Dominic Ostler

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Dominic Piers Ostler (born 15 July 1970 in Solihull, England) is a former cricketer who played for Warwickshire from 1990 to 2004. He was a right-handed batsman who usually batted in the middle order, bowled occasional right-arm medium pace, and was known for his excellent slip fielding (and sometimes kept wicket).

Ostler began his Warwickshire career quietly, but in his third game in 1990 he helped secure a win with 42 not out at No 8. In 1991 he won his county cap and became a regular in the side, scoring 1,284 runs at 36.68 and making his first first-class century (120 not out against Kent).

From 1992 to 1995 Ostler was a dependable run-scorer for Warwickshire, often crossing 1,000 runs in a season. He produced several big scores: 192 against Surrey (1992), 174 against Essex (1993), 186 against Yorkshire (1994), and a double century, 208, against Surrey (1995). He earned a place in England A and toured Pakistan in 1995–96, where he top-scored in one innings but did not secure further opportunities.

Towards the late 1990s Ostler’s form dipped, and in 1998 he played only a handful of matches. He bounced back in 2000, scoring 1,096 runs at a career-best average of 49.81 and earning a benefit season from Warwickshire. In 2001 he looked set for another productive year until an elbow injury halted his season after July. His one-day form peaked with an unbeaten 134 against Gloucestershire that year.

Ostler returned in 2002 to score 1,039 first-class runs at 43.29, including a top score of 225 against Yorkshire. But in 2003 his place in the team was no longer secure, and he played only a few List A and Twenty20 matches in 2004 before retiring. He later continued to play club cricket in the Birmingham area.

Career highlights include 205 first-class matches with 10,856 runs at 34.90, 16 centuries and 67 fifties, and a top score of 225. In limited-overs cricket he played 275 List A matches, scoring 7,238 runs at 32.16, with 3 centuries and a top score of 134*. He also took 259 catches in first-class cricket.