5 legendary cricketers who had forgettable Test debuts
For any aspiring cricketer who is seeking to make a mark in the international arena, the very first Test match often proves to be the toughest barrier. After numerous years of toil and sacrifices, the biggest occasion of a lifetime can be pretty daunting.
However, there have been plenty of iconic players whose initial foray into the sport of Cricket was nothing short of dreadful. The more important aspect is that those legends managed to bounce back and went on to forge illustrious careers.
Let us go through the forgettable debuts of such prominent cricketers and the subsequent impact that they would go onto have.
#5 – Michael Holding
Imagine Michael Holding in full flow – arms limbering up, feet waltzing along and the graceful execution. The man who was dubbed ‘Whispering Death’ made his entry on one of the bounciest pitches in the world.
However, Greg Chappell took advantage of Holding’s wayward pace at the Gabba and flayed him to all corners. After West Indies were dismissed for 214 in which he himself struck some lusty blows, the Jamaican bowled 20 8-ball overs and conceded 81 runs without picking any wicket.
A resilient second innings partnership between Lawrence Rowe and Alvin Kallicharran set the host a tricky target of 219. But, Greg Chappell replicated his heroics to reach the triple figure mark again. As for Holding, a return of 46 runs from 10 overs meant that he had to wait for Perth to pick up his maiden scalp.
At the WACA, the speedster showed his class by razing through the Australian lower order in a decisive spell which set the stage for a convincing victory. When he was done, there were 249 wickets to his name from 60 games at an average of 23.68.