Denis Compton - England Glamorous Cricketer

Denis Compton was as glamorous a cricketer as England has ever possessed. He played in a style that captivated the crowds, last-second sweeps blending with sumptuous cover drives. And there was a devil-may-care attitude to everything he did that meant he was not someone to take your eye off.

He rose fast, unknown one minute, scoring runs for England against Australia the next when only a few days past his 20th birthday. Until he developed a chronic knee problem in his early 30s as a result of a parallel career as a winger with Arsenal.

Denis Compton belongs to a below middle-class family, as his father decorator business floundered and he constraint to a lorry driver. His brother Leslie Compton also played cricket for Middlesex. But Compton never ashamed to work hard for a cricketing career. He never really struggled and perhaps as a result never really lost the boyish enthusiasm that suggested he thought everything was just a lark.

But by then, he was already the nation’s darling following his feats in the years immediately after the Second World War, when his batting touched a sublime peak and sport was providing the masses with the perfect antidote to the miseries of war.

If all that was not enough, Compton was handsome too, with an unruly mop of black hair tamed with Brylcreem, but he exhibited the kind of flaws that suggested he was perhaps not really that different from the man in the street. His running between the wickets were chaotic and his time-keeping atrocious.

The stories one has heard of him arriving at Lord’s in his dinner jacket after a night on the tiles and scoring hundreds with borrowed bats can only appeal. He, like others, missed out on some of his best years to the war but that at least meant he was hungry for the game and had reached full maturity when peace finally came.

He made his Test debut against New Zealand in the 3^rd Test at the Oval in 1937. He was playing delightful strokes before he got run out at 65. In the next summer, Compton produced a magnificent match-saving inning of 102 and 76 at Lord’s against Australia. In 1939, he played a lethal inning of 129 against West Indies at Lord’s and made a 248 runs partnership with Hutton.

His achievements for Middlesex and England in the late 1940s, and the long hot summer of 1947 in particular. When he smashed so many records, purely are the stuff of legend. That his friend and teammate Bill Edrich was also in the stupendous form at the same time, and well worth watching, only added to the attraction.

It must have seemed like a racing certainty that one or other, and possibly both, would come off on any given day. No one ever measured Compton by figures alone, but the figures say a lot about his dominance during this golden time.

In the 1946 season, he scored a plethora of runs with many hundreds than any other player (2,403 runs, ten hundred). Therefore, in 1947, he again in super form, scored a heap of runs and more hundreds than anyone, not only in that season but in any season before or since 3,816 runs and 18 hundred.

Hence, in 1948, only Len Hutton did better than Denis Compton’s 2,451 runs and nine hundred. After that in 1949, his tallies of 2,530 runs and nine hundred were eclipsed only by Hutton and James Langridge. In the winter of 1946–47 he toured Australia and New Zealand, and in 1948–49 South Africa, and on each occasion was again the leading batsman in terms of both runs and centuries.

In an up-country match on the South Africa tour he scored a triple century in just 181 minutes, which remains the fastest on record. For England, he was, along with Hutton, one of the two best batsmen in the side. Between 1946 and 1949, he scored 11 hundred in the space of 20 Tests, four against Australia, five against South Africa and two against New Zealand.

Moreover, the 753 runs he scored in the series with South Africa in 1947 still stands as the record for an England batsman in a home series. His duels with Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller formed part of the folklore of the period, and initially, at least he probably had the better of things.

Although his instinct was to play extravagantly, and take more risks than Hutton would have countenanced, his ability to score runs against Lindwall and Miller showed how good his defense must have been. He certainly applied himself when he scored twin centuries to earn England a draw in Adelaide in 1946–47.

At Old Trafford in 1948 he was forced to retire early in his innings after edging a ball from Lindwall on to his head. But he returned bravely – possibly strengthened by a brandy or two – at 119 for five to score a sparkling 145 not out and hoist his side to 363.

How appropriate that the man of the series award in Ashes Tests is now called the Compton–Miller medal. The onset of knee trouble in 1949 resulted in surgery the following year and was a contributory factor in Compton’s wretched series in Australia in 1950–51 when he mustered just 53 runs in his eight innings, a salutary reminder that even the greatest can struggle badly at times.

He had been appointed vice-captain for that tour, the first modern professional to be given the post and a step that paved the way to Hutton’s subsequent appointment to the full captaincy. After that, Denis Compton did not quite so consistently touch the heights of old, and never hit another hundred against Australia. But he nevertheless enjoyed some special moments.

He hit the winning runs at The Oval in 1953 when the Ashes were regained for the first time in 19 years. In 1954 he batted less than five hours in scoring his highest Test score of 278 runs against Pakistan at Trent Bridge. In the famous Oval Test match, he produced 53 runs on a difficult wet pitch which he inclined to his one of the best inning.

Moreover, the series against South Africa in 1955, he was again in brilliant form by scoring 492 runs. In 1952, he scored his 100th hundred in first-class cricket and took fewer innings to do so than any other player apart from Don Bradman.

That, and the fact he averaged more than 50 in both first-class cricket and Tests. That should prove beyond all doubt that his technique was much sounder than his popular reputation as a dasher would suggest. So obvious were Compton’s talents that he joined Middlesex and Arsenal when he left school at 14.

He scored 1,000 runs in the year of his county debut, at 18 the youngest ever to do so, and the following year when he scored 65 in his first match for England, he only narrowly failed to top 2,000 runs. In 1938, he scored 102 in his first Test against Australia – at the age of 20 years 19 days. Then he remains the youngest to score a century for England.

However, in the next match, he saved the game with an unbeaten 76. Nor were his footballing achievements insignificant. He won league and cup with Arsenal and played wartime internationals for England. It seems remarkable now that anyone could combine serious careers in cricket and football at the same time.

Also, Denis Compton managed it for many years, although his football did sometimes prevent him touring with England in the winter. The quick feet he needed for football must have helped his batting. It should also be remembered that Compton was a very useful left-arm wrist-spinner who took more than 600 first-class wickets, including 73 in his amazing summer of 1947!

He also handed down good cricketing genes, his grandson Nick also playing Test matches for England. Denis Charles Scott Compton played 78 Test matches for England from 1937 till 1957. He was born on May 23, 1918 at Hendon Middlesex. He was very handy slow left-arm chinaman bowler as well.  He was great national icon cricketer became a symbol of national hero.

Denis Compton married three times, having one son “Brian” from his first wife. From his second wife, he had two sons, both played cricket for Natal. He had two daughters from his third wife. Moreover, his grandson Nick Compton also played for England and made his test debut against India at Ahmedabad in 2012-13. So, his legacy is continuing to serve England.

Denis Charles Scott Compton played 78 test matches for England, in which he scored 5,807 runs at 50.06 with 17 hundred, 28 fifties, and 49 catches. As a left-arm chinaman, he managed to grab 25 wickets at 56.40 with the best of 5 for 77.

His first-class records are even very impressive. He played 515 matches, scored 38,942 runs at 51.85 with the best of 300, including 123 hundred, 183 fifties, and 416 catches. In the bowling department, he took 622 wickets at 32.27 with the career-best of 7 for 36, including 19 times five wickets haul and 3 times ten wickets in a match.

After retirement, he was commentating for BBC and columnist for Sunday Express. Denis Compton always young as heart, even towards his hip pain to the knee. The finest England batsman Denis Compton died in a hospital on April 23, 1997, at Windsor at the age of 78. His notable achievements are as below.

1.    In 1939, he was Wisden Cricketer of the Year.

2.    He was a member of the FA Cup winner in 1950, represented England in wartimes for professional football for Arsenal.

3.    He was one of 25 Batsman, who scored over one hundred centuries in first-class cricket.

4.    In 2009, he was included in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

Keith Miller, Australia 1946-1956

If the sole criterion of genuine all-rounder were glamour, Keith Miller might have come out number one. He did the things that make cricket most interesting to the masses and bowled fast. His ability to hit the ball huge distances held stunning reflex catches. To add the charm, he also possessing Hollywood looks and an unquenchable sense of fun.

Keith Miller was born on November 28, 1919, at Sunshine Melbourne Victoria. He was called “Golden Boy of Cricket” and being nicked name “Nugget”. Having survived Second World War service as a fighter pilot of (Royal Australian Air Force), a media personality and a raconteur. He wasn’t prepared to take anything too seriously. That only served to imbue his cricket with even more zest.

Alan Davidson, a fine all-rounder in his own right and among a generation of Australian players who idolized Miller. He rated him along with Garry Sobers as the best all-rounder who ever lived. He is certainly Australia’s best. He was a powerful striker batsman and varying his bowling speed to the mystified batsman.

Keith Ross Miller could turn a match with an impromptu passage of star-sprinkled play. Such as when he bowled out South Australia for 27 having arrived late at the ground as the players were taking the field. He took seven for 12. The bare statistics of the game, though, meant little to him. And scarcely did justice to his natural talents, but his figures were nevertheless hugely impressive.

Keith Miller was a successful member of Australian Rules Footballer, played 50 games for St Kilda, scoring eight goals in one game against North Melbourne in 1941. His father was a local cricketer and advise their children to play with the classical techniques with solid defense.  

Keith Miller was the second all-rounder after Wilfred Rhodes to complete the Test double of 2,000 runs and 100 wickets. A rare feat so much harder to do in those days when there was less Test cricket available to the player. Also, the difference between his batting average (36.97) and bowling average (22.97) was significantly in credit, to an extent matched only by Garry Sobers, Jacques Kallis and Imran Khan.

Miller’s fast-bowling partnership with Ray Lindwall ranks among the game’s most iconic. They were the scourge of England’s batsmen in the immediate postwar period. On their credit, 34 wickets between them in 1947–48, another 40 in 1948 and 32 in 1950–51. Therefore, all three series emphatically won by Australia. Although England then won the next three series, the two of them remained potent weapons.

England legendary batsman Denis Compton said, their bowling at Lord’s in 1953 was the fastest he faced. They were said to be still very quick when Australia toured the Caribbean in 1955. Miller had left England in 1953 with predictions that he was finished as a fast bowler ringing in his ears. But he enjoyed his biggest haul of 21 wickets.

Further, when he returned for his final tour of England in 1956. The series of few other highlights for the Australians as Jim Laker made fools of them, no one more so than Miller himself (he was out to Laker six times). Keith Miller was 37 on the final tour of England, he and Lindwall pulled a sensational victory at Lord’s in the 2^nd Test match. Miller took the responsibility in the absence of Pat Crawford, burden the bowling attack send 34.1 overs in the first inning and 36 overs in the second inning. And he took five wickets in both innings to give a great victory to Australia.

Moreover, the fielding sides were entitled to a new ball much earlier in those days. Amazingly, after just 55 overs in 1948 – which only played into the hands of this formidable pairing. They induced just as much trepidation in other sides, especially Miller. Who stood more upright in his action than Ray Lindwall and could make the ball lift alarmingly?

Keith Miller was not averse to making liberal use of the short ball and attracted plenty of criticism as a result. He was once roundly booed by the Nottingham crowd for subjecting Len Hutton to one such barrage.  The following day knocked Denis Compton, a kindred spirit and good friend, back on to his stumps to end a fighting inning of 184. However, he possessed charm enough to ensure that the hostility did not last.

His bowling, in any case, was not unrelentingly hostile. He would vary the searing pace with an assortment of leg-breaks, off-breaks or googlies. Which broke the boredom and often caught out an unwitting batsman. Miller was a substantial batsman, good enough to play most of his Test innings at number 3, 4 or 5, higher than most genuine all-rounders would be capable of doing.

He scored four of his seven hundred against West Indies, who were an emergent force in the early The 1950s.  And whose tour of Australia in 1951–52 was given world championship billing. Miller significantly contributed 362 runs and 20 wickets to that series. Therefore, he comes up with great success in the 1955 series by scoring 439 runs and 20 wickets in the Caribbean. Perhaps his finest innings was the century he scored at Lord’s in 1953. That created the opportunity for an Australian win so famously thwarted by Willie Watson and Trevor Bailey on the last day.

England ultimately won that series. But English satisfaction in the discovery of a fast bowler of their own in Fred Trueman was tempered by the mauling Trueman received at Miller’s hands in the final match of the tour. Keith Miller scoring 262 in a day. Miller, who loved to gamble on the horses and life in general. He was not inclined to take the safe course and in political terms, this might have cost him, dear.

He was never made Australia captain even though he successfully led New South Wales, was a natural leader of men. and was the most obvious to take over from Lindsay Hassett in 1953. For this, Don Bradman was widely held to be responsible, and Miller certainly didn’t share ‘The Don’s’ ruthlessly unsentimental approach to playing the game.

Don Bradman was reportedly unimpressed by Miller’s decision to give his wicket away from the first ball during the Australian massacre of Essex’s bowling at Southend in 1948, when they racked up 721 in a day. Shortly after the tour, Miller bowled bouncers at the great man during Bradman’s testimonial match. Bradman was also reckoned to have used his influence as an Australian board member to expedite Miller’s omission from a tour of South Africa. Hence, an injury to another player meant that in the end Miller did go (fully justifying his presence with 246 runs and 17 wickets in the Tests).

All this only added to the impression of Miller as a cricketing rebel. The shiniest of loose cannons. Miller made a mark in state cricket before the outbreak of war – he scored 181 for Victoria against Tasmania on debut at the age of 18 at Melbourne in 1937-38. But was effectively denied a start to his cricketing career proper until the age of 25.

He kept his cricket going between sorties during the war though and was perhaps the outstanding star of the Australian Services side. That entertained crowds in England and India in 1945. In one match at Lord’s, he hit a six on to the top tier of the pavilion. The brand of cricket he played in the ‘Victory Tests’ against England was the brand he stuck to, and it won him the hearts of millions.

Overall, Keith Miller played 55 Tests for Australia and scored 2,958 runs at an average of 36.97, with seven hundred, 13 fifties with the best of 147 and 38 catches. He was a fine acrobatic slip fielder. Miller scored three centuries against England and four against powerful West Indies side. In the bowling department, he took 170 wickets at 22.97, with a career-best 7 for 60 among his seven five wickets hauls and one time 10 wickets in a match.

In the first-class cricket, he played 226 matches, scored 14,183 runs at 48.90 with the best of 281* including 41 hundred, 63 fifties and 136 catches. He sent down 28070 balls in 326 innings, took 497 wickets at 22.30 with the best of 7 for 12, including 16 times five wickets haul and one time ten wickets in a match.

In the 1950’s West Indies captain John Goddard said, “Give us Keith Miller and we would beat the world”. Indeed, that was huge applause for him. After retirement, he was a key public figure having an affair with Princess Margaret. He was columnist and journalist for the Daily Express. He had suffered three hip operations, cancer and stroke, which has badly affected his health. His records would have been more impressive if the second world war wouldn’t damage his prime time.

Keith Ross Miller died on October 11, 2004, at Mornington Peninsula, Melbourne Victoria at the age of 84. More than 1,000 mourners gave the farewell to Australian finest all-rounder at St Paul Cathedral. Keith Miller name will live if cricket exists. The ladies of their generation loved him, even every man wanted to be like him.

His some of memorable awards were!

·         1954 – Wisden Cricketer of the Year

·         1956 – Awarded the MBE in the Year

·         1996 – Included in Australian Cricket Hall of Fame

Ijaz Ahmed Junior – Former Middle Order Batsman

Ijaz Ahmed Junior is a former Pakistan middle order batsman. He appeared in two tests matches and two ODI’s for Pakistan in 1995-96. Ijaz Ahmed Junior was born on February 2, 1969 at Lyallpur (Faisalabad). He made test debut against Sri Lanka at Peshawar on Sep 1995. In the first inning he was caught by AP Gurushina off Muttiah Muralitharan bowling for 5 off 30 balls.

In the second test match at Faisalabad he scored 16 runs off 41 balls with 3 lovely ground shots. However he dismissed cheaply again for 8 runs off 31 balls of Chaminda Vass Bowling. This was his final appearance for Pakistan, that is truly unfortunate for a talented batsman.

He went back to domestic cricket and he work hard to come back. Therefore, after two years of exorbitant hard working he come back to Pakistan side who was visiting to Australia for Carlton and United series. Pakistan won the series first time in Australia. But he was failed again on the two chances provided him.

In the first match against West Indies, at Perth, he scored 3 not out, off 2 balls batting at No 9 positions. Simply, unluckily as Pakistan senior players played most of the inning. However in the 2^nd match at Sydney his batting could not come. This was his final match for Pakistan. That is extremely a sad end of his career not provided too much opportunities.

He has brilliant domestic records, of scoring 13058 runs at 40.93 with highest score of 229* including 33 hundreds, 62 fifties 232 catches. Also, as an right arm off spin bowler, he grabbed 171 wickets with the best of 6 of 62 including 6 times five wickets an inning and one time ten wickets in a match.

In a 152 list A matches, he scored 4418 runs at 35.62 runs with the best of 134, including 5 hundreds, 33 fifties and 63 catches. In the bowling department he took 79 wickets with the best of 5 for 42.

In 11 T20 matches, he scored 125 runs at 17.85 with the best of 44, and no wicket under this format. These stats clearly shows that he deserved more chances, but Pakistan selectors unsatisfied with the limited opportunities provided to him. That is extremely unfair for a batsman who has more than 40 averages in domestic cricket.

Even though at one stage, Ijaz Ahmad Junior was compared with great Inzamam ul Haq. But he could not thrive on international cricket for long time. That was a sad story of unfortunate cricketer. 

Adam Gilchrist 1999–2008

Adam Gilchrist must be one of the most fearless cricketers of all time. It is all very well swinging the bat seemingly without a care in the world at the county or state level. It is quite another to do so when a Test match or even a one-day international hangs in the balance. But all games appeared to come the same to Gilchrist. He was naturally aggressive left-hand batsman, widely regarded greatest wicket-keeper the batsman in the history of cricket.

Adam Craig Gilchrist is born on 14 November 1971 at Bellingen in New South Wales, Australia. And he played in a very strong Australia team. Although it is true, and one that was often expected to win with something to spare. But Gilchrist played the same for every team he represented, and in all situations.

If he had an advantage, it was in not starting his Test career until a relatively late stage. He made his first-class debut in 1992 and perform consistently till 1996. Eventually, Gilchrist debut ODI in India in 1996 and then a few days short of his 28th birthday when he finally got his chance, having been kept waiting for his opportunity by Ian Healy, a fine keeper and capable enough batsman to average 27 in Tests.

He made Test debut against Pakistan at Brisbane Gabba scored 81 off 88 balls before bowled by Shoaib Akhtar and in his second retrieved a dire situation in spectacular fashion. Gilchrist had spent three years in Australia’s one-day team and already made a considerable mark as a destructive opening batsman with several hundred to his name.

He thus arrived conscious that there might be few second chances but also experienced enough to know his own game. Australia, set 369 to win against powerful Pakistan bowling attack, were apparently heading for defeat to Pakistan in Hobart when Gilchrist joined Justin Langer at 126 for five seems almost lost. Gilchrist showed a real class to smashed Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akthar, Azhar Mehmood, and Saqlain Mushtaq.

Cool as you like, the two of them all but took their side home, Justin Langer falling with five runs still needed. Gilchrist finished unbeaten on 149. Quite a few of Gilchrist’s best innings came when Australia was in difficulties rather than when they already had a big score on the board by the time, he strolled out at number 7. Adam Gilchrist said; he enjoyed it more when they were in trouble because it gave him something to work with. Not that he could not drive home good positions either.

When he went in at Johannesburg in 2002 against South Africa, when Australia wasn’t a difficulty at 293 for five and he proceeded to smash what was then the fastest Test double century on record. Gilchrist smashed 204 runs off 213 balls including 8 towering sixes and 19 rolling shots over the boundary.

Australia won the match an innings and 360 runs. Further, in the next match at Cape Town, he took South African bowling to knee scoring another hundred 138 runs off 108 balls in just 172 mins including 22 fours and 2 sixes. Australia owed its strength to many things, but Gilchrist’s presence was surely a crucial factor in their dominance around the turn of the century.

Australia won an astonishing 73 of the 96 Tests he played between 1999 and 2008 and lost only 11. One of those defeats came when Gilchrist himself, acting as stand-in captain for the injured Steve Waugh, made a rather too adventurous declaration at Headingly in 2001. In this Ashes series, Gilchrist again top of his game, scoring 340 runs at 68 including 26 dismissals and Australian won the Ashes 4-1.

Adam Gilchrist finished on the winning side in each of his first 15 Tests. He also played in three winning World Cup finals in 1999, 2003 and 2007. Gilchrist contributed runs on each occasion, most dazzlingly at Barbados in 2007 when in a game reduced to 38 overs aside, he rattled up 149 off 104 deliveries against Sri Lanka. Some of his knocks were just unbelievable and still in people's minds.

The record of this lean, slightly built left-hander was remarkable and leaves him towering above all other international keeper-batsmen. In Tests, he hit 17 hundred and averaged 47.60, highly impressive figures when it is borne in mind what a toll hour spent behind the stumps takes on mind and body. Most remarkable though was his strike rate of 81.95, which places him second only to Virender Sehwag.

In 2007, he was a member of the Australian team who took part first-ever T20I world cup in South Africa. In this tournament, he scored 169 runs at 33.80 as Aussies were knockdown by India in the Semis. He was also the first batsman to hit 100 sixes in Tests. Moreover, against England he scored a super-fast hundred in just 57 balls at Perth, missing Richard long time 56 balls hundred. Later, Pakistan Misbah-ul-Haq equaled in 56 balls and then broken by Brendon McCullum.

He hit 16 hundred in one-dyers, in which his strike rate of 96.94 again puts him second only to Sehwag among bona fide batsmen. In that format, he stands tenth on the six-hitting list with 149. Needless to say! that Adam Gilchrist was a big success when he joined the first wave of players recruited to the Indian Premier League in 2008.

Among Test keepers whose careers are complete, only Andy Flower, who averaged 53.70 but batted in far less explosive fashion, can approach his record. Matt Prior, Les Ames and Kumar Sangakkara is among the few to even average more than 40. It has been the fate of every international keeper since to be measured against him. Every team searches not just for a competent glove-man but a cricketer who can also bat and score regular hundreds.

Gilchrist set the mark and others strive to meet it as best they can. In fact, several keepers have done very well without quite adhering to the Gilchrist blueprint of reliable runs delivered with all-out aggression – Matt Prior for England, MS Dhoni for India, Kumar Sangakkara for Sri Lanka and Brad Haddin for Australia have all had their moments, while AB de Villiers maintained his batting form amazingly well after temporarily taking over the gloves from Mark Boucher in 2012.

But the greats do it time and time again and that is what sets Gilchrist apart. Gilchrist played his early cricket in New South Wales but with the state already having an established keeper he moved to Western Australia in his early 20s. There, like many batsmen brought up on the hard surfaces in Perth, he developed into a strong cutter and puller of fast bowling.

The one team against whom his record was iffy was India, whose spinners Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh managed to keep him largely, if not totally, in check. A few fast bowlers, notably Andrew Flintoff bowling at his absolute best in 2005 Ashes, managed to deny him the room to free his arms by coming around the the wicket at him and firing the ball into his body, but it was a plan requiring perfect execution.

In the next Ashes series, in Australia in 2006–07, Gilchrist exacted brutal revenge, splattering the English bowling to all parts of Perth in what was then the second-fastest Test century of all time. Gilchrist also developed into a considerable keeper. He had to keep to Shane Warne a lot, so in common with a lot of keepers of the the modern era, like Ian Healy and Alec Stewart, he improved himself enormously through necessity, exposure, and hard work.

Again, he had the advantage of working for the most part with one of the most formidable bowling attacks in history, but in the main, his standards were very high. When he retired, he had a record 416 Test dismissals to his name, an impressive haul in only 96 matches. ‘Gilly’ also played the game in a good spirit and earned a reputation, very unusual in the modern game, of being a ‘walker’.

Adam Gilchrist held most dismissals by a wicket-keeper in ODI, which is being broken by Kumar Sangakkara in 2015. As an Australian captain, in the six Test matches, four was won, one lost and one draw. In 17 ODI’s 12 won, 4 lost, and one was ended without being a ball bowled. In two T201, he won one match and lost one.

Adam Gilchrist was a regular team member was rarely available for domestic matches from 1999 to 2005. Hence, he could not have enough time to play for his state. He made only seven first-class appearance for his local state. Adam Gilchrist retired from test cricket in March 2008, but he keeps on playing domestic cricket until 2013.

He appeared in six IPL seasons, three for Deccan Chargers, and three for King XI Punjab. He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2002 and following year awarded the Australian Allan Border Medal. Gilchrist left unbelievable mark on the whole cricketing world. In 2013, he was included in the prestigious ICC Hall of Fame.

Some of Adam Gilchrist best performances in different versions are.

• Test Cricket - 204* vs South Africa at Johannesburg in 2003

• ODI Cricket – 172 vs Zimbabwe at Hobart in 2004

• T201 Cricket – 48 vs England at Sydney in 2007

• First-Class     - 204* vs South Africa at Johannesburg in 2003

• List-A Cricket – 172 vs Zimbabwe at Hobart in 2004

• T20 Cricket - 109* Mumbai Indians vs Deccan Charges in 2008

He was famous for walk batsman, on numerous occasions he walked even umpires given Not out. Gilly reignite the debate during a high-pressure match against Sri Lanka in the semi’s of 2003 world cup, after the umpire ruled him not out, but he walked straightforwardly. Even in Bangladesh, he walked when TV umpire didn’t find any contact between bat and pad, but he walked. The integrity of the game was so close to him.

Lillee Grave on Faisalabad Pitch

This is memorable picture of depicts the great Australian fast Bowler Dennis Lillee on the receiving end of Taslim Arif bat. Dennis Lillee had a torrid time at Iqbal Stadium Faisalabad on the tour to Pakistan in 1979-80. When he tried really hard and hard but to no avail, to be successful on the featherbed presented there by the grounds man.

The ordeal provoked into him into making the now famous remark about making his grave on the side of the pitch. Wicket Keeper batsman Tasleem Arif on the other hand would remember the Test match fondly as not only did he remain in the ground on all of its five days.

Taslim Arif scored brilliant double hundred 210 runs on this dead surface. The highest score by any Pakistani wicket keeper batsman, and also turned his arm over, (capturing the wicket) as did all the rest of his colleague in the Pakistan team.

The great Australian fast bowler Lillee went wicket less in this Test match, saying frustrated on the dead surface, whenever he dies, he should be buried beneath the match pitch. But remember West Indies powerful side bundled out here just 53 in 1986-87 against Pakistan. Also, this was the same ground, where famous incident took place of Mike Gatting and Shakoor Rana were embroiled.

In 1998, Pakistan vs. Zimbabwe Test match was abandoned without being a ball bowl due to heavy fog engulfed entire city for five days. Pakistan have won six test here, and lost five matches, and 12 matches ended without a result. The first ever Test match at Faisalabad played in 1978, between India vs Pakistan which was high scoring draw.

Waqar Younis vs West Indies 1990-91

Its congratulation and celebration for speedster Waqar Younis, who is an amazing burst of speed and venom, trounced the West Indies when they visited the Pakistan in 1990-91. They played three Test series against the Pakistan. In fact this tour saw the coming of the age of Waqar Younis as a pace bowler of unmatched speed and witnessed one of his most lethal spells ever.

This memorable picture depicts a dismissal which even caught the imagination of advertisers, for its purity and effectiveness. Though, the West Indies batsman Gus Logie would have some other, not very much pleasant reasons for remembering it. That having been bowled by a Waqar Younis thunderbolt for an ignominious duck.

Gus Logie was famous for their athletic fielding and quick runs getting. Both teams fought hard but series were drawn 1-1. West Indies cricket team captained by opening batsman Desmond Haynes, while Pakistan Captain was Imran Khan. Furthermore, Pakistan outplayed West Indies in ODI matches with a 3-0 whitewashed. The other players in this picture are off spinner Akram Raza, patting Waqar’s back and wicket keeper Saleem Yousaf high fiving him.

Harold Larwood - Great England Fast Bowler

Harold Larwood born on 14, November 1904 in the village of Nuncargate at Nottinghamshire. Not many bowlers troubled Don Bradman and other legends still caused him genuine concern. Harold Larwood was one who did. Like the very best express bowlers, there was a lot more to Larwood than an extreme pace. In his case, he had one of the most vicious break-backs in the game. At times he makes the ball come back so much that he is almost unplayable,’ said Wisden of Larwood when he was still at quite an early stage of his career. The great accuracy and speed were his natural phenomena.

Judging purely by Bradman’s scores in his first two series against England. It is not immediately apparent that Larwood caused him much of a problem at all. Larwood was England’s match-winner in Bradman’s first Test at Brisbane in 1928. He has taken 6 for 32 as Australia was skittled for mere 122 runs in the first innings and two more wickets in the second, but although he failed twice, Bradman did not get out to him either time.

Indeed, it was not until the final Test of the 1930 series in England in which Sir Donald Bradman shattered so many records that Larwood took his wicket. But what the scorebooks do not reveal is that Larwood and the rest of the England players were convinced he had. Sir Don Bradman caught behind off a short ball before he had scored the first of his 334 runs at Headingly.

A snick Harold Larwood said could be heard all over the ground – and that Larwood’s short-pitched bowling severely discomfited Bradman during the Oval Test. In which Bradman brilliant scored 232, hitting him in the chest and on the wrist. It was this that led directly to Douglas Jardine’s adoption of Bodyline tactics in Australia in 1932–33. In Harold Larwood, Jardine believed he had the means to keep Bradman quiet.

Harold Larwood was not quite 5ft 8in in height but with a superb sprinting run-up he was able to generate great pace off the ground while remaining highly accurate. Douglas Jardine thought that if Larwood was instructed to bowl like this on the line of Bradman’s body. Or the body of anyone for that matter, with a packed leg-side field, then run-scoring would be very difficult.

And he was proved right! scoring runs off Larwood was very difficult. Bodyline tactics were not in fact adopted on all occasions. But Larwood dismissed Bradman four times in the four Tests in which he played, as well as twice more in a warm-up match. Bradman got past 50 only once in those six innings and was bowled three times.

It was one of the most sustained periods of success any bowler ever enjoyed against Bradman. Larwood took 33 wickets in the series before hobbling from the field during the final Test with a foot injury. Although he never bowled as quickly again because of that injury, which forced him to miss most of the 1933 season, he would certainly have played for England again had not MCC been so eager to appease the feelings of the Australians, who felt Bodyline was unacceptable.

Ahead of the next series in England in 1934, MCC effectively made it a proviso of his selection that he should apologies for his part in Bodyline. Although, he completely admirably – and refused, insisting he had done nothing wrong. That Larwood’s Test career was over before he turned 30 was a personal tragedy. But there was something heroic in his refusal to publicly express regret over something in which he felt only pride.

His bowling in that series had been astonishingly good and the Australians – Bradman apart perhaps – had no personal issue with Larwood, even those such as Bill Woodfull and Bert Oldfield who was injured by him. As fast bowlers do, Larwood rose fast. Emerging from a mining community at Nuncargate near Nottingham.

He played his first match for Nottinghamshire at the age of 19. Therefore, within two years he had sealed his Test selection by bowling Jack Hobbs twice in a county match and England captain Arthur Carr. That who also happened to be his county captain, during a Test trial. In his second match for England, he helped them regain the Ashes with six wickets in a famous victory at The Oval in 1926.

For the next ten years, Larwood was a scourge of county players who found the prospect of facing him from one end. While the left-arm Bill Voce from the other end. However, Bill Voce was another member of Jardine’s Bodyline attack. As perhaps their least comfortable appointments of the summer. Larwood took 80 wickets at 18.43 when Nottinghamshire claimed the championship in 1929 but that was one of his more expensive years.

He has been widely acknowledged greatest fast bowler of that time. If any technology at that time, he would have been easily measured to bowl between 90 to 100 mph. One of Australian cricketing generation, Ernie Jones said; "Larwood wouldn't knock a dint in a pound of butter on a hot day".

A 5ft and 7in short side arm fast bowler, with the smooth and soundless approach. Jack Hobbs faced Larwood many times in county cricket matches, he thought! one of the accurate and speedy bowler he has ever faced. Australian fast bowler Ray Lindwall was very much influenced by Larwood’s bowling action.

One of his 1990 interview, he said, I never intended to hit batsman's head, I always tried to hit batsman rib to unsettle them. Larwood was extremely lethal and speedy at his day, as Reg Sinfield, Patsy Hendren, H.B. Cameron were badly hit in the field and laying unconscious. However, many batsmen were bruises and suffered minor fractures.

Harold Larwood had topped the national bowling averages in 1927 and 1928 with figures of 16.95 and 14.51! Larwood did so again in 1931 and 1932 when his wickets cost only 12.03 and 12.86 respectively. Even as late as 1936, when he took 100 wickets in a season for the eighth and last time, his average was again under 13. These figures bear eloquent testimony to his destructive capabilities, as does the fact that more than half his 1,427 first-class victims were bowled.

The irony of Larwood's story is that in retirement he emigrated to Australia, the place where he had been such a figure of opprobrium and lived there contentedly while counting former opponents such as Jack Fingleton, Woodfull and Oldfield among his friends. He was belatedly and rightly recognized by his own country with an MBE in 1993 when he was 88 years old. His father Robert Larwood was a rigid miner and he was fourth on the list of his five sons. Harold Larwood died on 22 July 1995 in New South Wales at the age of 90.

Overall, he appeared in 21 Test matches for England, scored 485 runs at 19.40 with career best of 98, and credit to 78 wickets at 28.35 with the best of 6 for 32. Moreover, in 361 matches scored 7,290 runs at 19.91 with the best of 102* including three hundred and 23 fifties and 234 catches. So, in these first-class matches, he has taken1427 wickets with the best of 9 for 41 including 98 times five wickets an innings and 20 wickets in a match. He would have remained in the heart of cricket history.

Jeff Thomson Australia 1972–85

Jeff Thomson was a freak of cricketing nature. In his pomp, he was an exceptional athlete with suppleness and elasticity of frame enabling him to deliver the ball in a way. Which, if not unique, was certainly very rare, and mighty effective. Shuffling into a side-on position as he approached the crease, he started with his bowling arm low before it followed a mighty arc from behind his back and over his head.

Some people found this made it hard to get a clear sight of the ball, but I didn’t think that was the main problem. Jeffrey Robert Thomson was born on 16 August 1950 at Greenacre, Sydney, New South Wales. He is also famous as "Thommo", considered by many to be the fastest bowler of his generation.

Jeff Thomson won pride of place in the local Bankstown newspaper, The Torch, in an article headed ‘Sports Star’: Sports star of the week fast bowler 20-year-old Jeff Thomson won his award for his performance in a Bankstown-Canterbury District Cricket Club’s third-grade match against St George when he took 10 wickets for 31 runs.

Thommo gets a rapid development in 1972-73 and left a big impact on the First-Class debut match against New South Wales against Western Australia. Overall, he gets 17 wickets in that season and given a chance against Pakistan for second Test replacing Bob Massie. Unfortunately, he could not meet selectors expectation, by leaking 110 runs with wicketless in that match.

Jeff Thomson was just quick, even when after he was at his peak. Thommo, peak, in fact, only lasted a few years before an injury diminished his powers but when he was at the top it was one of the greatest sights in cricket. Unless, of course, you were the batsman, in which case you had absolutely no time to appreciate the aesthetics.

When he was sending shock waves through the game in the mid-1970s, many batsmen brave enough to be interested in what was happening, but young enough not to be involved. Many crickets lovers remembering to watch TV highlights of the 1974–75 Ashes series in Australia in which ‘Thommo’, with the help of Dennis Lillee at the other end.

They were terrorized England’s batsmen and some of those images still burn bright, such as Keith Fletcher being clattered on the St George’s badge of his cap and the ball bouncing out to cover. (It also provided what would become one of the great after-dinner stories about David Lloyd’s pink Lite some protector being knocked inside out by a ball from Thommo, with excruciatingly painful consequences for ‘Bumble’.) It was awesome to watch and remains awesome to contemplate.

Mitchell Johnson created similar mayhem in England’s ranks in 2013–14. Their mettle was tested and found wanting, and they had the advantage of wearing helmets. Imagine what it would have been like had they faced Johnson without such protection, and you have an idea of what it must have been like facing Thomson circa 1975.

He also had an immense physical and psychological impact on the West Indies when they toured Australia the following winter. He took 29 wickets in six Tests against them as opposed to 33 in five against England, which suggests they coped marginally better, but the main difference was that it galvanized them into improvement.

It was an especially a formative experience for the likes of Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards, and Michael Holding. It hardened them to the realities of Test cricket and when West Indies assembled a fearsome pace attack of their own, they did not think twice about using it to the full. Lillee and Thomson taught them that much. No wonder batsmen around the world offered up silent prayers of thanks when Thomson was involved in a collision with a teammate, Alan Turner, in the field during a Test in Adelaide and dislocated his right shoulder.

Understandably, he never quite had the same flexibility or power in that shoulder again. He lost pace, it was as simple as that. It was tragic for him, but great news for his opponents, and we in the England camp were duly grateful. If he was awesome before his injury, he was still very good after it. He took 20 or more wickets in the next three series he played, starting with the tour of England in 1977 when he was left to spearhead the attack on his own, Lillee having joined Kerry Packer.

Jeff Thomson  bowled  mighty  fast  against  Clive  Lloyd’s  West  Indians  in  1975–76,  but  during  the  Perth  Second Test  match  he  heard  the tragic news that his flat-mate Martin Bedkomer, who had gone north to try and find a Sheffield Shield place with Qld, was killed when hit in the chest batting for Toombul in Brisbane grade cricket in December 1975. After the Test match, Thommo flew to Sydney to attend his friend’s funeral.

Thommo initially and admirably decided to stay loyal to Establishment cricket and the efforts he put in on Australia’s behalf when the team were missing many frontline performers were most impressive. Clive Lloyd said that one of the things the West Indies found most striking about Thomson at his peak was his ability to come back late in the day with the old ball, and still, summon up some explosive pace to shake you out of the complacent assumption that you were nicely settled.

That was Thommo to a tee. Even in his second career, he was always full-on, quick enough to keep you on your toes, and always trying his utmost. England faced him again on a 1979–80 tour of Australia in a warm-up match against Queensland, and they were vividly recalling the ducking and weaving. He appeared in one Test against England that time but more on the next tour when he played a much bigger part in Australia’s win.

Despite not being given the new ball, he took 22 wickets at 18.68 in four matches, which rightly suggests he had intelligence as well as a raw pace. Used in short bursts, he remained very dangerous. On one occasion David Gower was facing Jeff Thomson shortly before lunch at Sydney, where he perhaps bowled best of all, I looked behind to see Rod Marsh, the wicketkeeper, with his handheld up by the peak of his cap, suggesting that Thommo bowl a bouncer.

I then looked at Thommo, who was by now at the end of his mark, and back at Marsh. It was classic ‘I know that he knows that he knows that I know’ but now I hadn’t a bloody clue whether Thommo would go for the double – or treble – bluff or what! I could have tried ducking well before he got to the crease and released the ball but in the end.

It faded into a damp squib moment as I ended up leaving a length ball outside the off-stump. I can only apologies that the end of the story was not more interesting. By the time I faced him again during the 1985 Ashes when he was recalled to the Test side after a long absence, he was a shadow of his former self and no longer as serious a threat, but the legend of Thommo had long since been established and it won’t die if the game is played.

Many cricket lovers always remember him as someone who was competitive, uncomplicated and bloody good fun. In 2016, Jeff Thomson included in the Australian Hall of Fame cricketer. Wisden wrote: "it was easy to believe they were the fastest pair ever to have coincided in a cricket team".

Mike Brearley, the Middlesex the captain who led England during the World Series Cricket incursion said of Thommo:

“Broken marriages, conflicts of loyalty, the problems of everyday life fall away as one faces up to Thomson”

To his eternal credit Thommo remained true to himself. He refused to slow down to achieve more accuracy. He was a fast bowler and he was to do it his way. He would not bow down to convention. All outpace was his motto in cricket but in life itself Thommo lived in the fast lane.

Thommo had great affection for his mates, to whom he was fiercely loyal. His rise in the game eventually came, but only after years of frustration and conflict with those who reckoned he should go about his cricket in a more conventional manner. By the time he got back to the Test stage for his second crack at the big time, Thommo was the fastest bowler in the world.

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Big Bird Joel Garner West Indies Fast Bowler

Just his personal statistics were enough to inspire anxiety at the prospect of facing Joel Garner. At 6ft 8in, few bowlers have stood taller, and with those great big long arms and mighty levers of his, not many grounds had sightscreens big enough to accommodate the top of his bowling arm.

Joel Garner was phenomenally accurate, but the one word you had to focus on was ‘bounce’. You were always looking at a length ball from him and thinking: ‘How high is this going to bounce?’ ‘High enough’ was mostly the answer. Although he could generate bounce, though, or perhaps precisely because of it, there was great danger in the balls he bowled of fuller length.

A lot of his wickets – almost half in Tests, in fact – were bowled or leg-before, the batsmen no doubt worrying about the ball that might threaten the glove or head only to find one homing in on their stumps instead. Garner was a great purveyor of the Yorker, the old sand-shoe crusher or big toe breaker.

The Yorker is a delivery that modern-day batsmen have found ways to lever to the boundary in one-day cricket but in Garner’s day we were happy just to keep it out, whatever the game, whatever the situation. You might be doubt very much if even today batsmen would be hitting him for six if he got his Yorker in. He was quicker than people thought.

If he wound it up, he wasn’t far behind Michael Holding and Andy Roberts in pace. That wasn’t always his role though. The West Indies bowling was so strong that some of them – and Joel was one – inevitably had to fulfil roles they would not have done had they been playing in almost any other side.

He started his Test career in 1977 but it was not until 1984 that he took the new ball, Clive Lloyd preferring to use him as something of a stock bowler. But once the new ball was his, Garner became even more potent than he had been.

Somerset naturally used him differently when he played for them and he helped them win trophies with some explosive bursts. The first time I faced him in a major encounter was in the World Cup final of 1979. It was not to be my proudest moment. That was decidedly up against it, chasing a big total and already well behind the rate required, and Joel was hardly the man to give you something to play within that situation.

Giving room to try and carve one through cover just gave him a sight of many stumps. Several England batsmen were out for zero, bowled, one of five wickets he took in the space of 11 balls as the game sped to its conclusion. Amazingly four England batsmen were bowled, the other caught behind.

How to score runs off him was a big puzzle for us as aside. England faced him again a few months later in a one-day series in Australia without making much headway and when faced with him for the first time in Tests in England the following year his control was incredible. In the first Test he bowled 57.1 overs off which just 74 runs were scored (at a cost of seven wickets); in the second, 39.3 overs for 57 runs (and six wickets).

It was some small crumb of comfort to England, having been dropped after the first game, to see that others found him no easier to play. Over the course of the five Tests, he sent down 212.4 overs for 371 runs and 26 wickets. His metronomic capabilities should not be overstated, however.

Every blue moon there might be something you could have a go at. He might sometimes give you something outside off stump you could flail at, or something short you could try and help over the slips. He played in the Jamaica Test in 1981 in which Graham Gooch and David Gower both scored 150s.

It was a quick, bouncy pitch but fortunately it was also true in its bounce. Somehow, England found away on that occasion. He came into the West Indies side as a stand-in for a home series against Pakistan in 1977 and was an instant success. He took 25 wickets in five matches, although there were tell-tale signs that he still had things to learn.

His wickets cost 27.52 each and went at more than three runs an over. These were expensive figures for Joel. Of the 14 series, he subsequently played, his average strayed over 23 only four times and his economy rate over three runs per over only twice. He was very, very consistent. He was also a fine catcher around the slips and gully.

He was perhaps fortunate to arrive on the scene just as West Indies were reaching the peak of their collective powers and finish in the late 1980s before the decline in Caribbean cricket had begun. Remarkably, he played in only five defeats in his 58 Test matches (in which he took 259 wickets at an average of just 20.97).

A lot of that was down to his reliability but of course, he was playing in a side with very few weak links. To be part of the most feared pace attack of all time almost automatically qualifies you to be one of the great individual bowlers. They were all immensely skillful as well as quick, and all decent men too.

As a bloke, Joel was a particularly lovely guy, with those big genial eyes of his and that typically Bajan air of laid-back affability. He was known as ‘Big Bird’ not just by his own team but by everyone. There was a lot of affection for him, if not for his bowling.

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