Stuart Wark
Fantastic Fazal
Neil Harvey said he was virtually unplayable. Frank Tyson said he was "like Bedser, only better". Remembering Pakistan's first great bowler, Fazal Mahmood
Stuart Wark
18-Feb-2014
As an aspiring young fast bowler in the early 1980s, I grew up worshipping Lennie Pascoe. Looking back now I really have no idea why this was the case, but he was my first cricketing hero. Lillee and Thommo were not far behind, but it soon became apparent that my desire to be the next "terrifying quick" was not supported in any way by actual ability. I came to the realisation that I was very much military-medium at best, and would never get beyond that.
I then became obsessed with the great medium-pacers throughout history. Stories of bowlers such as Maurice Tate, Alec Bedser, Bill O'Reilly, Sydney Barnes, Fred Spofforth and Charlie Turner fascinated me. The skill to deceive a batsman with spin, swing or seam without relying simply on pure pace seemed like the perfect compromise.
This is probably of no surprise to anyone who read my last article about the myth of the speed gun. However, my next cricketing hero after Pascoe was none of those previously named, and was actually a bowler of whom I still have never seen any video footage. Described by Frank Tyson as "like Bedser, only better", the great Pakistan bowler Fazal Mahmood managed to capture my imagination.
Full postThe speed-gun myth
Commentators spend a lot of time discussing bowling speeds but a machine can't tell us how fast a batsman considers a bowler to be
Stuart Wark
28-Jan-2014
One of the key messages from the recent Ashes series, according to the media anyway, was that "pace rules". The primary difference between Australia in England in 2013, and then England in Australia in 2013-14, was seen by many to be the fast bowling of Mitchell Johnson, the eventual Man of the Series.
His raw speed (admittedly combined with far greater control over direction than in some previous years) was claimed by many commentators to be the deciding factor in Australia's transition from a 3-0 series loss to a 5-0 series victory in the space of a few months. It was not uncommon to hear comparisons between the speed of Johnson and that of the legendary Jeff Thomson in the 1970s.
But what does "pace" or "speed" actually mean?
Full postRemembering the West Indies support cast
The legendary fast bowlers are celebrated, as they must be, but many others played a part in the team's supremacy
Stuart Wark
02-Jan-2014
Sometimes our memories can rewrite history, and the passage of time has a way of covering over cracks.
For example, we tend to remember a collection of great players within a certain era and not the specific teams they actually played in. I remember a cricket-obsessed friend from the West Indies proposing that the wonder team of Greenidge, Haynes, Richards, Lara, Richardson, Lloyd, Dujon, Marshall, Holding, Ambrose, and Garner was undoubtedly far greater than any Australian team that ever took the park during the 2000s.
However, he was a little put out when I noted that, unfortunately, they never actually all took the field at the same time, and that in fact Lara didn't debut until approximately six years after Lloyd retired. This led me to think about the supporting players who clearly assisted teams in their quest for greatness, but who perhaps have never been recognised personally in the same way.
Full postWhatever happened to Urnie?
Is the alternative Ashes trophy that came into existence in 1982-83 still around to be handed to the winning team?
Stuart Wark
17-Dec-2013
Most cricket lovers are aware of the history behind the Ashes urn. On September 2, 1882, an English journalist by the name of Reginald Brooks wrote a mock "obituary" in the Sporting Times newspaper stating: "In affectionate remembrance of English cricket which died at the Oval, 29th August, 1882. Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances. R.I.P. N.B. The body will be cremated and the Ashes taken to Australia."
At that point the "Ashes" were purely a literary device and did not exist beyond the imagination of supporters.
The urn that we now associate with the Ashes was presented to the English captain Ivo Bligh by a group of women, following the return 1882-83 series in Australia that England won. The urn supposedly contains the ashes of a bail, although this is unclear, with alternative options having been proposed that include a stump, the outer casing of a cricket ball, and even a woman's veil. In any event, Bligh took the trophy back to England with him in 1883, and it was eventually presented to the MCC for "safekeeping" upon his death in 1927. It has remained there ever since, barring a few brief excursions.
Full postThe best player not to play a Test
From the mid 1890s until the First World War, the Philadelphia Gentlemen could match the world's best sides. All thanks to Bart King
Stuart Wark
22-Nov-2013
In golf, there is an informal award called the "BPNTWAM" (Best Player Never To Win A Major). Adam Scott and Justin Rose both had been claimants to that title until winning the 2013 US Masters and US Open respectively, leaving Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Matt Kuchar as current contenders (Henrik Stenson might have recent claims to be added to the list).
In cricket, the nearest equivalent is the "BCTNPT" (Best Cricketer To Never Play Tests). It would seem illogical to argue that you could be a great cricketer and yet never play Tests, the ultimate form of the game. Nevertheless, there are a number of candidates who can genuinely be classed as great who never represented their country at Test level.
For example, a whole generation of South African players such as Clive Rice, Vince van der Bijl, Garth Le Roux and Ken McEwan never had the chance due to their country's political exclusion. Jack Massie, the giant left-arm quick from Australia, took 99 first-class wickets at 18.42, almost all in the 1912-13 and 1913-14 seasons. However, Australia did not play a Test match during those years, and while Massie was chosen to tour South Africa in 1914, the tour was cancelled due to the outbreak of the First World War. Massie was never to bowl again in first-class cricket as he was seriously injured by shrapnel from a grenade during the battle of Lone Pine at Gallipoli.
Full postWere cricketers more hardy in the old days?
Are players' injuries treated better now than in the past or are they simply managed more conservatively?
Stuart Wark
31-Oct-2013
I used to be a fast bowler like you, then I took an arrow in the knee
With the first Ashes Test now only weeks away, the Australian selectors are focusing on two different f-words: "form" for the batsmen and "fitness" for the bowlers. Sadly, the various batting options are currently being compared on the basis of limited-overs performances rather than first-class runs, whereas the fast bowlers look like being picked on the basis of "last man standing".
It would seem from reading the views of journalists and retired cricketers alike that the current generation of Australian fast bowlers are the most injury-prone cohort of crocks in history: "Players weren't so soft back in my day: Fred Trueman would have bowled 30 overs a day with two broken legs after spending the entire day down the pit and sleeping in a shoebox in the middle of the road."
Full postThe amazing Sobers' amazing series
In England in 1966, he glowed with the bat and toiled with the ball in a comprehensive win, but were his efforts better than Imran's against India in 1982-83?
Stuart Wark
02-Oct-2013
In my last article I argued that Imran Khan's effort against India in 1982-83 was the greatest all-round performance in a single series. In response, a number of articulate readers put forward their view that Garry Sobers' 1966 achievements against England exceeded those of Imran. Without wanting to rehash a straight comparison between the two, I did think it worth examining Sobers' performance in that series and to then ponder why still I rate Imran's achievements as being better.
Cricket in the mid-1960s was starting to go through a period of significant change; the traditional powerhouse nations of Australia and England were both in a state of transition and, possibly for the first time in history, neither could claim to possess the best team in the world. West Indies had been steadily improving from the narrow loss in the tied Test in the 1960-61 series against Australia and were now seen as the true world power. They had beaten England 3-1 in 1963 and Australia 2-1 at home in 1964-65 - their first win over the side.
West Indies had a very strong batting line-up, with Conrad Hunte, Basil Butcher, Rohan Kanhai and Seymour Nurse all averaging around 45 in Test cricket. They were well supported by a fast bowling line-up that included Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith, and the world-class offspin of Lance Gibbs. But to top it all, they had Sobers. He had played 52 Tests by 1966, and was recognised as probably the best batsman in the world, with a batting average of 56.32. However, his all-round ability to also bowl medium pace and spin, as well as his amazing fielding skills, added further jewels to his crown as the leading cricketer of the era.
Full postWhen Imran walked on water
Botham's 1981 Ashes has been enshrined in legend, but was it the greatest all-round performance in a single series?
Stuart Wark
18-Sep-2013
As an Australian, I found the on-field results in this year's Ashes depressing, and I'm relieved that the pain is over, at least for the moment. However, the greatest joy is that I now won't have to continually see replay after replay of Ian Botham's 1981 Ashes performances. I have bad enough memories of that series without having to be reminded of it incessantly by the English broadcasters.
The constant barrage of old footage of "Botham's Ashes" has prompted me to consider great, sustained all-round performances. Some allrounders are able to dominate a match, but rarely is that level of performance maintained across an entire Test series. While Botham's efforts were admittedly incredible, I immediately thought of Jack Gregory's efforts in the 1920-21 Ashes, in which he scored 442 runs at 73.66, took 23 wickets at 24.17 and set a record for non-wicketkeepers (15 catches) that still stands today. However, after due consideration, I will instead plump for the achievements of one of Botham's contemporaries just a year or so after the 1981 Ashes as the best performance by an allrounder across an entire series.
The early 1980s were an interesting time for cricket. The threats associated with Kerry Packer were now behind the establishment but the rebel tours of South Africa were beginning to rear their head. The changes that World Series Cricket had introduced were starting to penetrate across the world. Limited-overs cricket started to flourish and raised questions about the long-term viability of Test cricket. West Indies were the undisputed champions in both Tests and ODIs, and they were being challenged not by the traditional powerhouses (Australia and England) but by vastly improved sides emerging from India and Pakistan. Players such as Sunil Gavaskar, Javed Miandad, Kapil Dev and Imran Khan had shown that they well and truly belonged on the world stage, with some of their team-mates not too far behind.
Full postThe original Little Master
Hanif Mohammad almost single-handedly carried Pakistan's batting in their early days as a Test nation
Stuart Wark
25-Aug-2013
Last month I looked at the contenders for the title of India's first great batsman. Therefore, it seems somewhat logical to now consider the first great batsman from Pakistan.
If we apply the same eligibility criteria as for India, in that the batsman must have played Test cricket for their "home" country, we commence the search in Pakistan's first-ever Test match in October 1952. And we can also stop the search right there, because the answer is staring at us from the very top of the batting order. Hanif Mohammad opened the innings in that game, and he is his country's first great batsman.
Hanif was born in Junagadh, India on December 21, 1934. He was the third of five children, and cricket was clearly a significant aspect of the entire family's daily life. At least one of the Mohammad brothers was selected in the first 101 Tests that Pakistan played. Ultimately, four Mohammad brothers (Hanif, Wazir, Mushtaq, and Sadiq) played Test cricket, with the fifth brother (Raees) being named 12th man for one Test in 1955.
Full postHazare or Merchant?
In part two of the search for India's first great batsman, we look at two run-accumulators who shared the same first name
Stuart Wark
22-Jul-2013
India's first Test match was against England in 1932, and it would seem appropriate that India's first great batsman is chosen from those who actually played for their home country. The captain in this first match, the legendary CK (Cottari Kanakaiya) Nayudu, is remembered as one of India's great cricketers. However, his legacy is largely derived from his leadership and skills off the field rather than purely as a batsman. He was undoubtedly very good with the blade, but an average of 25 in Tests and 35 in first-class cricket compares less than favourably with some near contemporaries of the pre-World War II era.
There are two widely acknowledged great Indian batsmen of the 1930s and '40s, both with the first name of Vijay.
Vijay Hazare finished his career with a Test batting average of 47.65, and a first-class average of 58.38. He captained India in 14 Tests, but he was known for his amazing appetite for run-scoring. He passed the century mark 60 times in just 238 games with a highest score of 316 not out. His ratio of hundreds to first-class games is almost identical to that of Len Hutton, and exceeds that of international opponents such as Denis Compton, Frank Worrell, Everton Weekes and Bill Brown.
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