I have followed the career of Allan Border from the time he started in Test cricket in 1978-79.
That was during the Packer years, when almost all the top cricketers in the world, especially Aussies, went with Packer's World Series Cricket.
Test cricket was badly affected - but this crisis did provide an opportunity for youngsters and hitherto-unknown names to come into the limelight.
A bit like what happened recently for West Indies when Gayle and co walked out.
Border was one of those who came into the side at that time.
England were touring Australia and were dominating. England's team was pretty much intact, they had Boycott, Gooch, Randall, Gower, Botham, Willis etc. Australia had virtually nobody. It was a no-match.
In a wretched series for Australia (and therefore for me), I noticed Allan Border. In one of the Tests he scored 60 and 45. In that series, Australian batting was so pathetic that if a batsman got 30, you had respect for him.
After that, Border continued to be consistent. He became quite a pain in the middle-order for the opposition. I remember when Australia toured India in 1979-80, he got a big hundred (162, I think it was) in the first Test. He was always a prize wicket for the opposition because he put a price on his wicket.
The Packer returnees got back their places in the Aussie side. Many of the "replacements" obviously lost their spots but Border retained his. On merit.
He got a century in each innings (150 and 153, or something like that) in Pakistan. At a time when Pakistan were a very good side. I remember that very well. A lot of people noticed.
He toured the West Indies and did quite well there too.
And then there was that mass retirement in Aussie cricket. Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh retired from Test cricket. Suddenly Australia was in a difficult situation.
Border's initial captaincy years were very tough. I found it difficult myself to accept Australia being thrashed by other teams. New Zealand won a series (ok, that was a one-man show, Richard Hadlee). The West Indies won (but that was the norm in those days). But even England won.
(India almost won - Border came in the way of what would have been a famous series victory for India in Australia. To date, India has not won a Test series in Australia).
In 1987, when Australian cricket had become laughing stock for the entire world, the World Cup took place in the subcontinent. To this day, people are probably surprised how Australia won that Cup (much like India for the previous Cup. ;-) ). When they beat Pakistan in the semis, I myself could not believe it.
That changed everything. This rag-a-tag team that Border led suddenly became a confident side. Players like Steve Waugh began coming through seriously as quality players.
Still there was scepticism. Border's team that went to England in 1989 was written off before the series as the worst Aussie side to tour England. From the moment Mark Taylor stepped on the field and hammered England for an unforgettable 800-odd runs in that series, it was England which were on the backfoot. I remember a Test where at the end of the first day England were staring at something like 320 for no loss. Steve Waugh came of age as a batsman in that series.
Border's stock as captain, already on the rise after the 1987 World Cup win, now was soaring. He had earned this reputation of being a tough captain and a very gritty player. In the middle-order he was pretty solid. I was reminded of Clive Lloyd. You get past Fredericks, Greenidge, Kalli and Richards - and then you hit Lloyd. No respite. Similarly, you get past Taylor, Boon, Jones, the Waugh brothers - and then you hit Border.
I met Border once briefly in 1989 in Holland. He was here for an exhibition game. He was grumpy - that was how he had been instructed to behave before he left Australia on that England tour (this Holland trip was at the end of that tour). At that time I was not too happy about it but I can understand.
There was another Test (in Sydney where Ravi Shastri got a double hundred) where Border and newcomer/debutant Shane Warne saved a Test for India. I think it was 1992.
Ok, this does not answer your question I guess, Super, but the short answer is he was a very good batsman, one who had seen a lot of defeat and humiliation in his early years (something Aussies are not used to), one who got toughened as a result - and went on to transform a team of average players with low confidence into a winning side with stars.
He deserves all credit for this transformation. When he handed over a side to Mark Taylor, it was rock-solid.
Love his commentary too, btw.. Would take him over quite a few of the current Channel 9 crowd..
