Gutsy and tenacious he was, as a left-handed opener for Australia. The duration of his stay at the crease was often as long as his famous nose.
Bill Lawry, who made 5,324 runs in 67 Tests at 47.15, was inducted in Australia’s Hall of Fame in 2010.
The Hindu caught up with the former Australian captain here on Friday. Lean, fit and warm, the 77-year old carries his years lightly.
Lawry played his cricket in the non-helmet era of uncovered pitches. And he faced some menacing fast bowlers such as Hall and Griffith, Trueman and Statham.
“Pitches were not covered then. It would rain in the afternoon and then the pitch became moist. Batting was not easy. You had to be good technically,” he said.
On coping with the quicks, Lawry said, “You needed to be clear in your mind. I hooked and pulled. Bob Simpson would weave out of the way with his eyes on the ball. He would see the ball pass his chin.”
Asked why several modern day batsmen got hit on the helmet, Lawry answered: “Perhaps, they are taking their eyes off the ball because of the security of wearing the helmet. In our days, it was a question of survival.”
He remembered Trueman as a complete fast bowler. “His action was perfect to swing the ball or cut it off the seam,” he said.
“Statham was tall, fast; he was a yard quicker than Trueman, and very accurate.”
Queried why many modern day pacemen lacked the precision of the bowlers from the past, Lawry said: “Someone like Trueman bowled 600 overs in county cricket every season apart from the overs he sent down in Tests. He could put the ball exactly where he wanted to. John Snow was among the most accurate fast bowlers I have seen. Do international pacemen bowl as much in domestic cricket now? Bowling across different formats may not be helping them either.”
Lawry found the lack of accuracy especially surprising, given cricketers were full-time professionals these days. “We all had regular jobs, apart from playing cricket. I used to work as a salesman. In fact, if we played a Test on Friday, I would work as a salesman till Wednesday night. And I had to apply for leave to my office to play for Australia.”
The Australian remembered the late ’60s when Australia met India both home and away. And he recalled Tiger Pataudi.
“He was a gentleman, a fine human being. He was also an attacking captain and an aggressive batsman despite vision in only one eye. I thought he led brilliantly in Australia in 1967-68, although India lost 4-0. Prasanna was outstanding in the series but Pataudi was unfortunate in not having penetrative pacemen,” he said.
Lawry recollected the magic of Erapalli Prasanna and Bishan Bedi. “Prasanna bowled beautifully in India too in 1969. He had more side spin than Bedi. But Bedi was lovely in the manner he flighted.”
Asked about captaincy, Lawry responded, “It’s that ability to get the best out of every player.”
On M.S. Dhoni, Lawry said: “I’ve heard he is a nice man. But sometimes he does not seem a very involved captain. To a young side, he has to show a little more intent on the field.”
He believed DRS was good for the game. “It can remove the howlers. If you don’t want DRS, you should not use technology for checking a no-ball after a dismissal. It should be all or nothing.”
Lawry said his team did say a few things to the opposition on the field. “It’s okay as long as you don’t cross the line. Sometimes, as Richie Benaud would tell us, not saying anything to an opposition player when he expects something to be said to him can also get you a wicket. It could make him tense.”
