The Forgotten Ones

[Richard]

ITSTL.

Will have a good look myself a bit later.

 

[The Sean]

The MacKenzie example got me thinking, insofar as the fact that despite it all he actually remains one of the more celebrated Australian cricketers of the immediate post-Benaud/Davo/Harvey era. While some such as Simpson and Lawry have endured, there were any number of fine Australian players in the mid-to-late 1960s who served their country well but were then metaphorically blown away by both the success and charisma of Chappelli’s lot in the 1970s, and have been “forgotten” accordingly. Some examples:

Brian Booth
Bob Cowper
Alan Connolly
Peter Burge

Fine cricketers all, but largely quiet achievers in an era when Australia was not as dominant as it had been, and so not often talked about nowadays.

 

[Richard]

Really? I thought most of us fell over ourselves to acknowledge these men as champions. Even Sutcliffe, who I would rank clearly fifth of the five men there, remains one of NZ's finest ever players.

Sutcliffe, certainly. Headley, certainly (bar complete ignoramuses). Weekes, for those who know a decent amount of history, yes.

Barrington? I honestly don't think so. There has been no better English Test batsman since Barrington than Barrington - indeed, you could make a decent case that there have been just 3 better since the turn of the 1900s (Hobbs, Sutcliffe, Hammond). Yet Barrington never, ever receives the adulation he should - plenty of people would without a second thought leave him out of a top-ten of English Test batsmen, which is nothing short of disgraceful.

 

[pasag]

Bob Cowper

Yeah, things would certainly have been different with regards to his cricketing legacy if he would have stayed on and not left at 27 (as I'm sure you know, obv). Yeah agree with all the others who get forgotten from Australian cricket's unglamourous era. Could probably coin the whole period 'The Forgotten Era'.

 

[Richard]

The MacKenzie example got me thinking, insofar as the fact that despite it all he actually remains one of the more celebrated Australian cricketers of the immediate post-Benaud/Davo/Harvey era. While some such as Simpson and Lawry have endured, there were any number of fine Australian players in the mid-to-late 1960s who served their country well but were then metaphorically blown away by both the success and charisma of Chappelli’s lot in the 1970s, and have been “forgotten” accordingly. Some examples:

Brian Booth
Bob Cowper
Alan Connolly
Peter Burge

Fine cricketers all, but largely quiet achievers in an era when Australia was not as dominant as it had been, and so not often talked about nowadays.

Interestingly, the only reasons I've heard of any of three from those four (know Cowper well as he made that one massive score) are very abstract: Burge because he became a Match-Referee and was officiating in that game where the Atherton dirt-in-the-pocket affair happened; Booth because he's mentioned in Gideon Haigh's article on coaching (that in his entire career he saw himself bat for only one delivery); and Connolly (a bowler) because he was last man out in the 4-0 decimation in South Africa.

Isn't there someone called Corling who's in the same vein? And certainly Neil Hawke too.

It's fascinating how little publication there is of Ashes series between 1956 and 1968. About the only things that are famous are the Benaud round-the-wicket match in 1964 and the Trueman 300th wicket match in 1961 (or is it the other way around now...) and but for them, the entire era might be completely forgotten.

 

[wpdavid]

It's fascinating how little publication there is of Ashes series between 1956 and 1968. About the only things that are famous are the Benaud round-the-wicket match in 1964 and the Trueman 300th wicket match in 1961 (or is it the other way around now...) and but for them, the entire era might be completely forgotten.

And the chucking row from 1958/9 (was that the year?). And from an English pov, the Underwood & Dolly game from 1968.

Of course, there were a heck of a lot of drawn games, which rarely linger in the memory. Especially when the pace of the game was as slow as it generally was in those days.
I suppose we can understand the English perspective that a period when we never held the Ashes won't be attractive, especially as the opponents weren't as obviously world class as their predecessors or those that came later. From the Aus perspective, they're probably hard done by though.

 

[wpdavid]

Interestingly, the only reasons I've heard of any of three from those four (know Cowper well as he made that one massive score) are very abstract: Burge because he became a Match-Referee and was officiating in that game where the Atherton dirt-in-the-pocket affair happened;

If you fancy looking it up, Burge did play one particularly key innings over here in either 1961 or 1964 (I think it was the former) to set up a crucial Aus win. At the time it was viewed as pretty explosive stuff, although obviously pales in comparison with current run rates. IIRC Aus were struggling, but he came in, batted aggressively, and took the game away from England.

EDIT
Make that 1964 after all. I think this must have been the game.
http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1960S/1964/AUS_IN_ENG/AUS_ENG_T3_02-06JUL1964.html

 

[TT Boy]

saeed anwar.. we don't hear about him much but class player.

Despite being such an awesome cricketer to watch, being a rather more ‘radical’ member of Tablighi Jamaat, probably does not help Anwar’s case to mainstream popularity.

 

[Richard]

And the chucking row from 1958/9 (was that the year?). And from an English pov, the Underwood & Dolly game from 1968.

Said final Test in 1968 was the Test I've always thought kicked things back into life.

Of course, there were a heck of a lot of drawn games, which rarely linger in the memory. Especially when the pace of the game was as slow as it generally was in those days.
I suppose we can understand the English perspective that a period when we never held the Ashes won't be attractive, especially as the opponents weren't as obviously world class as their predecessors or those that came later. From the Aus perspective, they're probably hard done by though.

Yeah, being from over here we naturally don't give much mention to the times we were losing. What's always interested me, though, is that, 1958\59 aside, we could easily have held The Ashes throughout.

 

[wpdavid]

Said final Test in 1968 was the Test I've always thought kicked things back into life.

Yeah, being from over here we naturally don't give much mention to the times we were losing. What's always interested me, though, is that, 1958\59 aside, we could easily have held The Ashes throughout.

Yeah - Benaud's game in 1961 was obviously a huge **** up from our boys, and Burge's game in 1964 could easily have gone our way if the tail hadn't stuck around with him. Although we didn't hold the urn for a decade and a bit, you couldn't say there was real difference in class. Maybe just the ability of Aus to seize the moments when they came along. And, of course after 1959 they only neded to draw series anyway.

 

[slowfinger]

Surely we've forgot about Hayden and Afridi (Afridi's heaven is ODI)
Then at Internartional level Afridi is average 30 odd I think.
Oh and where is Ponting on the chart?
Pontings average is @42.90

 

[slowfinger]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K65_spUU05s This has to be the most disgraceful moment for the under/overarm row

 

[Richard]

Surely we've forgot about Hayden and Afridi (Afridi's heaven is ODI)

Then at Internartional level Afridi is average 30 odd I think.

Oh and where is Ponting on the chart?
Pontings average is @42.90

 

[slowfinger]

Really, I checked of Internet and cricinfo dont tell lies

 

[Richard]

Well there's no form of the game Ponting averages 42 in (it's 58 in Tests, 44 in ODIs), Afridi averages 37 (an inaccurate reflection) in Tests and 23 in ODIs. And Hayden and Afridi certainly aren't forgotten.

 

[pasag]

Wow, had no idea Afridi averaged that low in ODIs.

 

[The Sean]

Those 23 runs usually come off about 7 balls, mind.

 

[The Sean]

Yeah, things would certainly have been different with regards to his cricketing legacy if he would have stayed on and not left at 27 (as I'm sure you know, obv). Yeah agree with all the others who get forgotten from Australian cricket's unglamourous era. Could probably coin the whole period 'The Forgotten Era'.

Indeed, Cowper is an interesting one as he decided that he'd gone as far as he could in cricket (he's quoted as saying "how much further can you go than batting no.3 for your country?") and decided to get ahead in business instead. He succeeded brilliantly, to the point where to my knowledge he spent quite a lot of the 1980s giving financial advice in Monaco! Not sure what he's doing now, might be worth finding out...

It's been mentioned by cricket writers before but is worth repetition - Cowper was seen, at the time, as the natural successor to Bill Lawry as Australia's captain. It's a fascinating "what if" to think of how the history of Australian cricket in the 1970s and beyond might have worked out had Cowper, not Ian Chappell, become captain of Australia in 1971.

 

[Engle]

Cowper will not be easily forgotten, anyone who scales 300+ in a Test inns have stamped their place in history. And he does remain one with the greatest diff between home and away Test batting avgs, not nec a credit, but a record nonetheless.

Aus just had to give the captaincy to someone with natural leadership abilities over another more cerebral candidate for no other reason other than a drastic change in leadership style over the BLawry variety

 

[Burgey]

The quality batting of David Boon, because of his role now as selector and promoter of beer, is often over looked. For a time there in the early 90s he was one of the best players in world cricket and was a doggedly determined player for Australia, as well as being a champion short leg fielder to the quicks and to Warne in his early years.