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Having watched the near 47-year-old Brad Hogg play most of his seven Tests, 123 ODIs, and 15 T20s with his left-arm chinamen deliveries, and batting left handed, last night at the WACA he was signing autographs right-handed.
That came from left-field, and made me think of other switches that are meaningful.
Rod Marsh and Mark Taylor were heavy-hitting left-handed batsmen who couldn’t play golf left-handed if their life depended on it.
Both are right-handed golfers, and in their heyday boasted single figure handicaps.
Former England captain Brian Close was a left-handed batsman, and right-arm bowler.
But his golf bag was half and half with left and right handed clubs – playing off five left-handed, and six right-handed.
He was never stymied.
Both Martina Navratilova and Rafael Nadal became the greatest left-handed tennis players of all-time, but both were, and are, natural right-handers in every other endeavour.
Yet Martina won 18 Slam singles and Nadal 16 that includes a record ten at Roland Garros.
Margaret Court and Ken Rosewall were natural lefties as kids, but were changed because it was thought “unnatural” at the time to be left-handed.
Little wonder both had magnificent backhands with Margaret going on to win a record 24 Slam singles, while ‘Muscles’ won eight Slams but was ineligible for 40 while he was a pro, and the sport amateur.
It would be fair to say he would have won at least 20 Slams if there was an even playing field.
Right-hander Maria Sharapova has won a career Slam, but is a natural left-hander.
Phil Mickelson is the greatest left-handed golfer in history with five majors, and a record six time runner up at the US Open, but in every other way he’s very much right-handed.
Former Masters champion Mike Weir is the same.
On the other side, current Masters champion Sergio Garcia is right-handed on the course, but signs his autographs left-handed.
Champion boxers Marvan Hagler, Oscar de la Hoya, and Manny Paquiao were natural right-handers in everything else they did, but boxed left-handed throughout their careers.
Soccer legends Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi were natural left-footed goal-scorers, but right-handed.
According to statistics, only ten per cent of the world’s population are left-handed.
Yet the current Australia Test team, fresh from regaining the Ashes, has five left-handed batsmen – David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood.
It would have been six if keeper Matt Wade hadn’t been dropped.
Former US President Ronald Reagan was ambidextrous and responsible for one of the world’s best quotes.
One of his aides said to him – “Do you realise you are the least-informed US President of all-time?”
President Reagan replied – “I didn’t know that”.