Graham McKenzie

Infobox Cricketer


nationality = Australian
country = Australia
country abbrev = AUS
name = Graham McKenzie
picture = Cricket_no_pic.pngbatting style = Right-hand bat
bowling style = Right-arm fast
balls=true
tests = 60
test runs = 945
test bat avg = 12.27
test 100s/50s = 0/2
test top score = 76
test overs = 2946.5
test wickets = 246
test bowl avg = 29.78
test 5s = 16
test 10s = 3
test best bowling = 8/71
test catches/stumpings = 34/0
ODIs = 1
ODI runs = 0
ODI bat avg = -
ODI 100s/50s = 0/0
ODI top score = 0
ODI overs = 60
ODI wickets = 2
ODI bowl avg = 11.00
ODI 5s = 0
ODI 10s = 0
ODI best bowling = 2/22
ODI catches/stumpings = 1/0
date = 12 December
year = 2005
source = http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/6576.html Cricinfo

Graham Douglas McKenzie (born 24 June 1941, Perth, Western Australia) is a former Australian and Western Australian cricketer. He was a fast bowler. First selected to play for Australia at age of 19, he toured England in 1961 under Richie Benaud. In his debut match, and the second match of the series at Lord's, McKenzie stood in for an injured Benaud and went on to take the last three English wickets in twelve balls which gave him a card of 5/37 off 29 overs. He went on to play in 60 Tests, until 1971 and was the mainstay of the Australian pace attack following the retirement of Alan Davidson. The son of Eric McKenzie, also played cricket for Western Australia, he also represented his state in field hockey. McKenzie was known as Garth among some of his teammates, as his muscular build was similar to that of the well known newspaper cartoon character. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1965.

Early years

McKenzie grew up in a sporting family. His father, Eric was an opening batsman who played once for Western Australia, against the touring South African cricket team in 1931–32. His uncle Douglas was a batsman who represented Western Australia, scoring 88 in his last game against Lindsay Hassett's Services team in 1945–46. Douglas went on to become President of the Western Australian Cricket Association. Both Douglas and Eric also represented Western Australia in field hockey.cite book | last = Cashman, Franks, Maxwell, Sainsbury, Stoddart, Weaver, Webster | year = 1997 | title = The A-Z of Australian cricketers|pages =pp. 193–194]

In his youth, McKenzie was an all rounder, batting right-handed and bowling off spin. Aged twelve, he gained selection for Western Australia in the 1953–54 under-14 interstate competition held at Adelaide, but the team withdrew after a polio epidemic in Western Australia. The next season he captained the state when the competition was held in Perth, leading his team to the championship.

He went to John Curtin High School where he performed well with both bat and ball in the first XI. At sixteen he was made his first grade debut for Claremont-Cottesloe as a batsman, but after unproductive performances was dropped to the second XI. The following year in 1958–59, he continued in second grade and took up fast bowling, taking 50 wickets at an average of 14.50 after his team had a pace bowling shortage. He was recalled to the First XI in 1959–60. He finished the season with 515 runs at an average of 39.46 and 49 wickets at an average of 11.21. His efforts were rewarded in when the state selectors handed him a debut for the penultimate match of the Sheffield Shield season against Victoria in Melbourne. He went wicketless and scored 22 and 41. He took his first wickets in the final match against South Australia at Perth with 3/69. At season’s end, his captain Ken Meuleman advised McKenzie to concentrate on his fast bowling.cite web| title= Wisden 1965 - Graham McKenzie |url=http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/154555.html| year= 1965 |accessdate=2007-05-21| publisher=-Wisden]

International career

The 1960–61 season began with McKenzie’s third first-class match, against the West Indies. He did not bowl in the first innings but took 4/41 in the second to seal a 94 run win, prompting West Indies captain Frank Worrell to predict a bright future.

Further strong performances during the Shield season saw him selected at age 19 for the 1961 Ashes tour under Richie Benaud. Following an injury to Benaud, Australia replaced him with a third seamer, allowing McKenzie to make his debut in the Second Test at Lord’s during the "Battle of the Ridge". In his first innings, he made 34 on his twentieth birthday batting at number 10 on a difficult pitch. The last two wickets added 102 and Australia gained a lead of 134. In England’s second innings, McKenzie captured the prized wickets of Ted Dexter and Peter May, and took the last three wickets in twelve balls to give 5/37 on debut. Australia went on to win by five wickets. After losing the Third Test at Headingley, Australia won the fourth Test at Old Trafford with McKenzie again making a valuable contribution with the bat. With a lead of only 177 with nine wickets down in the second innings, McKenzie joined Alan Davidson. He held his end for 32 runs while Davidson’s powerful hitting saw 98 added for Australia's highest tenth wicket partnership on English soil. This allowed Benaud to bowl Australia to victory on the final day. The youngest member of the touring party, McKenzie was one of eight bowlers to take at least fifty wickets.

When Dexter’s Englishmen toured Australia in 1962–63, McKenzie had was promoted to share the new ball with Davidson. Playing in all five Tests, he did not trouble the batsmen to the same extent as his partner, taking 20 wickets for 30.95. He was noted for his ability contain the opposition by bowling long spells. Davidson retired at the end of the series and McKenzie became the pace spearhead when South Africa toured in 1963–64. He was Australia's leading bowler with 16 wickets at 43.06. In the Third Test in Sydney he hit his highest Test score of 76.

Pace spearhead

1964 saw McKenzie’s made his second Ashes tour of England. He led the attack as Australia retained the Ashes. His 29 wickets in five Tests equalled the highest obtained for Australia in England by Clarrie Grimmett in 1930. He took 21 wickets when Australia visited India and Pakistan on the return journey to Australia. Another seven wickets in a one off Test against Pakistan in Melbourne in December established a new record for the number of Test wickets in the space of one year; from December 11, 1963 to December 8, 1964 he took 73 wickets in fifteen Tests. This surpassed Maurice Tate's 65 wickets in 1924–25. In this period, he became the youngest bowler to reach 100 wickets, at the age of 23 and 162 days, 139 days younger than A.L. Valentine. He was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1965, the first Western Australian born recipient.

McKenzie had an unproductive tour of the West Indies in 1965, but thereafter became the one of the most consistent opening bowlers in the world. He toured South Africa in 1966–67 and in 1967–68 was dropped for the final two Tests after taking his only ten wicket match haul against India. This was speculated to be due to fears that his dominance over the Indian batsmen was diminishing public interest in the series.

In 1968, McKenzie became a full-time cricketer, believing that it would offer him the best chance of financial security. At the time the Australian Cricket Board regarded its players as amateurs and paid them accordingly. McKenzie joined Leicstershire, taking over four hundred wickets for the county team. He went onto become the youngest bowler to reach 200 Test wickets.

His form slumped on the 1970 tour of South Africa, when he took a series total of 1/333 in a four Test series, in which Australia were whitewashed. It lead to suspicions that he had contracted hepatitis. After the first six Tests of the 1970–71 Ashes series against England, McKenzie was dropped, ending his Test career. He continued playing for Western Australia until 1974. He came out of retirement in 1977 to play in Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket. After that, he moved his family to South Africa to play in domestic Limited Overs cricket, before returning to Western Australia.

References

External links

* [http://content.cricinfo.com/australia/content/player/6576.html Cricinfo article on Graham McKenzie]
* [http://www.cricketarchive.com Cricket Archive]

Persondata
NAME=McKenzie, Graham Douglas
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Garth
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Cricketer
DATE OF BIRTH=24 June 1941
PLACE OF BIRTH=Perth, Western Australia
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=