Re: Great Cricket Stories Yarns and Quotes

by Scrappy Sun Jan 01, 2017 1:23 pm

AUSTRALIA V PAKISTAN
MCG
2ND TEST
2016

PA 9/433 DEC...ALI 205...HAZELWOD 3/50
AU 8/624 DEC ...SMITH 165 NOT OUT....SOHAIL 3/131
PA 163 ...ALI 43...STARC 4/36

Steven Smith declared the Australia innings early enough that resulted in an Australian win in a rain affected game

This is Smiths MCG career batting in Test cricket

2010...EG...6 + 38
2013...EG..19 +DNB
2014...IN...192 +14
2015...WI. 134*+70*
2016...PA...165*

MCG RECORD
638 runs
127.60 average
Has not been dismissed in his last 3 innings amounting to 369 runs

If Smith batted on v PAK and made another 5+ runs not out .....
He would have had the highest average of all batsmen at the MCG that have made 500 runs +

128.54 The Don [1671]
127.60 Steve Smith [638]
103.43 Herbert Sutcliffe [724]
101.20 Bob Cowper [506]

by Lee Sun Jan 01, 2017 8:18 pm

Bob Cowper's 300 helped a bit.

by Lee Sun Jan 01, 2017 8:22 pm

All the leading 6 hitters are recent.

The fence used to be the boundary and you had to clear it, I think.

Modern bats make a huge difference.

by Scrappy Sun Sep 17, 2017 10:48 pm

R.I.P Bob Holland
Australian leg spinner Bob Dutchy Holland passed away , aged 70

Back in the 1980s the West Indies were rampant
I could not believe it when he was selected to play for Australia, he was almost 40 years old
It just 'seams' like yesterday when Bob Holland, aged 38, took 6/54 +4/90 against the mighty West Indians at the SCG in 1985
Bob Holland made Vivian Richards look almost second rate
Dutchy had Richards dropped twice before getting the West Indian champ out for 15 caught at slip by Kepler Wessels
Australia won easily 9/471 dec , West Indies 163 + 253

Bob Holland took 10 wickets in a match twice in his career , both times at the SCG , the other time against NZ

1985
Australia v England
Lords cricket game
I attended this match with my girlfriend
She slept most of day 1 in her seat , having gotten off a flight from Australia on the morning of the test !
She arrived late, there was a bomb scare , but got to the ground on time
EG 290 + 261
AU 425 + 6/127

My recollections
Alan Border made a masterful 196
Graeme Wood made 8, got out hooking , I yelled out to his opening partner Andrew Hilditch how silly Wood was hooking [Digger Hilditch was a compulsive hooker as well ]
EG were 6/98 in thier 2nd innings , still 37 runs behind Australia who were to bat last
Ian Beefy Botham smashed 85 before Holland got him caught by Border
Bob Holland took 5/64 in Englands second dig
Australia chasing 127 to win , after the collapses of the 1981 tour, I was not confident
Australia did collapse to be 5/65
When Beefy got both openers out, at 2/9 I had thought, awl nooo
Allan Border 41* and Wayne Flipper Phillips 29 put on 51 runs for the 7th wicket to get AU to 6/116
Simon Odonnell made 9 not out , and ended the match by hitting a six, I jumped out of my chair

That test match remains etched in my mind, it was the most memorable test match Ive attended
Bob Dutchy Holland is part of that memory
With that 5 wicket haul, Holland remains the last Australian leg spinner to take 5 wickets in an innings at Lords

Bob Holland gone but not forgotten

by Scrappy Sat Oct 28, 2017 9:41 am

FAWAD AHMED

Excellent Victorian leg spinner , love watching him bowl
His batting ....
First Sheffield Shield game of the 2017/2018 , first innings of the season, the classy spinner , went out to bat, and forgot to put on his batting gloves

No BIG deal , as last season he went out to bat in a Sheffield Shield match, without his cricket bat!

An anagram of his surname is he mad !

by Scrappy Tue Oct 31, 2017 3:33 pm

TIBBY COTTER
89 Test wickets
28.64 average
52 strike rate

Between 1904-1912 he was a bowler of express pace
To get a picture of Tibby, he has been described as being Jeffrey Thomson like in build, and a bit similar in bowling. Like Thommo, has been mentioned as being a bit wayward at times
He a slinging action, like Thommo
When he was on, Cotter would often rattle the stumps

He is one of the BIG 6 Australian cricketers who 'boycotted' cricket after incidents with the newly formed cricket board
The BIG 6 were a fair bunch of cricketers
Warwick BIG ship Armstrong
Hanson Carter
Albert Cotter
Clem Hill
Vernon Ransford
Victor Trumper

Tibby Cotter fought in WW1
It is said Cotter was stretcher bearer in the 4th Light Horse Brigade
Cotter copped a bullet and died

Albert Tibby Cotter died on 31/10/1917
It was 100 years ago to the day Cotter lost his life
Cotter is the first Australian Test cricketer to die in the World Wars

by Scrappy Thu Feb 15, 2018 9:16 am

TONY GREIG
Excellent all rounder , could bat well, bowl well and talk well !
Test career
40.43 batting average
32.20 bowling average

In 1976 the West Indies were beginning to establish themselves as a very good cricket team
They were pitted against England for the 76 series
Greig is quoted as having this to say about the West Indies
" You must remember that the West Indians , these guys, if they get on top are magnificent cricketers. But if they're down, they grovel, and I intend, with the help of Closey and a few others, to make them grovel."

West Indies beat England 3-0 in the series
In the last test match at the Oval, Greig as he walked of the ground, got on his hands and knees and crawled off the field
Greig had this to say years later
" In the end it was me who grovelled. I had to do something just to try and get the monkey off my back, so it was me who crawled."

by Scrappy Fri Feb 16, 2018 2:19 pm

LINDSAY HASSETT
43 Tests
3073 runs
46.56 average
10 tons

Must have been a very good batsman with his career batting stats
Did bowl 111 balls , but did not get a wicket , ending up with 0/78
It has been written he was a versatile sportsman, who was good enough to play VFL for Geelong

Played district cricket at South Melbourne
In the early 1930s he had the dubious stat of making 7 ducks in a row
Hassett was relegated to the colts, this is what Hassett had to say about his first colts dig
" I reckon I was plumb LBW first ball but the umpire was kind
Then I was dropped twice before I scored what would have been my 8th duck on the trot and was dropped 3 more times before I reached 30."

Hassett ended up scoring 150
I wonder how his career would have ended up if he got out for his 8th duck ?

by Scrappy Sun Feb 18, 2018 11:59 am

Australia v England
Test series in Australia
1882-1883
4 Test series
Results: A/E/E/A , Drawn series

Ivo Bligh the English captain, lost the toss in the first match then won the remaining 3 tosses
Captain Bligh used his own coin in this series
That coin was a 1773 George 111 penny
Emanating on 1/1/1773 was a hymn , aptly named Amazing Grace

by Scrappy Sun Feb 18, 2018 12:28 pm

First test England v Australia
March 1877
Australia won by 45 runs

A lot has been discussed about the first test, otherwise could have been called England versus Charles Bannerman

Australia made 245 + 104 for a total of 349 runs
Bannerman made 165 retired hurt and 4
Bannerman was sponsored 1 pound per run in this test by the public[ in at least the first dig, second ?]
If he ends up being the only batsman sponsored, the public picked the wrong batsman to sponsor
In both Australian innings the next highest score was 20 by Tom Horan

by Lee Sun Feb 18, 2018 12:29 pm

Keep them coming, scrappy Very Happy

by Scrappy Sun Feb 18, 2018 1:00 pm

Australia v England
5th test
WACA 1995

AU 402
EG 295
AU 8/345 Dec'laird'
EG 123

The score was 9/402 in the Australian first dig
Craig Billy The Kid Mcdermott last man out
The not out batsman was Steve Waugh
Mcdermott batted 11, Glen ooh aah pidgeon Mcgrath batted 10
Mcdermott had earlier injured his back , had a cat scan and returned to bat at 11, with the score at 9/388
Mcdermott was run out for 6
Steve Waugh was not out 99 !
Mcdermott batted with a runner
That runner, backed up too far and was run out with Steve Waugh on strike on 99
Mcdermotts runner was Mark Waugh !

In a way , Mark Waugh was out twice in this innings, having been dismissed for 88
He might have been , in a way, out 3 times as well, he acted as a runner in this innings for an injured Ian Healy!

Craig Mcdermott took 6/38 in Englands second innings
Steve Waugh may have pondered why he needed Mark Waugh as a runner

by Chambo Off To Work We Go Mon Feb 19, 2018 9:20 am

I wonder if the elder sibling ever forgave the junior?

by Scrappy Mon Feb 19, 2018 9:58 am

AlaSTAiR Cook
Test match batting
12005 runs
47.05 average
32 x hundreds

" AlaSTAiR Cook has made 12000 runs and none on free to air TV."
By
Robert Craddock

by Scrappy Wed Feb 21, 2018 10:30 am

DERBYSHIRE V AUSTRALIA [1948]
COUNTY GROUND , DERBY

AU 456
DE 240 + 182

Derbyshire in their first dig were 8/219
Australian leg spinner Doug Ring bowling to Derbyshire leg spinner and future Test umpire Albert Dusty Rhode

Take this up with what Doug Ring has said
"I hit fellow leggie Dusty Rhodes on the foot, on the popping crease, between middle and leg stumps."
NOT OUT , Ring took a single
" The umpire said he hit it
I said it landed on his foot on the full
So we are having this little debate, no heat or anything- when Rhodes arrived at the bowling end
The umpire turned to him and said, did you hit it, Dusty?"
Dusty said no I never touched it
So the umpire said, then youre out."
Rhodes LBW Ring 14 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by Scrappy Wed Feb 21, 2018 11:40 am

Scrappy wrote:AUSTRALIA V WEST INDIES
Adelaide Oval
January 1993

WI 252...LARA 52.....HUGHES 5/64
AU 213...HUGHES 43...AMBROSE 6/74
WI 146...RICHARDSON 72...MAY 5/9
AU 184...LANGER 54...WALSH 3/44

This was the 4th test , Australia were leading 1-0, and lost this match by 1 solitary run
If memory serves me correct Desmond Haynes at short leg, fielded a ball brilliantly at short leg , that might have resulted in a run or multiple leg side runs , and possibly Australia winning
There was a deal of controversy when Craig Mcdermott was out soon after
C MURRAY B WALSH 18
It was short ball that had Mcdermott fending , and he was given out caught behind
I saw replays of the dismissal, it 'appeared' the ball had deflected off McDermotts helmet
Several cricketing authorities have since told me he was unlucky to be given out , or was not out
Others have said the dismissal was correct
Maybe some sort of Snicko DNA will raise the truth in the future ...

Tim May and Craig Mcdermott had a partnership that started at 9/144
Australia needed 186
Mcdermott was last man out
Tim May took 5/9 [6.5] in his best bowling return in test cricket
Tim May made his highest test score of 42 not out on day 4
Its a day he should never forget
On that 4th day action Tim May turned 31 years old

AUSTRALIA V SOUTH AFRICA
SCG
January 1994

SA 169...KIRSTEN 67...WARNE 7/56
AU 292...SLATER 92...DEVILLIERS 4/80
SA 239...RHODES 76...WARNE 5/72
AU 111...MCDERMOTT 29 NOT OUT ...DEVILLIERS 6/43

AU lost by 5 runs, one season after being beaten by 1 run by the West Indies
Craig Mcdermott once again involved in a narrow loss
Mcdermott once again almost winning the game with a good tailend batting effort
Mcdermott batting at 10 came in at 8/75 , AU needing 117 to win
This time he was stranded on 29 not out , Devilliers dismissed Glen Ooh Aah Mcgrath Caught and Bowled for the 10th wicket
I watched this seemingly unloseable 4th innings chase

CRAIG MCDERMOTT
Save a thought for Craig Billy The Kid Mcdermott
He did his job with the ball in both games[1/85+3/66 v WI...2/42+ 4/62 V SA]
He batted well [18 v SA...29 not out v SA]
Some doubt over his dismissal v WI

Heres some numericness of it all for Mcdermott
v WI came in with 42 needed
v SA came in with 42 needed
Took 2/42 in the SA first dig
His Highest score in Test cricket is 42
His batting partner in the WI match was Tim May who made 42*

Craig McDermott was involved in 2 un42unate narrow losses ....

Heres some of the post game comments from that Australia v South Africa test match 1994

" It would be nice to win one of those tight ones."

By
Alan Border
At that stage AB had played in 3 of the 4 smallest losing matches in Test cricket

" He had a smile on his face when he hit me for 4 the previous ball, I was happy to see him go
By
Shane Warne
Explaining why he verbally sent Daryl Cullinan off on dismissing him the ball after the 4

" Awesome mind boggling, they talk about one day cricket, but how can you get a game more exciting than this."
By
Mike Proctor
Star South African all rounder

* I said f.....k. when Glen Mcgrath was last man out caught and bowled by Fannie Devilliers.*
By Scrappy
Watching the game on a TV at the Arndale Shopping Centre

" I think Allan Border got it all wrong
But chasing a small target, they should have put in Ian Healy or Mcdermott in at number 3 to play a few shots
If they had, then chasing 117 would have been no contest
By
Clive Rice
Ahem ....

They turned it into a spinners wicket and it backfired
It exploded on them
They must be absolutely devastated."
By
Eddie Barlow
Probably referring to a 'doctored' pitch, and Shane Warne taking 12 wickets and Australia still lost

This was on the front page of a South African newspaper
" Anybody would think Australia had been in isolation for 23 years , not South Africa."
By
Denis Lindsay
SA wicket keeper

by rocket_rooster Wed Feb 21, 2018 10:53 pm

With respect to the Australia vs West Indies test at Adelaide in 1993 I have never for the life of me been able to work out how McDermott edged the ball yet I was at a Sportsman's Night shortly after the match and Tim May when asked said he thought it was out. Furthermore it was reported that when he got back to the dressing room McDermott admitted that he had touched it, yet 30 minutes later he said no he didn't.

by Scrappy Mon Feb 26, 2018 1:56 pm

RAY slug JORDAN

Wicket keeper for Victoria, was the reserve keeper on the 1970 India and South Africa tours
This is how he got the nickname Slug
When Ray Jordan was 19 he was doing a stint in National service
At a rifle range Harry Herbert, who played football at Geelong, and a fast bowler of note, aimed a rifle at Ray Jordan
Harry Herbert shoots at Ray Jordan, thinking the rifle was empty, but was not
Ray Jordan sustained a collapsed lung and a perforated tummy as a result

Ever since that Ray Jordan has had the nickname Slug
Harry Herbert later became a policeman !

by Scrappy Mon Feb 26, 2018 2:23 pm

Victoria v South Australia

VI 4/572 DEC
SA 363
6/390[Boof 202 not out off 208 balls]

This was the Victorian First innings
77 ELLIOTT
69 LARKIN
324 not out JONES
0 HODGE
50 GARDINER
24 not out THE FREAK[The allrounder who played his early district cricket as a wicket keeper]

Dean Jones was trying to re-establish himself as an International cricketer back in those days
He faced 448 balls in his mammoth 324 not out
It was the 6th highest individual score for Victoria at the time
Bill Ponsford had the 4 highest innings of 437/429/352/336

There were some oddities in this match

This game was a day night match, played with a yellow ball

The other was Brad Hodge out C Nobes b Mcintyre 0
With this dismissal Peter Mcintyre had dismissed Brad Hodge 6 times out of 7
The only time Mcintyre had not dismissed Brad Hodge was an innings when Hodge was run out
Brad Hodge was run out by, would you believe, Peter Mcintyre !

" The boys are looking forward to it
If theres anything wrong with it, then its probably against the batsmen, and I think thats good because they'll be a result."
By
Jamie Siddons
South Australia Captain
This was what Jamie said pre-game
Jamie was expecting a result , instead there was 20 wickets for 1325 , and no result

by Scrappy Mon Feb 26, 2018 3:41 pm

South African batsman Andrew Hudson made 163 on debut v West Indies in 1992
The previous highest score on debut for South Africa was 97 made by Louis Tancred in 1912 v Australia

Loius Tancred didnt make a select group of players to make a ton on debut
But he has a distinction in Test cricket though
I reckon he is the first Test cricket captain to make a pair in test cricket in 1912

Heres a list of the first captains to pair up in test cricket for each nation
TANCRED 1912[SA] V EG
CAVE 1955/56[NZ] V WI
BENAUD 1991[AU] V EG
WORRELL 1960/61 [WI] V AU
IMTIAZ AHMED 1961/62 [PA] V EG
BEDI 1976/77[IN] V EG
BOTHAM 1981[EG] V AU[boy did he make up for this pair in that series]

Im not sure about SL/ZI/BA teams

Other Australian captains to pair up include
BORDER 1992/93 V WI
TAYLOR 1994/95 V PA

In all fairness to AB he did play a lot of Test innings

by Scrappy Tue Feb 27, 2018 10:02 pm

Alex Kelly
Had a day out in 1994
He took all 10 wickets in a match against Newton Aycliffe in the Durham County Junior League in England

Kelly 10/0[4.3]
10 wickets in 27 balls
All 10 wickets were out Bowled

Cliffe V Eastingham
Cliffe 1922
Jennings Tune has also taken 10/0 in a match in 1922
It took him 30 balls though
All 10 wickets were also out Bowled

South v North
Lords 1850
John Wisden is accredited with being the first player in First Class cricket to take 10 wickets, all out bowled
In 1864 he started the world famous Wisden Almanack

Kent V England X1
Lords 1848
Edmund Hinkly was the first player to take all 10 wickets in a first class match

There are no records of how many runs Wisden and Hinkly conceded taking all 10 wickets

The least amount of known runs conceded for 10 wickets is:
Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire
Leeds 1932
10/10 Hedley Verity off 19.4 overs

234 Notts [Verity 2/64]
9/163 dec Yorkshire [Larwood 5/73]
67 Notts [Verity 10/10]
0/139 Yorkshire

The quite incredible part of Notts 67 was that the opening partnership was 44

by Scrappy Wed Feb 28, 2018 4:34 pm

Australia v England
5th Test
SCG 1987

AU 343...Jones 184 not out...Small 5/75
EG 275...Emburey 69...Peter Who Taylor 6/78
AU 251...Border 49...Emburey 7/78
EG 264...Gatting 96...Sleep 5/72

England needed 320 in the last dig
With about 4 overs to go, Australia needed 2 wickets
Allan Border grouped his players together for a chat
If you can believe this the Australian skipper asked the players to vote who should bowl the next over !
Bruce Reid got the most votes
In the next over Bruce Reid dismissed Gladstone Small
To top things off Allan Border took the catch !

EG 9/262
South Australia leg spinner Peter Sounda Sleep took the last wicket by bowling out the stubborn John Emburey for 22[56 balls]
264 ALL OUT

The Australian team
Marsh
Ritchie
Jones
Border
Wellham
S Waugh
Sleep
Zoehrer
P Taylor
Hughes
Reid

" For 10 of us it was our first Test win."
By
Dean Jones

The only winning player in tests would have been Allan Border ?

by Scrappy Wed Feb 28, 2018 11:30 pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmsZgovASFE

David Hookes 100 of f 34 balls in 1982
One of the greatest innings Ive ever seen
Who is the young skinny lad in the crowd with a yellow tee shirt at about the 2:30 mark ?

by Scrappy Sat Mar 03, 2018 1:48 pm

Jan Steele is the daughter of Bert Kortlang
Bert Kortlang was a mentor and friend to Sir Donald Bradman
Jan Steele was Sir Donald Bradmans god daughter

Sir Donald Bradman was born in 1908
In the season of 1909/1910 Bert Kortlang[or name of Harry Kortlang] debuted for Victoria
Korlangs stats that season
5 matches
656 runs
131.20 average

That was the best debut season by a Victorian until 1993/1994 when Brad Hodge made close to 1,000 runs

Bert ended up playing in NZ after WW1
He finished his FC career with an average of 49.77
Bert was a sports journo as well

by Scrappy Sat Mar 03, 2018 2:15 pm

On umpiring on debut
" I still remember my first game
There was this tearaway quickie bowling, and every time he would swear, which was often, he would come back and apologise to me
I dont think he did that with other umpires."

On sledging
" It can get pretty willing on the cricket field, but the sledging is prob worse in Parliament, because its continuous and there are more of them."

By
Umpire Kernot
New South Wales umpire in grade games in 1974
The reason why I posted the 2nd quote about politicians, is because this umpire is Cheryl Kernot the politician

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