Australian selectors have been obsessed for decades trying to find another all-rounder to match the feats of Keith Miller, Richie Benaud and even Alan Davidson.
Other countries have produced some outstanding all-rounders, most of whom would get into Test sides for either batting or bowling when they were at the top of their game.
For whatever reason, the search for a Test quality all-rounder has come up empty in the last 50 years in Australia. Sure, there have been lots of guys who have shown promise – Shane Watson, James Faulkner and more recently Mitch Marsh are three names that spring to mind – but injuries and some underwhelming performances have not helped either their careers or Australian cricket.
What we have produced – until recent times – are a number of batsmen who could bowl. Some were dubbed golden arms or partnership breakers, but all could come on and very often jag a wicket. In some cases, they came on and won Tests.
Notable golden arms from Australian cricket history
Doug Walters – 49 wickets at an average of 29.08
Greg Chappell – 47 wickets at an average of 40.7
Allan Border – 39 wickets at an average of 39.1
Steve Waugh – 92 wickets at an average of 37.45
Mark Waugh – 59 wickets at an average of 41.17
Michael Bevan – 29 wickets at an average of 24.24
Darren Lehmann – 15 wickets at an average of 27.47
Andrew Symonds – 24 wickets at an average of 37.22
Michael Clarke – 31 wickets at an average of 38.19
Marnus Labuschagne – ten wickets at an average of 30.00
(Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
Growing up watching Doug Walters it seemed almost inevitable he would take a wicket if he was thrown the ball. He never seemed to give away a lot of runs and always seemed to be able to make something happen. Perhaps there’s a bias of childhood memories, but commentators and the crowds all got excited when he came on.
The other bowlers on this list – along with Walters – were never meant to bowl long spells. Only a few overs, take a wicket and get the real bowlers back on. Occasionally though, these guys were the real bowlers.
Allan Border went seven for 46 to destroy a hugely talented West Indian side in the 1988/89 series. Michael Clarke took the last three Indian wickets in 2008 to ensure an Australian win when the game looked destined for a draw. And of course the most recent golden arm Marnus Labuschagne came on in the fourth Ashes Test and took the last wicket which ensured the urn remained in Australia.
It’s surprising more batsmen don’t take on bowling – after all, it helped many of these guys either get into Test cricket or prolonged their careers.
Steve Waugh started his career with expectations he’d do quite a bit of bowling, while Michael Bevan – with his spinners – was seen as a useful addition to the Australian attack when his Test batting was being questioned. Even Marnus Labuschagne was seen as possibly worth his place last year when his batting was going through a slump, but his bowling was surprisingly good.
Perhaps it’s a sign of the times that batsmen stick to batting. After all, they have to adapt to three different formats – which must be a mentally difficult challenge.
The shame is, this often limits Test attacks to four or maybe five bowlers. There will be days when a fifth bowler is needed to come on to break a partnership while keeping things fairly tight, just to go back to fielding safe in the knowledge they have something to gloat about when play is finished.
Australia selectors will no doubt keep looking for the fabled all-rounder, but surely they should be encouraging batsmen to try to bowl – if even just a bit. For some it might be a ticket into the Test side, while for other, it might result in an Ashes moment of glory.
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
Certainly bizarre from the selectors with Watson. He made a double early on when playing for Tassie and I reckon when they were short of openers he was given his head, hoping he'd fill the void. Again, trying to solve a 'problem' with inadequate skill. Even more bizarre when we've seen successful no3 adapt to opening. Compound that with his prevalence to injuries and the whole team becomes destabilized.
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
"Time to tailor the team to it’s strengths rather than keep trying to fill a hole with inadequate skills." - hear hear. I've been saying for years that no all-rounder is better than a crappy one. Watson was the real deal but he batted too high. Would have been a killer @6 but no, he wanted to open.
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
He held the record for the fastest 50 in an ODI for a while I believe. He had his fair share of injuries but what really stopped his career in its tracks was cancer. He had some sort of tumour in his chest and that was that as far as his cricket is concerned. He beat the cancer but never played much after the treatment.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
It isn't so much the spinning support. In the current squad there's Labuschagne, Smith and Head who can all roll over a few overs of spin. What is missing is a top 6 batsman who can support with a bit of pace. We have no Walters, Chappell or Waugh brothers. Is this because batsmen are being coached solely as batsmen rather being able to roll an arm over?
Micko
Roar Rookie
Australia is amazing at screwing up tests they should win! How many tests have they lost by around 30 runs or less/or 1-2 wickets when they were in a good position to win?!
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Yes of course, 5-12 was something else, just stuck in my head. I think that might have been one of mine. Pretty sure I got 5-12 once. Slightly lower level to test cricket though.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Yes, 6-9.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
"Michael Clarke took the last three Indian wickets in 2008 to ensure an Australian win when the game looked destined for a draw." And not to forget his 6 for 9 in Mumbai 2004, talking the last 6 wickets in his debut series, reducing India's second innings from from a healthy 4-153 to all out for 205, leaving Australia just 105 to win. Sadly Australia was bowled out for 93.
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
Cummins put in some solid partnerships last summer and I’ve never met a bowler who doesn’t think they have a hundred in them. The load is spread more with Labuschagne able to bowl a few if necessary. Anyway it’s merely a suggestion to counter the continued trek to a dry allrounder well. If that’s to stop, then the emphasis at junior level is to prepare programs to suit genuine all rounders to strengthen both disciplines and continue that through the pathways. God knows there’s enough backroomers on payroll, they just need to find those rare kids with the mental toughness of a decathlete!
Rob Peters
Guest
Just before Steve Waugh made his test debut against India in 1985-86, there was another allrounder, Simon O'Donnell, who just had played 5 tests in the 85 Ashes series, and one against NZ. The original Shane Watson. He could swing a bat and bowl medium pace fairly well, but what happened was because of injury he lost his place and with the coming of Waugh was consigned from then on as a specialist ODI player. I figure apart from AB and Deano, he'd have been one of the first names picked in the mid to late 80's early 90's for the ODI team. Looking at his test stats they don't really look impressive with a test bowling average of 84 and a batting average of 29. We don't call his name as a test player because we don't remember him as one. We remember him as that guy with a great slower ball and who could make a quick fire fifty down the order, but he was for all intents and purposes a decent allrounder who if not for injury could have played more test cricket and had a better test average.
Jero
Roar Rookie
Though a batsman with a golden arm might be pretty elusive too. When we're talking about being to the standard of the exemplars you've mentioned. Great batsmen of the game. And if the "decent" standard for all rounders is that worthy of having statues erected in their honour at the MCG and SCG, then we might be setting the bar a tad high for them, compared to run of the mill decent specialist batsmen and bowlers. A composite player who contributes enough to the overall team balance between bat and ball,without necessarily being great at either, might be greater than the sum of her/his parts. Agar, Stoinis and Henriques all come to mind. And if we want more golden armers, then maybe we're looking at Maxwell. Your current choice might be between golden armed Maxwell and less than "decent" Mitch or Stoinis. "Test" quality might just depend on the available options.
Nudge
Roar Rookie
Well as you have mentioned Paul, if we haven’t had a decent one in 50 years, it’s more unlikely than likely one is just around the corner. In saying that I do think Shane Watson was very underrated. We would die for a guy now who could average 35 with the bat and under 34 with the ball. And he didn’t drop many at first slip. A poor man Jacques Kallis
Paul
Roar Guru
I totally agree Nudge, but it won't stop the selectors from looking for and selecting players who they think are the next Benaud or Davidson. I'm trying to get across the point that having a Walters or a G Chapppell or a Labuschagne in the side, just to break things up and snare a wicket, is a way more achievable option to explore than this Lassiters Reef type chase for a Test quality all-rounder.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Yes, it's frustrating that Smith doesn't bowl anymore. Ironically he was considered an allrounder when he started.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Exactly Chris. This desperate obsession to find an allrounder is bizarre. Australia is always better when they rely on a couple of batsmen to give them a dozen overs, and try another batsman to bowl a couple before a break just to see what happens.
jamesb
Roar Guru
Most underrated player of his generation.
Nudge
Roar Rookie
I don’t think Australia really need a 5th bowler while ever Nathan Lyon is in the team. He’s a guy that is obviously always a wicket taking threat but he keeps things really tight as well. He can bowl 30 to 35 overs a day on is ear, so basically after the first session you can just have the 3 quicks rotating up the one end, while Lyon does his thing up the other. With Labuschagne looking the real deal with the bat, and a genuine wicket taking threat with the ball, he can give Lyon a breather when he needs.
Nudge
Roar Rookie
Think it was 16 straight with a tea break in between. Ridiculous from Root
U
Roar Rookie
Another player gone too soon from the test side
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
I think the point of this story is to go the other way, let's just get more batsmen able to just roll the arm over for a few overs here and there and be happy with that rather than expecting full-on allrounders. I do think that sometimes coaches and captains don't always know what to do with allrounders. I've been an allrounder my whole life, but often when I was younger the fact that I was one of the main bowlers seemed to automatically make people think I should bat low in the order and it was really hard to get good opportunities to bat. When I was older I got a lot more opportunities to bat higher up the order and did well, but I reckon my batting suffered because I was also a bowler. So if someone enjoys batting more, sometimes they might find that putting away the bowling and focussing on the batting gets them more opportunities with the bat.