Roar Guru
Joined April 2020
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Interested in stadium politics, competition programming, sporting administration, cricket history and trivia
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“I'm not trying to cause a big sensation, I'm just talkin' 'bout my g-generation." As another Australian summer ends, you know what comes next…
While English cricket was still recovering from the ravages of WWI, there was cause for optimism as they headed Down Under.
Australia regained the Ashes with two games in hand, with England left frightened by the bowling duo of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson.
Frank Worrell is the most important West Indian cricketer of all time - and arguably surpassed only by Usain Bolt and Bob Marley as an icon of the Caribbean.
Despite the different eras, natural ability would ensure that each cricket star would triumph in the face of unfamiliar challenges.
If this exercise proved anything, it was the sheer randomness of birth dates; the strongest appear almost unbeatable, while others seem uncompetitive.
"No cricketer that has ever lived hit the ball so often, so fast and with such a bewildering variety of strokes.” - HS Altham…
This series’ twelfth and final team has a distinct West Indian flavour at the top of the order, and a domineering captain.
Its best three bowlers, as well as its wicketkeeper, are among the very best of all time.
This month’s side is good, with an impressive middle-order trio. However it could spend some long days in the field chasing leather, and be…
This team is a seriously good one, and ranks among the strongest in the entire series, as it contains seven great batsmen, and four superb bowlers.
January's team is well balanced with the potential to bat deep in the line-up and some swing and spin options for the bowlers.
Many of the world's top cricketers were born in December: Two were born on Christmas Day, and another on New Year’s Eve.
This is the most watchable team in the entire series, and one of the strongest. I’d travel far, and pay a lot, to see…
This team is stronger than the one for September, and arguably one of the best in the entire series. Whether batting or fielding, the…
While this month’s team might lack the batting strength of the August-born team of the month, a superb five-man bowling attack and outstanding captain…
Keen cricket followers will already know what this article is about, simply by its title. Seventy-five years ago, on Saturday 14 August 1948, the…
Following on from last month’s July-born World Cricket XI we move on to August. While arguably not as strong asJuly, it does boast one…
Another month, another team. This one is arguably stronger than the June-born Team of the month. Some all-time greats have again missed out on…
A few years ago I named twelve pairs of Australian and English teams, with each player eligible only for the side representing the month…
Hi Choppy,
Exactly-
14 innings batted – Terry Jenner
14 caps – JJ Lyons, Peter Sleep, Bill Whitty
14 catches – Gary Cosier
14 wickets – Greg Blewett
The Best of the South: A Shield-winning Redbacks team who played 14 Tests or fewer
Hi Choppy,
Would you consider articles of this nature to be your ‘forte’ ?
The Best of the South: A Shield-winning Redbacks team who played 14 Tests or fewer
Hi BG,
Plus, the ACB couldn’t afford Eng going home early from a lucrative once-every-4-years tour. Shades of India in 2007/08, and any British & Irish Lions rugby tour.
'People always remember the players who made them feel good' - cricket's Cleanskins XI
Hi Choppy,
Cronje had a few mates, including fellow Test captains Saleem Malik and Mohammad Azharuddin-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cricketers_banned_for_corruption
'People always remember the players who made them feel good' - cricket's Cleanskins XI
Hi SCG,
William Scotton, Aubrey Faulkner, Harold Gimblett, Jim Burke, David Bairstow and Graham Thorpe also took their own lives. David Frith’s books on the subject identify 151, including 23 who were Test cricketers.
And the many other untimely deaths at very young ages from ‘natural causes,’ including of Victor Trumper, Percy McDonnell, Johnny Briggs, George Lohmann, GF Grace, Fred Morley and Archie Jackson.
'People always remember the players who made them feel good' - cricket's Cleanskins XI
Hi Shire,
Bobby Simpson debuted for NSW at 16, after a dozen First Grade games, and at 3 months older than Craig.
Doug Walters debuted for NSW at 17, scoring 50 against a Qld attack that included Wes Hall.
Then there’s Pat Cummins, Craig McDermott…
'Incredible innings': 14-year-old prodigy blasts second-fastest IPL ton of all time to announce Royal arrival
Hi BG,
Maurice Tate and Jack Hobbs were hugely popular both at home and in Aus. Consummate professionals.
Warwick Armstrong not so much.
'People always remember the players who made them feel good' - cricket's Cleanskins XI
Hi Rowdy,
10CC says…
'People always remember the players who made them feel good' - cricket's Cleanskins XI
Hi GC,
And when it comes to the Ashes, “There ain’t no second prize.”
'People always remember the players who made them feel good' - cricket's Cleanskins XI
Hi SCG,
I do have a lot of books either specifically on Bodyline or that review Bodyline, must dig them out when I get some down time. Certainly plenty of big names were against the strategy, including- pre-Ashes, Hobbs and Warner after facing or seeing it at County level; mid-series, Warner, Pataudi and Allen; and after facing it from the WI subsequently, Hammond.
I suspect that if I checked, I’d find that both the MCC and the man in the street, in the absence of footage, refused to believe that Jardine and his side could be capable of unsportsmanlike behaviour. Hence the MCC’s telegram to the ACB, deploring its accusation and offering to call off the remainder of the tour. And someone famous whose name I can’t recall, on being told that Jardine would lead the tour, exclaimed that “he’ll win us back the Ashes, but might lose us the Empire !”
'People always remember the players who made them feel good' - cricket's Cleanskins XI
Hi GC,
A wonderful man. And I understand kept giving back to youth cricket right up until his passing 2 years ago aged 89. Refused to play on Sundays, which in those days was ok at both Grade and first-class level.
'People always remember the players who made them feel good' - cricket's Cleanskins XI
Hi Wiki,
Old Trafford, 1976. Close and John Edrich (age 39) opened just before stumps on Day 3, copped an absolute pounding. David Steele (age 35 but looked older) at first-drop. All out 71, only Steele (20) made double-figures.
'People always remember the players who made them feel good' - cricket's Cleanskins XI
Hi SCG,
Players we loved to hate, grudgingly respected, or genuinely hated ? Depends on your perspective, many we would accept as honorary Aussies-
WG Grace, Douglas Jardine, John Snow, Stuart Broad, Geoff Boycott, Ian Botham, Tony Greig, Richard Hadlee, Javed Miandad, Sarfraz Nawaz, Saurav Ganguly…
'People always remember the players who made them feel good' - cricket's Cleanskins XI
Thanks Tagger,
And the days of Craig Bradley, Graeme Hughes etc ended 40 years ago. Nowadays all professional sport is contracted and year-round, and a talented athlete must commit to just one at a very young age. As Alex Carey, Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh would attest.
The two-headed Monster: Blurring of cricket and footy seasons will force fans to choose their poison
Hi Andre,
Ex-Mosman, father John ?
Australia's stars reduced to mere onlookers at IPL as cricket's new world order takes shape
Hi Rowdy,
Buddy Holly and the…
'People always remember the players who made them feel good' - cricket's Cleanskins XI
Hi SCG,
Victor Trumper
Archie Jackson
Douglas Jardine 😁
SF Barnes 😁
'People always remember the players who made them feel good' - cricket's Cleanskins XI
Thanks Kamran,
And a couple of good reads, if you haven’t already come across them-
‘Cricketers at War: cricket heroes who fought for Australia in battle’ by Greg Growden
‘The Ross Gregory Story’ by David Frith
Lest We Forget: Remembering Australia's cricketers who died on the battlefield
Sure Bernie, so-
40.31 after the third Test
43.67 after scoring 181 in the fourth Test
48.84 after scoring 266 in the fifth Test
48.22 after scoring a further 22 in the fifth Test (to claim a career average of 50.00, he needed to instead score either 100 if dismissed, or 50 not out)
The nearly men: The best Test cricketers to never score a century or take a five-wicket haul
Hi matth,
This article is the benchmark though-
ICC announces World Cup final to be ‘best of three’ following India’s loss, BCCI complaint
You need to crack the sub-continent market !
The nearly men: The best Test cricketers to never score a century or take a five-wicket haul
Hi matth,
I see this article has generated your 250,000th view. You are an absolute legend !
The nearly men: The best Test cricketers to never score a century or take a five-wicket haul
Yeah matth,
Just like the more astute amateur County captains who also knew their limits, he didn’t try to boss around his older star players (Harvey, Benaud, Davidson, Grout, McDonald, Mackay etc). Who responded with respect and total support, enabling the 22-year-old to lead a very unified Aus side to an unexpected 3-0 win in SA in 1957/58.
The nearly men: The best Test cricketers to never score a century or take a five-wicket haul
Hi SCG,
Bill Ponsford.
After 27 Tests, he was averaging just 40.31. Then he went and made 181, 266 and 22 in his final 3 innings, and so bumped his career average all the way up to 48.22.
And if he’d made an even hundred in that last innings, it would have lifted his average to exactly 50.00.
The nearly men: The best Test cricketers to never score a century or take a five-wicket haul
Hi matth,
My understanding was that he was actually quite popular, at least once the Vics got over their initial issues with him. I met him quite a few times in the 1990s. An extremely successful businessman, small like a jockey- but with an incredibly deep voice.
The nearly men: The best Test cricketers to never score a century or take a five-wicket haul
Cricinfo and the SMH are reporting that the provisional 6 months could be reduced to 3, then to 1, if- it’s recreational, rather than performance-enhancing; and he enters into a treatment program.
Meaning he could return to the IPL, and play in the WTC final. NZ’s Doug Bracewell got a similar reduction last Nov, after testing positive for cocaine use.
'Deeply sorry to all those I have let down': South African star's WTC final in jeopardy after positive drug test