Celebrating the ‘Bearded Ones’ in Test cricket
Columnist By Kersi Meher-Homji, 14 Feb 2010 Kersi Meher-Homji is a Roar Expert
- Tagged:
- Allan Border, Australia, Cricket, Mohammad Yousuf, West Indies
South African cricket captain Graeme Smith, left, shares a laugh with teammate Dale Steyn, right, as teammate Hashim Amla looks on after they won the first cricket test match against India in Nagpur, India, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
Rain interrupting cricket is annoying, but has its advantages. During the one-dayer between Australia and the West Indies at the SCG on Friday, I had interesting chats with the ABC radio team.
“I have an idea for a book for you, Kersi,” said Jim Maxwell, tongue-in-cheek. “Why don’t you write a book on tattooed Test cricketers.”
“It will be the shortest book ever written as I can think of only Michael Clarke,” I wisecracked.
“What about bearded ones?” I counter-queried. “We had Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf here till last week. And South Africa’s Hashim Amla, who was Man of the Match in the Nagpur Test a few days ago with a double century. He can match Yousuf inch by inch in beard length.”
As a rule media men from different news papers and radio stations do not agree on anything, but all acknowledged England’s legendary batsman Dr. WG Grace as the patron saint of bearded cricketers and the pioneer of a rare breed.
And the breed is getting rarer. Forget the 19th and the early 20th centuries, and you can count bearded cricketers on one finger.
How many other bearded ones can you name? Two Pakistanis leaped to my mind, classy opener Saeed Anwar and Saqlain Mushtaq, the inventor of ‘doosra’. They kept flowing beards later in their career.
But who else would figure in the Flowing Bearded Club among Test cricketers? Remember, the catchwords are flowing and heavily bearded.
The likes of Greg Chappell, Viv Richards, Allan Border, Ian Botham, Dennis Lillee, Vic Marks, Peter Willie, Malcolm Marshall, Mike Gatting who kept smallish beards off and on do not qualify. Nor does Bishan Bedi.
They may be bearded, but not in the WG, Amla, Yousuf master class.
I had to go through many old books and magazines to spot the enormously bearded Test cricketers, but I agree the research is scratchy, like some of the unkempt beards!
WG Grace will captain and open the innings of the Bearded Ones. Australia’s first ever captain Dave Gregory was richly bearded and will be the vice-captain.
Saeed Anwar will open with WG, followed by Amla and Yousuf. Australia’s Jack Blackham will keep wickets. Harry Boyle of Australia will open the bowling, Saqlain Mushtaq will be the off-spinner and another Aussie, William Henry Cooper, will be the leg-break and googly specialist. WG also bowled round-arm spinners.
So, here is my Bearded team – warts and all – in batting order: WG Grace, Saeed Anwar, Hashim Amla, Mohammad Yousuf, Dave Gregory, Jack Blackham (WK), Saqlain Mushtaq, William Cooper and Harry Boyle.
That is only nine flowing bearded ones spanning three centuries, from 1877 till now. We still need two more.
Despite his name, clean-shaven Graeme Beard (3 Tests for Australia in 1980s) does not qualify.
But I’ll allow the late Bill Frindall, the eminent cricket statistician nicknamed “Bearded”, to do the scoring.
I am sure I have missed out quite a few. Will Roarers (rookies, gurus, columnists from red or blue corner and commenters) please help me out?
Recommend this story.
The Turkey 10
The Turkey 10 teams have now been selected, as Wild Turkey Bourbon's sport sponsorship kicks into the next exciting phase.
Choose which side you're going to support and get in the running to win $2,500!
Simply visit Wild Turkey Australia on Facebook for your chance to win.
Find out more.
- Explore:
- Allan Border, Australia, Cricket, Mohammad Yousuf, West Indies
February 14th 2010 @ 2:11pm
Brett McKay said | February 14th 2010 @ 2:11pm | Report comment
Kersi, Shahid Afridi is well on the way – maybe with a fuller beard his recent appetite for leather might have stayed hidden!! Of course not a Test player currently…
What about bearded Roarers?!?!
February 14th 2010 @ 6:30pm
Fly on the Wall said | February 14th 2010 @ 6:30pm | Report comment
Do Godfrey Evans’s massive mutton chops count?
February 14th 2010 @ 7:30pm
Kersi Meher-Homji said | February 14th 2010 @ 7:30pm | Report comment
Bever fever,
Murdoch, Boon, Max Walker, Merv Hughes would be automatic choices for a Mouchtached XI for a Movember Festival in November.
I have a team photograph of the 1893 Australian team to England. And 13 of the 15 players had prominent moustaches!
Fly on the wall,
Godfrey Evans would be my skipper-keeper for the Mutton-chop XI. But his inclusion in Flowingly Bearded XI? The answer is NO!
February 14th 2010 @ 8:04pm
OldManEmu said | February 14th 2010 @ 8:04pm | Report comment
John Maguire had a nice beard going, but by golly he was an everage cricketer. Maybe he would make the 1st XI of bearded Queenslanders to play for Australia but not win a Sheffield Shield.
February 15th 2010 @ 8:33am
Jay said | February 15th 2010 @ 8:33am | Report comment
Kersi – what about Mushtaq Ahmed – though I beleive he only adopted the beard in his county days when he relocated to England.
February 15th 2010 @ 9:30am
Kersi Meher-Homji said | February 15th 2010 @ 9:30am | Report comment
Thanks, Jay. “Mushy” did that just like Saqlain Mushtaq when playing county cricket in England.
Thank you, all you Roarers, for your valuable additions and comments. Keep them coming.
February 15th 2010 @ 2:47pm
JohnB said | February 15th 2010 @ 2:47pm | Report comment
There were a few bearded Australians in the 70s/80s, but most were occasional rather than constant beard wearers (as examples, Ray Bright, Geoff Dymock). One exception to the “occasional” qualification was David Ogilivie, who wore a full beard all the time (and flaming red in colour as a bonus). Whether it was long enough to be called “bushy” would have to be referred to someone more expert than me I’m afraid, but at he’s at least one contender in living memory!
OME – John Maguire a “by golly average” cricketer? Not a great for sure but that seems pretty harsh!
February 15th 2010 @ 2:53pm
Kersi Meher-Homji said | February 15th 2010 @ 2:53pm | Report comment
I think David Ogilviewill make the Bearded XI. Thank you, JohnB.
February 22nd 2010 @ 2:12pm
Gulu said | February 22nd 2010 @ 2:12pm | Report comment
I think Kiwi opener Bruce Edgar briefly sported a thick beard. And what about Gary Cosier?
February 22nd 2010 @ 3:00pm
Gulu said | February 22nd 2010 @ 3:00pm | Report comment
BTW, another cricketer with tatoos is Kevin Pietersen. There may be more!