OUR WORLD CUP HEROES
1975 – NO FUSS GUS
Gary “Gus” Gilmour was the Joe Cocker of cricket: talented, quirky, a gentlemanly shambles. He’d always be tucking the shirt in after taking a wicket, never too excited, waistline revealing his liking for tucker and a beer. Yet there were a couple of things about Gus’ bowling: on his day he could make that red sucker swing like a garden gate in a gale. He also had a surprising turn of pace when the mood took him.
It all came together for Gus in the inaugural tournament, when he produced some of the most lethal pace bowling any World Cup has witnessed.
Against England in the semi-final, Gilmour took 6/14 in a mercurial display of swing and seam bowling. Most of the English cricketers had played more domestic one-day games than the Aussies were ever likely to see. By the end of Gilmour’s hooping, darting opening spell, they were 6/10 and batsmen the calibre of Amiss, Greig and Knott were as bamboozled as elocution teachers at a freestyle rap battle. It was perfection. His dismissal of Greig and the astounding catch by Marsh, fully launched, outstretched, was immortalised in a famous Patrick Eagar photo.
Australia dismissed the Poms for 93, but slumped to 6/39 in reply. Enter Gilmour, this time with the bat. He clubbed 28 not out to put the Aussies into the final against the West Indies.
Gus followed with 5/48 in the final, and for a while he looked like the man to win it for the Aussies.
1987 – THE ICEMAN COMETH
Steve Waugh’s 50-plus Test average is amazing considering the first phase of
