There have been a few legends involved in this game, but only two 'Legends'. The Australian and St George’s flags were escorted onto the field on Day One by local and visiting 'Ashes Legends'. In the baggy green and gold corner, Bill Lawry; from the Anglosphere, Dennis Amiss.
In the latter case, the word ‘legend’ must have been used in its liberal modern interpretation. No disrespect intended to a stout-hearted opening batsman – and one who was kind enough to give me his autograph at Kardinia Park in 1978 – but his main contribution to the Anglo-Australian game was the enrichment of Dennis Lillee’s legend: he made 305 runs in Ashes Tests at 15.25. Surely a greater Ashes Legend was on hand. Derek Pringle doesn’t look very busy at the moment.
Posted by: Robbo From Moe (Yarra in Exile) on 12/28/2006
I can't wait to get a spot in the front row for the Trafalgar Square Welcome Home party for the English Team. I've had some tomatoes sitting on my window sill since the start of the series, looking quite squishy by now. I can picture it now, arm in arm with my English friends singing "Ashes aren't coming home" and "We were smashed bya convict colony". Is it possible for the Queen to take those honours back she plastered over all and sundry after the last Ashes series? Sir Shane Warne, Viscount Glenn McGrath and Ricky Ponting, Duke of Launceston all have a decent ring to them don't you think?
Posted by: Alex (aussie in London) on 12/28/2006
Just think of who else England could claim as legends; Wayne Larkins, Eddie Hemmings, Martin McCague and who could forget Mark Lathwell (in case you did, he was plucked from obscurity in 1993 for 2 tests and never seen again).
As for your comments Robbo, if we had the same system as England in 2005 with everyone giving the honours out, Damien Martyn would have to have a special charter flight from Hawaii in order for Johnny to give him an order of Australia for his contribution.
Posted by: Colin Capon on 12/28/2006
I have to agree that the selection of Mike Denness is absolutely ludicrous. I would suggest that there are bar staff in Australia who have performed better for England than he has but seriously I would suggest there are many retired english cricketers out here who would have fitted the bill. What a really silly thing to do
Posted by: Don on 12/29/2006
*chuckles* Quite funny! Ahh yes, Alex, I'd almost forgotten those gems, I especially remember Martin McCague ended up not getting a gig for WA so he could be thrusted into the bowling attack for England.
PS No disrespect to Mark Lathwell but I had forgotten him but what a great memory you must have! :-)
Posted by: jasper humphreys on 12/29/2006
What about more Great One-Day Wonders: three for starters
Phil Newport, Mike Watkinson and Gavin Hamilton (the ultimate 'New Botham')..... any more?
Jasper
Posted by: spence on 12/29/2006
yeah,england have no ashes legends and australia has
nothing but...can you remember such "legends"as ken
eastwood,froggy thomson,wally edwards,gary cosier and andrew hilditch?? thought not...
must agree about denness though;hopeless as a batsman and a captain.
Posted by: peter warrington on 12/30/2006
Phil Carlson, John Maclean, Martin Kent, Trevor Chappell, Greg Campbell, Dirk Wellham, Richie Robinson as opener etc etc
how did we go from Amiss, to Denness, BTW?
for what it's worth, i think the point is that Amiss was trumpeted by the Poms in 74-5 as a genius - got smashed. and continued to, especially by Lillee, for the rest of the decade.
nobody said that Phil Carlson was a genius - well, Phil might have, but that doesn't count.
Posted by: jasper on 12/30/2006
Hi Spence: Maybe we could have an England XI v Australia XI playing for the Klunker Kup: three more for England: Chris Balderstone (now deceased) David Capel and Eddie Hemmings. To be selected as a Klunker selectors work on reverse-psychology: the worse they are the more likely they get selected.
By the way do you think Ian Bell could be in the selectors thoughts?
Posted by: George on 12/31/2006
In my opinion it would require an all-star Aussie Legends XI to equal Dennis Amiss alone. Something like:
1. J Dyson
2. S Smith
3. M Veletta
4. D Wellham
5. J Watkins
6. T Chappell
7. G Cosier
8. T Zoehrer
9. P McIntyre
10. C Matthews
11. G Campbell
12. M Lewis
Posted by: spence on 01/01/2007
george:good team my friend!!!I'd forgotten about steve smith;and watkins is a selection of genius.john dyson can be rested and replaced by ashley woodcock:remember him?? my bowling attack would revolve around the unique talents of tony dell,ross duncan and dave gilbert,with murray bennett as the spin king.how do you balance this collection of "legends"?simple:shove trevor laughlin in as your match winning all rounder...
what's interesting about the initial reference to dennis amiss is that despite his failures against australia,he still has a test average of 46.check out his test figures against the west indies;that's why he was "trumpeted" by english fans.
Posted by: jasper on 01/01/2007
Nice one George/Spence:
I have enjoyed all the A-miss chat as a 'legend'; there are two words on which i would like you reflect: Keith Fletcher. Did he not hold the record for the slowest ever Test century?
Re. George's Aussie XI 'selection'you can't escape the thought that they would probably have walked into any England XI - and stayed there!
Three more 'golden' names from England recent ranks: Chris Silverwood, Alex Tudor, and Tony Pigot.... oh the list goes on!
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Gideon Haigh has written sixteen books and edited six more, mainly concerned with sport and business, in twenty-three years as a journalist. He now writes mainly for the Australian current affairs magazine The Monthly. He lives in Melbourne with a cat, Trumper, and is taking time off from his cricket club, the Yarras, to cover the 2006-7 Ashes for The Guardian.
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