Coordinates	54°59′″N73°22′″N
playername	Mike Atherton
country	England
fullname	Michael Andrew Atherton
nickname	Athers, Cockroach, Dread, Iron Mike, FEC , Long Handle
living	true
dayofbirth	23
monthofbirth	3
yearofbirth	1968
placeofbirth	Failsworth, Lancashire, England
countryofbirth	United Kingdom
heightft	6
heightinch	0
batting	Right-handed
bowling	Right arm leg break
role	Batsman
international	true
testdebutdate	10 August
testdebutyear	1989
testdebutagainst	Australia
testcap	538
lasttestdate	27 August
lasttestyear	2001
lasttestagainst	Australia
odidebutdate	18 July
odidebutyear	1990
odidebutagainst	India
odicap	108
lastodidate	20 August
lastodiyear	1998
lastodiagainst	Sri Lanka
club1	Cambridge University
year1	1987-1989
club2	Lancashire
year2	1987-2001
club3	MCC
year3	1987-1990
columns	4
column1	Test
matches1	115
runs1	7728
bat avg1	37.69
100s/50s1	16/46
top score1	185*
deliveries1	408
wickets1	2
bowl avg1	151.00
fivefor1	0
tenfor1	0
best bowling1	1/20
catches/stumpings1	83/-
column2	ODIs
matches2	54
runs2	1791
bat avg2	35.11
100s/50s2	2/12
top score2	127
deliveries2	0
wickets2	-
bowl avg2	-
fivefor2	-
tenfor2	n/a
best bowling2	-
catches/stumpings2	15/-
column3	FC
matches3	336
runs3	21929
bat avg3	40.83
100s/50s3	54/107
top score3	268*
deliveries3	8981
wickets3	108
bowl avg3	43.82
fivefor3	3
tenfor3	0
best bowling3	6/78
catches/stumpings3	268/-
column4	LA
matches4	287
runs4	9343
bat avg4	36.49
100s/50s4	14/59
top score4	127
deliveries4	287
wickets4	24
bowl avg4	29.62
fivefor4	0
tenfor4	n/a
best bowling4	4/42
catches/stumpings4	111/-
date	1 September
year	2007
source	http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1927/1927.html }}

Michael Andrew Atherton, OBE (born 23 March 1968) is a broadcaster, journalist and retired cricketer. A right-handed opening batsman for Lancashire and England, he captained England in a record 54 Test matches. He was born in Failsworth, Lancashire, England.

Cricketing career

The young Mike Atherton captained the Manchester Grammar School cricket team for whom he scored almost 3,500 runs and took 170 wickets. His performances led to selection for the England under-19 team, which he captained aged 16. He also represented Lancashire Schools from 1982-86. In 1983 he won the Jack Hobbs Memorial Award as the Outstanding Schoolboy Cricketer at under-15 level. In a (non-first-class) match against the Marylebone Cricket Club in 1984 he took 6-27.

Entering Downing College, Cambridge, to read history, he was selected at 18 to play for Cambridge University Cricket Club and awarded a blue. A year later he made 73 on his county debut for Lancashire County Cricket Club, scoring his maiden first-class hundred against Derbyshire a fortnight later. During this time he represented both his University, the Combined Universities cricket team (which he captained to the quarter finals of the Benson & Hedges cup in 1989) and his county. This early rise through the ranks, and extensive leadership experience earned him the nickname "FEC", which is thought to have stood for "future England captain". In his autobiography ''Opening Up'', Atherton is candid about the fact that there are more colourful alternatives for "FEC"; the second word being "educated"; as suggested by his team mates at the time.

His heady rise continued when he made his debut for England in the fifth test against Australia at Trent Bridge, where he scored 0 and 47. Atherton's chance came when several England players had just announced their decision to go on a rebel tour to South Africa and so were banned from the Test team. However, despite these defections, he was selected as vice-captain of the 1989-90 A team tour to Zimbabwe rather than for the West Indies tour.

Atherton returned to the England side in the summer of 1990, partnering Graham Gooch at the top of the order, and giving a first demonstration of his abilities. In his first innings after recall, and his first opening the batting for England, he scored 151 against New Zealand. He shared an opening partnership of 204 with Gooch against India at Lord's, in the match famous for Gooch's scores of 333 and 123, and Test centuries against New Zealand and India earned him the title of Young Cricketer of the Year.

During the winter of 1990-91, Atherton faced a sterner test on The Ashes tour of Australia. Although he made a century in the third Test at Sydney, he averaged just 31 for his 279 runs, and England lost 3-0.

When Australia arrived for the 1993 Ashes series, Atherton's place in the team was not assured. However, a consistent summer when he scored six 50s in six Tests (including 99 at Lord's) cemented his place in the side at a fortunate time. Graham Gooch, frustrated by continual losses against Australia, resigned as captain after the fourth Test and Atherton, aged just 25, replaced him. He lost his first match in charge but England managed to beat Australia in a morale-boosting final Test; England had not beaten Australia in the previous 18 Test matches.

Atherton's first tour as captain, to the West Indies in the winter of 1993-94, was not a success, as England lost 3-1. This was a series of highs and lows: Brian Lara of the West Indies compiled a world record of 375 against them at Antigua; England was bowled out for 46 to lose the third Test (and with it the series) but then roared back at Bridgetown to win the 4th Test thanks to two centuries from Alec Stewart. For his part, Atherton was the best of the English batsmen, scoring 510 runs at an average of 56.67.

Earning plaudits for his determination and leadership, Atherton followed up with two centuries in the first two Tests at home against New Zealand. His reputation suffered a blow when he was implicated in a ball-tampering controversy during the first Test against South Africa at Lord's, for which he was fined £2,000 by Ray Illingworth. Atherton was accused of lying to Peter Burge, the Match Referee. Atherton claims in his autobiography that he answered 'no' when asked if he had anything in his pockets. He believed that Burge was referring to nefarious substances such as resin or lip salve. Nonetheless, the TV pictures were damning, showing Atherton deliberately putting dirt, taken from the pitch, on the ball. Strictly speaking, Atherton was not breaking the rules - he pointed out that plenty of bowlers improve their grip on the ball by rubbing their hands on the pitch.

After this incident Atherton and England headed to Headingley for the second Test. Atherton played one of his best innings, grinding out 99 before being caught and bowled by Brian McMillan. Atherton stated that this innings was the best answer he could have given to the 'gutter press'. He led England to a win in the third Test at The Oval, thus tying the series but failed to score a century. After winning against South Africa, Atherton faced the supreme test of his leadership: an Ashes tour to Australia. His form stood well with 407 runs at 40.7, but he was unable to convert any of his five half-centuries into a hundred. Although England had a thrilling win at Adelaide, the team stumbled to a 1-3 loss.

The next two years followed a similar pattern, England appearing to improve with success against lower rated sides such as India and New Zealand but struggling against the talent of Australia and Pakistan. The lack of consistent progress and the effect of a back ailment contributed to Atherton's decision to resign after five years as captain.

Atherton continued to play Test cricket for a further 4 years and finally retired at the end of the 2001 Ashes. Dogged by his chronic back condition, his batting never again reached previous standards.

Atherton's finest performances came when he was "against the wall", such as his monumental 185 not out in 643 minutes to salvage a draw against South Africa, and his negation of an outstanding Allan Donald onslaught in 1998, and that this prompted Steve Waugh to dub him "The Cockroach" (being very hard to stamp out). However, the fact that Atherton was dismissed 19 times by Glenn McGrath, the Australian opening bowler (a record for any bowler against one batsman) suggests that this was a side of Atherton that Waugh seldom saw first-hand. Atherton's record against Australia is modest; he averaged under thirty, with only one century in 33 tests.

Atherton has the dubious honour of having the lowest batting average of any player to have scored 6,000 or more runs in Test cricket. He holds the record for the most English test ducks, having been dismissed for nought on 20 occasions at Test level (although this was matched by Stephen Harmison on 7 August 2009). Another dubious feature of Atherton's career is his record against top bowlers in his time . He has been dismissed 17 times each by Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose and ten times by Shane Warne.

Post-playing career

Since his retirement from the game, Atherton has carved out a successful career in the media. He was a journalist for The Sunday Telegraph and succeeded Christopher Martin-Jenkins as The Times cricket correspondent on 1 May 2008.

Between 2002 and 2005, he was a member of the Channel 4 commentary team for the coverage of Test cricket in England. During this period he also worked as a commentator for BBC Radio and Talksport on Test matches outside England. Atherton joined the Sky Sports commentary team in 2005, after they won the rights to live Test cricket in England. He commentates on all forms of the game, home and abroad, as well as covering some domestic matches. He often performs as the post-match master of ceremonies for internationals in England, presenting awards and interviewing players.

In 2002 he produced his autobiography: ''Opening Up''. He has also written ''Gambling: A Story of Triumph and Disaster'', published in 2006.

In March 2010 he won Sports Journalist of the Year, at the British Press Awards. The judges announced this was “a unanimous choice”, praised the former England cricket captain for “tackling subjects way beyond cricket” and said “the brilliance of his writing shines.”

He was one of the commentators in 2011 Cricket World Cup. He has gained fame for his no nonsense but dryly humorous views on cricket.

Health

Atherton suffers from the degenerative condition ankylosing spondylitis.

References

External links

Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:People from Failsworth Category:Old Mancunians Category:Alumni of Downing College, Cambridge Category:Cambridge University cricketers Category:Lancashire cricketers Category:English cricket captains Category:English cricketers Category:England One Day International cricketers Category:England Test cricketers Category:Cricketers at the 1996 Cricket World Cup Category:British sports broadcasters Category:Cricket commentators Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:Wisden Cricketers of the Year Category:MCC cricketers Category:People with ankylosing spondylitis

bn:মাইকেল অ্যাথারটন fr:Mike Atherton mr:मायकेल आथरटन te:మైక్ ఆథర్టన్

Coordinates	54°59′″N73°22′″N
playername	Richie Benaud
country	Australia
fullname	Richard Benaud
nickname	Richie
living	true
dayofbirth	6
monthofbirth	10
yearofbirth	1930
placeofbirth	Penrith, New South Wales
countryofbirth	Australia
batting	Right-handed
bowling	Right-arm leg spin
role	All-rounder, commentator
international	true
testdebutdate	25 January
testdebutyear	1952
testdebutagainst	West Indies
testcap	190
lasttestdate	12 February
lasttestyear	1964
lasttestagainst	South Africa
club1	New South Wales
year1	1948–1964
columns	2
column1	Tests
matches1	63
runs1	2201
bat avg1	24.45
100s/50s1	3/9
top score1	122
deliveries1	19108
wickets1	248
bowl avg1	27.03
fivefor1	16
tenfor1	1
best bowling1	7/72
catches/stumpings1	65/–
column2	First-class
matches2	259
runs2	11719
bat avg2	36.50
100s/50s2	23/61
top score2	187
deliveries2	60481
wickets2	945
bowl avg2	24.73
fivefor2	56
tenfor2	9
best bowling2	7/18
catches/stumpings2	254/–
date	22 December
year	2007
source	http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/australia/content/player/4123.html Cricinfo }}

Richard "Richie" Benaud OBE (; born 6 October 1930, in Penrith, New South Wales) is a former Australian cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game.

Benaud was a world-class Test cricket all-rounder, blending thoughtful leg spin bowling with lower-order batting aggression. Along with fellow bowling all-rounder Alan Davidson, he helped restore Australia to the top of world cricket in the late 1950s and early 1960s after a slump in the early 1950s. In 1958 he became Australia's Test captain until his retirement in 1964.

Gideon Haigh described him as "... perhaps the most influential cricketer and cricket personality since the Second World War." In his review of Benaud's autobiography ''Anything But'', Sri Lankan cricket writer Harold de Andrado wrote: "Richie Benaud possibly next to Sir Don Bradman has been one of the greatest cricketing personalities as player, researcher, writer, critic, author, organiser, adviser and student of the game."

He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1961 for services to cricket.

In 2007, he was inducted in the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame at the Allan Border Medal award evening and in 2009 he was inducteed into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

Early years

Benaud came from a cricket family. His father Louis, a third generation Australian of French Huguenot descent, was a leg spinner who played for Penrith in Sydney Grade Cricket, in 1922-23 gaining attention for taking all twenty wickets in a match against St. Marys for 65 runs. Lou later moved to Parramatta region in western Sydney, and played for Cumberland. It was here that Richie Benaud grew up, learning how to bowl leg breaks, googlies and topspinners under his father's watch. Educated at Parramatta High School, Benaud made his first grade debut for Cumberland at age 16, primarily as a batsman.

In November 1948, at the age of 18, Benaud was selected for the New South Wales Colts, the state youth team. He scored 47 not out and took 3/37 in an innings win over Queensland. As a specialist batsman, he made his first class debut for New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground against Queensland in the new year's match of the 1948-49 season. On a green pitch which was struck by a downpour on the opening day, Benaud's spin was not used by Arthur Morris and he failed to make an impression with the bat in his only innings, scoring only two. New South Wales were the dominant state at the time, and vacancies in the team were scarce, particularly as there were no Tests that season and all of the national team players were available for the whole summer. Relegated to the Second XI after this match, he was struck in the head above the right eye while batting against Victoria in Melbourne, having missed an attempted hook. After 28 X-rays showed nothing, it was finally diagnosed that the crater in his forehead had resulted in a skull fracture and he was sidelined for the remainder of the season, since a second impact could have been fatal. He spent two weeks in hospital for the surgery. This was the only match he played for the second-string state team that summer.

In his early career, Benaud was a batting all-rounder, marked by a looping backlift which made him suspect against fast bowling but allowed him to have a wide attacking stroke range. At the start of the 1949-50 season, he was still in the Second XI, but when the Test players departed for a tour of South Africa soon afterwards, vacancies opened up. Benaud was recalled to the New South Wales First XI in late December for the Christmas and New Year's fixtures. With Ray Lindwall, Keith Miller and Ernie Toshack, three of Australia's leading four bowlers from the 1948 ''Invincibles'' tour of England unavailable, Benaud bowled heavily in some matches. However, he did not have much success in his five games, taking only five wickets at 54.00.

He took the wicket of Queensland batsman Bill Brown in his third match of the season. Benaud erroneously recalled in an autobiography that this was his maiden wicket—it was his fourth—and described the ball as "the worst I ever bowled". He had more success with the bat, scoring 93 and narrowly missing a century against South Australia. He added another fifty and ended with 250 runs at 31.25.

The next season, England toured Australia, and with the Test players back, Benaud was initially forced out of the team. He was recalled for a match against the Englishmen. He was attacked by the touring batsmen, taking 1/75 from 16.5 overs in his first outing against an international outfit. His only victim was the all-rounder Trevor Bailey. He scored 20 not out and was entrusted with the ball in the second innings.

In the next Shield match against Victoria, led by Australian captain Lindsay Hassett, Benaud came in for attack. Hassett was known for his prowess against spin bowling, being the only batsman to score centuries in a match against the leg spin of Bill O'Reilly, regarded as the finest bowler of his age. Hassett struck 179 in four hours, and took 47 runs from Benaud's seven overs. The young leg spinner claimed Hassett in the second innings when a ball landed in a crack and skidded through onto his foot. He ended with 3/56, the first time he had taken three wickets in a match. In the next match against South Australia, he made 48, took 4/93 and 1/29 and suffered three dropped catches by the wicketkeeper in successive balls. Benaud was cementing his position and was in the senior team for four consecutive matches even with the Test players available. He was selected for an Australian XI match against England, in what was effectively a trial for Test selection, suffered a chipped bone in his thumb. This put him out of action until the last match of the season, and put paid to any hopes of quick rise to international cricket. Benaud returned and scored 37 and took a total of 2/68 in the final match, ending the season with 184 runs at 36.80 and 11 wickets at 34.63.

Early Test career

The 1951-52 season saw a tour to Australia by the West Indies. Benaud was given a chance against the tourists when New South Wales played them in Sydney after the First Test. On a green pitch, Benaud came in at 7/96 and featured in a century partnership in only an hour, making 43 himself. The Caribbeans were skittled for 134 in reply and went on to lose the match, although they attacked the young leg-spinner, who took 1/130 in total from 36 overs. Benaud scored his maiden first-class century, 117 against South Australia, in the next match, two years after falling short of the milestone by seven runs. In the next four matches, Benaud passed 15 only once, scoring a 34, and took only seven wickets. Up to this point, in seven matches for the season, the young all-rounder had only scored 307 runs at 27.90 and taken ten wickets at 64.80.

Despite this, Benaud was chosen for his Test debut in the Fifth Test against the West Indies in 1951-52 in Sydney. At this point, Australia had already taken an unassailable 3–1 series lead and decided to try out some young players. Selected as a batsman, he scored 3 and 19. Hassett allowed him to bowl only in the second innings, when nine West Indian wickets had fallen and Australia were on the verge of an inevitable victory. Leading opposition batsman Everton Weekes, edged Benaud in his first over, but Gil Langley dropped the catch. Benaud went on to dismiss tail-ender Alf Valentine for his first Test wicket, conceding 14 runs from 4.3 overs. Benaud ended his season with 97 and a total of 3/39 in an innings win over South Australia.

The following Australian season in 1952-53, Benaud started modestly and in the five first-class matches before the Tests, scored 208 runs at 26.00 including a 63 and 69, and 14 wickets at 38.64. This included figures of 2/70 and 4/90 against the touring South Africa. However, this was not enough to ensure his selection in the First Test, where he was made 12th man. After scoring 60 and 37 and taking 1/60 in an Australian XI against the South Africans following the Test, he forced his way into the team for the Second Test. He suffered a smashed gum and a severely cut top lip when a square cut by John Waite in the Second Test against South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground hit him in the face while he was fielding at short gully. Doctors told him he was lucky; it could have broken his cheekbones, jaw or removed his eyesight if it had hit any of the surrounding areas. It could have killed him if it struck him where his skull was previously fractured. He married after the match and had to mumble his wedding vows through a swathe of bandages. Benaud went on to play in the final four Tests. He made 124 runs at 20.66, making double figures in four of seven innings, but was unable to capitalise on his starts, with a top score of 45. His leg spin yielded ten wickets at 30.60, with a best of 4/118 in the Fourth Test in Adelaide when he was given a heavy workload, totalling 58 overs, when Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller broke down during the match. In another match for New South Wales against the tourists, he took a total of 5/95. Up to this point, his first-class batting average was below 30 and his bowling average close to 40, and he had never taken more than four wickets in an innings or six in a match.

The selectors persisted in Benaud despite his unproductive Test performances, selecting him for the squad for the 1953 Ashes tour of England. He had been seventh and eighth in the domestic runscoring and wicket-taking aggregates for the season, but was yet to convert this into international performance. He justified their decision prior to the team's departure, scoring 167 not out and taking match figures of 7/137 for the touring team against a Tasmania Combined XI, his victims including Test batsmen Miller, Ian Craig and Neil Harvey. He also put on 167 in a partnership with Alan Davidson, the first collaboration between the pair, who would later go on to lead Australia's bowling in the last five years of their career. Benaud then struck an unbeaten 100 and totalled 1/64 in the next match against Western Australia before the Australians departed for England.

On arrival in the British Isles, Benaud quickly made an impression with both bat and ball. After scoring 44 and taking 2/66 in the opening first-class match against Worcestershire, the all-rounder starred in his next match, against Yorkshire. He scored 97 in Australia's only innings and then took 7/46 in the hosts' first innings as the tourists took an innings win. Although his form with the willow dropped off in his remaining six matches before the Tests—a 35 was his only score beyond 20 in seven attempts—Benaud continued to strike regularly with the ball. He took 18 wickets in these matches, including 3/20 and 3/37 against Oxford University, 5/13 against Minor Counties and 4/38 against Hampshire. This was enough for him to gain selection for the start of the Tests.

He managed only eight runs in four innings in the first two Tests, and having taken only two wickets for 136 runs, was dropped for the Third Test. This was part of a month-long run in which he made only 123 runs in eight innings and took only seven wickets in four matches. He was recalled immediately for the Fourth Test, but was dropped for the Fifth Test after managing seven runs in his only innings and going wicketless. He ended the Test series with 15 runs at 3.00 and two wickets at 87.00. It was thought that the surface at The Oval would favour pacemen, but Australia's selection proved to be a blunder as England's spinners took them to the only win of the series, allowing them to regain the Ashes.

He also showed his hitting ability in a tour match against T.N. Pearce's XI at Scarborough. Opening the batting, he struck 135 in 110 minutes in the second innings, including an Australian record of eleven sixes, four of them in one over. In eight first-class matches after his Test campaign was over, Benaud added a further half-century in addition to the century against Pearce's XI, and took 22 more wickets, including 4/20 against the Gentlemen of England.

Consolidation

After returning home from his first overseas tour, Benaud was prolific during the 1953–54 Australian season, which was purely domestic with no touring Test team. The all-rounder contributed significantly with both bat and ball in New South Wales' Sheffield Shield triumph, the first of nine consecutive titles. In the opening match of the season, he struck 158 and took 5/88 and 1/65 against Queensland. He made another century in the return match, striking 144 not out and taking a total of 2/55. Midway through the season, he played in Morris's XI in a testimonial match for Hassett, who captained the other team. Benaud scored 78 and 68 and took a total of 5/238, his victims being Davidson and frontline Test batsmen in a 121-run win. He then finished the summer strongly, scoring 112 and 59 and totalling 7/163 against Western Australia, taking 4/70 and 5/33 against South Australia, helping to secure wins in both fixtures. Benaud ended the season with 811 runs at 62.38 and 35 wickets at 30.54.

Despite his inability to contribute with either bat or ball in England, Benaud was the only bowler selected for all five Tests of the 1954-55 series when England visited Australia. He secured his place after scoring 125 against Queensland at the start of the season. His lead-up form in two matches against England for his state and an Australian XI was not encouraging. He made 49 runs in two innings and took a total of 3/160.

He managed only 148 runs at 16.44, managing double figures in seven of nine innings but failing to pass 34. His bowling, used sparingly at the time, yielded nine wickets at 33.11. At this stage of his career, he had played 13 Tests with mediocre results. Selected as a batsman who could bowl, he had totalled 309 runs at 15.45 without passing 50, and taken 23 wickets at 37.87 with only two four-wicket innings hauls. Even so he was promoted to vice-captain above several senior players when Ian Johnson and Keith Miller missed the 2nd Test at Sydney through injury and Arthur Morris was made temporary captain. He also made 113 against the tourists for the Prime Minister's XI.

Australia's selectors persisted and selected him for the squad to tour the West Indies in 1954-55. Their faith was rewarded by an improvement in performances. Benaud contributed 46 and match figures of 2/73 in a First Test victory at Kingston. After a draw in the Second Test, he took three wickets in four balls to end with 4/15 in the first innings at Georgetown, Guyana, before scoring 68 (his first Test half century) as Australia moved to a 2-0 series lead. In the Fifth Test at Kingston, he struck a century in 78 minutes, despite taking 15 minutes to score his first run. He ended with 121 and took four wickets in the match as Australia won by an innings and took the series 3-0. Benaud had contributed 246 runs at 41 and taken wickets steadily to total 18 at 26.94, averages which were in line with those of specialist batsmen and bowlers.

During the 1956 tour to England, he helped Australia to its only victory in the Lord's Test, when he scored a rapid 97 in the second innings in 143 minutes from only 113 balls. His fielding, in particular at gully and short leg, was consistently of a high standard, in particular his acrobatic catch to dismiss Colin Cowdrey. He was unable to maintain the standards he had set in the West Indies, contributing little apart from the Lord's Test. He ended the series with 200 runs at 25 and eight wickets at 42.5.

Benaud's bowling reached a new level on the return leg of Australia's overseas tour, when they stopped in the Indian subcontinent in 1956-57 en route back to Australia. In a one-off Test against Pakistan in Karachi, he scored 56 and took 1/36 as Australia fell to defeat. He claimed his Test innings best of 7/72 in the first innings of the First Test in Madras, allowing Australia to build a large lead and win by an innings. It was his first five-wicket haul in a Test innings. After taking four wickets in the drawn Second Test in Bombay, Benaud bowled Australia to victory in the Third Test in Calcutta, sealing the series 2-0. He took 6/52 and 5/53, his best-ever match analysis, ending the series with 113 runs at 18.83 and 24 wickets at 17.66. It was the first of his successes against India, against whom he took his wickets at an average of 18. This put him in a small group of spinners whose career averages were inferior to their performances against India, generally regarded as the best players of spin in the world. At this stage of his career, he had yet to perform consistently with bat and ball simultaneously, apart from his breakthrough series in the Caribbean. He had managed, in the 14 Tests since then, 559 runs at 27.95 and 67 wickets at 24.98.

Peak years and captaincy

After a break in the international calendar of a year, the 1957-58 tour to South Africa heralded the start of a phase of three international seasons when Benaud was at his peak. The tour saw his bowling talents come to the fore when he took 106 wickets, surpassing the previous record of 104 by England's Sydney Barnes. He scored 817 runs including four centuries, two of them in Test matches. The first of these came in the First Test at Johannesburg, where after conceding 1/115, Benaud struck 122, his highest Test score, to see Australia reach a draw. In the Second Test at Cape Town, Benaud took 4/95 and then 5/49 in the second innings to secure an innings victory after the home team were forced to follow on. He followed this with 5/114 in a drawn Third Test, before a match-winning all round performance in the Fourth Test in Johannesburg. Benaud struck exactly 100 in the first innings, before taking 4/70 in South Africa's reply. When South Africa followed on, Benaud took 5/84, which left Australia needing only one run to win. He took 5/82 in the second innings of the Fifth Test, the fourth consecutive match in which he had taken five wickets in an innings, as Australia took a 3-0 series win. He had been a major contributor to the series win, scoring 329 runs at 54.83 and taking 30 wickets at 21.93, establishing himself as one of the leading leg spinners of the modern era.

When Ian Craig fell ill at the start of the 1958-59 season, Benaud was promoted to the captaincy ahead of vice-captain Neil Harvey. Harvey and Benaud had been captains of their respective states until Harvey moved in the same season for employment purposes from Victoria to New South Wales and became Benaud's deputy. Benaud had little prior leadership experience, and faced the task of recovering the Ashes from an England team which had arrived in Australia as favourites. He led from the front with his bowling, taking match figures of 7/112 in his debut as captain as Australia claimed the First Test in Brisbane. Benaud's men won the Second Test, before he took 5/83 and 4/94 in the drawn Third Test. Benaud produced an all-round performance of 46, 5/91 and 4/82 in the Fourth Test in Adelaide to take an unassailable 3-0 series lead and regain the Ashes, before scoring 64 and match figures of 5/57 to help take the Fifth Test and a 4-0 series result. Benaud contributed 132 runs at 26.4 and 31 wickets at the low average of 18.83, as well as his shrewd and innovative captaincy.

He then led Australia on its first full tour of the Indian subcontinent, playing three and five Tests against Pakistan and India respectively. Benaud took 4/69 and 4/42 in the First Test in Dhaka (now in Bangladesh), sealing Australia's first win in Pakistan. He took four wickets in a Second Test in Lahore that sealed the series 2-0, the last time Australia would win a Test in Pakistan until Mark Taylor's men in 1998, 37 years later. Six further wickets in the drawn Third Test saw Benaud end the series with 84 runs at 28 and 18 wickets at 21.11. Benaud made a strong start to the series against India, taking 3/0 in the first innings of the First Test in Delhi, before a 5/76 second innings haul secured an innings victory. Benaud had less of an impact on the next two Tests, which Australia lost and drew, totalling 6/244. He returned to form with 5/43 and 3/43 as India were defeated by an innings after being forced to follow on in the Fourth Test in Madras. A further seven wickets from the captain in the Fifth Test saw Australia secure a draw and the series 2-1. Benaud had contributed 91 runs at 15.16 and 29 wickets at 19.59. The first two seasons of the Benaud captaincy had been a resounding success, with Australia winning eight, drawing four and losing only one Test. Benaud's personal form was a major factor in this success. In the previous seasons when he and his team were at their peak, he had scored 636 runs at 31.8 with taken 108 wickets at 20.27 in eighteen Tests, averaging six wickets a match.

Later career

Benaud took over when Australian cricket was in a low phase with a young team. His instinctive, aggressive captaincy and daring approach to cricket - and his charismatic nature and public relations ability - revitalised cricket interest in Australia. This was exhibited in the 1960–61 Test series against the visiting West Indians, in which the grounds were packed to greater levels than they are today despite Australia's population doubling since then. The First Test in Brisbane ended in the first tie in Test history, which came about after Benaud and Alan Davidson, rather than settle for a draw, decided to risk defeat and play an attacking partnership, which took Australia to the brink of victory. Australia had fallen to 6/92 on the final day chasing a target of 233 with Benaud and Davidson at the crease. Australia's chances of winning looked remote when they reached tea at 6/109 with 124 runs still required with only the tailenders to follow. Despite this, Benaud told chairman of selectors Don Bradman that he would still be going for an improbable victory in accordance with his policy of aggression. With an attacking partnership, the pair took Australia to within sight of the target. Both men were noted for their hitting ability and viewed attack as their most effective chance of survival. Regular boundaries and quickly-run singles took the score to 226, a seventh-wicket partnership of 134. Only seven runs were required with four wickets in hand as time was running short. Benaud hit a ball into the covers and the pair attempted a quick single when a direct hit from Joe Solomon saw Davidson run out. Australia needed six runs from the final over, in which Benaud was caught and the last two wickets fell to run outs while attempting the winning run. The Test was tied when Joe Solomon ran out Ian Meckiff with a direct hit. Benaud had an unpenetrative match with the ball, taking 1/162. He took 4/107 in a seven-wicket victory in Melbourne, before the West Indies levelled the series with a 22-run win in Sydney. Benaud had a heavy load in the match taking 8/199 after Davidson tore a hamstring mid-match. In Adelaide, with Davidson absent, Benaud bowled long spells to take match figures of 7/207 in addition to a score of 77 in the first innings. With Davidson back, Australia won the final Test by two wickets, after a controversial incident in which Australian wicketkeeper Wally Grout was not given out hit wicket when a bail was dislodged and the umpires did not notice. Australia won the series 2–1, and although Benaud was below his best, scoring at 21.77 and taking 23 wickets at 33.87, the series was a success for cricket. The unprecedented public interest saw the Caribbean tourists farewelled with a tickertape parade by the Australian public. Along with the West Indian captain Frank Worrell, Benaud's bold leadership enlivened interest in Test cricket among a public who had increasingly regarded it as boring.

On his third and final tour to England in 1961, he was hampered by damaged tendons in his right shoulder, which forced him to miss the Second Test at Lord's known as the "Battle of the Ridge". In all he missed a third of the matches due to injury. Despite this impairment to his bowling shoulder, his team played with an aggressive strategy leading them to lose only one Test match and no other matches during the tour, honouring his pre-series pledge. The First Test at Edgbaston was drawn with Benaud taking three wickets. After Harvey led the team to victory at Lord's, Benaud had an unhappy return in the Third at Headingley scoring two runs in two innings and taking match figures of 2/108 as Australia lost within three days. With the series balanced at 1-1, the Fourth Test at Old Trafford initially brought no improvement, with Benaud scoring 2 and taking 0/80 in the first innings. He made 1 in the second before a last-wicket partnership between Davidson and Graham McKenzie of 98 yielded a defendable target. During England's chase on the final afternoon it became apparent that, with Ted Dexter scoring quickly, Australia would lose the Test unless England were bowled out. Benaud went around the wicket and bowled into the footmarks, having Dexter caught behind and then Peter May bowled around his legs. Benaud's 5/13 in 25 balls instigated an English collapse which saw Australia retain the Ashes. He finished the innings with 6/70. Benaud then took four wickets in the drawn Fifth Test to end the series 2–1. Benaud had a poor series with the bat, scoring 45 runs at 9 and taking 15 wickets at 32.53. He finished the first-class tour with 627 runs and 61 wickets at 23.54. He was awarded an OBE in that year and in 1962 was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year.

The 1961/62 Australian season was purely a domestic one, with no touring international team. Benaud led New South Wales throughout a dominant season, winning the Sheffield Shield with 64 of the 80 possible points. Benaud was the leading wicket-taker of the season with 47 at 17.97. His aggressive tactical style brought large crowds throughout the season, with 18,000 watching one match against South Australia. In another match against Victoria, he ordered his team to attempt to score 404 on the final day to take an unlikely victory in accordance with a promise to score at 400 per day. At one stage, New South Wales were six wickets down with less than 150 runs scored, but Benaud refused to attempt to defend for a draw. He made 140, in a seventh-wicket partnership of 255 in just 176 minutes, an Australian record that still stands.

1962–63 saw an English team under Dexter visit Australia. Fred Trueman with 216 Test wickets and Brian Statham with 229 were poised to overtake the record of 236 Test records set by the assistant-manager Alec Bedser. Benaud was another contender with 219 wickets, but it was Statham who broke the record (only to be overtaken by Trueman in New Zealand) and Benaud had to be content with breaking Ray Lindwall's Australian record of 228 Test wickets. In an early tour match Benaud took his best first class innings haul of 18-10-18-7 for New South Wales against the MCC, which lost by an innings and 80 runs, the state's biggest win against the English team. Benaud started the series with seven wickets and a half century as the First Test in Brisbane was drawn. This was followed by three unproductive Tests which yielded only 5/360 and a win apiece. Benaud returned to form with match figures of 5/142 and 57 in the Fifth Test at Sydney, which ended in a painful draw when Benaud ordered Bill Lawry and Peter Burge to play out the last afternoon for a draw that would retain the Ashes. They were booed and heckled as they left the field and Benaud's reputation as a "go ahead" cricket captain was badly tanished. The draw meant that the series was shared 1-1, the first time he had drawn a series after five successive wins. It was another lean series with the ball, Benaud's 17 wickets costing 40.47, the third consecutive series where his wickets cost more than 30. His batting was reliable, with 227 runs at 32.47.

At the start of the 1963-64 season, Benaud announced that it would be his last at first-class level. The first Test of the season, against the touring South Africans, saw high drama as Australia's left arm paceman Ian Meckiff was called for throwing by Colin Egar and removed from the attack by Benaud after one over. Benaud did not bowl Meckiff from the other end, and at the end of the match Meckiff announced his retirement. Benaud took 5/72 and scored 43 in the First Test, but then injured himself in a grade match, so Bob Simpson captained the team for the Second Test and won the match in Benaud's absence. Upon his return, Benaud advised the Australian Board that it would be in the better interests of the team if Simpson continued as captain for the remainder of the season. Benaud took 3/116 to complement scores of 43 and 90 on his return in the Third Test in Sydney. His final two Tests saw no fairytale finish, yielding only four wickets and 55 runs. His batting had been steady through with 231 runs at 33, but his bowling unpenetrative with 12 wickets at 37.42.

Benaud was awarded life membership by the New South Wales Cricket Association, but he returned it in protest in 1970 when his younger brother John was removed from the captaincy. In 1967-68 he captained a Commonwealth team against Pakistan, playing in his last five first-class fixtures.

During Benaud's captaincy, Australia did not lose a series, and became the dominant team in world cricket. His success was based on his ability to attack, his tactical boldness and his ability to extract more performance from his players, in particular Davidson. He was known for his unbuttoned shirt, and raised eyebrows with his on-field exuberance. Benaud embraced his players when opposition wickets fell, something that was uncommon at the time. Benaud's bold leadership coupled with his charismatic nature and public relations ability enlivened interest in Test cricket among a public who had increasingly regarded it as boring.

Playing style

Benaud was not a large spinner of the ball, but he was known for his ability to extract substantial bounce from the surface. In addition to his accurate probing consistency, he possessed a well-disguised googly and topspinner which tricked many batsmen and yielded him many wickets. In his later career, he added the flipper, a combination of the googly and top spinner which was passed to him by Bruce Dooland. Coupled with his subtle variations in flight and angle of the delivery, he kept the batsman under constant pressure. Benaud was regarded as one of the finest close-fielders of his era, either at gully or in a silly position. As a batsman, he was tall and lithe, known for his hitting power, in particular his lofted driving ability from the front foot.

Johnnie Moyes said "Certainly Benaud received a little help from the roughened patches, but he could do what the off-spinners could not do: he could turn the ball, mostly slowly, sometimes with more life. His control was admirable, and when Benaud gets a batsman in trouble he rarely if ever gives him a loose one. He keeps him pinned down, probing and probing until the victim is well and truly enmeshed."

Cricket career highlights

Early in his career, he hit 100 runs against the West Indies in 78 minutes, the third fastest Test century of all time (in terms of minutes at the crease, not balls faced) and the second fastest by an Australian.

Benaud was in charge for the inaugural 1960-61 Frank Worrell Trophy against the West Indies, a series that included the famous Tied Test.

Benaud's highest Test score of 122 was made against South Africa, Johannesburg, 1957–1958

His best Test bowling effort of 7 for 72 was against India, Madras, 1956–1957

He captained Australia in 28 Tests: 12 wins, 12 draws, 4 losses

In 1963 he became the first player to complete the Test double of 200 wickets and 2,000 runs. He is one of only 10 Australian cricketers to have scored more than 10,000 runs and taken over 500 wickets in first-class cricket.

He ended his Test career in Sydney with statistics of 248 wickets (the Test record at that time) at 27.03 and 2,201 runs at 24.45.

Media career

After the 1956 England tour, Benaud stayed behind in London to take a BBC presenter training course. He took up a journalism position with the ''News of the World'', beginning as a police roundsman before becoming a sports columnist. In 1960 he made his first radio commentary in the United Kingdom at the BBC, after which he moved into television.

After retiring from playing in 1964, Benaud turned to full-time cricket journalism and commentary, dividing his time between Britain (where he worked for the BBC for many years, prior to joining Channel 4) and Australia (for the Nine Network). Overall he played in or commentated on approximately 500 Test matches, as he himself noted in one of his final interviews in Britain when asked if he would miss Test cricket.

The idea for what became his trademark, wearing a cream jacket during live commentary, came from Channel 9 owner Kerry Packer, who suggested the look to help Benaud stand out from the rest of the commentary team.

He also helped to design a computer-based parody of himself available for download off Channel 4's website called Desktop Richie. It was developed by the software company Turtlez Ltd. Having downloaded this, cricket fans would be treated to live Test match updates and weather reports from a cartoon version of Benaud with real voice samples such as "Got 'im!" and "That's stumps... and time for a glass of something chilled". On Channel 4's live commentary, Benaud often made sarcastic comments regarding the advertisement of Desktop Richie.

In 2004, Benaud starred in a series of television advertisements for the Australian Tourism Commission, aimed at promoting Australia as a tourist destination. Benaud's ad featured him in various scenic locations uttering his signature comment, "Marvellous!" He also appeared in ''Richie Benaud's Greatest XI'' a video in which he chooses his own XI. A limited version was shown on the Nine Network after a match between Australia and Pakistan.

Benaud has become a staunch advocate of cricket being available on free-to-view TV. He chose to end his British commentary career, which spanned more than 42 years, when the rights to broadcast live Test match cricket were lost by Channel 4 to the subscription broadcaster British Sky Broadcasting. Thus, the 2005 Ashes series was the last that Benaud commentated on in Britain. His final commentary came near the end of the final day of the Fifth Test at The Oval. His last goodbye was interrupted by Glenn McGrath taking Kevin Pietersen's wicket; Benaud simply wove his description of the dismissal into what he was already saying. Benaud intends to continue spending the Northern Hemisphere summer in Britain writing, and will continue working for the Nine Network.

Benaud commentated for the BBC TV highlights of the 2006-07 Ashes in Australia as part of his continuing commentary work for Australia's Nine Network.

Benaud's book ''My Spin on Cricket'' was published in 2005.

His younger brother John also played Test cricket for Australia.

His commentating is frequently parodied on the Australian comedy series Comedy Inc. and The Twelfth Man. In the case of the latter, comedian Billy Birmingham's impersonations of Benaud on The Twelfth Man comedy recordings have become legendary, spanning over twenty years.

On 18 February 2009, during a radio interview, Benaud announced that he would be retiring from television commentary. Benaud said: "I’ll be doing Australian cricket next year – 2010 – but I don’t do any television at all anywhere else now and when I finish next year, then I’ll be doing other things...But that’ll be no more television commentary".

It was announced on 15 November 2009, that Benaud had signed a three-year agreement with the Nine Network to continue being part of their cricket coverage until 2013, although his role would change from that of ball-by-ball commentary. Benaud said: "I won't be doing live commentary." Someone asked me, "Does that mean you'll never again go into the commentary box?", "Well, the answer to that", Benaud replied, "If there is, as there always can be, some emergency or a sensational happening on or off the field where it would be quite ridiculous not to go into the commentary box, of course I'll be in there doing my job and doing it as professionally as I can. But I won't be on the live commentary roster. But I will be doing all sorts of, what I regard as, interesting things for Channel Nine on the cricket - special features on the cricket..."

Personal life

In 1967 Benaud married Daphne Surfleet, who had worked for the English cricket writer E.W. Swanton. Both had been married previously and Richie had two sons from an earlier marriage. They live in an apartment in Coogee, in East Sydney, and a villa in the French Côte d'Azur - where they spend about half of each year.

On 29 October 2008, Benaud's mother Irene died, aged 104. He said of his mother "She improved my love of vegetables by introducing the phrase, "you can't go out and play cricket until you have eaten all your vegetables."

Notes

External links

HowSTAT! statistical profile on Richie Benaud

Download Desktop Richie

Category:Australian Cricket Hall of Fame inductees Category:Australia Test cricketers Category:Australian cricket captains Category:Australian people of French descent Category:New South Wales cricketers Category:Commonwealth XI cricketers Category:Wisden Cricketers of the Year Category:Cricket commentators Category:Cricket historians and writers Category:Australian sports broadcasters Category:Nine's Wide World of Sport Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:1930 births Category:People from Parramatta Category:Living people Category:International Cricket Council Hall of Fame inductees Category:International Cavaliers cricketers Category:Sportspeople from Sydney

fr:Richie Benaud mr:रिची बेनॉ pl:Richie Benaud

Coordinates	54°59′″N73°22′″N
playername	Glenn McGrath
country	Australia
fullname	Glenn Donald McGrath
living	true
nickname	Pigeon, Millard, Kuly, Ooh Ah
dayofbirth	9
monthofbirth	2
yearofbirth	1970
placeofbirth	Dubbo, New South Wales
countryofbirth	Australia
heightm	1.95
role	Bowler
batting	Right-handed
bowling	Right arm Fast-Medium
international	true
testdebutdate	12 November
testdebutyear	1993
testdebutagainst	New Zealand
testcap	358 test highest score (103)
lasttestdate	2 January
lasttestyear	2007
lasttestagainst	England
odidebutdate	9 December
odidebutyear	1993
odidebutagainst	South Africa
odicap	113
odishirt	11
lastodidate	28 April
lastodiyear	2007
lastodiagainst	sri lanka
club1	New South Wales
year1	1992–2008
clubnumber1	11
club2	Worcestershire
year2	2000
club3	Middlesex
year3	2004
club4	Delhi Daredevils
year4	2008–
columns	4
column1	Test
matches1	124
runs1	641
bat avg1	7.36
100s/50s1	0/1
top score1	61
deliveries1	29248
wickets1	563
bowl avg1	21.64
fivefor1	29
tenfor1	3
best bowling1	8/24
catches/stumpings1	38/–
column2	ODIs
matches2	250
runs2	115
bat avg2	3.83
100s/50s2	0/0
top score2	11
deliveries2	12970
wickets2	381
bowl avg2	22.02
fivefor2	7
tenfor2	n/a
best bowling2	7/15
catches/stumpings2	37/–
column3	FC
matches3	189
runs3	977
bat avg3	7.75
100s/50s3	0/2
top score3	61
deliveries3	41759
wickets3	835
bowl avg3	20.85
fivefor3	42
tenfor3	7
best bowling3	8/24
catches/stumpings3	54/–
column4	LA
matches4	305
runs4	124
bat avg4	3.35
100s/50s4	0/0
top score4	11
deliveries4	15808
wickets4	463
bowl avg4	21.60
fivefor4	7
tenfor4	n/a
best bowling4	7/15
catches/stumpings4	48/–
date	20 August
year	2007
source	http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/2/2100/2100.html cricketarchive.com }}

Glenn Donald McGrath AM (pronounced ; born 9 February 1970 in Dubbo, New South Wales), nicknamed "Pigeon" is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century. He holds the world record for the highest number of Test wickets by a fast bowler and is fourth on the all-time list, with the top three wicket takers Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble all being spin bowlers. McGrath announced his retirement from Test cricket on 23 December 2006. His Test career came to an end after the 5th Ashes test in Sydney, whilst the 2007 World Cup marked the end of his one-day career. Known throughout his career for maintaining a remarkably accurate line and length, McGrath's consistency enabled him to be one of the most economical fast bowlers of his time. McGrath also played for the Indian Premier League team of Delhi DareDevils and was one of the tournaments most economical bowlers during its first season. On January 5, the franchise announced that it had bought out the remaining year of his contract.

Career

Early years

McGrath was born in Dubbo, New South Wales to Beverly and Kevin McGrath. He grew up in Narromine, New South Wales (NSW) where he first played cricket and his potential was spotted by Doug Walters. He moved to Sydney to play grade cricket for Sutherland, and made his debut for NSW during the 1992–93 season. McGrath capped his rapid rise in the next Australian summer with selection in the Test team after only eight first-class matches. His Test debut was against New Zealand at Perth, in 1993–1994. In Australia's 1995 Test series victory, McGrath took the approach of bouncing the West Indies team including the bowlers, which had not happened before. Ponting said:

County cricket in England

McGrath played for Worcestershire in the 2000 English County Championship, proving both successful on the field and popular with the county's supporters. In 14 first-class games he took 80 wickets at 13.21, including an outstanding innings return of 8-41 against Northamptonshire, as well as making his first ever first-class half-century (55 against Nottinghamshire). He also played a few games for Middlesex in 2004; although accurate, he could manage only nine wickets in four first-class appearances for the county.

Against England (Ashes 2005 and 2006/07)

During the 1st Test at Lords in the 2005 Ashes series Glenn McGrath became the fourth bowler in history to take 500 Test wickets with the dismissal of Marcus Trescothick. This wicket was also the start of a very productive spell of 5-2 which led to England being bowled out for 155. McGrath took 4-29 in the 2nd innings and was named man of the match in a comprehensive Australian victory.

McGrath trod on a cricket ball and injured his ankle the morning before the start of the 2nd Test at Edgbaston and was unable to play in the match in which England amassed 407 runs in one day against the McGrath-less bowling attack to win by 2 runs. He was rushed back when not fully fit for the 3rd Test at Old Trafford, where he earned another 5-wicket haul in the 2nd innings of a drawn game, batting in a last-wicket partnership with Brett Lee in the last hour of the Test to deny an English victory. He then missed the 4th Test at Trent Bridge, which England won by 3 wickets, with an elbow injury. McGrath returned for the final Test at The Oval but he, and the rest of the Australian team, were unable to force a result and the match was drawn, giving England the series win. McGrath's injury problems are seen as a key factor in England regaining the Ashes, as their victories came in matches in which he was absent.

Australia hosted England in the 2006-07 Ashes series and quickly regained the Ashes, beating England 5-0, only the second 5-0 series whitewash in Ashes history (the first time was by the Australian team during the 1920-1921 Ashes Series). Having taken a break from cricket since April 2006, McGrath used the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy to reclaim his spot in Australia's test XI. He took a 6 wicket haul in his comeback innings in the first test at the Gabba to set the tone for the rest of the series, with Australia winning back the Ashes in a record breaking 15 days of play. McGrath took 21 wickets in the series at an average of 23.90, as well as scoring 10 runs and taking 1 catch in what was to be his final test series. In his biography McGrath wrote:

Retirement

On 23 December 2006, McGrath announced his retirement from tests. His last test was the Fifth Ashes Test against England in Sydney in January 2007, where he took a wicket with the last ball of his test career. He has also retired from all forms of international cricket following the successful 2007 Cricket World Cup where he became the leading wicket taker in the history of the World Cup, while also being the top wicket taker with 26 and being named player of the tournament.

2008 Indian Premier League

He was signed by the Delhi DareDevils for the Indian Premier League for a sum of USD 350,000 (INR 1.4 crore) to play in Twenty Overs games. His T-Shirt had the name "Pidge", short form for his nickname "Pigeon".

2009 Indian Premier League

In 2009, IPL went to South Africa, but McGrath increased the bench strength of Delhi Daredevils for whole of the tournament. In spite of being the most economic bowler for Delhi in the previous season, he did not play a single match.

Playing style

Bowling

McGrath's bowling was not of express pace. Rather, he relied on unerring accuracy and subtle seam movement. His height (195 cm), combined with a high arm action, allowed him to extract extra bounce from most pitches that often surprised batsmen. In the later years of his career, he developed as a swing bowler.

His uncomplicated method and natural physical fitness were significant factors in the longevity of McGrath's career. In 2004, he became the first Australian fast bowler to play 100 Tests. In the first innings of the ICC Super Series Test match in 2005, McGrath passed Courtney Walsh to become the greatest wicket-taker among fast bowlers in Test history.

McGrath was regarded as one of the best fast bowlers in the world and has had success against every opposition team, in both Test and one-day cricket. He deliberately (and publicly) targeted the opposition's best batsmen prior to a series in an attempt to distract them, a ploy which regularly worked. At the beginning of the Frank Worrell series against the West Indies he stated in interviews before the match, that he would dismiss Sherwin Campbell for his 299th wicket, then remove star batsman Brian Lara for his 300th wicket the very next ball. In a masterstroke this eventuated as planned, following this with the dismissal of captain Jimmy Adams to complete a memorable hat trick. The targeting of opposition batsmen has generally been successful; he has dismissed Mike Atherton of England 19 times - the most times any batsman has been dismissed by one bowler in cricket history. On the other hand, he targeted Michael Vaughan prior to the 2002/03 Ashes series in Australia, with Vaughan going on to score three centuries at an average greater than 60. He targeted Andrew Strauss in the 2005 series in England, who went on to score two centuries.

He also tends to engage in sledging of opposition batsmen and teams, though it doesn't always pay off. Before the 2005 Ashes series he predicted a 5-0 whitewash for Australia, and even said that if England won the Ashes he would return to Australia by boat, but England prevailed 2-1. However, this did not dissuade him from making a similar 5-0 prediction for the next Ashes series, in Australia in 2006/07 which turned out to be true. He finished his career as the most successful Test fast-bowler and 3rd highest Test wicket taker. However his Test wicket haul was surpassed by Indian leg-spinner Anil Kumble during India's tour of England 2007.

Fielding

McGrath is a competent outfielder with a strong and accurate throwing arm; whilst not known for his athleticism, on one memorable occasion in 2002 he took an exceptional outfield catch at the Adelaide Oval against England, dismissing English batsman Michael Vaughan from the bowling of Shane Warne, running many metres before leaping into the air and catching the ball with arms outstretched and his body horizontal (see Google Video video ). His captain, Steve Waugh, described the famous catch as "a miracle" and "one of the great catches in history".

Batting

McGrath's batting prowess, in the early phases of his career was non-existent; in fact, he scored first-ball ducks (zero runs) on both his Test and One-Day International debuts, and his batting average hovered below 4 for the first few years of his career. Years of patient tutelage from captain and friend Steve Waugh have improved this aspect of his game, to the point where he has scored a Test half century which came on 20 November 2004 against New Zealand at the Gabba. His final score in that innings was 61. Nevertheless, McGrath is still regarded as a batting 'bunny', although to his credit coaching from Steve Waugh and others has helped to push his average up to above 7.00 runs/dismissal. In the first World Cricket Tsunami Appeal charity match, he was promoted to bat at number 6 ahead of specialist batsmen Stephen Fleming and Matthew Hayden, but was dismissed first ball trying to slog Muttiah Muralitharan. Towards the end of his international career, McGrath, while not scoring many runs himself, became rather more difficult for opposing bowlers to dismiss, being dismissed only once during the 2005 Ashes series. With a contribution of 11 runs in the first innings of the MCG 2005 Boxing Day Test versus South Africa , he stood his ground for 53 deliveries, helping Michael Hussey push the Australian tail to a record tenth wicket stand against South Africa of 107 runs.

Personal life

His late wife, Jane Louise (née Steele), was born in the United Kingdom and had worked as a flight attendant before their marriage. Glenn married Jane in 1999 after they met at a Hong Kong nightclub called Joe Bananas in 1995. They had two children, James and Holly. Jane McGrath fought recurrent battles with metastatic breast cancer. On 26 January 2008 (Australia Day) Glenn and Jane McGrath were both made Members of the Order of Australia. Jane McGrath died, aged 42, on 22 June 2008 from complications following cancer surgery. Glenn McGrath later became engaged to Sara Leonardi, an interior designer. They met during the 2009 Indian Premier League. They married at home in Cronulla on 18 November 2010. In April 2011 McGrath put his home on the market for 6 million dollars.

McGrath Foundation

In 2007 the McGraths founded the McGrath Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to raising money to fund more Breast Care Nurses in rural and regional Australia and educate young women to become 'breast aware'. Glenn has continued the work of Jane in her memory. The foundation has so far raised over $12 million and as at the start of 2011 currently funds 61 Breast Care Nurses.

Honours

He was named a Member of the Order of Australia on 26 January (Australia Day) in 2008 for "service to cricket as a player", and along with his wife for "service to the community through the establishment of the McGrath Foundation."

Sporting Achievements

McGrath holds 7 highest tenth wicket partnerships, and two tenth wicket partnerships of 100 plus .

At the time of his retirement he held the record for most runs scored as a number 11 batsman (603). This record has since been surpassed by Muttiah Muralitharan.

After his dismissal for a duck in the fourth test of the 2006-2007 Ashes series, McGrath claimed the record of having scored more ducks in test cricket than any other Australian cricketer (35 - one more than Shane Warne).

McGrath holds the record for dismissing the most batsmen for ducks in test cricket (104) .

His win-loss record at World Cup tournaments is impressive; he's been in four tournaments (two less than the record) and has won three of those, getting to the final in the other they lost in 1996 to Sri Lanka his last in 2007 world cup Australia won to Sri Lanka.

See also

Notes

References

External links

GLENN MCGRATH: LINE AND STRENGTH - THE COMPLETE STORY by Glenn McGrath

Cricinfo Player Profile : Glenn Donald McGrath

Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:Australia One Day International cricketers Category:Australia Test cricketers Category:Australia Twenty20 International cricketers Category:New South Wales cricketers Category:Middlesex cricketers Category:Worcestershire cricketers Category:Wisden Cricketers of the Year Category:ICC World XI One Day International cricketers Category:Test cricket hat-trick takers Category:Cricketers at the 1996 Cricket World Cup Category:Cricketers at the 1999 Cricket World Cup Category:Cricketers at the 2003 Cricket World Cup Category:Cricketers at the 2007 Cricket World Cup Category:People from Dubbo Category:People from the Sutherland Shire Category:Australian people of Irish descent Category:Members of the Order of Australia Category:Delhi (Indian Premier League) cricketers

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Coordinates	54°59′″N73°22′″N
{{infobox cricketer | playername	Curtly Ambrose | image Curtly ambrose2 crop.jpg | country West Indies | fullname Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose
living	true
dayofbirth	21
monthofbirth	9
yearofbirth	1963
placeofbirth	Swetes
countryofbirth	Antigua and Barbuda
heightft	6
heightinch	7
batting	Left-handed batsman
bowling	Right-arm fast
role	Bowler
international	true
testdebutdate	2 April
testdebutyear	1988
testdebutagainst	Pakistan
testcap	192
lasttestdate	31 August
lasttestyear	2000
lasttestagainst	England
odidebutdate	12 March
odidebutyear	1988
odidebutagainst	Pakistan
odicap	53
lastodidate	23 April
lastodiyear	2000
lastodiagainst	Pakistan
club1	Leeward Islands
year1	1985–2000
club2	Antigua and Barbuda
year2	1998–1999
club3	Northamptonshire
year3	1989–1996 | deliveries } | columns 4 | column1 Tests | matches1 98 | runs1 1439 | bat avg1 12.40 | 100s/50s1 0/1 | top score1 53 | deliveries1 22103 | wickets1 405 | bowl avg1 20.99 | fivefor1 22 | tenfor1 3 | best bowling1 8/45 | catches/stumpings1 18/0 | column2 ODIs | matches2 176 | runs2 639 | bat avg2 10.65 | 100s/50s2 0/0 | top score2 31* | deliveries2 9353 | wickets2 225 | bowl avg2 24.12 | fivefor2 4 | tenfor2 n/a | best bowling2 5/17 | catches/stumpings2 45/0 | column3 FC | matches3 239 | runs3 3448 | bat avg3 13.95 | 100s/50s3 0/4 | top score3 78 | deliveries3 48798 | wickets3 941 | bowl avg3 20.24 | fivefor3 50 | tenfor3 8 | best bowling3 8/45 | catches/stumpings3 88/0 | column4 List A | matches4 329 | runs4 1282 | bat avg4 11.98 | 100s/50s4 0/0 | top score4 48 | deliveries4 17143 | wickets4 401 | bowl avg4 23.83 | fivefor4 4 | tenfor4 n/a | best bowling4 5/17 | catches/stumpings4 82/0 | date September 1 | year 2007 | source http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/westindies/content/player/51107.html | }}

Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose (born September 21, 1963) is a former West Indian cricketer. His skill was as a right-arm fast bowler, especially in partnership with Courtney Walsh. His huge 6'7" (2.01 m) frame was a fearsome sight for any batsman; even when his pace fell away due to age, he still bowled excellent line and length and, due to his height, could extract steepling bounce from any pitch — a threat to even the finest of batsmen. With Walsh, he formed one of the greatest opening bowling partnerships in history, as evidenced by the 421 wickets they shared in the 49 Test matches they played together.

Ambrose was a man of few words, refusing countless interview requests with the motto "Curtly talk to no man."

Playing career

Born in Swetes, Antigua, he played for the Leeward Islands. He came to England in 1986 on a Viv Richards scholarship and played for Chester Boughton Hall in the Liverpool and District Cricket Competition taking 84 wickets in 362.1 overs at an average of 9.80. After playing for Littleborough in 1987, he was engaged by Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, and went on to represent the West Indian cricket team. Ambrose made his Test debut in April 1988 at Georgetown, Guyana against Pakistan and retired at the end of the England tour in August 2000.

International cricket

In Test cricket, he had 98 caps, bowled 1,001 maiden overs (roughly two in every seven) and took 405 wickets (making him only the fifth to exceed the 400 barrier) at an average of 20.99. This average is marginally bettered only by fellow West Indians Malcolm Marshall (20.94) and Joel Garner (20.97) among bowlers who have taken more than 200 wickets. In addition, Ambrose also boasts the best economy rate of any of the ten bowlers who have taken 400 or more Test wickets, at 2.30 per over. His best performance was eight for 45 against England at Barbados in 1990 (in 34 Tests against England he took 164 wickets, dismissing Mike Atherton seventeen times); he took five wickets or better on 22 occasions, including seven wickets for one run against Australia at the WACA, in Perth, in 1993. He also bowled a fifteen-ball over at the same ground: it contained nine no-balls and took thirteen minutes to bowl, making it possibly the longest over in Test cricket.

In 176 one-day internationals, Ambrose took 225 wickets. Despite certain pretensions as a left-handed batsman, and a single Test fifty to his credit (53 against Australia in 1991), he did not distinguish himself with the bat.

Legacy and life after cricket

Having retired from cricket, Ambrose now plays guitar in a reggae band called ''Big Bad Dread and the Baldhead'' alongside former team-mate Richie Richardson.

He was placed at No. 3 in Shane Warne's list of the fifty greatest cricketers of his time, while Ian Botham in his book ''Botham's Century'' noted that, although "a cricketer who thrived on aggression and menace", Ambrose was "the most reluctant and detached of heroes", indeed "one of the quietest that I ever encountered". As a bowler, he was always "miserly accurate" but occasionally, when fired up, "as unforgiving and as devastating as a hurricane", and "virtually unplayable": "But maybe of all these weapons, the most potent was his silence. Many fast bowlers have tried to put batsmen off their strokes by utilising various forms of verbal and physical intimidation. Curtly intimidated you with hush."

Notes

External links

Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:West Indies One Day International cricketers Category:West Indies Test cricketers Category:West Indian cricketers Category:West Indian cricketers of 1970-71 to 1999-2000 Category:Leeward Islands cricketers Category:Northamptonshire cricketers Category:Wisden Cricketers of the Year Category:Cricketers at the 1992 Cricket World Cup Category:Cricketers at the 1996 Cricket World Cup Category:Cricketers at the 1999 Cricket World Cup Category:Cricketers at the 1998 Commonwealth Games Category:Wisden Leading Cricketers in the World

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Coordinates	54°59′″N73°22′″N
playername	Bob Willis
country	England
fullname	Robert George Dylan Willis
living	true
dayofbirth	30
monthofbirth	5
yearofbirth	1949
placeofbirth	Sunderland
countryofbirth	England
heightft	6
heightinch	6
batting	Right-handed
bowling	Right-arm fast
role	Bowler
international	true
testdebutdate	9 January
testdebutyear	1971
testdebutagainst	Australia
testcap	448
lasttestdate	16 July
lasttestyear	1984
lasttestagainst	West Indies
odidebutdate	5 September
odidebutyear	1973
odidebutagainst	West Indies
odicap	26
lastodidate	4 June
lastodiyear	1984
lastodiagainst	West Indies
club1	Surrey
year1	1969–1971
club2	MCC
year2	1970–1977
club3	Warwickshire
year3	1972–1984
club4	Northern Transvaal
year4	1972/3
deliveries	balls
columns	4
column1	Tests
matches1	90
runs1	840
bat avg1	11.50
100s/50s1	0/0
top score1	28*
deliveries1	17357
wickets1	325
bowl avg1	25.20
fivefor1	16
tenfor1	0
best bowling1	8/43
catches/stumpings1	39/–
column2	ODI
matches2	64
runs2	83
bat avg2	10.37
100s/50s2	0/0
top score2	24
deliveries2	3595
wickets2	80
bowl avg2	24.60
fivefor2	0
tenfor2	0
best bowling2	4/11
catches/stumpings2	22/–
column3	FC
matches3	308
runs3	2690
bat avg3	14.30
100s/50s3	0/2
top score3	72
deliveries3	47990
wickets3	899
bowl avg3	24.99
fivefor3	34
tenfor3	2
best bowling3	8/32
catches/stumpings3	134/–
column4	LA
matches4	293
runs4	615
bat avg4	9.46
100s/50s4	0/1
top score4	52*
deliveries4	14983
wickets4	421
bowl avg4	20.18
fivefor4	4
tenfor4	n/a
best bowling4	7/32
catches/stumpings4	84/–
date	7 December
year	2007
source	http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1366/1366.html CricketArchive}}

Robert George Dylan Willis MBE, born Robert George Willis and known as Bob Willis (born 30 May 1949) is a former English cricketer who played for Surrey, Warwickshire, Northern Transvaal and England. A right-handed and aggressive fast bowler with a notably long run-up, Willis spearheaded several England bowling attacks between 1971 and 1984, across 90 Test matches in which he took 325 wickets at 25.20 runs per wicket, at the time second only to Dennis Lillee. He is currently behind only Ian Botham as England's leading wicket taker. Willis took 899 first-class wickets overall, although from 1975 onwards he bowled with constant pain, having had surgery on both knees. He nevertheless continued to find success, taking a Test career best eight wickets for 43 runs in the 1981 Ashes series against Australia, one of the all-time best Test bowling performances, in the famous 1981 Ashes series against Australia. He was ''Wisden'' Cricketer of the Year for 1978.

In addition to the Test arena, Willis played 64 One Day International matches for his country, taking 80 wickets, and was a prolific List-A (one day) cricketer with 421 wickets overall at 20.18. With the bat, Willis made little impression as a tail-ender with a best Test score of 28 not-out (*); however, he managed two half-centuries at first-class level and for a time held a record number of Test not-outs. Willis captained the England team in 18 Tests and 28 ODI matches between June 1982 and March 1984. Under Willis' captaincy England won seven, lost five and drew six Tests, and won 16 of the ODIs. Botham recalled Willis as "a tremendous trier.. a great team-man and an inspiration", as well as the "only world-class fast bowler in my time as an England player." The editor of ''Wisden'' wrote of him in similar terms: "His indomitable service to England is handsomely reflected in his great collection of Test wickets. Although often beset with aches and pains, he never spared himself when bowling for his country."

Retiring in 1984 following a Test series against the West Indies, Willis found later work as a commentator with Sky Sports. He formed a noted commentary partnership with Botham; however, Willis' relatively low-key style, in contrast to Botham's ebullience, meant that from 2006 onwards Willis tended to be used as a second string commentator. He remains an often-heard broadcaster, a published writer and an occasional critic of the modern game.

Early life

Willis was born in Sunderland, Durham, and grew up in the Surrey village of Stoke d'Abernon near Cobham, having moved there at the age of six. His father was an employee of the BBC, and Willis had an elder brother named David with whom he played cricket in the garden, and an elder sister. He adopted his third name "Dylan" by deed poll in honour of American musician Bob Dylan, of whom he is a fan. Willis was educated at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, playing his early cricket for Stoke d'Abernon Cricket Club, where he later became Vice President and Life Member, and two seasons for the Cobham Avorians. He was also an avid schoolboy footballer, Willis' bowling potential was rewarded with selection for Surrey Schools and Surrey Colts, under the directorship of Watcyn Evans, who would become a close friend.

Playing career

County debut

In 1968, Willis accepted an invitation to join Middlesex and Surrey Young Cricketers on tour in Pakistan, and used this opportunity to further hone his skills. Upon his return he made early appearances for Surrey's Second XI, his first being on 26 August against Worcestershire's Seconds. Willis, 19 years of age, took one wicket for 48 runs in the first innings, and bowled four wicketless overs in the second. He was not called on to bat at all. Two days later, he faced Glamorgan and took three wickets. He played several further Second XI matches through May and June 1969, before his first-class debut on 6 August. Scotland was touring England that season and had already beaten Warwickshire. Willis took three wickets for 13 runs from 13 overs in his first innings, and two for 37 in his second, to help Surrey to victory by an innings and 97 runs. Willis went on to take 22 first-class wickets that season at 17.22 from six matches, placing him 15th in the national averages for that season's County Championship. Surrey came third in the competition that year. Willis also played two List-A games, but took only one wicket at 52.00.

Willis had thus earned a second season at Surrey, and in 1970 played 14 Championship matches, taking 40 first-class wickets at 28.37, and 31 one day wickets at 14.65. Surrey came fifth in the Championship that year. He achieved a noteworthy performance in the Gillette Cup quarter-final against Middlesex. In a high-scoring match, Surrey made 280 for the loss of five wickets. Middlesex appeared to be coasting to victory when they reached 240–3, but Willis turned the game, and they collapsed and finished on 272–9. Willis took 6–49 in his 12 overs and won the Man of the Match award. Despite this, Surrey's preference for Geoff Arnold and Robin Jackman kept Willis out of the side on occasions. He prepared to spend the winter employed at the Crystal Palace Recreation Centre while playing as a goalkeeper for local football clubs. However, Ray Illingworth and Colin Cowdrey, captain and vice captain of England's Test side, contacted him via telephone to ask him to travel to Australia and join the current England tour there. Willis, who knew that Illingworth and Cowdrey had little knowledge of his bowling, later credited his call up to the influence of senior member of the touring party John Edrich, Willis' long-term friend, mentor, and Surrey team-mate.

International beginnings

Willis joined England's 1970–71 tour of Australia as a replacement for the injured Alan Ward, and played several warm-up matches for the MCC in December. ''Wisden'' records that his "infectious enthusiasm and team spirit played no small part in Australia's downfall" as England won The Ashes in the subsequent Test series. Willis' first Test, on 9 January 1971 – the fourth Test of the series, played when the series stood level after two draws and an abandonment – saw him score 15 not out as England batted first and reached 332. In the Australian first innings he bowled an economical nine overs for 26 runs, while Derek Underwood took four wickets to reduce Australia to 236. Subsequently, an unbeaten 142* from Geoffrey Boycott set Australia 416 to win. With John Snow routing Australia with 7/40, Willis was only given three overs to bowl on a pitch "without pace", but he managed to take his first Test wicket – Ashley Mallett, caught by Alan Knott for six.

Willis remained in the team for the fifth Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground, and rewarded the selectors with 3/73 in the first innings and 1/42 in the second as the match was drawn. Of the final two matches, Willis took three wickets in the drawn Adelaide Oval Test, and four more in the final match of the series, a victory at Sydney Cricket Ground which gave England a 2:0 series victory. Willis finished his first Test series with 12 wickets at 27.41, and had also taken several "crucial catches". He was retained for the second match of the two-Test series against New Zealand in Auckland in March, where he took two wickets.

Surrey to Warwickshire

Willis returned in early 1971 to help Surrey win the 1971 County Championship title. However, friction was developing between the club and himself. During that season Willis took 31 Championship wickets at 28.83, but found himself unable to accept the contract offered to him by the club. Though the county was reluctant to lose him, Willis sought another club. He took two wickets in his final match for Surrey against Hampshire on 11 September 1971. After turning down Leicestershire and Lancashire he signed for Warwickshire, for whom he had immediate success, with 25 wickets at 29.28, including one five-wicket haul (taking five wickets in one innings). Willis, who under rules then applying was banned from playing for his new county before July, helped Warwickshire win the 1972 Championship, thus achieving the unusual feat of winning the Championship in consecutive years with two different counties. In his final match of the season, he took 8/44 to dismantle Derbyshire. His new team won nine of their 20 matches, drew 11 and lost none. He was not selected for the 1972 Ashes series in England, and travelled to South Africa as part of Derrick Robins' invitation XI in January. On the tour Willis took 13 wickets from the six matches.

Willis spent part of the 1973 season injured with one of what would become several recurring complaints. He nevertheless managed 43 wickets in the Championship at 18.95, though his injury barred him from all but one Test against the West Indies cricket team. The West Indies amassed 652/8 declared. Willis took four wickets for 118 runs – career-best Test figures thus far – and was the last batsman standing as Vanburn Holder and Keith Boyce routed England for 233 and 193. He then make his ODI debut with two games against the touring side in September, taking 2/29 and scoring five not out as England took a one-wicket victory in the West Indies' first ever ODI match. Willis went wicketless and at conceded 5.5 runs an over in the second, which the West Indies won by eight wickets.

West Indies, sub-continent and Australia

Willis then travelled to the Caribbean as part of England's winter tour, in what ''Wisden'' described as an "automatic selection" however he was to struggle against the top Test side. In the first Test, on 2 February 1974, he took only one wicket, followed by three in the second, and one for a hundred runs in the final match. He was to struggle against the West Indies throughout his career. His bowling average against them ended at 36.34, whereas against no other team was it above 26.14.

Willis then returned to England, to face India and Pakistan, playing in one Test against each. Against India he took 4/64 – a career best against that team – and made a Test best 24 with the bat. Pakistan toured in early August, and Willis featured in one Test. He took one wicket for 133 runs. He also played one ODI where he took one wicket caught and bowled as Pakistan achieved a seven wicket victory. At this point, Willis was suffering from a recurring back injury. He played 13 Championship games for Warwickshire during the 1974 season, taking 44 wickets at 21.56 including one five-wicket haul. In November, Willis touring Australia during the 1974/75 Ashes series, playing in five Test matches. He took 17 Test wickets at 30.70, including a best of 5/42, out of 26 first-class wickets at 31.19 overall. He was, however, playing with growing injury concerns which required several painkilling injections.

Injury and operation

Willis returned to England in January 1975 with a recurring knee injury which had caused him to collapse at a county game early that season, and underwent several operations to correct it. He had surgery on both knees, and suffered a post-operative blood clot. He was forced to use crutches for most of the season, and reflected in 1978 that it was "similar to a 50,000-mile service." His recovery was particularly tortuous, requiring daily runs around the cricket field and an intensive gym program under the supervision of Dr. Arthur Jackson, an advocate of slow running therapy to build stamina. He played no part in the international arena in 1975, and managed only four first-class appearances, though these returned a healthy 18 wickets at 18.77. He was not to return to the Test game until 1976, where he faced the West Indies in two matches in July and August.

That year, he had made a comfortable return to the county game from injury – taking 16 Championship wickets at 26.12. He had also scored a career best 43 with the bat. After coming fit from injury, Willis was brought into the squad for the fourth Test against the West Indies on 22 July as part of wholesale bowling changes that saw Brian Close, Edrich, Mike Hendrick, Mike Selvey and Pat Pocock replaced with John Snow, Ward, Bob Woolmer, David Steele and Willis. He took three wickets for 71 runs and then a five-wicket haul in the second innings. This both gave him career best figures and took him past 50 Test wickets. His last four wickets fell in 24 balls at the cost of three runs, described by ''Wisden'' as a "fine piece of fast bowling". Tony Greig's England, however, struggled to make any impression on the West Indies through the series, Viv Richards dominating with 829 runs across the series. Willis could only take one further wicket in the fifth and final Test, which the tourists won easily. By this time Willis, whose injury troubles were continuing, turned down a coaching opportunity in South Africa in order to not risk his fitness, and went on the dole.

Revival in India and the 1977 Ashes

Over the winter of 1976/77, England toured India in a five Test series through December to February, and it proved to be a revival for Willis. ''Wisden'' recorded the India tour to be the time when he "put to flight any who doubted his right to be acclaimed as one of the world's foremost fast bowlers." Willis took 32 wickets for 15.09 across the entire tour, 20 of those in the Test matches for 16.75. He took five for 27 in the second Test, and then six for 53 in the fourth – earning him career best Test figures thus far, and taking him past 400 first-class wickets. Four of his wickets came in four overs with the second new ball, "although he received no help from the pitch". ''Wisden'' record that "His 20 wickets in the series stamped Willis as a bowler of genuine pace and in-disputable class."

The 1977 Ashes took place across five Tests between June and August that year, in all of which Willis featured. Preceding them were three ODI fixtures, across which Willis took a total of five wickets at 15.80. The first Test took place on 16 June, at Lord's Cricket Ground. Australia, batting second and looking to take a lead over England's 216 all out, were dismantled by Willis who returned a career-best 7/78. After a century from Woolmer, Australia fell to 114/6 with two more wickets to Willis before the match ended as a draw. Willis' "hostile speed" gained praise in giving "Australia a real fright." Wills took four more wickets in the second Test to aid Underwood in restricting Australia's totals and giving England a nine wicket victory, and was "fast and accurate" for his third Test five-wicket haul, the match in which Botham made his debut. Willis went wicketless in England's innings victory in the fourth Test, however he took another five-for in the final match, including both Australian openers. His 27 wickets across the series was a record for an England fast bowled facing Australia in England, and his final wicket of the series was his 100th. Around these Test matches, Willis also made 10 County Championship appearances, netting 29 wickets at 19.41. This included a haul of 8/32 against Gloucestershire on 20 August, which would remain his best first-class figures for his career.

The year ended with Willis on winter tour to Pakistan and New Zealand. Willis took dismissed seven Pakistani batsmen for 27.14 runs each, though did not appear in any of the ODI matches. In New Zealand he took a further 14 wickets at 18.21, including 5/32 in the first Test.

Wisden Cricketer of the Year – 1978

Willis made 10 Championship appearances in the 1978 season, taking 37 wickets at 18.27. He was also third in the national averages for the Benson and Hedges Cup that year, with 16 wickets at 6.75, including four wickets for four runs in one innings. That year also saw Pakistan and New Zealand return to tour England between June and August. Though Botham took Man of the Series for his 13 wickets, Willis also netted 13 Pakistani batsmen for 17.92, including a five-wicket haul in the second Test. He also earned a Man of the Match award for his 4/15 in the first ODI. Against New Zealand, Willis took 12 Test wickets at 19.08, and passed 150 career Test wickets with his 4/16 in the third Test.

''Wisden'' noted Willis' achievements against Australia in 1977, stating that "the new-ball fire power of Bob Willis, which yielded 27 wickets, was of special significance in England's high summer of success. No England bowler of authentic speed can boast a comparable record in a home series against Australia". In continued: "It was singularly appropriate that team and personal triumph should go hand in hand, for few players have given such loyal and unstinted service to England as the wholehearted Willis... Happily determination is one virtue Willis does not lack, and his re-emergence as a top ranking fast bowler was well and truly deserved." Across all first-class matches that year, Willis had taken 65 wickets at 18.41, the most of any season of his career. His 35 List-A wickets was also the second highest he would achieve for a season behind the 45 of 1983. ''Wisden'' also praised him for refusing to partake in Kerry Packer's World Series cricket, and proclaimed him a Wisden Cricketer of the Year along with Botham, Hendrick, Alan Jones and Ken McEwan.

1978–79 Ashes

In the winter of 1978/79, Willis travelled to Australia for that season's Ashes series, which England won 5:1 against an Australian team depleted by the rebel Packer tour. The tour commenced with four first-class fixtures against South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. Willis then bowled 1,123 deliveries during the Test series, taking 20 wickets at 23.05. In the first Test on 1 December 1978, he took 4/44 and 3/69 in a seven-wicket England win. He then took 5/44 in the second match on 15 December, as England secured a 2:0 lead with a 166 run victory, and following an abandoned ODI match on Boxing Day failed to take a wicket as Australia won the third Test to bring the series to 2:1.

The fourth Test followed on 6 January, and England took a 93-run victory with two wickets to Willis, before a repeat of the first ODI was attempted and again abandoned after 7.2 overs. England then played three first-class matches before a second ODI on 24 January. Australia, batting first, were routed for 101 all out by Hendrick and Botham, Willis bowling a wicketless but economic spell of eight overs for 15 runs and four maidens. England reached the target with seven wickets to spare. In the fifth Test that followed, Willis picked up 3/41 in Australia's second innings, however with the bat he made 24 from 20 balls, with three fours and a six. With this cameo knock, he both surpassed his previous best Test score, and passed 1,500 first-class runs.

In the sixth and final Test, England took a nine wicket victory to seal the series convincingly 5:1. Graham Yallop, the Australian captain, had opened the Australian bowling attack with an old ball and two spinners, Bruce Yardley and Jim Higgs, in an effort to disrupt the English openers. Willis "struck early and decisive blows" through the tournament, although struggled for rhythm between the second and fifth Tests, whereupon he "suddenly regained his fire and rhythm." In all first-class fixtures of the tour, Willis had taken 34 wickets at 20.47, though this was the third highest average of the England bowlers. His tail-end batting had netted him 115 runs at 12.77.

1979 World Cup

In 1979, England hosted the Cricket World Cup. The host nation played a 13-man squad: captain Mike Brearley, Botham, Geoffrey Boycott, Phil Edmonds, Graham Gooch, David Gower, Hendrick, Wayne Larkins, Geoff Miller, Chris Old, Derek Randall, Bob Taylor (cricketer) (wk) and Willis. England, who had no warm-up games, played their first match against Australia on 9 June at Lord's, who the "breezed" past. Willis took one wicket for 20 runs from his 11 overs, surpassed by Boycott – who would be an unlikely bowling hero during the tournament – who took 2/15. Reduced to chasing 159, England proceeded slowly, with Brearley's 44 coming from 147 balls, and they reached the target at 47.1 overs. Their next game, against Canada, saw the visiting team routed for 45 with Willis taking 4/11 and Man of the Match Old taking 4/8. Boycott and Gooch finished the game within 13.5 overs. England's final Group A match on 16 June saw them defeat Pakistan by 14 runs. Willis hit three fours in his 24 from 37 balls to help England to 165/9, and his one wicket for 37 runs, along with Boycott's 2/14, helped England keep Pakistan from the target.

England thus qualified for the semi-finals against New Zealand. Willis managed to chip one run from his two balls as England reached 221/8, and then took a single wicket to keep New Zealand to 212. During the match, however, Willis fell to injury. He had left the field before the end of the match with a recurrence of his knee injury and was ruled out of the final. With Pakistan defeated in the other semi-final England were left to face the West Indies in the final at Lord's on 23 June. England, winning the toss and choosing to bowl first, conceded 286 runs from the 60-over innings thanks largely to Viv Richard's 138*, which Botham recalls as one of his "greatest innings". Though both Brearley and Boycott reached half-centuries, the hosts were dismissed by Joel Garner's five-wicket haul, falling to 194 all out, and the West Indies secured the title. Though he missed the final, Willis took seven wickets across the whole competition at 15.57 runs each – placing him fifth in bowling average across all the teams, and his economy rate of 2.44 runs an over was the fourth best.

Willis followed his recuperation from injury by playing the first, third and fourth Test matches against India, taking 10 wickets at 29.80. Between his international appearances, he struggled with nine Championship wickets at 42.00, as Warwickshire came fifteenth in the country.

1980, Australia and the West Indies

The winter of 1979/80 and the followed summer saw difficult tours for Willis: the Benson and Hedges World Series Cup and a Test tour in Australia followed by a home series against the West Indies. Willis partook in all seven of England's matches for the World Series Cup, however he struggled with six wickets at 41.00. England did secure the highest number of points however they were beaten in both finals by the West Indies. In the midst of these matches, England and Australia played three Test matches in which Willis took only 3 wickets at 74.66, going wicketless in third Test. In the county front, however, his position at Warwickshire was reaffirmed as he was appointed county captain.

Two ODI matches back in England commenced the West Indies tour, with Willis being included only in the team for the second match, here he took two wickets and two catches in a three-wicket England victory. Wills then faced the West Indies Test team across four matches, the first on 5 June. He took four wickets for 82 runs in the first innings, and five in the second – passing 650 first-class wickets in the process though the Man of the Match award was given to Andy Roberts' 5/72 and 3/57, the West Indies winning by two wickets. The second Test was a draw, though Willis collected three wickets. He only managed 1/99 in the third match, however, and equalled his Test best score of 24 with the bat in the fourth Test, passing 500 Test runs in the process. The West Indies secured a 1:0 series victory. Willis had marked his improved form with 14 wickets at 29.07, and had fared better in the County Championship that year, taking 27 wickets at 31.70. He had also taken 23 one day wickets that season at 25.95.

1981 Ashes

Australia arrived in England for the 51st Ashes series in 1981. Willis, who was selected to play in all six Test matches, came into the series on a run of good county form. He had played four county matches, commencing with 5/61 against Yorkshire on 6 May, and 3/58 against Lancashire on 10 June. The first Test took place at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on 18 June. England, batting first, were cut down for 185 all out thanks to four wickets for Terry Alderman and three a-piece for Dennis Lillee and Rodney Hogg. Only Mike Gatting passed fifty, and Willis was dismissed for a first-ball duck. Willis, however, combined with Dilley, Hendrick and Botham to reduce Australia to 179 all out, with three wickets for Willis. England could not take advantage, however, as Lillee and Alderman shared the host nation's ten wickets equally between them to leave Australia only 132 to win. Dilley took four wickets and Willis snatched Graeme Wood for eight to reach 200 Test wickets, however the tourists won the match with four wickets to spare.

Between the first and second Tests, Willis went back to Warwickshire to face Gloucestershire in a County Championship match, grabbing three wickets. He returned to face Australia on 2 July for the second Test, and England batting first. Thanks to 82 from Peter Willey, and a second half-century from Gatting, together with five runs from Willis, England reached 311 – though Geoff Lawson took seven wickets. Australia surpassed this and were dismissed for 345, with three wickets for Willis and three for Dilley. The England bowlers suffered from no balls, Willis alone bowling 28. England declared late in the game on 265/8, and Willis picked up another wicket as Australia reached 90/4 at the close of play. Botham, who had captained the side until then, was sacked and replaced by Brearley. Willis, who was struggling for fitness and had a chest infection, was dropped from the side. He sat out a Warwickshire county match and after speaking to Alec Bedser was given back his place in the team on the condition that he played in a 40-over match, played a Second XI game, and bowled 12 overs in the nets. He succeeded in these tasks, and was tentatively let back into the squad over a spinner.

The third Test – Willis' 60th – came on 16 July, and England were able to level the series 1:1 thanks to Botham's Man of the Match performance (seven wickets, century and half century) and Willis's hostile bowling in the second innings. Willis bowled 30 wicketless overs in Australia's first innings, and made one one and two with the bat, before returning to bowl with Australia requiring 130 runs. At this point, England had been quoted at 500–1 to win the match. Willis began an "inspired" bowling performance, having requested to bowl downhill from the Kirkstall Lane end once Australia were 56/1. Trevor Chappell, Kim Hughes and Graham Yallop were caught by close fielders, while Rod Marsh and John Dyson were caught at fine leg and behind the wicket respectively trying to play the hook shot. Dennis Lillee was caught from the only ball Willis pitched up. Then when Willis uprooted Ray Bright's middle stump Australia were bowled out for 111, losing by 18 runs. Willis took 8/43, his career best Test figures. Two of his victims had been out for zero, and three others for single figure scores. John Dyson had top-scored with 34 before Willis removed him. Willey recalled it as an "amazing spell" while ''Wisden'' called it "the most staggering bowling of his life when his place again seemed threatened."

England then moved into the fourth Test 1:1 in the series. Again batting first, Alderman's five-for took England to 189 all out, with Willis making 13 runs. He then bowled a wicketless but "stormy" 19 overs "as if the devil were at his heels" and, after England had set Australia a final target of 151 runs, took two wickets which along with Botham's five-wicket haul dismissed the Australians for 121 and handed England a 29-run victory and a series lead. Willis played for his county against Middlesex between the fourth and fifth Tests, taking one wicket. He then rejoined his team for the fifth Test at Old Trafford. England reached 231 thanks to partly to a "priceless" 56-run late partnership between Paul Allott (52) and Willis (11) before Willis then led the bowling attack with four wickets to restrict Australia to 130 all out. Another century from Botham took England to 404, setting the tourists 506 runs to win. Yallop and Alan Border both scored centuries, however three wickets for Willis and two for Paul Allott, Botham and John Emburey dismissed them for 402, 103 runs short of victory.

Willis continued to enjoy some form with the bat with 33* against Nottinghamshire in the interval between the fifth and final Tests, though he went wicketless. On 27 August, Australia and England met for the sixth Test at The Oval. The tourists reached 352 thanks to a century from Border, while Willis took four wickets and Botham six. A century from Boycott then defied Lillee's seven wicket haul to take England to 314, and in reply Hendrick and Botham took four wickets each to set their team a target of 383 runs to win while Willis went without a wicket in the second innings. With half-centuries from Gatting and Brearley, England reached 261 before the match ended as a draw. England were victorious in the series 3:1, and Botham's efforts led to it being unofficially referred to as 'Botham's Ashes'. and three more Test and two wickets ODI against Sri Lanka. Between these international fixtures, Willis had secured 13 County Championship wickets at 28.55, though Warwickshire came bottom of the table.

England captaincy

Willis began the 1982 county season with five County Championship fixtures, featuring his first half-century with the bat, a career-best 72, while leading Warwickshire against the touring Indian side on 9 May. He also took two wickets. He also reached his 750th first-class wickets with his 2/71 against Yorkshire on 19 May. India were scheduled to play three Tests and two ODI matches that tour; however, before the matches began, the England selectors dropped Fletcher, the captain. Willis, though seen as an unlikely candidate and ambivalent towards the role, was awarded the captaincy. On 2 June, the new captain faced India as part of the England ODI squad, taking two wickets and effecting a run-out with the help of Botham, who also took four wickets. England restricted India to 193 and achieved victory by nine wickets. The second ODI match followed two days later, and England also won – this time by 114 runs with Willis taking 1/10 from seven overs.

With two victories under his belt, Willis led his team to the first Test on 10 June. Batting first, he hit a career-best 28 runs in a last-wicket partnership with Allott (41) worth 70 – an England record against India – which took the hosts to 433 all out. Willis then set about taking apart the Indian batting line-up with 3/41 and 6/101 to leave England 65 runs to chase, which they reached for the loss of three wickets. ''Wisden'' described Willis as "bowling near his fastest" and he took his 250th Test wicket during the match. Willis took two further wickets in the second Test; however, centuries from Botham and Sandeep Patil ensured large innings scores that pushed the match to a draw. Botham followed with his career-best 208 in the third match to take England to 594 all out, and Willis then took 3/78 to keep India to 410. He then declared England's second innings at 191 to leave India 376 to win, and collected the wicket of Ravi Shastri before India closed out the final day with 111/3. Willis thus completed his first Test series in victorious fashion, with 15 Test wickets of his own at 22.00. Willis was available for only three more first-class games that season, and finished it with a total of 24 wickets at 35.08. He promptly travelled to Australia to lead England in the 1982-83 Ashes.

Over the winter of 1982/83, England's winning Ashes team travelled to Australia under Willis' captaincy. Willis took two three-wicket hauls in two warm-up first-class matches; however, he was absent from two others and Botham took over the captaincy. By now, continuing injury problems were beginning to plague the ageing bowler's body. He took 3/95 in the first Test as Australia reached 424 in reply to England's first innings 411, of which Willis had made 26. Derek Randall's century in England's second innings took them to 358, however Australia completed their unchallenging fourth innings target for the loss of two wickets, both of which were taken by Willis. Willis picked up 5/66 in the second Test; however, Australia easily reached another low fourth innings target to take the series to 2:0. The third Test followed a similar pattern, with England replying with two low scores in the face of Australia's first innings 438, and Australia taking an eight-wicket win to win back the Ashes, despite Willis' three wickets. England achieved what was then the narrowest Ashes victory margin of three runs in the fourth Test, with Willis taking three wickets. Wills commentated on the game that "You never give up and you never think it has gone." The fifth match ended in a draw. Across the entire tour, Willis took 28 first-class wickets. In the following World Series Cup between England, Australia and New Zealand, England were knocked out despite 14 wickets for Willis at 21.14.

Willis returned to Warwickshire for the 1983 season, struggling in the county season with 21 wickets at 36.76 in the County Championship, though finding more success in the one day arena with a career-best 45 wickets at 16.24. He also led England in a four Test series against New Zealand, finding greater success with 20 wickets at 13.65 including a five-wicket haul. This, coming in the second Test, took Willis past 850 first-class wickets and 300 Test wickets. England won the series convincingly 3:1, and returned to New Zealand over the winter. In the drawn first Test, Willis overtook Fred Trueman's record England tally of 307 Test wickets when he dismissed Lance Cairns in the first innings. England lost the second Test by an innings despite 4/51 from Willis. With the third Test ending as a draw, England lost the series. Willis, with increasing physical and mental weariness and now using hypnotherapy to reduce stress and focus his game, took three wickets in the following ODI series, in which England whitewashed New Zealand 3:0.

England played a three Test series against Pakistan in early 1984, however Willis was unable to contribute more than two wickets in the first match due to injury. He made only five County Championship appearances, taking only nine wickets at 42.22. Willis, with pressure mounting due to injury and poor performances by the England team, was sacked as captain before the upcoming Test series against the West Indies, and replaced by Gower.

As a captain, Willis has subsequently received mixed assessment. Botham retained fond memories of Willis the player, but remarked that Willis found it difficult to captain him because the men were of similar age. Willis, often noted for his enthusiasm, became an "effective motivator" as a captain; however, he was "no outstanding tactical genius" and "towards the end his feelings bordered on disgust at the conviction that some of England's cricketers accepted failure too readily. Nor was he able to close himself off against media comment." He was also characterised as a loner in the game, and a reluctant captain grateful to be placed back within the ranks after repeated defeats while he was at the reins. His 18 Tests as England captain saw 7 victories, 5 defeats, and 6 draws, while he led England in 29 ODI matches, winning 16 and losing 13.

Willis played in the next Test series against the West Indies, taking two wickets in the first two matches. and before the last match played against Derbyshire for his county, taking three wickets. Willis took to the field on 12 July for the third Test and took only two wickets for 123 runs as the West Indies, particularly Michael Holding, "hammered" his bowling – Holding hit 59 from 55 deliveries. Willis conceded 40 more runs from eight overs in the second innings, which ''Wisden'' referred to as "the death throes" of his career. He announced his retirement from all cricket immediately after England's defeat.

He finished his career with 325 Test wickets, at the time second only to Dennis Lillee, and 899 wickets in all first-class matches. Only Ian Botham has since surpassed his number of Test wickets for England.

Commentary

After retiring from playing cricket, Willis established himself as a television commentator on Sky. He began a television career in 1985, and was initially in partnership with Botham in the commentary box, "his laconic style did not suit all" and he was dropped from the "front-line commentary duties". Willis appeared on ''BBC TV Cricket'' between 1989 and 1999 as a summariser before joining Sky Sports in 2000. He also appeared on David Tomlinson's ''This is Your Life'' in 1991, ''A Question of Sport'' in 2004 and ''20 to 1'' in 2005.

Willis has continued to work for Sky Sports, largely commentating in the county game, where he has been vocal on the need for changes in English cricket, particularly through a group of former players known as the Cricket Reform Group. He was critical of Michael Atherton during the England tour of Zimbabwe in 1997. In 2006 he criticised the then England coach Duncan Fletcher's practices, England's performance in the 2006-07 Ashes, and was vocal in calling for the retirement of out-of-form national captain Michael Vaughan in 2008.

Willis has attracted detractors due to his somewhat melancholic style. ''The Independent'' commentated on the 1995 Texaco Trophy that Willis had "trenchant content, dismal delivery. As a player Willis had trouble getting to sleep. As a commentator he struggles to stay awake. His voice remains on one note – the drone of your neighbour's mower." Andrew Smith wrote in 1999 that "On Sky TV, Willis is often discourteous and unfair to players. Didn't he ever make a mistake?" though the ''Daily Mail'', for whom Willis had begun writing, defended his commentary style. CricInfo's launching of two polls on cricket commentary both returned negative views of Willis' "hyper-critical" commentary. Willis received only 15% of the vote, above only Dermot Reeve and Allott.

Notes

References

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