The Boxing Day Ashes Test which ended in a draw at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground yesterday, provided many opportunities for the broadcasters to go down memory lane
Doug Walters
The Boxing Day Ashes Test which ended in a draw at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground yesterday, provided many opportunities for the broadcasters to go down memory lane. The Test also witnessed a parade of some former greats at the ground which hosted the Centenary Test in 1977 when Tony Greig's MCC clashed with Greg Chappell's Australians. Doug Walters, who scored 66 in Australia's second innings then, was interviewed and got asked how amazed he was when Australia ended up winning by 45 runs — the same margin as in the very first Test at the same ground 100 years ago. Walters, known for his one-liners, recalled telling one of his teammates, "the Poms have not improved a run even after 100 years."
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'Dashing Doug' could also help break the tension in the dressing room through his comments. When the Australians faced much ridicule after Greg Chappell ordered brother Trevor to bowl an underarm delivery to New Zealand's Brian McKechnie in a one-dayer in 1981, the Australian dressing room at the MCG was akin to a morgue. Suddenly, a voice was heard. It was Walters with the words, "I told you... no game is over until the last ball is bowled." Kevin Douglas Walters was a character which made cricket special. We need more of his type.
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