Clayton Murzello: The voice which cricket will miss

Captain Michael Clarke left listens as Bill Lawry speaks to the Australian team before the Melbourne Test v Sri Lanka on December 26 2012 PicGetty ImagesBill Lawry has called time on his fulfilling 40year career as a television commentator with Channel Nine His retirement is a loss and no commentator can utter its all happening as excitingly as the former Australian captain Lawry 81 nicknamed Phanto for his love for Phantom comics decided he had enough of commentary when his employers lost the bid to cover cricket Down Under Lawry enjoyed every moment of his commentary years He was grateful for the opportunity Kerry Packer gave him in 1977 six years after retiring from firstclass cricketCricket destiny was not so kind to Lawry during the 197071 Ashes Selectors Sir Don Bradman Neil Harvey and Sam Loxton dumped him despite his 324 runs in five Tests at an average of 4050 The illustrious ones who wielded the axe didnt feel obliged to inform him When Lawry tried to meet one of them before flying out of Adelaide on the morning after the sixth Test he discovered the selectors had already checked out for home He then headed to the room of his fellow Victorians Ian Redpath and Keith Stackpole who delivered the news of his sackingHe took it on his chin headed home to Melbourne and put behind his disappointment in the company of the pigeons he reared as a hobby Lawry scored 5234 runs in 67 Tests at 4715 As a batsman he could be obdurate and adhesive but his supporters didnt see that as a negative Ian Wooldridge the famous British sports writer apparently called Lawry A Corpse With Pads On Lawry defended Wooldridge in an interview saying a subeditor used those words in a headline for one of Wooldridges pieces I always regarded Wooldridge as a tremendous writer I have always had a good relationship with him Lawry said in Why Cricket MattersRichie Benaud his first captain often recalled Lawrys courageous 130 on a difficult uneven pitch at Lords in 1961 when England pacemen Fred Trueman and Brian Statham rendered the opener black and blue with their body blows The 1962 edition of Wisden Cricketers Almanack projected his bravado aptly Lawry was Australias spinal column in the second Test at Lords This was an indomitable effort of sheer graft under severe pressure with the ball flying about and he was tenacious painstaking and wonderfully coolOn the 196465 tour of the West Indies danger came in the form of the swift Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith who damaged Lawrys right cheekbone but couldnt stop him from carving a gritty double century Lawry had a sweet and sour stint as captain winning nine of his 25 Tests His eight losses included four in a row on the dreadful 196970 tour of South Africa For 35 seasons mdash from 196970 to 200405 mdash he enjoyed being the only Australian captain to win a Test series in IndiaDespite being on top of MAK Pataudis 196970 side Lawry found captaincy hard in India His team were not granted currentday luxuries and amenities Plus there were a couple of riots Theres an amusing story about the Mumbai Test of that series when fans set a stand on fire at the Brabourne Stadium The crowd felt the decision to send back S Venkataraghavan caught behind by Brian Taber off Alan Connolly was a dubious one The Australian players feared for their lives and at one point vicecaptain Chappell suggested to skipper Lawry that the team should retreat to the dressing room In Lawrys mind there was a Test match to be won so he said according to historian Gideon Haigh in The Summer Game Hell we need a wicket badlyFrom a personal point of view it was a disappointing series for Lawry His 10 trips to the crease could fetch him only one half century and he became unpopular with the media However there were no Australian newspaper journalists on tour for him to give his side of the story Indeed commentary was his second innings in cricket He excelled he entertained even exaggerated He got excited to the point of causing amusement to his fellow commentators When Venkatapathy Raju and Javagal Srinath were running between the wickets in their quest to clinch a close win over the Australians at the Gabba in the 1992 World Cup Lawry goaded the Indian pair to run like hares And once he confessed to saying InzamamulHaq has taken this attack by the throat of the neckLawry was invariably on air when drama made its way into a match He called many a memorable Indian cricket moment in Australia mdash Sachin Tendulkars two Test hundreds on the 199192 tour Sunil Gavaskars walkout at Melbourne and the victory that followed in 1981 Australian cricket viewing will never be the same without Channel Nine and the new rights holders could regret that they have no one as good as Lawry to scream on air What a rippermiddays group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance He tweets ClaytonMurzello Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also 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