Kevin Joseph McCarthy (born 11 October 1945) is a former cricketer who played first-class cricket for South Australia from 1964-65 to 1972-73.

Kevin McCarthy was a strongly-built fast-medium bowler and useful tail-end batsman. He made his first-class debut for South Australia in the 1964-65 season when he was 19, playing five matches with only moderate success. Playing for Glenelg in the Adelaide competition in 1967-68, he took 73 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 12.9, twice taking nine wickets in an innings.^[1] He was awarded the medal for the outstanding player in the competition.^[2]

He returned to the South Australian team in 1968-69, taking 21 wickets at an average of 28.22 and forming an effective opening attack with Eric Freeman in South Australia's Sheffield Shield-winning team.^[3] Early in the season, in the match against the touring West Indians, he scored 127, having gone to the crease with the score at 7 for 166, adding a South Australian eighth-wicket partnership record of 171 in 131 minutes with Ian Chappell.^[4][5] He also played a leading part in South Australia's Sheffield Shield victory in 1970-71, opening the bowling with Jeff Hammond and taking 23 wickets at 19.00.^[6]

McCarthy's best first-class bowling figures were 6 for 114 in the first innings against New South Wales in 1970-71, out of a total of 7 for 441; the other wicket fell to a run out.^[7] Against Victoria in 1969-70 he was South Australia's highest scorer with 39 and 24, but did not take a wicket.^[8] He played a major part in South Australia's one-wicket victory over New South Wales in 1971-72, taking 2 for 44 and 3 for 42 and scoring 17 not out and 32 not out. In the second innings he and Mike Hendricks came together with the score at 9 for 214 when South Australia needed 263 to win, and they put on an unbroken 51 for the last wicket to win the match with five overs to spare.^[9]

McCarthy was a stalwart for Glenelg from 1962-63 to 1976-77. The Kevin McCarthy Trophy is now awarded annually to Glenelg's leading first-grade bowler.^[10] He also played 10 SANFL games for Glenelg in 1965, kicking 22 goals.^[11]

• Kevin McCarthy at ESPNcricinfo
• Kevin McCarthy at CricketArchive