NSW Cricket Golden Summer of 1984-85
Phil Wilkins | June 18, 2023
We appreciate the permission the story as originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald - 21 April 2020
Imran Khan sent his regrets, but the infernal Taliban were playing up on the border and, coupled with the global impact of coronavirus, Imran Khan was obliged to remain home in the palace.
For once in a garlanded life, Imran was house-bound, manacled by forces beyond his control. So, the much-awaited gathering of the NSW cricketing greats of the all-conquering 1984-85 team have received the grievous bulletin that the 35th anniversary reunion luncheon to celebrate their historic Sheffield Shield and McDonald’s Cup double triumph has been postponed.
The great Imran Khan
Just a glance at the Blues squad of that summer promised it would be a special season for NSW, perhaps even a marvellous summer. But, cricket being the magnificently headstrong, unpredictable animal it can be, greatness was never set in stone for summer’s ending.
The thorny Dirk Wellham was captain of a body of talented men, most of whom had weathered numerous summer fires, an outstanding fast-bowling trio in Geoff Lawson, David Gilbert and Michael Whitney, allied with a marvellously spiced slow bowling attack of leg-spinner Robert Holland, left arm orthodox spinner Murray Bennett and off-spin bowling all-rounder Greg Matthews. They loomed as headline makers.
Likewise, if the political gods played in NSW’s favour, Imran Khan, the Pakistani fast-bowling all-rounder and World Cup-winning captain, would arrive before Christmas to scorch the all-conquering touring West Indian team’s ears for his adopted NSW brotherhood.
Test wicketkeeper Steve Rixon was keeping immaculate guard over the stumps and John Dyson was the unflinching hard man at the top of the batting order. If questions remained about the composition of the team, they focused essentially on the batting middle order.
Hard-hitting opener Steve Small was back from Tasmania, Steven (Barry) Smith and Trevor Chappell were challenging for top-order positions with Peter Clifford down from Urunga to continue his impressive performances, Rod Bower another performing productively in the Sydney club scene.An exciting pair of newcomers - twins, as it happened - were beginning to loom large on the horizon, Waugh by name, Stephen and Mark Waugh. Their day would come.
Steve Waugh
Sure enough, NSW performed well in the Sheffield Shield, their only losses being first innings defeats, home and away, to Western Australia.
Australia certainly needed something to cheer with the West Indians running riot in the first Test at the WACA Ground in Perth, Michael Holding scorching hearts and lungs in capturing 6-21 in Australia’s record low first innings of 76.
It would be a long time before Test nation supremacy turned global – a decade, in fact - before Mark Taylor’s men regained the Frank Worrell Trophy that marvellous day at Sabina Park in Jamaica. By then the twins were kings of the cricketing road.
More immediately, with “Maxy” Bennett and “Dutchy” Holland in and out of the Australian squad all summer, they were at last united for the fifth Test in Sydney, and how the NSW pair responded on the Bulli soil-topped SCG pitch.
Both spinners delivered 55 overs apiece for the Test, combining superbly in a strategy attacking the West Indians’ leg stump, Holland claiming 10-144 and Bennett 5-124 in an innings and 55-run rout of the Windies.
With Whitney lost for the season with torn rib cartilage and Lawson troubled by a strained left knee, the arrival of Imran could not have been more opportune for NSW.
With his inordinate patience, Dyson continued taking the shine from the new ball, and with Clifford, Smith, Wellham, Matthews and, late in the summer, Steve Waugh, enjoying productive seasons, the Blues rolled on unassailingly into the Shield final against Queensland at the SCG.
Imran took the new ball in the final with Gilbert and rewarded the Blues with the outstanding figures of 4-66 and 5-34 in what became one of the most enthralling Shield games ever witnessed.
Queensland (374 and 163) led on the first innings by 56 runs and when the Blues slumped to 8-175 in their second innings, needing 220, all seemed lost only for Clifford and Holland to raise hopes of a miracle by putting on 34 runs in the most tenacious of partnerships for the ninth wicket.
Fighting tooth and nail, through the enthralling session, NSW’s 10th-wicket pair of Clifford (83 not out) and Gilbert (8 not out) added 14 runs to gain marvellous victory by one wicket. Never was there a finer Sheffield Shield victory and, again, the question was asked: Why is “Cliffo” not in the Test team?
Peter Clifford
The triumph made the summer complete for NSW, skipper Wellham having been man of the match in the McDonald’s Cup final against South Australia for his dashing innings of 51 from 38 deliveries with eight boundaries.
NSW had much to celebrate from that far-distant summer. Deservedly will yesterday’s heroes enjoy their feats and memories from the SCG, 35 years after those historic achievements, whenever the luncheon is conducted, with or without Imran.Khan
