Watson named Australia’s best by the media
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By Kersi Meher-Homji, 10 Jan 2010 Kersi Meher-Homji is a Roar Expert
- Tagged:
- Australia, Brad Haddin, Cricket, Mitchell Johnson, Shane Watson
Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting, left, runs-in to congratulate bowler Shane Watson after he took he wicket of Indian captain Anil Kumble, unseen, on the fourth day of their first test in Bangalore, India, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Gautam Singh)
One of the highlights of Sydney Tests is the dinner hosted by The Australian Cricket Media Association (ACMA) to present the Australian Cricketer of the Year Award at Sydney Football Stadium.
This year’s winner was Shane Watson. Brad Haddin was the winner last year and Mitchell Johnson the previous summer. As this was a Silver Jubilee Dinner, it had a special significance.
The evening is more than just a dinner and prize presentation. It is an occasion where journalists and Test cricketers (past and current) mingle freely in an informal and non-press conference atmosphere, wine or beer in hand.
The Test cricketers present, apart from Watson, were Simon Katich, Damien Martyn, Stuart Clark, Stuart MacGill and Tony Dodemaide.
Equally satisfying for me was talking with journalists of years gone by such as Phil Wilkins, Norman Tasker, Robert Craddock, Jim Tucker, Ric Smith, among others.
ACMA President and world renowned cricket author Mike Coward welcomed all present and spoke highly of the Award winner Shane Watson. But he did not gloss over Watson’s petulant behaviour in the Perth Test last month.
The Award was presented to Watson by Stuart Clark. An entertaining vote of thanks was delivered by The Australian correspondent and ACMA Secretary Malcolm Conn.
With the formalities over, I had chats with the nervous 90 specialists of the current season Watson and Katich. Both of them were gracious enough to autograph my book The Nervous Nineties published in 1994.
Katich recalled his three nineties (92, 99 and 98) of the current season and his 99 in the 2004 Nagpur Test against India with a smile but I dared not utter the word ninety to Watson as he had scored 97 on the very day. Ouch!
“Take Watson’s autograph and run for your life”, was the light-hearted suggestion from the journos.
I particularly enjoyed a yarn with Tony Dodemaide, who had represented Australia 10 times from 1987 to 1992 as a fast-medium bowler.
He recalled to me his Test debut against New Zealand on the MCG in December 1987. Although a tail-ender he scored 50 in the first innings, adding 61 runs for the ninth wicket which gave Australia the lead. He also took 6 for 58 in the second innings including the scalp of top-scorer and classy batsman Martin Crowe.
But more than his personal highlights, he remembered the heroic tenth wicket stand between Craig McDermott and Mike Whitney in the second innings.
Set 247 runs for victory, Australia was 9 for 227 when Whitney joined McDermott with Richard Hadlee bowling menacingly, having already captured 10 wickets in this engrossing Test. But the Aussie tail held out for 4.5 crucial defend-or-die overs.
Until the finish at 6.49 pm, Hadlee gave his best to dismiss the ‘rabbits’ Whitney and McDermott as 23,859 spectators watched in suspense. Elsewhere, Australians were glued on their TV sets as the high-rating quiz shows were cancelled for the evening.
It was a draw but what a cliff-hanger! When Whitney dug out killer Hadlee’s final ball, the Kiwi legend put an arm around Whitney’s shoulder and shook his hand.
To quote Wisden 1989, “It was a sporting gesture of the highest order, and Hadlee’s nomination as both Man of the Match and Man of the Series was greeted with spontaneous applause from an emotionally drained crowd.”
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vinay verma said | January 10th 2010 @ 6:31am | Report comment
Kersi,you omitted Dean Jones. He is a cult figure in India because of his epic 210 in the Tied Test at Madras. He was there and having a quiet beer.He recalled that he wanted to retire when on about 170 and Border said: “You weak Victorian! I want a tough Australian out there.I want a Queenslander” That was enough for him to carry on and he recalled his last hundred came off only 66 balls. ” I was so tired,I would block,block and then hit a four. Some more blocking to conserve my energy and then another four”
It is a shame this was not shown live in Australia as it seems to have escaped the conciousness of the public at large. This was arguably the most courageous innings played in the History of Test Cricket. 38 degree heat and 95 % humidity. And in those days there was a canal with raw sewage. Pity if you were downwind of that.
Kersi Meher-Homji said | January 10th 2010 @ 7:10am | Report comment
Oops. How could I bypass Deano who played one of the gutsies innings in Test history. Thanks for pointing out this omission, Vinay.
Now to the choice of Watson as Australia’s Cricketer of the Year. What do Roarers think? Katich and Johnson were other possibilities but as they were previous Cricketers of the Year, they did not qualify. But what about Doug Bollinger? Till August 2009 I thought Marcus North was in the running. Now he will be lucky to play in the Hobart Test.
To me, Watson was an ideal choice, Perth petulance notwithstanding!
What about next year: Bollinger or Nathan Hauritz? Or Hilfenhaus?? Eleven months is a long period to predict.
JohnB said | January 11th 2010 @ 11:24am | Report comment
How would Bollinger remotely qualify?
vinay verma said | January 10th 2010 @ 9:02am | Report comment
Kersi,hard to predict next year’s winner. Australia play 9 Tests including the one in Hobart next week. The opposition is New Zealand,Pakistan and England. If I had to pick two I would go for Ponting and Hilfenhaus. I think 50 wickets or 500 runs should be the minimum to qualify. Ponting ,if he is fully recovered from the elbow,will be determined to prove his detractors wrong. This is one of the more mystifying asspects of Australian Cricket. That a batting legend is constantly harangued because of the occassional failure. After 11000 Test runs and 150 odd catches (not to mention the run outs) I am surprised he is so criticised. I like the way he stands up for the young players in his team and I wish him all success.
Kersi Meher-Homji said | January 10th 2010 @ 9:45am | Report comment
Vinay, I’ll have to check with Mike Coward and Malcolm Conn but I’m pretty sure Ponting has been named ACMA’s Cricketer of the Year in the past. And you can receive this award only once.
Also for those keen on seeing Dean Jones’s epic 210 in the Chennai tied Test, Coward has brought out a video of that match.
gazz2 said | January 10th 2010 @ 10:22am | Report comment
Vinay,
It’s well documented by ‘Roarers’ why Ponting is either loved or loathed. You have a strong opinion on Ponting which is well known and from what I’ve read well respected. I think you should accept Ponting’s short comings in other areas which seem more obvious to some than others.
In regards the award, Watson deserved it but it seems a little odd that you can only win it once.
vinay verma said | January 10th 2010 @ 10:37am | Report comment
Gazz2, I accept Ponting’s mistakes and would hope I am not so one eyed to his lapses. However I am prepared to judge him at the end of his career rather than jump in everytime he has a bad day at the ground. I believe strongly,that Ponting will be appreciated more when he is no longer playing. I am enjoying him while he is playing.
Brett McKay said | January 10th 2010 @ 10:37am | Report comment
nice write-up Kersi, and I’d have to agree Shane Watson is certainly a worthy winner of this year’s award. In fact, along with Mitch Johnson, I think Watson may well end up being a favourite for the AB Medal too. With Johnson picking up the McGilvray Medal as ABC radio’s Australian cricketer of the year, you’d think those two would be toward the pointy end of betting.
Viscount Crouchback said | January 10th 2010 @ 12:08pm | Report comment
But chaps, in all seriousness, these poor Aussies are going to be walloped by England next southern summer. Watching these two series is like watching an A-League game followed by an EPL game: as the excellent Simon Wilde of the Sunday Times observes today, the quality of the current series in South Africa has been streets ahead of anything seen in the Ashes (still less Aus-Pak!)
If England can win in SA, they can dominate in Aus.
No bother.
Brett McKay said | January 10th 2010 @ 12:33pm | Report comment
Viscount, I don’t think anyone doubts the quality of the current series in South Africa, but the very same sort of noises eminated from the Motherland in 2005. And how did that work out for you??
No doubt that next summer promises plenty, and I’d love nothing more than for England to arrive down this way at the very top of their game.
But let’s not too far ahead ourselves in terms of domination…
Viscount Crouchback said | January 10th 2010 @ 12:46pm | Report comment
Indeed, old fruit, but Australia still boasted a legendary team in 2006/7… In 2010? Not so much…
You are quite right though. England have a couple of questions to answer before then: (1) Can their batsmen bat for long enough to make big hundreds?; and (2) Are England’s bowling chappies quite penetrative enough to take 20 wickets consistently? Currently, I suspect not. I think they need another fast seamer. That said, they are doing a rather jolly job at the moment with only a four-man bowling atttack.
The worry for Ponting and his chaps is this: every question that has so far been asked of Flower and Strauss has been answered rapidly and emphatically.
I sense some yellowness within the Aussie ranks and thus I rather fancy a repeat of 86/7. It should be a corking series.
vinay verma said | January 10th 2010 @ 1:31pm | Report comment
Viscount,is it not refreshing that we are actually discussing Test Cricket? I have been impressed by Cook and Bell’s new resolve. Self-belief is such an important element. I see in Pietersen the flaw of a sportman who perhaps thinks he is bigger than the game. It is a fine line between self-belief and hubris. The latter usually leads one to be hoist with ones own petard.
Best for 2010 to you.
Viscount Crouchback said | January 10th 2010 @ 1:56pm | Report comment
Thanks, Vinay, and best to you too. I quite agree about Test cricket – but I believe that the current SA Test series has been a million miles more interesting than the (truncated) ODI series! Indeed, I get the impression that the South Africans (despite their obvious disappointment with the current scoreline) are equally transfixed. It was great to see a full house at Newlands.
The theories on Pietersen are numerous. Some say hubris, some say technique, some say lack of interest, and some say he’s upset by the booing! I tend to think technique: his head is falling over the off side and consequently he lacks balance when hitting straight – it’s worth remembering that he was a number 9 batsman at Natal when he made the move to England. But equally, I’m fairly confident he can find a solution. He’s too good a batsman to be tied down for long. The encouraging thing for England is that that their worst batsmen in the Ashes – Bell and Cook – have stepped up to the mark. The disconcerting thing is that England still don’t hit big hundreds consistently.
I wa rather bullish above, but (like Brett) I’d just love to see a competitive Ashes series in Oz. It’s been a while since the Aussie fans have enjoyed a proper Ashes and I think it’s about time that England gave them a taste of what it’s all about. I have great confidence in Strauss and the chaps, but time will tell…
vinay verma said | January 10th 2010 @ 2:32pm | Report comment
Viscount,I see the Ashes down under as one to savour for the ages. I sincerely hope that England are at their best and have some lead up matches before the First at Brisbane. if you lose Brisbane you lose the war. I also agree they need a quick man able to consistently bowl high 140′s. Is there one you are hiding?
Viscount Crouchback said | January 10th 2010 @ 2:43pm | Report comment
Apparently England have planned 3 warm up matches. No word of a fast man – but one lives in hope!
Kersi Meher-Homji said | January 10th 2010 @ 6:19pm | Report comment
Surprisingly, Ponting has never received the Australian Cricket Media Association (ACMA) Award. I got the following information from Malcolm Conn, the Hon. Secretary of ACMA:
Hi Kersi,
Many thanks.
Ricky Ponting hasn’t won the award, a major slip somewhere in the distant past, and the award can only be claimed once.
It was the young player of the year but became the emerging player of the year when Australia had an old and stable side from the start of this century.
Basically anyone who has emerged strongly in Test cricket over that year.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Mal
Kersi Meher-Homji said | January 10th 2010 @ 7:18pm | Report comment
Malcolm Conn, the Secretary of the Australian Cricket Media Association (ACMA), informs me that Ricky Ponting has not won the award, “a major slip somewhere in the past” and the Award can be claimed ONLY once.
“In the past it was the Young Player’s Award but later it became the Emerging Player of the Year Award”, adds Malcolm. “Basically anyone who has emerged strongly in Test cricket over that year wins the award.”