Daniel James Cullen (born 10 April 1984) is a former Australianfirst-class cricketer who played forSouth Australia andSomerset in a career that lasted from 2004 to 2009. He was a right-armoff break bowler who appeared six times forAustralia, and was touted as a promising prospect to replaceShane Warne. However, a number of unproductive seasons meant that he lost his national contract in 2008, and was dropped by South Australia in 2010, ending his first-class career. Cullen was a member of the Australian team that won the2006 ICC Champions Trophy.

He first appeared for South Australia in 2004, and after two strong seasons for South Australia, he was selected totour Bangladesh with the national team in April 2006. He made his Test debut when other players were rested, and subsequently played the three ODIs on the tour. The following season, after a string of poor performances, he was replaced in South Australia's first-class team, and although he performed better in 2007–08, his bowling figures continued to wane, and he was eventually dropped from the state side, resulting in the loss of his South Australian contract at the end of the 2009–10 season.

Cullen made hisfirst-class cricket debut in 2004 forSouth Australia, appearing againstVictoria.^[1] He claimed four wickets in the match, which South Australia won.^[2] His debut season drew the plaudits ofShane Warne, who claimed that Cullen would be "a certainty to play for Australia."^[3] He took 43 wickets at an average of 30.37 that year, and the following season he was named as theBradman Young Cricketer of the Year, despite breaking his finger.^[1] After the conclusion of the Australian domestic season, Cullen was selected as part of the Australian squad to faceBangladesh. He did not play in the firstTest match, but was called up for the second, as several members of the team were rested due to fatigue.^[4] He took one wicket in the match, in which Australia's other two spinners, Warne andStuart MacGill, took 15 wickets between them.^[5] He played in all three of theOne Day Internationals (ODIs) on the tour, taking two wickets at an average of 49.^[6]

Along withCameron White, he played forSomerset as their overseas player for the2006 English cricket season. He had a relatively unproductive spell with the county,^[7] taking seven wickets in four matches at an average over 50.^[8] He left Somerset early to play in theTop End series forAustralia A.^[7] He subsequently played in two ODIs during the2006–07 DLF Cup, but remained wicket-less in both. Despite his early promise, and the positive comments made by Warne andRicky Ponting,^[9] these were Cullen's final appearances for Australia, ending his international career with one Test wicket and two ODI wickets in six matches.^[1]

He struggled in 2006–07, and after only taking 13 wickets in thePura Cup, he was replaced in South Australia's first-class team byCullen Bailey.^[1] He travelled to Pakistan with Australia A in September of that year, and in threeList A matches againstPakistan A, he claimed three wickets: the best by any Australian, as they lost all three games.^[10] In the first unofficial Test between the sides, Cullen took five wickets in the match to help Australia A to an innings victory.^[11] Cullen once again had poor bowling figures during the 2007–08 domestic season in Australia, but he blamed the pitches, claiming that "I compare myself against the spinners in every game and I've pretty much out-bowled the majority."^[12]Cricket Australia disagreed, and he lost his national contract at the end of the season.^[13] In the 2008–09 season, Cullen took ten first-class wickets at an average of 77.70,^[14] The following 2009–10 season, his only appearance came in theFord Ranger Cup, in which he played againstQueensland, bowling six overs without taking a wicket.^[15] That was his final appearance for South Australia, ending his career with 130 first-class wickets at an average of 44.28, and 56 List A wickets at 35.39.^[1] He lost his contract with South Australia at the end of that season.^[16]

Dan Cullen now works as a plumber and has also worked as the spin-bowling coach to junior sides of theSouth Australia Redbacks.^[17]

• 1984 births
• Living people
• Australian cricketers
• Australia Test cricketers
• Australia One Day International cricketers
• People educated at Westminster School, Adelaide
• Somerset cricketers
• Australian expatriate cricketers in England
• South Australia cricketers
• Cricketers from Adelaide
• 21st-century Australian sportsmen

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