Max Walker dies, aged 68

MELBOURNE: Max Walker, the tangle-footed and rubber-armed Australia seamer of the 1970s, has died in Melbourne after succumbing to cancer. He was 68. A key member of the successful Australian Test teams led by Ian and Greg Chappell, Walker was also among the breakaway group of players who took part in Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket from 1977 to 1979. Their stance fundamentally altered the shape of international cricket ever since. Walker played 34 Tests for Australia, bowling into the wind opposite Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson in the memorable home summers of 1974-75 and 1975-76, when England and West Indies were laid to waste. He also stepped up notably on occasions when the aforementioned pair were injured or unavailable. Chief among these efforts were early in his career: a Test match against Pakistan in 1973 when he ran through the tourists opposite an ailing Lillee, and the West Indies tour later the same year when he led an undermanned bowling attack to one of the team’s best overseas wins. Hailing from west Hobart, where he lived until recruited to the Melbourne Football Club by the legendary coach Norm Smith, Walker became an instantly recognisable figure for his handlebar moustache and toothy grin. Later in life those features helped him become a popular commentator and entertainer; he published a string of comedic books and hosted Wide World of Sports. Tony Dodemaide, CEO of Cricket Victoria, spoke of Walker’s contribution. “Max was a positive and jovial character and devoted much of his life to playing and serving the game, during what many would call a revolutionary period for cricket,” he said. “At the completion of his playing career, Max charmed many on our TV screens as he built his career in the entertainment industry.”