Noted Australian journalist Malcolm Knox has selected a topical subject for his new cricket book, ‘The Captains’. It was interesting reading the 440-page, well-researched book while watching the Tests on television, as current captain Ricky Ponting struggled with the bat and the calls to sack him grew louder.
To me it was a case of déjà-vu, having witnessed Bill Lawry’s sacking in 1971 and Kim Hughes’ teary farewell in Brisbane after Australia’s disastrous series against the mighty Windies in 1984.
‘The Captains’ is sub-titled: “The story behind Australia’s second most important job.” With both Julia Gillard and Ponting struggling with selection policies and run-making, their jobs appear shaky. Both have problems. Just as Julia has Tony Abbott as her nemesis, Ricky has Andrew Strauss and the media after his blood.
The book faithfully profiles Australia’s 42 Test captains; from bearded Dave Gregory in 1877 to the gum-chewing Ponting, recounting their highs and lows. The author acknowledges Ray Robinson’s ‘On Top Down Under’, published in 1975, drawing candid pen pictures of Oz captains up to Ian Chappell, with Gideon Haigh updating it in 1996.
But Knox’s approach is different. Robinson and Haigh had coloured the captains’ stories with facts and anecdotes, giving each captain a chapter. Knox puts the story of Australian cricket first and tells it through the prism of captaincy: the office and the men who have occupied it. To quote the author, “This approach tries to enjoin Sir Donald Bradman’s words that the captains, like all players, have been stewards of a greater history.”
There are witty sentences. Here is the description of the first captain Dave Gregory: “Handsome and headstrong; financial genius but no diplomat; a lion-heart and a spoilt brat; a colonial establishment figure but a rebel.”
From larrikins to inspirational leaders the book traces high achievements – dramatic as well as statistical. But it does not hide intrigue, controversies and scandals under the carpet.
Did you know that the young Don Bradman made an effort to avoid captaincy? Knox writes: “Until 1935, Bradman wanted to be left alone to score runs…. As the Depression deepened Bradman batted like the hungriest man on earth. There was something about Bradman that some players in the 1930s did not like… They respected him but did not love him… This changed after World War II when he got his ideal team of youngsters who would follow him blindly.”
Also, did you know that the Australian Cricket Board applied a gag to Richie Benaud who protested directly to Bradman? The Board felt that Benaud was too friendly with journalists and invited them into the changing room. After a long and successful reign Benaud gave up the captaincy to Bob Simpson. This makes interesting reading.
The “assassination” of Lawry is described in detail. The success story of Allan Border, Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh is something we all share, having lived in that era.
But it is the sacking of Lawry and forced retirement of Kim Hughes that makes riveting reading. On the roller-skating captaincy ride of Ponting, Knox writes that he “lost the Ashes in 2005, regained them in 2006-07, but lost them in 2009, when he joined [Billy] Murdoch as the only captains to lose the Ashes in England twice.”
On the stability of Australian captains, the author makes a point that Australia had 42 captains in 133 years whereas England had almost twice as many (79). According to him the best Australian captains were Murdoch, Joe Darling, Bill Woodfull, Bradman, Lindsay Hassett, Benaud, Simpson, Ian Chappell, Border, Taylor and Steve Waugh. So, Ricky misses out!
The book is enriched with eight pages of statistics of the captains. Significantly, Ponting has won most Tests for Australia (47). This contradiction could start a debate.
Of the three books on Australian captains, the late Ray Robinson’s ‘On Top Down Under’ wins hands down with no second in sight.
Finally, Knox is hesitant on the assessment of Ponting as captain. He explains: “By dodging the debate over Ponting, I am happy to accuse myself of copping out. For a writer in this predicament [the book was published before the current Ashes], it’s better to be a coward than a fool.
“But it’s fair to say, in 2010, that Ponting’s captaincy has suffered the fate of all those who followed giants. He seems to lack the instinctiveness of a Taylor and the indomitability of a Waugh, and will never attain the popular affection of a Border.”
And so say all of us!
Lily
Guest
Well said!! People should cut Ricky some slack. Once he retires, we will realize he worth. And seriously, all the crap about him not being a good captain...guys look at the players he has to deal with...idiots like mitch and clarke (who is now also gonna be captain...god help us all!).
VideoRideo
Guest
I am English and a keen follower of English cricket. We've played well and deserve to retain the Ashes, but I am truly embarrassed at some of the comments being passed by English press about Ricky Ponting. Captaining a national cricket side is the hardest sporting job in the world, Ponting has held this post for 7 years and been a great servant to Australian cricket. I could go on, but I will just say that if Ponting were an Englishman, he'd be an automatic choice for the England team and the darling of the English sporting public and press.
skull
Guest
Agree with this view
Kersi Meher-Homji
Expert
Will, I'm surprised with your team for the next 12 months. No Katich? No specialist spinner? Clarke as captain? Hussey at no. 6?
Lolly
Guest
Can't blame him for not bowling Clarke much. At one point, it was suspected that Clarke would never bowl again due to his ongoing back problems.
Will
Guest
The logical thing for CA to do is give Clarke the captains job in the knowledge that he will have a good 5 or 6 years in the job. Drop Ponting down the order and keep him in the side for the next 12 months to provide Clarke with support and to stregthen the middle order. Bring in Kawaja, Smith and Hughes and play them no matter what. These 3 are a intregal part of our future, and will certainly play important roles in the 2013 Ashes series. Play Smith at 8. Drop Hiilfenhaus and bring in Bollinger. You'd also be looking for new seamer to take to Enland in 2013. But in the meantime. I'd be looking at this side. Hughes Watson Kwajawa Clarke Ponting Hussey Haddin Smith Johnson Siddle Bollinger It isn't a very potent bowling attack, but the batting is strong, and that is our achilles at the moment. We need to phrase Hussey and Ponting out slowly, however, we are still utilizing there experience in a team that contains young players interwhined with experienced hands. I can't see any other batsmen outside Kwajawa that is good enough at test level in the shield competition. As those players emerge to push their case, then they can be drafted into the team as Hussey and Ponting retire and leave the game. In time, you might look at pushing Smith higher in the order, and bring in the NSW left armer O'keefe. Right now, we need wise heads and calm minds. The side above looks reasonable to take us into the next 12 months.
Will
Guest
Get real. You guys think Ponting is the only captain to ever crack the sads at the umpires? Ian Chappell did that heaps of times. And a lot worse, let me tell you. Bill Lawry had constant running battles with Indian umpires, photographers, crowd members on the famous Indian tour in the late 1960's. I get annoyed reading nuffies who think that our current situation will be fixed by getting rid of Ponting and then watching us go topside to number 1 as some sort of tactical guru comes in and turns mediocre bowlers into fearing gunslingers. It is easy to tell the youngsters who have never experienced Australia losing to this degree. I can tell you know, 10 or 20 years from now, when you have watched a bit more cricket, you'll realise how good a batsmen Ponting was, and how under-rated he was as captain. Above all, hopefully you will learn, that cricket teams are never anything more than the sum of their parts. If you dont have the cattle, then you are not going to win. No matter who is captain.
Will
Guest
I have the book, and to be honest, I think its a pretty poor piece of work in the sense that it covers no new ground. Everything in the book has already been said. 'Ian Chappell was a man's man, who fought for players rights' (blah, blah, blah). Bill Lawry was a boring batsmen and a conservative captain; Steve Waugh was hard-nosed. Mark Taylor was a great tactician. Ricky Ponting isn't well liked by the masses.... Yep, you get my drift. With regards to the earlier captains, who cares about stuff that happened 50 years ago, unless your some sort of cricket buff that enjoys reading up that stuff? A simple cricinfo search will tell you all you need to know, not to mention the earlier publications that focus on earlier captains. I have a respect for the history of the game, but there is only so many times I can put up with Richie Benaud telling us stuff about Miller and Bradman. Or listening to Ian Chappell regale us with tales of Les Favell or Jeffrey Robert Thompson complete with the mandatory 'son' reference. This book covers no new ground. If your interested in Kim Hughe's sad tale, then buy Christian Ryan's publication called 'Golden Boy and the bad old days of Australian cricket'. A great read, and it addresses an era of Australian cricket that isn't well documented. The book also paints the 4 big names known as Lillee, Marsh and the Chappell brothers in an interesting light which makes you pause and reflect. Stear clear of The Captains. It gives us nothing new. All it did was give Ian Chappell another chance to get behind the microphone at the book launch of this publication, and tell us tales that have been said many times before. Let this one through to the keeper gents.
Nicholas R.W. Henning
Guest
You're welcome, there are so many great discussions on the Roar, and I enjoy reading your articles. All the points above regarding Steve Waugh are solid. His exploits as a player in the West Indies in 1994 / 1995 was testimony to his brilliance as a player. However, he was not captain during that series. But who could forget his knock in the 1999 ODI World Cup against South Africa, which was a special viewing for fans of the game. For me, the only challenge I didn't see Waugh face as often as some other captains was working with less talented teams.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Expert
I feel honoured, Nicholas RW Henning, that a respected author like you have responded to my post. You raise important issues rather than the stereo-typed superficial ones, viz. "Sack Ponting because he is not performing." However, I disagree with you on your judgement of Steve Waugh as captain. He led by example and averted many crises. True, he had a strong team under him but he brought the best out of his men. Perhaps under him, Mitchell Johnson would have been a more consistent bowler. Steve was a Rock of Gibraltor as a batsman and a skipper and the likes of Ambrose did not deter him. And he rarely lost his calm or a match. It was his batting in the Caribbeans in 1994-95 that broke the Windies invincibility and converted Australia into a super-power. And it was his hard-nosed captaincy that made Australia win the 1999 World Cup and many Test series.
plugger
Guest
You've got to give Ponting credit for playing with a broken finger. I admit, he is a great batsman who is not suited to captaincy due to his high-strung nature, but no-one should doubt his courage. In terms of captains bringing the game into disrepute, let's not forget a certain English "gentleman" named Douglas Jardine, who was prepared to commit homicide to win an Ashes series.
Nicholas R.W. Henning
Guest
I would like to shift this discussion back to Knox's book and it's contents. But first I would like to say that there is a hangover from a ten year golden age of cricket in Australia. The Australian team were sweet to watch for over a decade and now it seems there is a lot of finger pointing and disappointment. I actually follow baseball, which believe it or not helped start my interest in cricket, which is unusual to admit being Australian. "Captain of Australia" is deeply entrenched in Australian sporting culture as the apex of sporting achievement, which is why we set such high standards with respect to the behaviour and performance of a captain in any Australian sporting team. Cricket is top of the list when it comes to captains though, and our standards are set even higher as a result of this. However, I am prepared to argue that coaches and captains receive the worst of our applause. We often take them for granted when the winning form is constant, and call for their heads when the team is on a losing streak. With regards to Knox's book (and I am a fan of Knox) I hold a reluctance towards Mark Taylor as a great captain. People seem to forget his shaky form through 1996 and plenty of 1997, and the form of the team for that matter. Steve Waugh, well we'll never know how great he really was because he had some of the best players of that era in his team in their prime. Great captains for me are those who can produce a fine effort from their team regardless of the talent on it, and in the case of Waugh there was never a shortage of talent and fine form from these players. I very much like the demeanour that Taylor and Waugh offered, and enjoyed the success of teams that they captained, but for me Allan Border was the last of the semi-professional cricket era captains, at a time when the money was nothing like it is now, and the talent varied across the team, which he made good use of despite some of the skill gaps. As for Ponting, I saw him on debut in 1995, and he is my favourite player. People forget that he was dropped for some of 1996 and 1997. As a captain he has taken over a job where success is an expectation rather appreciated, and I think we are currently seeing the result of our own over expectations, and the vast improvement of England! Nicholas R.W. Henning - Australian Author
Kersi Meher-Homji
Expert
sixo_clock, Yes, Mr Cricket is also my nomination as Australia's Test captain number 43. But let's not forget Ponting, the supreme batsman for all these years. Will the real Ponting stand up today?
Martin
Guest
Ponting is NOT the first Australian Captain or Player for that matter to destroy Australias reputation. Tubby Taylor in my opinion is the ONLY captain in my memory to have respect for the game.
Frankie Hughes
Guest
Ricky Ponting has be shown up as a bully and a man with very little respect toward the game. People brushed his behaviour under the carpet at the controversial Sydney Test match in 2007. He is determined to go out with a bang, its a shame he's destroying Australia's reputation in his quest.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
.Damos_X, Ponting is a shit captain, Tactically, he doesnt have a plan beyond 'Throw the ball to Warne or McGrath'. He refuses to develop slow bowlers - and as the prime example, I would point to Michael Clarke, who has taken five wickets twice, and gets, what, 5 overs a Test ? Australia might have a very useful batting all-rounder in Clarke, but we will never ever know. He cant set a field without video analysis, and he clearly cannot inspire a team to hang on for a gritty draw. He has led by example in declining to join the IPL, however, and I give him credit for that.
sixo_clock
Roar Guru
Just on the point of the penalty. The fine is a drop in the bucket to these players. A (multi) match suspension (at test level) would have sent a much stronger message. Also giving the nod to the selectors to consider that Punter is under more pressure than he can handle. We love his spirit and skill but he is fading. I personally believe that Mr Cricket is the standout for the captain's job. Clarke is ok but doesn't have any mongrel, Haddin worries me as over-aggressive, and there is no-one else in the squad with potential (yet).
damos_x
Guest
That Ponting has won more Tests than any other captain whilst popular opinion holds that he is a poor leader shows the disparity between public opinion & fact. Ricky will hold onto that record when he is done but one can't help but wonder if the 'legacy' he'd rather have was one of affection rather than statistic. His batting alone should see him become the most celebrated player of our times & no doubt with the passing of time it will be a testament to his great talent, but as one man completes 50 centuries & humbly remembers his father & thanks God for cricket another throws his toys on the ground & acts like a brat who has just been told he can't have an ice-cream. Things happen in the heat of the moment but for Australia & particularly Ponting, the argument failed to even benefit in some carried over aggression in our bowling. Perhaps it's true, perhaps we really are bullies, because it certainly looked that having found we couldn't push England around we started on the umpires. At least England are playing cricket.