Niall O Brien - Ireland - WK-Batsman

Niall O'Brien comes from a sporting family in Ireland. His father, Brendan O'Brien aka Ginger played club cricket for Ireland from 1966 to 1981. His younger brother, Kevin O'Brien, plays in the national squad while his sister Ciara O'Brien is in the Irish women's hockey team.

With a fiery attitude that defines every Irishman, Niall has become a pivotal member in an Ireland team that is going from strength-to-strength. His first major contribution came in the second ODI against the West Indies at Belfast in 2004. Chasing 293 for a victory, the top order scored at an aggressive rate as they raced towards the score. Niall stroked 58 off just 57 balls to help Ireland secure a win by six wickets. The match would be remembered for Niall irking Brian Lara as he refused to walk after apparently being caught behind.

Following a one year stint with Kent, he moved to Northamptonshire. The county stint helped him well during Ireland's 2007 World Cup campaign where they pulled off a major shock by defeating Pakistan in the league phase. After bowling out Pakistan for just 132 on a green-top in Jamaica, Ireland were in trouble at 62/3. Niall batted brilliantly and displayed remarkable fortitude and calmness for an inexperienced player. His 72 helped Ireland achieve victory and Pakistan were knocked out of the tournament.

He followed it up with 63 against England at Providence to show that he belonged at this stage. He was in sensational form for Northamptonshire during the 2008 season and was voted as the player of the year. He was also awarded with a three-year contract with the club. Niall also featured in the ICL, playing for the Delhi Jets but was not suspended. He immediately started playing international cricket and blasted 174 in Ireland's victory over the UAE in the Intercontinental Cup.

Niall has often gotten into trouble for his violent outbursts. In 2006, he was banned for one Intercontinental match after criticising the groundsman for the condition of the pitch in a game against Scotland.

He missed most of 2010 for Northamptonshire due to finger surgery. During the 2011 World Cup, Niall became the third Irish player to go past 1,000 runs in ODIs. Ireland were due to play two ODIs against Pakistan in May that year, however O'Brien suffered an injury to his hand and was forced to miss the fixtures. In 2012, he signed a contract worth $80,000 with the Bangladesh Premier League team - the Khulna Royal Bengals but could only manage 54 runs in five games.

At the end of the English County Season of 2012, Niall left Northamptonshire after six seasons. It was later announced in October 2012 that Leicestershire had signed O'Brien in a three-year deal. He had a pretty decent 2013, scoring crucial runs for Ireland in the ICC World Cricket League Championship. Niall scored 135 runs in three games in the 2015 Dubai triangular series, which included an unbeaten 80 against Scotland.

By Cricbuzz staff