4 successful 'heavyweight' players in cricket
To be a modern-day cricketer and to represent the country, fitness has become a prerequisite. A highly controversial fitness test - The Yo-Yo test has become the ultimate test of fitness. Failing this test, a player howsoever talented and skillful, is not even considered for selection. Most of the top cricket playing nations have adopted the Yo-Yo test as the sole decider of an individual's fitness.
Had this been the case a few years back, cricket fans perhaps wouldn't have had the opportunity to see a few legends in action. These slightly bulky cricketers did not possess the same speed, agility, and flexibility but were instrumental in their team's success. These individuals did not have a chiseled body like modern-day cricketers have but they had an abundance of talent and skills which made up for their lack of agility.
The supreme significance given to Yo-Yo fitness test has been heavily criticized across the cricket community who believe in combining skills and fitness levels in order to take a practical decision.
Let us have a look at 4 such heavyweights who performed exceedingly well for their respective countries.
#4 David Boon - Australia
David Boon was remarkably athletic for a stocky man. He had a heart of a lion and a razor-sharp brain hard-wired to easily handle challenging situations. One of the finest examples of grit and determination - David Boon was neither delightful nor that entertaining with the bat but always attached a price on his wicket.
Boon made his debut in 1984, and soon became an important member of the Aussie side in both Tests and ODIs. Batting at number 3 in Tests, he scored daddy hundreds - an astonishing 21 tons in 107 matches. Many of these knocks came in the all-important Ashes and against India as well.
The primary reason why Boon was so effective against India was his ability to play spin well. Being an Australian, this rare skill of his was instrumental in Australia's World Cup victory in 1987 which was played in India. A carefully built knock of 75 against England in the finals of 1987 World Cup that held the innings together for the Aussies turned out to be a match-winning one and Boon was adjudged the Man of the Match.