Gerald Coetzee Height, Weight, Age, Facts, Wife, Family

Gerald Coetzee is a South African professional cricketer who has represented his country in all 3 formats of the sport (Tests, ODIs, and T20Is), as a frontline pace bowler. In the South African domestic circuit, he has played for Free State (2018-19-Present) and Knights (2018-19-2020-21) across all 3 formats. In franchise-based T20 leagues around the world, Gerald has turned out for teams like Jozi Stars (2019) in the MSL (Mzansi Super League); Joburg Super Kings (2022-23-Present) in the SA20; Texas Super Kings (2023) in MLC (Major League Cricket); and Mumbai Indians (2024) in the IPL (Indian Premier League).

Born Name

Gerald Coetzee

Nick Name

Karate Kid

Sun Sign

Libra

Born Place

Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa

Residence

South Africa

Nationality

Education

Gerald had attended St. Andrew’s School, a public school for boys located in his hometown of Bloemfontein, the capital and the largest city of the Free State province. Established in 1863, it is the second oldest school in Bloemfontein and amongst the oldest in South Africa.

Occupation

Professional Cricketer

Family

• Father – Oom Coetzee
• Siblings – Jeane Pierre Coetzee (Older Brother)

Manager

He has been represented by Revolve Talent, Athlete Management Firm, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.

Batting

Right-Handed

Bowling

Right-Arm Fast

Role

Bowler

Jersey Number

62 – Test Match, One Day International (ODI), T20 International (T20I), Jozi Stars (MSL), Texas Super Kings (MLC), Joburg Super Kings (SA20)

Build

Athletic

Height

6 ft 3 in or 190.5 cm

Weight

77 kg or 169.5 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Gerald has dated –

1. Hannah Hathorn (2023-Present) – Gerald tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend and optometrist Hannah Hathorn in December 2023 in a ceremony held in Helderstroom, a town in South Africa.

Race / Ethnicity

White

Hair Color

Dark Brown

Eye Color

Green

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Toned physique
• Side-parted, slightly overgrown hair
• Affable smile
• Clean-shaven look
• Passionate and aggressive celebrations after taking wickets
• Often sports a headband while playing

Religion

Christianity

Gerald Coetzee Facts

1. Gerald first came into the spotlight in January 2018 when he bowled a fiery spell (5/32 in 9.5 overs) that helped South Africa defeat hosts New Zealand by a 73-run margin in the ‘Super League Playoff Semi-Final’ stage of the ICC (International Cricket Council) Under-19 Cricket World Cup. The win helped South Africa qualify for the 5th-place playoff match (the tournament featured 16 teams) where they defeated Bangladesh by 8 wickets.
2. In the inaugural season of the SA20 (the premier franchise-based T20-format cricket tournament in South Africa), played in January and February 2023, representing the Joburg Super Kings, Gerald captured 17 wickets in just 9 matches – the 3rd most in the tournament. This helped the Joburg Super Kings finish the league phase of the 6-team competition in 2nd place – with a 6-3 win-loss record in 10 matches.
3. In early March 2023, in just his 2nd test (and international) match for South Africa, the 2nd of a 2-match home bilateral test series against the West Indies, he produced team-best bowling figures in both innings (3/41 and 3/37) as South Africa crushed the West Indies by a mammoth margin of 284 runs.
4. Just a few days later, on his ODI debut, the 2nd match of a 3-match home bilateral series against the West Indies, Gerald again produced team-best bowling figures (3/57 in 10 overs). However, this was not enough to prevent the West Indies from racking up 335 runs – their then-highest total against South Africa in the ODI format. South Africa lost this match by 48 runs.
5. In September 2023, he was included in South Africa’s squad for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup – his first major senior-level limited-overs ICC tournament. Although he was initially not marked out to be a member of the team’s starting XI, he became a regular inclusion in the playing XI after injuries to a couple of members of the team’s pace bowling unit in the lead-up to the tournament.
6. In South Africa’s opening match of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, Gerald produced match-best bowling figures (3/68 in 9 overs) as South Africa demolished Sri Lanka by 102 runs. In South Africa’s 4th match of the tournament’s league stage, he again produced match-best bowling figures (3/35 in 4 overs) as South Africa crushed defending champions England by a mammoth margin of 229 runs.
7. In South Africa’s next match, against Bangladesh, he produced match-best bowling figures for the 3rd time in the tournament (3/62 in 10 overs). South Africa won this match by 149 runs. In South Africa’s 9th (and last) match of the league stage, against Afghanistan, his 7th match in the competition, he produced match-best bowling figures for the 4th time in the tournament (4/44 in 10 overs).
8. Gerald’s last wicket in the game against Afghanistan was his 18th in the tournament. This made him the leading wicket-taker for South Africa in a single edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup. South Africa finished the league phase of the 10-team 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in 2nd position – with a 7-2 win-loss record in 9 matches. The team’s golden run in the tournament came to an end in the semi-final stage where they lost to eventual (and 6th-time) champions Australia by 3 wickets in a close contest.
9. This result meant that South Africa’s seemingly never-ending quest for a berth in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup would continue for 4 more years. This (2023) was the 13th edition of the tournament, the 9th time that South Africa had participated, and the 5th time that the team had fallen at the semi-final hurdle (1992, 1999, 2007, 2015, and 2023). Interestingly, 3 of these 5 semi-finals were lost against Australia (1999, 2007, and 2023) and Australia went on to win the final on each occasion.
10. Gerald finished the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup as the joint 4th-highest wicket-taker overall (and the highest for South Africa) with 20 scalps in 8 matches. Widely acknowledged as one of the breakout stars of the tournament, he was included in the ICC‘s ‘Team of the Tournament’ as the 12th man.
11. At the IPL 2024 Auction, held on December 19, 2023, he was acquired by the Mumbai Indians for INR 5 crores. The 12th most expensive buy at the auction, he was bought at 2.5 times his base price. Gerald’s exploits at the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup (which finished exactly a month ago) played a key role in his selection and valuation.
12. His habit of often sporting a headband while playing cricket has earned him the nickname ‘Karate Kid’. It is a reference to The Karate Kid, an American martial arts drama movie franchise, wherein the protagonist often wears a headband during training.
13. Gerald sports the number 62 on his jersey for all his teams – international, domestic, or franchise – to honor his father whose birth year is 1962.

Featured Image by Gerald Coetzee / Instagram