I Got Viv Richards out a Couple of Times ... for 181 and 179
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Besides the bleedin’ obvious, better appreciation for the anxiety the All Blacks. He was there at the played for nothing; we pretty much what inspired you to become a he went through, in getting so many crease when Trevor Chappell bowled did. We got $400 before tax for a Test Mo Mentor for Movember? doors slammed in his face. And yet the ball along the pitch. He threw his match, including the Centenary Test It seemed like too many boxes got he believed in the idea on a couple of bat on the ground ... I was at fine leg, match when we signed up for World a tick. I’ve had a big moustache all levels. A , he loved cricket. And B, he actually. That was the last game I Series Cricket. Today, if you’re a good my life, and men’s health is very wanted it to be a marketing magnet played for Australia. I thought, “My player, in the Twenty20 sense, some of close to me. Most weeks, someone for his television station, and the goodness, he’s upset.” the top players are getting two million MAX near and dear is either being only way that was going to be Simon O’Donnell would’ve been bucks for 50 days in the IPL. Then you diagnosed with prostate cancer or achieved was if we committed to the last bloke to do it; he played 26 or have one-dayers and Test matches as anxiety attacks or depression. It’s one another and didn’t pull out. As it 27 games for St Kilda in the VFL, a well. These guys are mega-million- something you have to take very was, West Indian Alvin Kallicharan handful of Test matches and 98 dollar players. You’d have to do some seriously. And if, in a small way, I can and Jeff Thomson eventually did, one-dayers. It’s a pretty unique group, research on the exact amounts of WALKER make a difference, by being part of but the strength of it was ... he just though. There’s probably under ten money, but when you think that 400 EGENDARY Australian reinvented himself time and this critical mass of humanity that’s eyeballed everyone and walked who have played both Test cricket million sets of eyeballs tune into an L fast bowler Max Walker again; from batsman to bowler, putting its hand up, albeit for a around and asked, “Any reason you and AFL footy. IPL final or a World Cup final, then was famous for his elaborate from radio star to television moustache, then it’s pretty won’t give me 55 days of your life for you can see the magnitude of Kerry bowling action; it earned him the face, from architect to writer. symbolic, isn’t it? World Series Cricket?” And we all Speaking of uniqueness, is that Packer’s influence. nickname “Tangles”, with cricket It’s often forgotten that before said, “No, Mr Packer.” Only David something modern cricket could experts the world-over perplexed his Test and 17-ODI career, he Did you ever think one day that Hookes was a little apprehensive benefit from, more characters and What was the best piece of batting at how such a “wrong-footed” starred in the then-VFL, clocking your mo would be behind such a about it, but once he was across personalities like there seemed to advice you ever received? action could result in a perfect up 85 top-grade games for the good cause? the line, the rest of it is, as they say, be in your playing days? The best coaching book I have ever line and length ‒ and an Melbourne Football Club I initially grew it, and it did take a history. Great television. It was a game when we played. We seen, and I got it for my 12th birthday impressive set of stats. He between 1967-72. while, when I was about 20-odd, were good enough to get picked to play (my dad gave it to me, Big Max), was retired after 34 Tests, having Today, the 64-year-old is a and it came in really handy What do you remember this game for Australia. We would’ve The Art Of Cricket by Sir Donald } Tangles’ wasn’t the taken 138 wickets, including a media tech guru, having set in the West Indies most about your prettiest style, but career-best 8/143 in the ’74-75 up a company, bhive Group, because it was so switch from Aussie it worked. below Ashes. These days, around which specialises in mobile hot over there. I do rules to cricket? Walker meets Queen this time each year, in fact, it’s web platforms, streaming media, smile a lot; the “MY It wasn’t a Lizzie in 1975. another physical characteristic ‒ QR codes and analytics ... We tendency was for MOUSTACHE conscious his still-booming soup- don’t know what any of my lips to crack. I decision. For strainer ‒ which earns that stuff is, but Big thought, ‘I’ll put a IS PART OF me, it was an him cred, for his role as Max does. shade on it.’ It’s evolution. Most a “Mo Mentor” in the We wanted to part of my DNA. I MY DNA.” of life’s journey is annual Movember get his thoughts guess I’d feel that I meandering, like a fundraising crusade on cricket’s wasn’t complete if I switch-back railway, for men’s health transformation ever lost it. or whatever way you awareness. in recent years, want to describe it. I was From a one-time so we stole him There was certainly a lot of facial chosen to tour the West Indies in self-confessed away from the hair being flashed around on the 1973. I had my architecture thesis to “fountain pen Movember mini-series Howzat a month or complete at the Royal Melbourne dinosaur”, campaign trail two back ... Institute of Technology when I came Walker has for a slice For the ’73 tour of the West back. We didn’t get back until May emerged of Walker Indies, which occurred a few years that year. The footy season had and wisdom. before when Howzat was set, started, obviously ‒ about five almost everyone in the side had a games in, so I had to make a choice. moustache. There was a tendency I didn’t think it was possible to be Getty Images Getty to almost link the sideburns up really successful at all three, so I with the mo, but it was an unwritten retired from footy and I got through team rule that there had to be an my architecture; I had to submit a inch gap, or 25mm, from the bottom month or so early in October so I of the moustache to the bottom could take on my cricket itinerary, of the sideburns ... and I just never got back to footy. At other images by the ripe old age of 22, I’d had 85 What did you make of the factual senior games ... I never “retired”, I just never got back to it. Movember accuracy of Howzat ... Did you find yourself nodding your head while reminiscing about the ol’ days? Your career switch was a big one I thought the first part, in compared to today’s mere footy particular, of Howzat was fantastic. code-hoppers, hey? As players, we weren’t privy to a lot I guess a lot of that was going on of the conflicts and confrontations back then. Brian McKechnie, who behind closed doors, which were played in the underarm incident, was Kerry Packer’s wars, but you have a a dual international. He played for courtesy photo left far CPR11747_25x450_Pal . pdf Page 1 28/ 09/ 12, 12: 26 PM kwp!CPR11748 Bradman. That suggested, as a batsman, and I’d been playing with them for five or fabulously mechanically perfect I don’t think there’s much wrong that you try and tread on the ball ... if six years, so how did it all happen? My first before biomechanics was even a with the 50-over game. We just play you’re successful, you’ll break your ankle. game for Victoria was a Colts match the word! I was never bio-mechanically too much of it. It’s a cash-cow, Anyway, the idea was to pick the pitch of year I came across in ’67; Dennis Lillee was perfect, but Lillee broke down ... I there’s no doubt about it. There’s the ball. Second, it suggested that you 12th man for Western Australia. Rodney didn’t break down. only a couple of matches that count, “sniff” the ball; in other words, you get Marsh played, and there was a guy named and they’re the semi-finals and final your head down over it, and you play with Bruce Yardley, who opened the bowling You developed into a cult hero ... of the World Cup. Seriously, the rest a very straight bat. And that worked for Western Australia, who turned out who were your idols as a player? of them ... from a player’s point of very well. My last two knocks for North to be one of the great off-spinners that Viv Richards was probably the view, there’s not much kudos in Hobart in district cricket batting at three we’ve ever had. So life was very different, best batsman I bowled against in my saying “we won the third match, were 117 and 119. That will probably shock wasn’t it? Peter Bedford, the Brownlow time.