Brendan O'Brien (cricketer)

Brendan Anthony O'Brien (born 2 September 1942) is a former Irish cricketer. O'Brien was a right-handed batsman. He was born at Galway, County Galway.

O'Brien made his first-class debut for Ireland in 1966 against Scotland. From 1966 to 1981, he represented Ireland in 11 first-class matches, the last of which came against Scotland.[1] In his 11 first-class matches, he scored 319 runs at a batting average of 19.93, with a high score of 45*.[2] O'Brien represented Ireland in 2 List A matches. The first came in the 1980 Gillette Cup against Middlesex with the second coming in the 1981 NatWest Trophy against Gloucestershire.[3] O'Brien scored just 2 runs in his 2 List A matches, averaging 1.00.[4]

O'Brien is the father of Niall and Kevin O'Brien, both of whom play One Day International and Twenty20 International cricket for Ireland. Both were key members of Ireland's successful 2007 Cricket World Cup squad and played important parts in Ireland's upset victory over Pakistan. Niall has a county contract with Northamptonshire. In the 2011 World Cup in India, Kevin broke the world record for the fastest century in a World Cup, which he made from just 50 balls. His innings was crucial in helping Ireland to an historic first win over England.