The Australian cricket Immortals

Cricket Australia’s Hall of Fame began with an intake of ten players in 1996, which has now grown to 57, with Merv Hughes and Lisa Sthalekar recently being inducted.

But unlike rugby league, Australian Cricket does not yet have an ‘Immortal’ category, honouring icons of the game at the highest level of significance.

So what if Cricket Australia introduced an Immortal status? Which current members of the Hall of Fame would be deserving of that honour and who would be in the first tranche of inductees?

A selection panel would most likely induct, say, five players initially and then add one or two every other year, but only if the Hall of Fame candidate was truly deserving of advancement.

Here are my five initial selections, in alphabetical order.

Richie Benaud OBE
After Sir Donald Bradman, Richie Benaud has probably been the most recognisable name and voice in Australian cricket, not just for his outstanding playing career, but also for his role in modernising the game and the way it was played, making it a fully professional sport, and entertaining millions of viewers during his broadcast career.

Statistically, Benaud was one of the best in the game. He currently sits tenth on the all-time Australian Test bowling list, with 248 wickets, and finished with a creditable 2201 runs in 63 Tests, with the honour of being the first player to complete the double of 200 wickets and 2000 runs.

By any measure, Richie was a truly great all-rounder.

Benaud was also a successful captain, with 12 wins and just four losses from his 28 Tests at the helm, and he was renowned for adopting an attacking and entertaining style of play wherever possible.

But probably his greatest contribution came with his pivotal involvement in the establishment of World Series Cricket, which dragged the sport kicking and screaming into the world of professionalism, fair rewards for the players, and a new level of entertainment for fans the world over.

Without Benaud’s involvement, World Series Cricket would never have got off the ground and cricket would have been locked in the past for another 20 years.

Richie Benaud (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Sir Donald Bradman
Sir Donald Bradman is not just an Australian cricket Immortal in every sense, but an immortal in world sport. No cricketer will ever reach the heights and domination of the game that he did.

Now, some 73 years after he last went out to bat and 20 years after his death, is there anyone who hasn’t heard of ‘The Don’?

Keith Miller AM MBE
Keith Miller had a reputation as a bit of larrikin from his school days, VFL career, military service, cricket career, and beyond. That’s what endeared him to the Australian public, along with the fact that he was one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, scoring nearly 3000 runs at an average of 36.97 and taking 170 wickets at an average of just under 23.

Here was a player who could both take the new ball and bat first drop. He turned many a match Australia’s way with either an attacking innings, or a fiery spell with the ball.

Miller was a playboy, enjoyed a party, and cut a dashing figure. Beyond that, he was a true sportsman, and would put sportsmanship ahead of winning at all costs. He wasn’t a person to be dominated, either on or off the field, and was happy to share his strong opinions when he deemed necessary.

His relationship with the cricket establishment was often strained, at times costing him selection, and also the Australian captaincy.

Miller was greatly affected by the his war service as a fighter pilot, not only because it delayed his career by five years, but also in the way he viewed the game and led his life away from cricket.

Two famous stories underline Miller’s approach to both life and cricket following the war.

In the first, when making his Ashes debut at the Gabba in 1946-47, Miller infuriated his captain Don Bradman by refusing to bowl fast and short to English batsman Bill Edrich, who was a bomber pilot in World War 2, winning the Distinguished Flying Cross. Miller is quoted as saying “I’d just fought a war with this bloke. I wasn’t going to take his head off.” Instead, Miller bowled cutters and took 7-60 in the first innings, the greatest bowling performance of his career.

In the second, Miller was asked by renowned television interviewer Michael Parkinson how he handled pressure on the cricket field. He famously replied: “Pressure is a Messerschmitt up your arse. Playing cricket is not.”

Ricky Ponting AO
Ricky Ponting is the most prolific Australian batsman of all time and may never be equalled.

After scoring 96 runs on debut in 1995, Ponting went on to dominate both Test and ODI cricket like no other Australian before or since.

He scored 13,378 runs in 168 Tests at an average of 51.85, with 41 centuries and 62 half centuries, and backed this up in a 364-match ODI career with 13,589 runs at 41.81 and a strike rate just over 80, bagging another 29 centuries and 82 half centuries along the way.

Incredible numbers.

On top of his batting prowess, he was also one of the best fielders o,f all time, taking over 350 catches in Tests and ODIs and effecting countless run outs. Hitting the ball near Ponting and then setting off for a single just wasn’t a sensible option.

Ponting wasn’t always a golden child, but put early off-field behavioural issues behind him to become one of Australia’s greatest and most successful captains.

It’s hard to imagine that his batting records will be bettered anytime soon. Of the current Australian players, Steve Smith’s 7540 runs in the bank might just have a chance. On the ODI front, virtually no current Australian batsman is within 8000 runs of Ponting’s mark.

Ricky Ponting in 2006. (James Knowler/Getty Images)

Shane Warne
Shane Warne’s bowling achievements have the same chance of being beaten as Donald Bradman’s batting average, with 708 wickets in 145 Tests across 16 years, at the ridiculously low average of just 25.41.

Warne is a polarising player and, like most of those named above, was somewhat of a larrikin in his playing days. But love him or hate him, Warnie is now an Australian icon who transcends his career as a cricketer.

Who would have imagined when watching him being carted to all parts of the ground by Ravi Shastri on debut in 1992 – finishing with the undistinguished bowling figures of 1-150 – that here in the making was the greatest Australian bowler of all time?

There was always something happening when Warne had the ball, and his reputation alone had many batsmen bluffed before they faced a delivery.

Warne also performed well in the 50-over format to sit in third place, behind Glen McGrath and Brett Lee, on the Australian wicket-taking list with 291 wickets at 25.82 from 193 matches.

Warne was also a fine fielder, taking 205 catches in Tests and ODIs, usually standing at first slip. He was no slouch with the bat either, and made many valuable contributions in the lower order, finishing with over 3000 Test runs and over 1000 ODI runs.