Ben Cutting

Ben Cutting (born 30 January 1987) is an Australian cricketer who plays as an all-rounder. Cutting represented Australia at the 2006 U19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka. Cutting played first-class cricket for the Queensland Bulls between 2007 and 2018.

A tall, lanky fast bowler, Cutting had a breakthrough 2009/10 domestic season where he was the highest-wicket taker for Queensland. He continued to perform heavily in the following season and was constantly knocking the doors of the selectors.

The Sunnybank-born cricketer was named in the Test squad for the home series against New Zealand, but he did not make it to the playing XI. However, in 2013, Cutting made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka and picked a solitary wicket in the match.

He last played an ODI match in 2014 against Zimbabwe.

Cutting has been a useful player in franchise cricket, especially for the Brisbane Heat, and since the second edition of the tournament, he has picked up 35 wickets in 41 matches for the Heat. ‘Cutsy’ is a great utility player and his ability to clear any ground makes him a valuable asset for any side.

Cutting’s ability to bat and bowl attracted a lot of interest from the IPL franchises, and in the year 2014, Rajasthan Royals purchased him. However, Cutsy just played a solitary game and picked up only a wicket in the tournament.

The Brisbane-based cricketer did not participate in the following edition and was released by Royals ahead of the 2016 auction. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) took the gamble and signed the Queenslander.

He was a valuable player for SRH, chipping in with both bat & ball and was instrumental in the final against RCB, playing a match-winning knock of 39 off just 15 deliveries and took two crucial wickets to propel Sunrisers to win the IPL title. For his excellent all-round performance in the final, Cutting was awarded the man of the match.

Ahead of the 2018 edition of the IPL, the Australian was released by SRH and he was eventually bought by Mumbai Indians (MI). The Mumbai squad was already stacked with foreign players and as a result, Cutting only played nine matches in the entire tournament.

He did not play in the 2020 edition and was released by mutual consent. Subsequently, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) purchased the Aussie for his base price of INR 75 lakh.

Cutting is an excellent exponent of short deliveries and has developed two types of short balls, including the one which comes in quickly and surprises the batsmen. An efficient player, Cutting wishes he could have played more for Australia. His deceptive slower short ball, along with the ability to strike the ball cleanly makes him a great player for franchise cricket.

(As of March 2021)