Published: Dec 11, 2014, 04:13 PM (IST)
Edited: Dec 11, 2014, 09:57 PM (IST)
‘Ashes’ is called cricket’s ultimate rivalry and Bob Massie’s Test debut is likely to be remembered as the best ever Ashes debut.
Australia has produced a barrage of great bowlers and with time, Massie’s name has faded away, but his performance in the second Test of Ashes at Lord’s in 1972, is safe in the vault of cricket records. The Australian swing bowler’s splendid show stands fourth in the list of best Test match figures of all time.
There wasn’t any hype before he made his debut, but he went on to claim 16 wickets for 137 runs. He relied mainly on the extraordinary swing he got, mainly away from the right-hander. What helped him was Dennis Lillee’s hostile bowling at the other end.
The conditions were conducive to swing bowling and Massie, who had already played three matches for Australia against the Rest of the World, picked up eight for 84 in the first innings.
Australia managed a first innings lead of 36 against a strong England side that had won the Ashes in Australia, the previous year. England, who were leading the Test series 1-0, were bowled out for 116 in the second innings, thanks to another devastating spell by Massie, who finished with eight for 53.
It was a marathon effort by the then 25 year old. England played a total of 55.2 overs, out of which 27.2, were bowled by Massie. Australia comfortably won the Test by eight wickets.
Massie’s more than half his entire haul of Test wickets came in his first game, and after the Ashes, he just played two more before fading away from Test cricket. Within 18 months from this feat, he also lost his place from his state side, Western Australia.
Massie’s feat of 16 for 137 was the third best bowling figure in a Test, until Indian leg-spinner Narendra Hirwani in 1988, picked up 16 for 136 against West Indies in Chennai. Co-incidentally, it was Hirwani’s Test debut too.
