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?
Ashok Kumar
Guest
Thanks Kersi, I wamt to make one small correction and that is instead of playing world cup it should read organising World Cup for the bearded ones. Your stories are never old but are as fresh as today's.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
Thank you, Ashok. So flattering that someone reads and comments on my seven year-old story. Call it seven-year itch!
Ashok Kumar
Guest
Well done Kersi. The beard is growing longer and longer. Now we have Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali and Imran Tahir. With the Indian team sporting beard, the signs are ominous to play World Cup.
Sadia Khan
Guest
"Inzimam ul Haq" of Pakistan is missing from the "bearded one's team" ?
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
Thank you Gulu for your valuable additions.
Gulu
Guest
BTW, another cricketer with tatoos is Kevin Pietersen. There may be more!
Gulu
Guest
I think Kiwi opener Bruce Edgar briefly sported a thick beard. And what about Gary Cosier?
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
I think David Ogilviewill make the Bearded XI. Thank you, JohnB.
JohnB
Guest
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!
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
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.
Jay
Guest
Kersi - what about Mushtaq Ahmed - though I beleive he only adopted the beard in his county days when he relocated to England.
OldManEmu
Guest
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.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
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!
Fly on the Wall
Guest
Do Godfrey Evans's massive mutton chops count?
bever fever
Guest
Have a look at a picture of William Lloyd Murdoch (Australian captain 1880)and tell me its not David Boon. Page 26. Illustrated History of Australian Cricket
Brett McKay
Expert
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?!?!
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Kersi,it was touched on briefly in the Chandigarh Tribune in 2006. But your scope is broader and more encompassing.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
Thanks, bever fever. Yes, I referred to Illustrated History of Australian Cricket too. John (or Jack) Blackham and Harry Boyle are already in my team but will add Bonnor and Barlow after looking at their photos. Roarers, do you realise we are doing something never attempted before? Or is it done before and I am unaware of it?
bever fever
Guest
John McCarthy Blackham. H.F Boyle. George Bonnor Barlow (from U.K) Got most of these anyway. reading the same book as me (Illustrated history of Australian cricket) ?.
bever fever
Guest
Merv Hughes should be slipped in somewhere, not full beard ...... but scaring baby proportions is high.