Steven Nikitaras (Greek: Stavros Nikitaras; born 31 August 1970) is a former professional cricketer who played at Australian domestic level for both New South Wales and Western Australia. A left-arm pace bowler, he went on to play for the Greek national side after the end of his professional career.

Nikitaras was born in Port Kembla, a suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, to Greek emigrant parents. He did not take up playing cricket until he was 19.^[1] Batting right-handed and bowling left-arm fast-medium, Nikitaras was shortly afterwards selected for a Wollongong representative team, and within a year had progressed to the Sydney grade cricket competition. From the 1993–94 season onwards, he began to be regularly selected for New South Wales second XI matches.^[2] Nikitaras made his debut for the senior team in a Mercantile Mutual Cup match against Western Australia during the 1996–97 season.^[3] In the match, played in October 1996 at North Sydney Oval, he failed to take a wicket,^[4] but was selected in another one-day match five days later, against Queensland, and again went wicketless.^[5] Nikitaras' inaugural Sheffield Shield match came against Queensland the following month.^[6] In the match, played at Bankstown Oval, Sydney, he took 3/76 in Queensland's first innings opening the bowling alongside Phil Alley.^[7]

Although he appeared in several more matches during the 1996–97 season, including against a touring England "A" team,^[3] Nikitaras did not play at all at state level during the 1997–98 season, and transferred to Western Australia the following season.^[1] Playing for Perth in the local grade cricket competition, he made his debut for Western Australia towards the end of the 1998–99 season, in a Sheffield Shield match against Queensland at the WACA Ground.^[6] Bowling first change behind Jo Angel and Matthew Nicholson, he did not take a wicket, and failed to play another match at state level during the season.^[8] However, the following season was Nikitaras' most successful at state level. He gained regular selection in Mercantile Mutual Cup matches, playing seven out of eight matches in the tournament,^[9] and taking seven wickets, third in Western Australia's bowling aggregates behind Angel and Darren Wates.^[10] Nikitaras was particularly valued for his low economy rate, conceding just 4.00 runs per over to finish with Western Australia's best rate and the equal-fifth-best rate in the competition (for bowlers with over five wickets).^[11] His best bowling figures, 3/30 from ten overs, came against the Canberra Comets in early January 2000.^[12]

Despite his good form during the 1999–2000 season, which had helped him secure a contract from the Western Australian Cricket Association, Nikitaras played only four matches for Western Australia the following season, including a match against the West Indies on their 2000–01 tour of Australia.^[3][6] Having failed to gain a contract for the 2001–02 season,^[13] Nikitaras signed with the Middlesex County Cricket Club for the 2002 English cricket season, on a one-year contract.^[14] As a Greek citizen, he was not counted as an overseas player, under the terms of the Bosman ruling.^[15][16] Struggling with injury, he played only two matches during the season, both in the Second XI Championship.^[17] Having first played for the side in 1990, against Guernsey, Nikitaras represented the Greek national cricket team at several tournaments after the conclusion of his first-class playing career.^[18] In June 2011, he captained Greece at the 2011 European T20 Championship Division Two tournament, with the side finishing sixth overall after losing to Spain in the fifth-place playoff.^[19]

Personal life

His son Blake Nikitaras has also played first-class cricket for New South Wales cricket team.^[20]

References