Dynamic Duos by Ken Piesse

Author:Ken Piesse
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: non-fiction-sport, non-fiction, Australia, Sri Lanka, South Africa, New Zealand, England, India, Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, cricket, duos, pairs, partnerships, Ken Piesse, Matthew Hayden, sport, passion, Justin ‘Alfie’ Langer, Bill Lawry, Bobby Simpson, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, Don Bradman, Jessie Bradman, Shane Warne, Sid Barnes, Michael Clarke, Ricky Ponting, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Mark Waugh, Steve Waugh, Wes Hall, Don Blackie, Bert Ironmonger
ISBN: 9781743460306
Publisher: Five Mile Press
Published: 2012-10-20T16:00:00+00:00

Lethal: At his very best, Tony Lock was almost as destructive as Jim Laker. Neil Harvey fell to him in both innings at Trent Bridge in the opening Test of the 1956 Ashes tour.

In wreaking unparalleled havoc on the Australians, who boasted first-class centurions in every position from No. 1 to No. 11, Laker became an instant celebrity and the bowler who beat the might of Australia with just one hand. It had been 51 years since England had twice defeated Australia in a home series. Without the combative Lock building pressure like few left-arm spinners before or since, Laker admitted his fairytale figures wouldn’t have been achievable.

So often did the Australians play and miss at the vicious turn of Lock, that he became totally exasperated. Often he would pitch outside leg and it would still miss off. Several deviated almost at right-angles to slip and were simply too good for the batsmen. There were only two left-handers in Australia’s side, Neil Harvey and Ken Mackay. The rest were right-handers and they were sitting ducks for Laker, who drifted and spun his off-breaks so wickedly across the batsmen that his leg trap arsenal, including the eagle-eyed Lock, thought Christmas had come early. In his only two Ashes Tests, Alan Oakman took two catches at Headingley and five at Old Trafford.

Ex-England wicketkeeper Les Ames said: ‘The Australians were not good players of off-spin. They gave up the ghost. Jim, with his marvellous control, turned the ball at right-angles.’

As the players were walking off, Laker in front having taken his nineteenth and final wicket, England captain May approached Lock and said: ‘Well bowled, Tony. Forget the scorebook. You played your part too.’

Writing a generation later, English cricketer and cricket journalist Robin Marlar said it still amazed his contemporaries that Laker had so dominated the match, given the quality within the Australian team and the presence not only of Lock, ‘the most avaricious of bowlers’, but of Brian Statham and Trevor Bailey, ‘who bowled 46 overs without even one strike’.

‘Even if you accept that the 1956 Australians were not one of the best teams from that country, there were still great cricketers in the team: Harvey, Miller, Lindwall and Benaud,’ he wrote. ‘In truth, even though it happened, we can describe Laker’s feat only as incredible.’

Oakman had stood so close at leg slip that Miller came in and said: ‘That’s a dangerous position, Oakie. If I middle one, they’ll have to carry you off.’ Three balls later he was out: c Oakman, b Laker!

Despite bowling as well as he had at any time in his career, especially early in the match, Lock’s ‘share’ in 69 overs was just one wicket: opener Jim Burke, who was the third to fall in Australia’s first innings.

‘If my performance was unbelievable, then so was his,’ Laker was to say later. ‘If the game had been replayed a million times it surely would not have happened again. Early on he bowled quite beautifully without any luck at all and beat the bat and stumps time after time.

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