Graham McKenzie


Graham Douglas McKenzie commonly called Garth McKenzie after the comic strip hero is an Australian cricketer who played for Western Australia , Leicestershire , Transvaal and Australia and was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1965. He succeeded Alan Davidson as Australias premier fast bowler and was in turn succeeded by Dennis Lillee, playing with both at either end of his career. McKenzie was particularly noted for his muscular physique and ability to take wickets on good batting tracks. His father Eric McKenzie and uncle Douglas McKenzie played cricket for Western Australia and Garth was chosen for the Ashes tour of England in 1961 aged only 19. He made his debut in the Second Test at Lords cricket ground, where his 537 wrapped up the England innings to give Australia awicket victory.

1964 saw McKenzies made his second Ashes tour of England. He led the attack as Australia retained the Ashes. Hiswickets in five Tests equalled the highest obtained for Australia in England by Clarrie Grimmett in 1930. He tookwickets when Australia visited India and Pakistan on the return journey to Australia. Another seven wickets in a one off Test against Pakistan in Melbourne in December established a new record for the number of Test wickets in the space of one year fromDecember 1963 toDecember 1964 he took 73 wickets in fifteen Tests. This surpassed Maurice Tates 65 wickets in 192425. In this period, he became the youngest bowler to reach 100 wickets, at the age ofand 162 days, 139 days younger than A.L. Valentine. He was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1965, the first Western Australian born recipient.

Source: Wikipedia


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