Bill Lawry

When you hear a “Dear oh dear, that’s a rippaa…” or “Its all happening at the WACA…” in a voice so full of excitement, that you wonder whether it is a baby who has just got its first candy, then you ought to know that it is none other than Bill Lawry who has probably just commented on a wicket that’s fallen!

But Bill Lawry the batsman was not so excitable. After his first series where he had caught the eye with two hundreds and fifties, he reduced his stroke play to such dour levels, that he was nicknamed as the ‘Corpse with the Pads on” by media men. That inhibiting style did not prevent him from scoring more than 5000 Test runs at an average of 47, and in turn helping him attain the captaincy after Bob Simpson’s retirement. Lawry did lead Australia to a 3-1 series win in India – something that did not happen again for 35 years – but after that, began a decline in his batting form. With controversies surrounding the team in their battle against the cricket board, the latter stripped Lawry of his captaincy attributing it to poor form.

Lawry then joined the Channel Nine commentary team for Kerry Packer’s WSC, and has been one of the most recognizable voices in the commentary box for a long time.