Almanac Cricket – Keith Stackpole: a profile

Later this year a new volume by Barry Nicholls will hit the shelves of all good bookstores. With a focus on the 1972 Ashes series, Playing to Win is sure to resonate with cricket aficionados who recall that series with great fervour. Included in that volume is a profile of Keith Stackpole, a key figure in the series. Barry has kindly forwarded his profile to us to share with the Almanac community as we mark ‘Stackie’s’ passing today.

Keith Stackpole, as vice-captain, was on his first tour of England. Stackpole was the great stabiliser, an experienced batsman with a Collingwood working-class toughness. Popular among teammates and admired as a player, he was a good manager of people. Stackpole was the one who often took struggling players aside for a quiet beer to lend an ear and offer advice. His aggressive presence at the top of the batting order also gave his teammates confidence. His attacking style was inherited from his father, Keith Stackpole Senior, a VFL premiership footballer and state cricketer who had played under Jack Ryder. Stackpole’s A-grade debut coincided with his father’s farewell and the younger Stackpole exiting for a duck. Sporting lessons came hard in the Stackpole family. Six years later, as a 22-year-old, he played his first Sheffield Shield match for Victoria against Tasmania, batting at number three, scoring 43 and 12 in his side’s 196-run win. In 1963, Stackpole’s pacey leg and top spinners attracted the interest of Prime Minister Robert Menzies, who sponsored coaching from Clarrie Grimmett. Stackpole remembered the move backfiring, ‘Clarrie made me realise I would never be a very good bowler.’ Stackpole’s first nine Tests were as a down-the-order leg-spinner, including 134 against South Africa at Cape Town in 1966/67. However, it wasn’t until the Third Test of the series against the West Indies in 1968/69 that Bill Lawry unexpectedly chose Stackpole as his batting partner. Stackpole’s swashbuckling approach provided the perfect foil for Lawry’s cautious style. He was also a handy leg-spinner and safe pair of hands at second slip. He debuted for Australia against England in the Fourth Test at Adelaide Oval in 1966, taking two wickets for the match and scoring 43 batting at number eight in Australia’s innings and nine-run win. When he next played an Ashes Test at the city of churches, he was ensconced as an opening batsman. In 1970/71, when Sir Donald Bradman entered the Australian dressing room after Ian Chappell and Keith Stackpole added 262 during the Fifth Test, the pair thought praise might be forthcoming. ‘I didn’t think you could concentrate for that long,’ was Bradman’s opening line to Stackpole, who had batted just over five hours facing 335 deliveries for his 136. A little rattled by the comment from such a highly regarded figure in Bradman, it reminded Stackpole of the value of timed and sincere feedback (a tactic he would use to effect during Australia’s tour of England in 1972). Stackpole and Ian Chappell were a great leadership partnership. When they played each other in Shield cricket, they were often at loggerheads. They had a similar mindset, unwilling to give the opposition team an inch. But as Australian captain and vice-captain, they worked together like a dream. By the time the Australian side was ready to depart, Stackpole was confident he could succeed in England. His spell in the Lancashire League for Ramsbottom in 1966 taught him that English pitches took some adjusting to, but once he found his feet, batting in England could be ‘very enjoyable’.

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