Alex Wharf enjoyed a ten-year career with Glamorgan during the 200os before retiring from first-class cricket at the end of 2009 – his Benefit Year – after losing his battle with an on-going knee injury.

Alex first played for Yorkshire in 1994, with the youngster taking the wicket of Brian Lara on his first-class debut. He subsequently found his opportunities restricted with his native county, and in 1997 he joined Nottinghamshire. Despite some useful performances, he was also released and joined Glamorgan for 2000.

It proved to be a very shrewd signing, as the burly all-rounder marked his debut for the Welsh county with 100* against Oxford University before adding another century against Northamptonshire, as well as taking 37 wickets at 25 apiece, plus some important spells in one-day games as Glamorgan reached the final of the Benson and Hedges Cup at Lord’s.

A persistent heel injury restricted Alex`s appearances in 2001 and 2002, but he returned to the side in 2003 and became a valuable member of the side in both formats of the game, enjoying his most successful summer with Glamorgan, taking 52 wickets and scoring 475 runs.. His aggressive seam bowling and forthright batting was a feature behind Glamorgan`s success in the totesport League in 2004 with Alex making some telling contributions acting as a pinch-hitter batting at number 3. However. the highlights were two dramatic spells with the ball – firstly a match-winning hat-trick against Warwickshire, followed by a remarkable spell of 6-5 against Kent at Cardiff.

These impressive contributions, allied to his agile fielding, lead to his inclusion in the England one-day side in September 2004 for the one-day series against India and then the ICC Champions Trophy. Alex returned figures of 3/30 on his debut against India, and won the man-of-the-match award, in what proved to be the first of thirteen appearances in One-Day Internationals. Alex also toured Zimbabwe and South Africa with England, in addition to being a member of the England A party that visited the West Indies in the Spring of 2006.

Despite posting a match-winning century against Gloucestershire in 2007, Alex was increasingly hampered by his knee ailment and was unable to bowl at full pace. After retiring in 2009, Alex became a first-class umpire, joining the first-class list during 2011 and being elevated onto the ICC’s international panel in 2018 since when he has stood in a series of One-Day Internationals.

WHARF, Alexander George     

Born – Bradford, 4^th June 1975.                         

Best performances for Glamorgan:

In First-class cricket – 128* v Gloucestershire at Bristol 2007; 5/63 v Yorkshire at Swansea, 2001.

In List A cricket – 72 v Lancashire at Old Trafford, 2004; 6/5 v Kent at Sophia Gardens, 2004.

In T20 cricket – 19 v Somerset at Taunton, 2006; 5/16 v Northamptonshire at Northampton, 2006.

	M	I	NO	RUNS	AV	100	50	CT	ST
First-class	91	139	22	2922	24.97	6	11	46	–
List A	107	79	10	1063	15.41	–	1	33	–
T20	29	18	5	143	11.00	–	–	5	–

	Balls	M	R	W	AV	5wI	10wM
First-class	13286	314	8785	241	36.45	5	1
List A	4535	44	3893	149	26.13	2
T20	673	0	1045	39	26.79	1