The Great Game Called Cricket...

Graham GoochGraham Gooch RSS Feed

England

Player profile

Full name Graham Alan Gooch
Born July 23, 1953, Whipps Cross, Leytonstone, Essex
Current age 55 years 273 days
Major teams England, Essex, Western Province
Nickname Zap, Goochie
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium
Other Coach, Commentator
Height 6 ft 0 in
Education Norlington Junior High School, Leytonstone

Batting and fielding averages Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s Ct St
Tests 118 215 6 8900 333 42.58 18075 49.23 20 46 1079 25 103 0
ODIs 125 122 6 4290 142 36.98 6932 61.88 8 23 15 45 0
First-class 581 990 75 44846 333 49.01 128 217 555 0
List A 614 601 48 22211 198* 40.16 44 139 261 0

Bowling averages Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10
Tests 118 66 2655 1069 23 3/39 5/69 46.47 2.41 115.4 0 0 0
ODIs 125 60 2066 1516 36 3/19 3/19 42.11 4.40 57.3 0 0 0
First-class 581 18785 8457 246 7/14 34.37 2.70 76.3 3 0
List A 614 14308 9657 310 5/8 5/8 31.15 4.04 46.1 1 1 0

Career statistics Test debut England v Australia at Birmingham, Jul 10-14, 1975
Last Test Australia v England at Perth, Feb 3-7, 1995
Test statistics
ODI debut England v West Indies at Scarborough, Aug 26, 1976
Last ODI Australia v England at Melbourne, Jan 10, 1995
ODI statistics
First-class span 1973 - 2000
List A span 1973 - 1997

Profile

Graham Gooch was the most prolific run scorer top-class cricket has ever seen. After he retired in 1997, the statistician Robert Brooke calculated that he had scored 21,087 in one-day cricket at first-class level, which added to his 44,841 first-class runs, put him ahead of Jack Hobbs. It was an amazing achievement, especially for a man who gave the impression that he was constantly on the brink of walking out in disgust. His enigmatic qualities seemed almost cultivated. When England first plucked him out of Essex, as a 21-year-old in 1975, Gooch was an uninhibited belter of a cricket ball. Armed with one of the game's heaviest bats, he could always wallop it when he chose, but the inhibitions grew. In his case, they made him a more rounded player and perhaps the ultimate professional. In the 1980s Gooch was often where the action wasn't: he was banned for three years for leading the first rebel tour to South Africa, a decision he never adequately explained, perhaps even to himself. Even when unbanned, he was often refusing to tour and threatening to come home. England made him captain only because there was no one else, but his fanatical fitness and work-ethic gave the team more purpose than it had shown in a decade. Approaching 40, he kept getting better as a batsman and ever more mysterious: his marriage was believed to be cricket's happiest until he walked out on it. Even after retirement, his career took a surprise turn: earmarked as English cricket's supremo, he was bombed out as coach and selector and became a broadcaster, with a sly wit that surprised those who had seen only his poker face and his broad bat.

Notes

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1980

Latest Articles

Martin CroweMartin Crowe RSS Feed

New Zealand

Player profile

Full name Martin David Crowe
Born September 22, 1962, Henderson, Auckland
Current age 46 years 201 days
Major teams New Zealand, Auckland, Central Districts, Somerset, Wellington
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium
Other Coach, Commentator
Relations Father - DW Crowe, Brother - JJ Crowe

Batting and fielding averages Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s Ct St
Tests 77 131 11 5444 299 45.36 12190 44.65 17 18 659 27 71 0
ODIs 143 140 18 4704 107* 38.55 6476 72.63 4 34 378 29 66 0
First-class 247 412 62 19608 299 56.02 71 80 226 0
List A 261 256 27 8740 155* 38.16 11 59 115 0

Bowling averages Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10
Tests 77 35 1377 676 14 2/25 3/107 48.28 2.94 98.3 0 0 0
ODIs 143 46 1296 954 29 2/9 2/9 32.89 4.41 44.6 0 0 0
First-class 247 7921 4010 119 5/18 33.69 3.03 66.5 4 0
List A 261 3994 2859 99 4/24 4/24 28.87 4.29 40.3 2 0 0

Career statistics Test debut New Zealand v Australia at Wellington, Feb 26-Mar 2, 1982 scorecard
Last Test India v New Zealand at Cuttack, Nov 8-12, 1995 scorecard
Test statistics
ODI debut New Zealand v Australia at Auckland, Feb 13, 1982 scorecard
Last ODI India v New Zealand at Nagpur, Nov 26, 1995 scorecard
ODI statistics
First-class span 1979/80 - 1995/96
List A span 1979/80 - 1995/96

Profile

A classical batsman with a wide range of shots and seemingly all the time in the world to play them, Martin Crowe came from a cricketing family - his father had played in the first-class game and brother Jeff represented New Zealand - and made his Test debut aged 19, quickly being tagged with the label of best young batsman in the world. He broke a series of record, despite being blighted by injuries which included a broken shin, back trouble, torn hamstrings and in latter years, serious knee injuries.

With Richard Hadlee, Crowe was at the heart of a New Zealand side which enjoyed considerable success in the 1980s After an excellent season at Somerset in 1984, he was lured back to lead the side in 1987. But it followed the departure of Viv Richards, Joel Garner and Ian Botham, and the spell there was not happy and was also blighted by some barbed media coverage of his private life.

Hadlee's retirement only served to increase the pressure on him, but in 1994 he led the line, almost hobbling at times, with 380 runs in three Tests against England. He carried on for another 18 months but the final few Tests were too much for his crumbling body.

After retiring, he took up as a commentator with Sky in New Zealand as well as heading their cricket coverage behind the scenes. He was also the man who came up with Cricket Max, for a time a success in New Zealand but a format which never caught on elsewhere.

Notes

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1985

Michael Bevan

Australia

Player profile

Full name Michael Gwyl Bevan
Born May 8, 1970, Belconnen, Australian Capital Territory
Current age 38 years 336 days
Major teams Australia, Chennai Superstars, Kent, Leicestershire, New South Wales, South Australia, Sussex, Tasmania, Yorkshire
Nickname Bevo
Playing role Batsman
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Slow left-arm chinaman
Other Coach
Height 1.80 m



Batting and fielding averages Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s Ct St
Tests 18 30 3 785 91 29.07 1972 39.80 0 6 89 1 8 0
ODIs 232 196 67 6912 108* 53.58 9320 74.16 6 46 450 21 69 0
First-class 237 400 66 19147 216 57.32 68 81 122 0
List A 427 385 124 15103 157* 57.86 13 116 128 0


Bowling averages Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10
Tests 18 21 1285 703 29 6/82 10/113 24.24 3.28 44.3 2 1 1
ODIs 232 67 1966 1655 36 3/36 3/36 45.97 5.05 54.6 0 0 0
First-class 237 8769 5343 119 6/82 44.89 3.65 73.6 1 1
List A 427 3546 3095 93 5/29 5/29 33.27 5.23 38.1 0 1 0


Career statistics Test debut Pakistan v Australia at Karachi, Sep 28-Oct 2, 1994 scorecard
Last Test Australia v South Africa at Sydney, Jan 2-5, 1998 scorecard
ODI debut Australia v Sri Lanka at Sharjah, Apr 14, 1994 scorecard
Last ODI Sri Lanka v Australia at Colombo (SSC), Feb 29, 2004 scorecard
First-class debut 1989/90
Last First-class Tasmania v Western Australia at Hobart, Dec 19-22, 2006 scorecard
List A debut 1989/90
Last List A Tasmania v New South Wales at Hobart, Nov 19, 2006 scorecard


Profile


Regularly dubbed the world's best limited-overs batsman, Michael Bevan continued his prolific ways when his international career closed at the end of the 2003-04 season. An essential part of the one-day outfit for a decade, especially when orchestrating calm chases in crises that often ended in last-over or last-ball heroics, he was cut from the contract list with two World Cup wins and kitbags full of highlights. He will long be remembered for his pair of sensational innings against West Indies at Sydney in 1996 and New Zealand at Melbourne in 2002, when nerveless batting and juggling of the tail secured nail-biting victories. Picking the gaps, running hard and knowing the right moment - and place - to hit a boundary were the hallmarks of his success. He was also a fine fieldsman and his left-arm wrist spin, which swung from erratic to more than useful, added to his lure and allowed him to play Tests as a batting allrounder.

Bevan enjoyed a promising start to his Test career with 82 in his debut innings and another two half-centuries in his first series against Pakistan in 1994-95, but he managed only a stop-start four-year campaign and was hindered by an inability to play the short ball at the highest level, which was strange as he had few problems with it in Australian or English domestic cricket. He never made a century, although he was twice unbeaten in the 80s when batting down the order and running out of partners against West Indies, who he upset with 15 wickets in the 1997-98 series. After that his Test career slid, but while he lost his baggy green he worked on making unforgettable memories in the green and gold one-day uniform, finishing with 232 appearances and a phenomenal average of 53.58 that was boosted by six centuries, 46 fifties and 67 not outs.

Born in Canberra, Bevan made his first-class debut in 1989-90 in South Australian colours, hitting a thrilling century in his first innings, before the completion of a 12-month stint at the Academy led to a move back to New South Wales. It was in Sydney that he began to make his greatest strides as a player, quickly assuming a regular middle-order berth in the strongest state team in the country and, aside from a poor run in 1992-93 which resulted in a brief omission, using it as a launching pad to the national team. Shortly after being cut by the Australian selectors - Trevor Hohns said his "contribution to the one-day side had decreased" - he signed a two-year deal with Tasmania and proved his days of domination were not finished when he struck a domestic record 1464 runs in the Pura Cup, including eight centuries. He was named the Pura Cup Player of the Year and his Bradmanesque scoring achieved an average of 97.60, but there was no return to the international arena and no sign of him being included for the 2007 World Cup. After a disrupted summer following a knee operation, he made brief appearances for Tasmania in 2005-06 and 2006-07. However, his body was struggling - he also suffered hip and heel problems in his last three years - and he retired in January 2007.

Gundappa ViswanathGundappa Viswanath

India

Player profile

Full name Gundappa Rangnath Viswanath
Born February 12, 1949, Bhadravati, Mysore
Current age 60 years 50 days
Major teams India, Karnataka, Mysore
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Legbreak
Other Referee

Batting and fielding averages Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 6s Ct St
Tests 91 155 10 6080 222 41.93 14 35 6 63 0
ODIs 25 23 1 439 75 19.95 830 52.89 0 2 3 0
First-class 308 486 47 17970 247 40.93 44 89 227 0
List A 59 57 3 1463 108* 27.09 1 9 13 0

Bowling averages Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10
Tests 91 7 70 46 1 1/11 1/11 46.00 3.94 70.0 0 0 0
ODIs 25 - - - - - - - - - - - -
First-class 308 1147 729 15 2/21 48.60 3.81 76.4 0 0
List A 59 50 49 4 4/13 4/13 12.25 5.88 12.5 1 0 0

Career statistics Test debut India v Australia at Kanpur, Nov 15-20, 1969 scorecard
Last Test Pakistan v India at Karachi, Jan 30-Feb 4, 1983 scorecard
Test statistics
ODI debut England v India at Leeds, Jul 13, 1974 scorecard
Last ODI England v India at Leeds, Jun 2, 1982 scorecard
ODI statistics
First-class span 1967/68 - 1987/88
List A span 1973/74 - 1987/88

ICC match referee statistics Test debut Zimbabwe v Australia at Harare, Oct 14-17, 1999 scorecard
Last Test Zimbabwe v West Indies at Bulawayo, Nov 12-16, 2003 scorecard
Test matches 15
Test statistics
ODI debut Kenya v Zimbabwe at Dhaka, Mar 19, 1999 scorecard
Last ODI New Zealand v West Indies at Lord's, Jul 10, 2004 scorecard
ODI matches 78
ODI statistics

Profile

Gundappa Viswanath was a true artist with the willow - his strokeplay, particularly the late-cut executed with lumberjack-strong wrists, was nothing less than divine. He was equally adept against pace and spin - waiting on the ball against the fastmen and using twinkling footwork against the spinners - and he came good when it truly mattered. Though statistics don't convey it, Vishy was every bit as crucial as Sunil Gavaskar to the Indian team of the 1970s. Right from his century on debut in 1969-70, he performed better when the chips were down than any other Indian batsman. Especially memorable was an unbeaten, matchwinning 97 against a rampaging Andy Roberts at Madras in 1974-75. Viswanath often excelled on pitches others found difficult - witness his matchwinning 124 out of 255 on another fiery, bouncy Madras wicket against West Indies in 1978-79, and innings of 83 and 79 against New Zealand on a Christchurch greentop in 1975-76. He played the game in its true spirit: a century had little value to him if it didn¹t contribute to the team cause and he disputed an umpire¹s decision only once, recalling Bob Taylor in the Golden Jubilee match against England in 1979-80. It cost him the Test, one of only two where he led India, but to Vishy, it mattered more that the game should be played fair.
H Natarajan

Vinoo MankadVinoo Mankad RSS Feed

India

Player profile

Full name Mulvantrai Himmatlal Mankad
Born April 12, 1917, Jamnagar, Gujarat
Died August 21, 1978, Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra (aged 61 years 131 days)
Major teams India, Bengal, Gujarat, Hindus, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Nawanagar, Rajasthan, Western India
Also known as Vinoo Mankad
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Slow left-arm orthodox
Relations Son - AV Mankad, Son - AV Mankad, Son - RV Mankad

Batting and fielding averages Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 6s Ct St
Tests 44 72 5 2109 231 31.47 5 6 7 33 0
First-class 233 361 27 11591 231 34.70 26 52 190 0

Bowling averages Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10
Tests 44 70 14686 5236 162 8/52 13/131 32.32 2.13 90.6 10 8 2
First-class 233 50122 19183 782 8/35 24.53 2.29 64.0 38 9

Career statistics Test debut England v India at Lord's, Jun 22-25, 1946 scorecard
Last Test India v West Indies at Delhi, Feb 6-11, 1959 scorecard
Test statistics
First-class span 1935/36 - 1961/62

Profile

Wisden obituary

Mulvantrai Mankad, affectionately known to cricketers throughout his life by his schoolboy nickname of Vinoo, died in Bombay on August 21, 1978, aged 61. He was one of the greatest allrounders that India has ever produced. In Tests he scored 2109 runs with an average of 31.47 and took 162 wickets at 32.31. He made five centuries and twice took eight wickets in an innings. Against New Zealand at Madras in 1955-56 he scored 231, and with P Roy put on 413 for the first wicket, a record for any Test. His average for that series was 105. When India gained their first victory over England, at Madras in 1952, his bowling was almost wholly responsible. On a wicket which gave him little assistance he took eight for 55 and four for 53. His most famous feat was against England at Lord's in 1952 when going in first he scored 72 and 184. In the second innings he went straight to the wicket after bowling 31 overs that day. In the whole match he bowled 97 overs and took five for 231. England won by eight wickets, but Mankad's performance must surely rank as the greatest ever done in a Test by a member of the losing side. Indeed in assessing his record one must remember that of the 44 Tests between 1946 and 1959 in which he played India won five only.

His first-class career started in 1935, but it was against Lord Tennyson's team in India in 1937-38 that he came into real prominence. With a batting average in the unofficial Tests of 62.66 and a bowling average of 14.53, he headed both averages, and Tennyson is reported to have said that he would already get a place in a World XI. In 1946 for India in England he made 1120 runs and took 129 wickets. He remains the only Indian ever to have accomplished this feat and no member of any touring side has achieved it since. In 1947 he went into League Cricket and, though he remained available in India during the winter, when they came to England in 1952, he was released for the Tests only. Indeed the Lord's Test was his first first-class match that season. He captained India in Pakistan in 1954-55. In his first-class career, which ended in 1962, he scored 11,480 runs with an average of 34.78 and took 774 wickets at 24.60.

As a batsman, he had great powers of concentration and a strong defence. His record stand with Roy lasted over eight hours and they were not separated till after lunch on the second day. At the same time, if a ball wanted hitting, he hit it. Many will remember how at Lord's in 1952 the match had barely been in progress half-an-hour when he hit Jenkins high over the screen at the Nursery End. He had a fine cover-drive and hit well to leg. Like many players of great natural ability he did not in attack worry overmuch about the straightness of his bat. In fact he was essentially a practical batsman who was prepared to go in cheerfully whenever his captain wanted and adapt his tactics to the state of the match.

As a bowler, he was a slow left-hander of the old-fashioned orthodox type, varying his natural legbreak with a faster one which came with his arm and got him lots of wickets. His figures in 1946 are the more creditable when one realises that for most of the tour he was suffering from an injury which made this ball tiring and difficult to bowl. As a boy he had experimented with the chinaman but was fortunately persuaded by that shrewd coach, Bert Wensley, to abandon it. For some years he was undoubtedly the best bowler of his type in the world.

His son, Ashok played for India in fifteen Tests as a batsman. The pair provide one of the rare instances of father and son both representing their country.
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack

Notes

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1947