Character, raconteur and ‘ornament to cricket’
Max Walker, one of Australian sport’s larger-than-life characters in his heyday as a cricketer and raconteur, has died aged 68 after a two-year fight against melanoma.
The larrikin from Hobart, Tasmania, with the famous handlebar moustache and indomitable spirit, was a hard-nosed fast bowler in 34 tests between 1972 and 1977, taking 138 wickets at 27.47, including six five-wicket hauls, and 17 one-day internationals.
He was the first Tasmanian to be picked for a test since CL Badcock in 1936. He had earlier played 93 matches in six years with the Melbourne Football Club – but cricket won his heart.
Nicknamed Tangles because of his wrong-footed action, Walker gave strong support to frontline quicks Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, but was capable of leading the attack himself, as he did in the sixth test of the 1974-75 Ashes series when he claimed 8-143.
’’No captain would want for a better performer in the attack, taking into account ability, motive, a never-give-in approach, stamina and purpose than Max Walker,’’ was how the ABC cricket book of Australia’s tour of England in 1977 encapsulated his career.
After retiring in the aftermath of World Series Cricket, Walker appeared on the ABC, 3AK and 2UE radio commentary teams and, after a stint at Channel Seven, Channel Nine. A trained architect, he featured on the network’s cricket commentary between 1986 and 1991 – he would be parodied by satirist Billy Birmingham in The Twelfth Man series.
He lahosted the Nine’s The Sunday Footy Show from 1993-1998, Nine’s Wide World of Sports programme and became an in-demand guest speaker known for his outrageous stories. Walker was also a successful author, releasing 14 books, including light-hearted contributions, The Wit of Walker, How to Kiss a Crocodile and How to Puzzle a Python.
Ian Johnson, the former Australian captain and secretary of the MCG, said he was an ‘‘ornament’’ to the game.