Sri Lanka where he batted at number 3 in place of Ricky Ponting who took time off due to a family bereavement. Batting outside his normal position, Elliott scored just 0 and 1.
This performance dented hopes of a resurgence in his international career greatly. In addition to this, he also had a below-par season in the subsequent 04/05 domestic season for Victoria, averaging in the mid-30s.
Read more about this topic: Matthew Elliott (cricketer)
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