Adam Paul Rouse (born 30 June 1992) is a Zimbabwean-born English former professional cricketer. Rouse played as a right-handed batsman who fielded as a wicket-keeper, although he was considered versatile enough to play solely as a specialist batsman. Rouse played for England at under-19 level and made his first-class debut in 2013 for Hampshire County Cricket Club. He played for Gloucestershire in 2014 before joining Kent County Cricket Club ahead of the 2016 season. He retired from professional cricket at the start of the 2020 season.
 Rouse at Tunbridge Wells in June 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Adam Paul Rouse | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 30 June 1992 Harare, Zimbabwe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm off break[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Wicket-keeper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Hampshire (squad no. 20) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Gloucestershire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2019 | Kent (squad no. 12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FC debut | 15 July 2013 Hampshire v Kent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LA debut | 6 August 2013 Hampshire v Bangladesh A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricInfo, 30 July 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life and youth career
editBorn in the Zimbabwean capital Harare, Rouse moved to England with his family when he was ten years old, living at Farleigh Wallop near Basingstoke.[2] Two years later, he became the youngest person to make a century in an adult league match at the age of twelve. Impressing during his teens in club cricket, Rouse was talent spotted by Hampshire, entering the county's academy and first playing for their second XI in 2008.[3]
In 2010, Rouse played two Youth Test matches and five Youth One Day Internationals for the England Under-19 side against Sri Lanka Under-19s.[2] In 2011 he became the youngest English substitute fielder to take a catch during a Test match.[4] Later in the year Rouse had his development contract renewed.[5] He captained the Hampshire Second XI for the majority of the 2012 season.
Cricket career
editRouse made his First Class cricket debut for Hampshire in 2013 against Kent,[6] also appearing once for the county in a one-day game against the touring Bangladesh A team. He was released by the club at the end of the 2013 season,[7] joining Gloucestershire for a two-month spell in 2014.[8][9] Rouse played in 13 matches for Gloucestershire in all domestic competitions before being released when first choice wicket keeper Gareth Roderick returned from injury.[10][11] He also featured for Surrey and Kent's second eleven teams during the season.[12] Following his release by Gloucestershire, Rouse qualified as a personal trainer, a move he later suggested had allowed him to play cricket "with a bit more freedom" and provided a "plan-B".[13]
At the beginning of the 2015 season he acted as temporary wicket keeper cover for Kent but was not signed to a longer-term contract.[14][15][16] In January 2016, following Ryan Davies' departure to Somerset, Rouse signed a two-year permanent contract with Kent.[16][17] He made his Kent first-class debut in a university match in April 2016, replacing Sam Billings who was playing in the 2016 Indian Premier League.[18][19]
Rouse became Kent's regular wicket-keeper in Billings absence at the start of the 2016 season and by the end of May was leading the first-class wicket-keeping dismissals with 26 victims.[6] Once Billings returned to Kent Rouse became the reserve 'keeper, although he continued to play when Billings was injured[20] or on England duty, making eight appearances for Kent during the season. His season was cut short following two finger dislocations during Kent's County Championship match against Glamorgan towards the end of June, a game in which Rouse made his maiden first-class half century.[21] A fracture resulting from the injuries required surgery which side-lined Rouse for ten weeks and he did not play for the first team for the remainder of the 2016 season.[20][22][23]
With Billings once again on England duty and playing in the 2017 Pakistan Super League, Rouse began Kent's 2017 season as the first-choice wicket-keeper, playing in all of the county's matches in the 2016–17 Regional Super50 tournament in the West Indies and topping the team's batting averages in the competition.[24] He scored his maiden List A half-century in the team's final match of the tournament playing as a specialist batsman.[25] Rouse continued to keep wicket at the start of the 2017 County Championship season, taking 13 catches and making a new first-class highest score of 95 not out in the first block of matches before signing a new contract with Kent in late April.[24][26] He played in Billings' absences for Kent throughout 2017 and again in 2018, playing occasionally as wicket-keeper in games Billings also played in, and made one first-class appearance for Surrey in July 2018 in a tour match against West Indies A with Surrey suffering from a shortage of available wicket-keepers.[27][28]
Retirement
editRouse retired from professional cricket in July 2020, at the start of the 2020 season which had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[29][30][31] having made 84 senior appearances in his career. In 2021, supported by the Professional Cricketers Association, he opened a gym in central London with his wife, building on his personal training qualifications.[32]
References
edit- ^ Ball takes five-for, Haggett and Rouse take wickets in South Africa, Kent County Cricket Club, 2016-01-24. Retrieved 2016-01-24.
- ^ a b Rouse on the rise as England come calling, Basingstoke Gazette, 2010-08-07. Retrieved 2016-01-24.
- ^ Basingstoke cricketer Adam Rouse makes Hampshire debut, Basingstoke Gazette, 2013-07-15. Retrieved 2016-01-24.
- ^ Rouse makes a historic catch, Basingstoke Gazette, 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2016-01-24.
- ^ Hampshire give contracts to Terry, Rouse and Ravenscroft, CricInfo, 2011-11-11. Retrieved 2013-07-16.
- ^ a b 'Keeper-batsman Rouse happy to have made his mark' in Kent v Derbyshire, Kent County Cricket Club, 2016-06-26.
- ^ Riazuddin: I have no regrets, Southern Daily Echo, 2013-10-02. Retrieved 2016-01-24
- ^ Matchwinner Adam Rouse puts himself in the shop window, Wilts & Gloucestershire Standard, 2014-07-02. Retrieved 2016-01-24.
- ^ Gloucestershire cricket: Adam Rouse aims to make most of his chance[permanent dead link], Western Daily Press, 2014-07-04. Retrieved 2016-01-24.
- ^ Gloucestershire sign Adam Rouse as wicketkeeper cover, BBC Sport website, 2014-06-24. Retrieved 2016-01-23.
- ^ Adam Rouse departs as Gareth Roderick returns from injury for Gloucestershire Archived 2014-08-03 at the Wayback Machine, Gloucestershire Echo, 2014-08-01. Retrieved 2016-01-23.
- ^ Adam Rouse determined to take his shock chance at Gloucestershire[permanent dead link], Bristol Post, 2014-06-26. Retrieved 2016-01-23.
- ^ Adam Rouse: Personal training qualification has allowed me to play with more freedom, BBC Sport, 2017-04-25. Retrieved 2017-04-26.
- ^ Wicketkeeper Adam Rouse joins Kent on trial Archived 2016-01-29 at the Wayback Machine, Kent County Cricket Club, 2015-04-11. Retrieved 2016-01-23.
- ^ Kent sign wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Rouse Archived 2016-01-22 at the Wayback Machine, Kent News, 2016-01-18. Retrieved 2016-01-23.
- ^ a b Kent swoop for former Gloucestershire and Hampshire wicket-keeper[permanent dead link], Canterbury Times, 2016-01-19. Retrieved 2016-01-23.
- ^ Adam Rouse: Kent agree deal with wicketkeeper-batsman, BBC Sport website, 2016-01-18. Retrieved 2016-01-23.
- ^ Crouch J (2016) Rouse wants to give coaches “a difficult decision”, Kent Sports news, 2016-04-08. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
- ^ Rouse aiming to keep it cool behind stumps[permanent dead link], Canterbury Times, 2016-04-16. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
- ^ a b Pennell M (2016) Adam Rouse happy with life in Kent as Sam Billings understudy Archived 13 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Kent News, 2016-06-23. Retrieved 2017-02-12.
- ^ Hoad A (2016) Rouse plays through pain barrier to hit first 50, Kentish Express, 2016-06-30.
- ^ Jackson answers Kent's emergency call, CricInfo, 2016-06-22. Retrieved 2017-02-12.
- ^ Rouse, Haggett and Riley continue comeback from injury Archived 13 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Kent County Cricket Club, 2016-08-25. Retrieved 2017-02-12.
- ^ a b Hoad A (2017) Kent wicketkeeper Adam Rouse handed contract extension, Kent Online, 2017-04-26. Retrieved 2017-04-26.
- ^ Dickson and Rouse stand sees Kent to FGS Plant Tour win, Kent County Cricket Club, 2017-02-12. Retrieved 2017-02-12.
- ^ Adam Rouse: Kent wicketkeeper signs contract extension, BBC Sport, 2016-04-26. Retrieved 2017-04-26.
- ^ Surrey team named to face West Indies A Archived 16 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Surrey County Cricket Club, 2018-07-15. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
- ^ Kent County Cricket Club [kentcricket] Best of luck to @Rousie20 who is keeping wicket for oldest rivals @surreycricket this week against West Indies A at The Oval. He's been drafted in for one match only as Surrey are without 2 'keepers on England Lions duty and another has a niggle, (Tweet), via Twitter, 2018-07-16. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
- ^ Adam Rouse: Kent wicketkeeper-batsman to retire at 28, BBC Sport, 2020-07-30. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
- ^ Kent wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Rouse retires from cricket, The Cricketer, 2020-07-30. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
- ^ Reeves T (2020) Kent Cricket wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Rouse announces he has decided to retire from professional sport, Kent Online, 2020-07-30. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
- ^ Rouse trained up for second career, Kent County Cricket Club, 2021-11-01. Retrieved 2021-11-01.