# Chapter 8: Players & Legends

Cricket · Chapter 8: Players & Legends · Insporta Book (https://book.insporta.app/cricket/interesting-facts/chapter-8-players-legends/)

The people behind the records: double internationals, politicians, pioneers, late starters, nicknames, honours, families, captains and cricketers in entertainment.

## 8.81 Double Internationals

Cricketers who also played football, rugby and hockey for their countries.

### Test 1: Two-sport stars

- He jumped 23 feet 6.5 inches in 1893. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, C. B. Fry profile)
- He played on the left wing in the final at Wembley. (Source: Arsenal FC history; ESPNcricinfo, Denis Compton)
- He made a handful of appearances in the early 1980s. (Source: Scunthorpe United history; ESPNcricinfo, Ian Botham)
- He played in qualifiers for the 1974 World Cup. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Viv Richards profile)
- The team did not travel, and he went to the cricket World Cup instead. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Jonty Rhodes profile)
- He kicked goals for New Zealand in the late 1970s. (Source: New Zealand Rugby, All Blacks records)
- His one rugby international was against Wales in 1956. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, M. J. K. Smith profile)
- 1893, 1950, 1956, 1974 and 1981. (Source: ESPNcricinfo)
- 1872, 1918, 1933, 1952, 1969 and 1973. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, player profiles)
- Wilson played four ODIs in 1993 and later returned for more in 2005. (Source: New Zealand Cricket; New Zealand Rugby)

## 8.82 From the Pitch to Parliament

Cricketers who went into politics, the church and public life.

### Test 1: Public life

- He had founded his political party in 1996. (Source: Government of Pakistan; ESPNcricinfo, Imran Khan profile)
- He lost in Cardiff South East. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Ted Dexter profile)
- He was ordained as a Pentecostal pastor. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Wes Hall profile)
- He played on for a short while after his election. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Sanath Jayasuriya profile)
- He captained Bangladesh at the 2019 World Cup as a member of Parliament. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Mashrafe Mortaza profile)
- He was elected for East Delhi. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Gautam Gambhir profile)
- He led Sri Lanka to the 1996 title. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Arjuna Ranatunga profile)
- 1964, 1975, 2010, 2018 and 2019. (Source: ESPNcricinfo)
- 1950, August 1958, November 1958 and 1971. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, player profiles)
- He was bishop from 1975 to 1997 and later sat in the House of Lords. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, David Sheppard profile)

## 8.83 Barrier Breakers

The first players from their community to play Test cricket for their country.

### Test 1: Firsts and pioneers

- The Barbados-born Middlesex batter made his debut in the Caribbean. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Roland Butcher profile)
- He went on to take 390 Test wickets. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Makhaya Ntini profile)
- He was a fast bowler and was only 18 at the time. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Henry Olonga profile)
- His patka became a familiar sight on English grounds. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Monty Panesar profile)
- He was born in Islamabad and moved to Sydney as a child. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Usman Khawaja profile)
- His cousin Danish Kaneria later became Pakistan's leading spinner. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Anil Dalpat profile)
- He later made South Africa's first Test triple-hundred. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Hashim Amla profile)
- 1981, 1984, 1995, 1998, 2004 and 2006. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, player profiles)
- Butcher 71, Ntini about 700, Khawaja over 6,000 and Amla 9,282. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, player profiles)
- Their statement ended both men's international careers. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, the black armband protest, 2003)

## 8.84 Late Starters

Players who reached Test cricket in their thirties or later, and made it count.

### Test 1: Late bloomers

- The New Zealand-born leg-spinner took 5 for 45 and 6 for 37 against England at Sydney. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Clarrie Grimmett profile)
- He played on until he was 50. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Bert Ironmonger profile)
- He lost the top of his left index finger in a chaff-cutter. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Bert Ironmonger profile)
- His record in county and state cricket had made him impossible to ignore. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Mike Hussey profile)
- He made 130 not out against West Indies at Roseau, Dominica. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Test records, oldest debut centurions)
- He returned for the 2013 Ashes and made a hundred at Durham. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Chris Rogers profile)
- He was soon one of the leading spinners in the world. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Saeed Ajmal profile)
- 30, 31, 33, 35 and 46. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, player profiles)
- 1925, 1928, 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2015. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, player profiles)
- He played for the Netherlands at the 2009 T20 World Cup and then for Australia. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Dirk Nannes profile)

## 8.85 What They Were Called

Cricket's nicknames and where they came from.

### Test 1: Nicknames

- The name came from his home city and his speed. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Shoaib Akhtar profile)
- He moved quickly and gracefully for such a tall man. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Clive Lloyd profile)
- Shane Warne gave him the name. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Ricky Ponting profile)
- Team-mates thought his legs looked like a pigeon's. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Glenn McGrath profile)
- He weighed around 20 stone late in his career. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Warwick Armstrong profile)
- He took 297 Test wickets. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Derek Underwood profile)
- Team-mates joked that he never stopped talking about cricket. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Mike Hussey profile)
- Armstrong 1902, Tyson 1954, Underwood June 1966, Lloyd December 1966, McGrath 1993 and Shoaib 1997. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, player profiles)
- 1975, 1977 and 1979. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, player profiles)
- 'Typhoon' Tyson's pace won the 1954-55 Ashes. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Frank Tyson profile)

## 8.86 Knights, Peers and Honours

Knighthoods, peerages and the highest national honours won by cricketers.

### Test 1: Honours

- The honour came in the year of the Coronation. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Jack Hobbs profile)
- He was knighted soon after his retirement. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Don Bradman profile)
- It came two years after he retired. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Frank Worrell profile)
- The country's new stadium was later named after him. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Viv Richards profile)
- It is India's highest civilian honour. (Source: Government of India, Bharat Ratna)
- He took the title Baron Botham of Ravensworth. (Source: UK Parliament, Lord Botham)
- He later trained with a parachute regiment. (Source: Indian Army, Territorial Army honours)
- 1949, 1953, 1975, 1999, 2014 and 2020. (Source: ESPNcricinfo)
- 1882, 1908, 1924, 1936 and 1952. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, player profiles)
- The ceremony was at the Garrison Savannah in Bridgetown. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Garry Sobers profile)

## 8.87 Unusual Beginnings

Ticket collectors, policemen, engineers and a spinner who began as a seamer.

### Test 1: How they started

- Walters told New South Wales to have a look at the young bowler. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Glenn McGrath profile)
- A school coach suggested he try off-spin. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Muttiah Muralitharan profile)
- He studied in Bangalore while playing for Karnataka. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Anil Kumble profile)
- He turned to off-spin after an injury in his teens. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Ravichandran Ashwin profile)
- Johnson took several years more to reach the Test side. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Mitchell Johnson profile)
- He took leave from the police to play cricket. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Shane Bond profile)
- He played for the Army side in Sri Lanka's domestic cricket. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Ajantha Mendis profile)
- 1990, 1992, 1993, 2001, 2005 and 2011. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, player profiles)
- 2001-03, 2004, December 2004 and 2007. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, MS Dhoni profile)
- He played for the railways team while working there. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, MS Dhoni profile)

## 8.88 Cricket Families

Brothers, twins, fathers and sons, and grandfathers who all played.

### Test 1: Families

- Wazir, Hanif, Mushtaq and Sadiq all played; a fifth, Raees, came close. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, the Mohammad family)
- Mark made his debut at Adelaide and scored a hundred. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Mark Waugh profile)
- Three generations of Headleys played Test cricket. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, the Headley family)
- Darren played one Test for England in 2008; James played for Australia. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, the Pattinson brothers)
- They are the first father and son to make Test hundreds on debut. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, the Amarnath family)
- Geoff himself opened for Australia in the 1980s. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, the Marsh family)
- Their father Kevin also played for Zimbabwe. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Ben Curran profile)
- 1933, 1973, 1976, 1991 and 2008. (Source: ESPNcricinfo)
- Grandfather, father and son. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, the Headley family)
- Eric Bedser never played a Test, but the twins were inseparable all their lives. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, the Bedser twins)

## 8.89 Captains' Tales

A captain with one eye, a declaration on 334 and a toss that had to be redone.

### Test 1: Captains

- He led India in 40 Tests despite the injury. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi profile)
- His book 'The Art of Captaincy' is still widely read. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Mike Brearley profile)
- The crowd saw the colourful cap as a sign of his aloofness. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Douglas Jardine profile)
- Taylor said he did not want to pass Bradman's highest Test score. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Pakistan v Australia, Peshawar 1998)
- His team copied the push-ups after winning the match. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, England v Pakistan, Lord's 2016)
- He took blow after blow from Holding and Roberts at Old Trafford. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Brian Close profile)
- He turned Australia from a struggling side into world champions. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Allan Border profile)
- 1932-33, 1962, 1976, 1998 and 2016. (Source: ESPNcricinfo)
- July 1961, December 1961 and March 1962. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi profile)
- Crowd noise drowned Kumar Sangakkara's call, so MS Dhoni tossed again. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, World Cup final 2011)

## 8.90 Stars Off the Field

Dancers, singers, presenters and a horror star: cricketers in entertainment.

### Test 1: Fame off the field

- He followed another cricketer who had won the year before. (Source: BBC, Strictly Come Dancing winners)
- Cricketers won the show two years running. (Source: BBC, Strictly Come Dancing winners)
- The spinner spent two weeks in the Australian jungle. (Source: ITV, I'm a Celebrity winners)
- He presented it alongside Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris. (Source: BBC, Top Gear presenters)
- The song 'You're the One for Me' reached the Indian charts. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Brett Lee profile)
- West Indies danced to it after winning the final. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Dwayne Bravo profile)
- The club was founded by the former England captain C. Aubrey Smith. (Source: Hollywood Cricket Club history)
- 1932, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2016 and 2019. (Source: BBC; ITV; Hollywood Cricket Club)
- 2005, 2006, 2012 and 2013. (Source: BBC, Strictly Come Dancing)
- His brother Shane, also a cricketer, was in the band too. (Source: ESPNcricinfo, Brett Lee profile)

Sources: Primary/official sources only, no Wikipedia citations: ESPNcricinfo player profiles and match reports, the BBC, UK Parliament, club histories. The great batting, bowling and keeping records are asked in Knowledge Testing level 7 and left out here.

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