10 famous moustaches in cricket

CricLife looks at 10 cricketers who have redefined fashion on the field with their trademark moustaches.

CricLife looks at 10 cricketers who have redefined fashion on the field with their trademark moustaches.

1. Merv Hughes

With his towering height and build, the Walrus moustache of Merv Hughes made him an intimidating sight on the cricket field. And a man who was a thoroughbred Aussie when it came to sledging, “Merv the Swerve” was a menace in more ways than one. Hughes was quite a character his fans wore fake moustaches like him.

2. David Boon

A banner in one of the Australian grounds proclaimed the hirsute Merv Hughes as a David Boon’s lovechild! That was for the close resemblance of their moustaches. However, unlike Hughes, Boon was rather quiet on the field.

3. Graham Gooch

He was nicknamed “Zap” for his Zapata Moustache. The moustache sometimes covered half of his cheek as he kept experimenting with various styles. The Gooch of today is a far cry minus any upper lip hair growth.

4. Ian Chappell

 

He was the opposite of Graham Gooch in the sense that in his earlier days he was minus a moustache. However, once he grew it, the moustache became an integral part of the Chappell personality. In fact, very few in the last few decades will remember Ian Chappell minus a moustache.

5. Dennis Lillee

The Lillee of the earlier days had a beard! However, that gave way to a moustache and which has remained since.

6. Shikhar Dhawan

The man who made the moustache a sign of masculine pride among the contemporary Indian players! Dhawan is as conscious of his moustache as Amitabh Bachchan is about his suits. A lot has been written about his moustache, which he loves to twirl.

7. Mitchell Johnson

The Australian pacer not only terrorised the English in Ashes 2013-14 with his fiery pace bowling also intimidated them with his drooping moustache which added to the ferocious package. A supporter of Movember campaign, Johnson sported the ‘mo’ in support of men’s health. However, after the series, in which he picked up 27 wickets and was adjudicated the man of the series, he shaved off the moustache. This disappointed his fans, but the Australian came back with the mo for the South African tour, where he again terrorised the South African batsmen. For now, the mo has become a part of Johnson’s trademark.

8. Fred Spofforth

Known to be the “Demon Bowler,” Fred Spofforth was one of the finest Australian bowlers during the 19th century. He has been called to the Ashes pioneer for Australia. The first man to take Test hat-trick and 50 wickets in the longest format, Spofforth was more than a cricketer. His stare and slow deliveries once made England’s Billy Barnes say, “Spofforth was no bowler; he were a hypnotist.”

9. Allan Border

He was a minimalist compared to the men above. Border sported a well-maintained, trimmed moustache.

10. Ravindra Jadeja 

Jadeja sported a clean-shaven look in his earlier days. But inspired by team-mate Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja started sporting a proud moustache – and, at times like Dhawan, proudly twirling it as well.

(Sudatta Mukherjee is a reporter with CricLife. Other than writing on cricket, she spends penning random thoughts on her blog and produces weekly posts on new food joints at Whopping Weekends. She played table tennis for University of Calcutta. When she is not writing, you will catch her at a movie theatre or watching some English serial on her laptop. Her Twitter id is @blackrosegal)

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