As long as one’s posterior points to the ground, Rob Quiney will play more test cricket than me, which brings me to the topic of my short spiel. In my four and a bit decades of life, I’ve seen a few Victorian batsmen earn test selection, but unfortunately for some, their careers have been brief, very brief. A top six of: Ken Eastwood, Paul Hibbert, Wayne Phillips, Rob Quiney, Jeff Moss, and Trevor Laughlin pay testament to the TEST of test cricket, in which these players could not get the pass for success at the highest level.
To qualify this it is worth mentioning that Rob Quiney has played twice as many tests as four of the above listed players. Jeff Moss does have a decent average for his match against Pakistan at the WACA, in early 1979. Then there’s the current Victorian opener Chris Rogers, whose sole test was whilst he was a Sandgroper, so I’ve left him of my list.
So whilst we’re talking of passing the tests, one hopes we can pass the current test in Adelaide, then go one up in the series.
Glen!
It’s an interesting question Glen why the Vics, apart from Dean Jones, have not been able to provide a 50+ test batsman to save themselves. Worth mentioning Siddons & Hodge in such a list – both certainly had the ability and 1st class record to suggest they should have played 50+.
Yet Victoria produces so many fine bowlers – who by and large have ironically been also pretty accomplished with the willow down the order.
Les Joslin will be happy. His 4.5 Test average trumps Quiney. Dont worry Rob, there is still Ken Eastwood dreaming of a 3.0.
Joslin got an Ashes tour in 68 but no Tests there. NSW quick – big Dave Rennenberg – was also on that tour for county games only. There were social compensations.
Point Peter. I was a few years too young to recall Les Joslin, though there are other Joslins in the West i can recall. Dave Rennenberg, i’ve read about him, toured South Africa in 1966-67, then played a few home tests against India in 1967-68.
Dr Roy Park is the saddest case, of a Victorian Batsman, not going on at test level. Bowled first ball, only ball, in his sole test back in 1920-21. There ‘s a story, apocraphal maybe, that his wife was in the stand, knitting, waiting for him to face his first ball, dropped her darn of wool, and missed his whole test career as a batsman. I think he might have played VFL seniors for Carlton as well.
Glen!
Park was probably University’s most accomplished footballer.
I’m hoping Quiney can snare a wicket or two so he can at least boast a passable bowling average.
Other Victorians who were unlucky who played as Test openers, were Julien Wiener and Will Pucovski.
I know Wiener wasn’t good enough in his 6 Tests, averaging only 25, but he still made 2 Test half centuries and in his last Test, he made 93 against Pakistan in Pakistan, but was dropped for the next Test, never to play Test cricket again.
Since this article was written, Will Pucovski made 62 in his debut Test in 2021. Unfortunately, concussions ended his cricket career, but I’m sure he would have made a very good Test opening batsman, had he been fully fit for most of his cricket career.
Speaking of Test opening batsmen, it got me thinking of doing an Australian Test team, where every player has made a Test century as an opener and in another position in the Test batting order, or has made a Test century or at least 85, as a night watchman.
To make up the numbers, although Kerry O’Keeffe only made 14 in the 2nd innings of the 1977 Centenary Test against England, the fact that he opened the batting in place of the injured Rick McCosker, and the fact that he also made 85 in Test cricket batting lower in the order, and still averaged 25 in batting, although he was more of a bowling all-rounder, got him included in this team.
This is the Successful Australian Test team of Batsmen as Test Openers and other positions in the batting order and Nightwatchmen:
Usman Khawaja (6 Test centuries as an opener, 10 Test centuries batting in the middle order)
Justin Langer (22 Test centuries as an opener, 1 Test century batting at number 3)
Shane Watson (3 Test centuries as an opener, 1 Test century batting at number 3)
Simon Katich (6 Test centuries as an opener, 4 Test centuries batting in the middle order)
Shaun Marsh (1 Test century as an opener, 5 Test centuries batting in the middle order)
Mike Hussey (1 Test century as an opener, 18 Test centuries batting in the middle order)
Ian Healy (c) (wk) (scored 85 as a Nightwatchman, Australia v NZ Test, Perth 1997)
Peter Taylor (scored 87 as a Nightwatchman, Australia v NZ Test, Wellington, 1990, Test batting average 26.93)
Kerry O’Keeffe (opened the batting in the 2nd innings of the Centenary Test 1977, Test batting average 25.76)
Tony Mann (scored 105 as a Nightwatchman, Australia v India Test, Perth 1977, Test batting average 23.62)
Jason Gillespie (scored 201 not out as a Nightwatchman, Aust v Bangladesh Test, Chittagong 2006, Test batting avg 18.73)
This team will play a pretend exhibition match against an Unlucky Victorian Top 11 for Australia.
Venue: MCG (as the MCG’s Bay 13 is unlucky or notorious due to historical crowd behaviour)
A special guest appearance will be made by the St Kilda Football Club, as they have been very unlucky in Grand Finals, since winning their last flag in 1966. They were most unlucky to be stripped of their prized Mornington Peninsula zone, after winning that premiership.
Entertainment: The song “Good Luck Charm”, by Elvis Presley
Let’s hope for a good game of cricket, where your team will have on their side!
The last sentence in my previous comment should have read “Let’s hope for a good game of cricket, where your team will have LUCK on their side!
The late Peter Luck will report on the match between An Unlucky Victorian Top 11 for Australia and the Successful Australian Test Batsmen as Openers and Other Positions in the batting order and Nightwatchmen.
Commentators for the match will be Bill Lawry (a Victorian unluckily dropped from the Test team while he was captain), the late Dean Jones, (a Victorian who was unlucky to be dropped from the Test team), and Brad Hodge, (a Victorian who was unlucky not to play more Test cricket, after averaging 55.88 with the bat in Test cricket).
I’m sure the batsmen in this pretend exhibition match will need their fair share of luck, if they make a good score.
Since my previous comment, Travis Head (1 Test century as an opener, 9 Test centuries batting in the middle order) scored a match winning Test century as a Test opener of 123 off 83 balls to win the 1st Ashes Test. He has now been included in the Successful Australian Test Team of Batsmen as Test Openers and other positions in the batting order or as a Nightwatchman.
Head will replace Shaun Marsh at number 5 and Marsh will now be the 12th man for this team. Shane Watson kept his place ahead of Marsh, because Watson is needed to support Gillespie as a pace bowler as there are 3 spinners in the team. Watson is also better suited than Shaun Marsh to bat at number 3 for this team.