Ashley Mallett: 15 facts about the classy Australian off-spinner

Ashley Mallett, born on July 13, 1945, was an off-spinner who represented Australia in 38 Tests. He is also known for his contributions to cricket journalism, having authored numerous books and columns over the years.

Ashley Mallett, born on July 13, 1945, was an off-spinner who represented Australia in 38 Tests. He is also known for his contributions to cricket journalism, having authored numerous books and columns over the years. Nishad Pai Vaidya picks 14 facts about the former Australian off-spinner.

1.  Starting off in Western Australia

Mallett was born in Sydney, but lived for most of his young life in Perth. He spent his formative years in the sport in the Western Australian city and had also made it to their main side, without getting a game.

2.  Moving to South Australia

Since Mallett was not getting opportunities in Western Australia (WA), he decided to move to South Australia. “I had been 12th man for WA and TJ [Terry Jenner] had played 30-odd state matches, but with [Tony] Lock at WA, we had to go elsewhere,” Mallett wrote in a column for ESPNcricinfo. 

3.  Clarrie Grimmett’s guidance

Along with Jenner, Mallett worked with one of the finest Australian spinners of yesteryear. The move to South Australia worked wonders as they met with Clarrie Grimmett and honed their skills under his watchful eye.

4.  Relationship with Jenner

Mallett and Jenner were inseparable some said. Both started off in Western Australia and had travelled to South Australia for better cricketing opportunities. Off the field as well, they shared a close relationship. Mallett called Jenner his “twin.”

5.  ‘Rowdy’

Mallett was gentlemanly in nature that he was given the ironic nickname of “Rowdy” by his teammates.

6.  Career-best Test score on debut

Mallett wasn’t known for his batting, but on his Test debut against England at The Oval in 1968, he scored 43 not out, which remained his highest score in a 38-match career. In that game, he took a total of five wickets, his first victim being the great Colin Cowdrey.

7.  Shining in India

Mallett’s second overseas assignment with the Australian team was in India in 1969. Bill Lawry led the team to a memorable 3-1 series victory. Mallett was the star in that series, having picked 28 wickets in the five Tests at an average of 19.10 with three fifers and one ten-wicket match haul. In the fifth and final Test at Chennai, he took a total of 10 wickets, which remains his best. On the entire tour, he took 45 wickets in eight First-Class matches at an average of 17.20. With those performances, he was named the Indian Cricketer of the Year in 1970, along with his teammate Ian Chappell.

8.  Best bowling figures in the inaugural One-Day International

Mallett was a part of the Australian side that played the inaugural One-Day International (ODI) against England in 1971. He took three for 34 in his eight overs to register the best figures in the match. Ray Illingworth and Keith Stackpole also took three wickets in the match but Mallett was the most economical. In fact, Mallett dismissed John Edrich, the highest scorer in that match.

9.  Best Test figures

Mallett produced figures of eight for 59 in the second innings of the Adelaide Test against Pakistan in 1972. His spell helped Australia win the Test by an innings and 114 runs. These were his best figures in a Test and First-Class innings.

10.  World Series Cricket and Kerry Packer

Mallett was not playing cricket when Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket (WSC) was shaping up. He had settled in his job as a journalist, but tried to get picked for the WSC given the financial aspects. He spoke to Ian Chappell, who agreed to relay it to Packer. In his column for ESPNcricinfo, Mallett recalls a rather acrimonious build-up to his selection. “I’m not hiring that f****** straight breaker!” is what Packer told Chappell. However, Packer laid a condition that Mallett will have to bowl to him in Sydney and dismiss him twice in an over to have a chance of getting a WSC contract. When Chappell told Mallett about this, he replied, “Chappelli, tell Mr Packer to get f*****!” Of course, Chappell did not convey that message and somehow Mallett was picked to play in the WSC.

11.  Bradman’s call

Around the same time when Mallett was trying to push for a WSC stint, Don Bradman was in process of building an Australian side in the absence of Kerry Packer’s recruits. Thus, Bob Simpson was recalled as captain years after he had quit the game. Bradman even called Mallett to consider a comeback, but unlike Simpson, he wasn’t given a guarantee that he would be picked for all the Tests.

12.  Test comeback in 1980

Mallett made a comeback to the Australian Test team in 1980 and played in three Tests. He was a shadow of himself by then and took only seven wickets in three matches that year. His last international appearance was the Centenary Test of 1980 at Lord’s.

13.  Suspicions on Hansie Cronje

In 2000, when the match-fixing scandal broke out and Hansie Cronje was found guilty, Mallett voiced his suspicions about an Australia-South Africa Test of 1997-98. Sydney Morning Herald reported Mallett saying, “I sensed that something was wrong. In the light of the recent revelations, lots of little thing began to add up.” Mallett said that he found Cronje’s tactics of bowling on Steve Waugh’s pads quite suspicious.

14.  Coaching

Mallett has had coaching experiences after his playing days. During South Africa’s tour to Australia in 1997-98, he was working with the tourists. Then in 2006, he was roped in by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) as a spin bowling consultant.

15.  Prolific author

Mallett has written columns on cricket quite regularly but has also made a name for himself with his numerous books on the sport. He has written biographies on Jeff Thomson, Ian Chappell, Doug Walters and Clarrie Grimmett to name a few, to go with other books on cricket.

(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Mumbai-based cricket journalist and one of the youngest to cover the three major cricketing events — ICC World Cup, World T20 and under-19 World Cup. He tweets as @nishad_45)

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