Originally posted by jadeja vu: not the correct answer, skully (Graeme Watson for one was a legend).
[snigger] He almost died after being hit in the head twice by .....[cough] Tony Grieg [cough]
... horrible (accidental) beamer that was, and he really did nearly die. Even at 80 kph a beamer makes a mess of a skull.
Aye lardy, I remember it well. Twas a World XI match in Perth if remember correctly. He tried to hook a Greig bouncer and got sconed only to get snotted by the Greig beamer (also attempting a hook) later in the innings (memory fails me here).
Yeah, DKL's famous 8-29. So where did the near-death experience occur for Watson? Was it in Brissy?? I remember thinking what a half-arsed side the World XI was. Hylton Ackerman, Richard Cunis, and bunch of other dross. They ended up beating us 2-1 after Graeme Pollock joined the fray.
Brisbane - draw, Francis the no-hoper batted like a dead fish
Perth - DK Lillee, McKenzie's last game for Australia, Lloyd and Zaheer involved in a hilarious runout when they both ran for the non-striker's end (away from Lillee), I think Dougie got 1-8 somewhere in that, Kanhai made 118
Melbourne - Sobers, say no more, except maybe Dougie again. Massie debuted in this game or the next, I can't recall.
Sydney - the rain saved the ROW when O'Keeffe was 'rampant', GS Chappell made 192 not out, I think DK Let him down.
Adelaide - Pollock won the game for the World XI, I think Mallett bowled Ackerman around his legs, Benaud got out for 94 trying to hit Intikhab for 6, I think maybe Woodcock got a game for Australia.
Originally posted by skully: Yeah, DKL's famous 8-29. So where did the near-death experience occur for Watson? Was it in Brissy?? I remember thinking what a half-arsed side the World XI was. Hylton Ackerman, Richard Cunis
Seems like you've compressed Richard Hutton and Bob Cunis into one. Between them they might have made a better cricketer.
Of course with Cunis ... the 'compressing two into one' reference has memorably been made before.
Bedi, Greig, Sobers, G Pollock, and to some extent Kanhai and Intikhab were the standout performers in that ROW side. Clive Lloyd was sadly injured mid-tour, while fielding in Adelaide. Asif Masood, Zaheer, and Gavaskar were the big disappointments. It was a wonderful series to watch, during what was very much a transition and building period for Australian cricket, and it was an essential preparation for the Ashes tour that followed. It's a great shame that the two Pollocks weren't available for the whole series. For Australia, the series marked the emergence of Lillee as a real fast bowling force, the final scrapping of McKenzie, an ongoing vain search to find an adequate replacement for the (still available) Lawry ... somehow overlooking the credentials of Redpath and Sheahan ... , GS Chappell establishing a permanent postiion in the team (after missing the first two games), and the emergence of Massie.
The series was certainly a much more interesting and hotly contested affair than the World XI experiment in Australia last year, and IMO Sobers' innings in Melbourne ranks amongst the best and most inspirational two or three international innings played in Australia since 1970.
