Allan Border: My Story

[big_e]

I'm a huge fan of Allan Border, but I thought the doco was pretty weak. Basically a highlights package interspersed with interviews with Allan Border and a few ex-players. I still watched the whole thing... but I reckon you could get something similar just by spending a few hours on Youtube.

Yeah, was thinking the same thing. For a country that loves sport and has heaps of good filmmakers, we very rarely do a good sports doco.

 

[Plugger35]

I watched the last part of the doco last night, at the end when AB was asked to sum up his career he said he would give himself a pass, about 6/10.

Humble as always, which was one of his endearing qualities, but 6/10 is selling himself short, when he retired he had the most test runs in the world.

He also held the record for the most consecutive tests and the most tests as captain, it was an impressive career by anyone's standards, a true legend.

I'm a huge fan of Allan Border, but I thought the doco was pretty weak. Basically a highlights package interspersed with interviews with Allan Border and a few ex-players. I still watched the whole thing... but I reckon you could get something similar just by spending a few hours on Youtube.

Yeah it was a pretty lightweight doco that skimmed over a lot of stuff, I was expecting it to be longer and go more in depth into his career.

I didn't learn much more about AB and his career that I didn't already know, people that didn't know much about him may have got more out of it.

Not entirely - but the relentlessness of facing the Windies regularly eventually took it's toll on Hughes which he admits was one of the reasons for the decision

It was a combination of things, him being undermined and criticised by other senior Australian players and ex-players in the media took it's toll on him and it was easier for them to take pot shots at him when he was up against the West Indies and they were always losing and he struggled to score runs.

 

[ArdenSt]

It was a combination of things, him being undermined and criticised by other senior Australian players and ex-players in the media took it's toll on him and it was easier for them to take pot shots at him when he was up against the West Indies and they were always losing and he struggled to score runs.

Mainly Ian Chappell in the media, who led a two year campaign to undermine him, which ultimately led to his resignation. He has a lot to answer for in that whole situation. Marsh, Greg Chappell and Lillee didn’t help the situation either.

Hughes probably wasn’t a great captain, but he didn’t deserve the treatment he got from Chappell. He was a particularly talented batsman, who we unfortunately never saw the best of late in his career, as he was treated so poorly, lost confidence, and the the whole South Africa thing happened. Hughes in full flight was great to watch!

 

[Lets Roar like '44]

Excellent series. Reckon they could have spaced it out another 2 episodes just to delve a little deeper. But was great to watch nonetheless.

 

[DEVO]

With the legacy Border left Australian cricket I think he deserves a better documentary than the three-episode series we've been given, it's not bad, but it only skims through his career and doesn't go into a great deal of depth. The interviews with Hughes, Waugh, Taylor, Lara, Haynes and Botham are interesting, but I would have loved to have heard the thoughts of other legendary players such as Lloyd, Richards, Gower and Gavaskar as well, and perhaps Holding, Ambrose, Walsh and Akram discussing what it was like bowling to him. It could have been so much more.

 

[Plugger35]

Mainly Ian Chappell in the media, who led a two year campaign to undermine him, which ultimately led to his resignation. He has a lot to answer for in that whole situation. Marsh, Greg Chappell and Lillee didn’t help the situation either.

Hughes probably wasn’t a great captain, but he didn’t deserve the treatment he got from Chappell. He was a particularly talented batsman, who we unfortunately never saw the best of late in his career, as he was treated so poorly, lost confidence, and the the whole South Africa thing happened. Hughes in full flight was great to watch!

Ian Chappell was the main offender n the media, he resented Kim because he didn't fit the macho bloke Aussie players of his era and he was more popular than his brother Greg back then which wouldn't have been hard as Greg was a prick of a bloke despite being a great batsman, the underarm just one example.

Rod Marsh and Dennis Lillee were even worse considering they were from WA like Kim but sided with the Chappell brothers mafia to take him down.

Kim said he has forgiven them for what happened back then, I wouldn't have been so forgiving.

Lillee bowled full pace bouncers at him in the nets, he didn't bowl them to anyone else, just a prick move.

The same thing happened to me when I was batting in the nets for Subi Floreat, our fastest bowler didn't like me so sent down fast bouncers.

I kept ducking most of them but I had the last laugh when I hooked him and got a top edge over the nets on to Floreat Oval, fetch that f***head.

By the time he came back from getting the ball I was out of the nets and working on my slips catching.

 

[the_big_sav]

i wonder who had the best ave vs the windies of that time if ab's was 39

 

[SportsCentre]

i wonder who had the best ave vs the windies of that time if ab's was 39

if you do a rough stats search on cricinfo from 1975-1994 vs West Indies, you get this:

Players Vs West Indies 1975-1994

Using 10 innings as a base,
Viswanath averaged 63
Greg Chappell 59
Wasim Raja 57
Gavaskar 56
Ian Redpath 52

the only players who topped 50 against the Windies in that test period.

 

[sandeano]

I watched the last part of the doco last night, at the end when AB was asked to sum up his career he said he would give himself a pass, about 6/10.

Humble as always, which was one of his endearing qualities, but 6/10 is selling himself short, when he retired he had the most test runs in the world.

He also held the record for the most consecutive tests and the most tests as captain, it was an impressive career by anyone's standards, a true legend.

I was always impressed by the fact that he didn't board the easy gravy train into the Channel 9 commentary box after he retired.

AB still remains my one genuine cricketing hero. My memories of cricket in the 1980s are mostly of Border walking out to the crease, squinting as he got used to the sunlight, ready to save a crumbled top and middle order. He didn't ALWAYS manage to do so, but it seemed as if he did so much of the time. He carried the weight of the nation upon his shoulders doing a job (and the media that went with it) that he never really desired.

Invariably those memories are filled with those B&W images I would see in the newspapers from overseas tours - Border at the end of a match with a five day growth, sunburnt, his whites scuffed with the dirt and grit of a godawful slog on the sub-continent.

And then there was those packed MCG ODIs when the crowd would chant "Booooor-deeer, Booooor-deeer" as the great man came out to bat.

Never flashy, never overly personable and NEVER seeking attention he was the people's favourite. For the joy and hope he gave me as a teenager during a pretty rotten period of my life he will never stop being my cricketing hero.

 

[sdfc]

if you do a rough stats search on cricinfo from 1975-1994 vs West Indies, you get this:

Players Vs West Indies 1975-1994

Using 10 innings as a base,
Viswanath averaged 63
Greg Chappell 59
Wasim Raja 57
Gavaskar 56
Ian Redpath 52

the only players who topped 50 against the Windies in that test period.

The WI weren't the WI until after WSC.

 

[sdfc]

The WI weren't the WI until after WSC.

I've probably had too much to drink, but just in case. I'm talking about that bullshit good side from the 80s that dribbled on into the 90s.

 

[Cursed Cat]

Good thread Plugger35

I haven't seen the new doco yet (can't wait) but Allan Border is and will likely always be my great sporting hero.

I was absolutely obsessed with Gary Ablett snr's brilliance, and Shane Warne mesmerized me every time he came on to bowl throughout his entire career.

But I worship AB, and words can't really describe what he means to me.

I got into a horrible internet argument (always a sign you're misspending your time) just the other day on another site with a dickhead telling me was a piece of s**t racist Alan Border was. I haven't been so fired up in years. I think the guy was from Pakistan, but it dismayed me even further to see other Australians jumping on the bandwagon.

Anyway, Border's greatness can't be measured in statistics or wins. And he comes across as a completely normal, somewhat introverted man off the field - I honestly get sentimental whenever I see him spruiking his solar panel ads up here in Qld.

I wish there were footage of his 100 and 98 vs the Windies at Port of Spain in 1984.

 

[Cursed Cat]

An amazing cricket player who stood tall against ferocious attacks and often without helmets.

Revealed: The unthinkable act that propelled Aussies to iconic Ashes triumph

Revealed: The unthinkable act that propelled Aussies to iconic Ashes triumph

www.foxsports.com.au

he is definitely in Oz's all time best eleven

sadly I see him getting left out all too often in these types of lists.

handy in the field...



...and could roll the arm over, too. Would probably get on the upcoming tour to India on the strength of his left-arm orthodox

 

[sdfc]

sadly I see him getting left out all too often in these types of lists.

handy in the field...



...and could roll the arm over, too. Would probably get on the upcoming tour to India on the strength of his left-arm orthodox

Dead-eye dick at the stumps as well.

 

[Cursed Cat]

Dead-eye dick at the stumps as well.

Yes.
Couldn't easily find any footage of him knocking the stumps down from mid-wicket though, surprisingly.

 

[Plugger35]

I was always impressed by the fact that he didn't board the easy gravy train into the Channel 9 commentary box after he retired.

AB still remains my one genuine cricketing hero. My memories of cricket in the 1980s are mostly of Border walking out to the crease, squinting as he got used to the sunlight, ready to save a crumbled top and middle order. He didn't ALWAYS manage to do so, but it seemed as if he did so much of the time. He carried the weight of the nation upon his shoulders doing a job (and the media that went with it) that he never really desired.

Invariably those memories are filled with those B&W images I would see in the newspapers from overseas tours - Border at the end of a match with a five day growth, sunburnt, his whites scuffed with the dirt and grit of a godawful slog on the sub-continent.

And then there was those packed MCG ODIs when the crowd would chant "Booooor-deeer, Booooor-deeer" as the great man came out to bat.

Never flashy, never overly personable and NEVER seeking attention he was the people's favourite. For the joy and hope he gave me as a teenager during a pretty rotten period of my life he will never stop being my cricketing hero.

You've summed him up well there.

As Ian Botham said he would be in his team every day of the week, the guy you want in the trenches with you and who you want to fight alongside.

 

[Marstermind]

I expected more. It was pretty much just a highlights package of Australian cricket in the 80s and early 90s touching on all of the stuff we already knew.

 

[Marstermind]

I was always impressed by the fact that he didn't board the easy gravy train into the Channel 9 commentary box after he retired.

Border, by nature of his youth at the time, was an establishment player during WSC. He wasn't ever going to part of Channel 9 whether he wanted to or not.

 

[the_big_sav]

if you do a rough stats search on cricinfo from 1975-1994 vs West Indies, you get this:

Players Vs West Indies 1975-1994

Using 10 innings as a base,
Viswanath averaged 63
Greg Chappell 59
Wasim Raja 57
Gavaskar 56
Ian Redpath 52

the only players who topped 50 against the Windies in that test period.

Batting records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

thats just the 80s

thanks for the original link

 

[Ohitsthatguy]

Allan Border averaged 57 away from home

Let that sink in

 

[gordo2016]

I don't think the documentary was that good. Would have been better if we heard from more players that Border came up against. Gower, Ambrose, Hadlee, Super Cat, Sir Vivian. What plans did they have to get him out? Geoff Marsh was his right hand man on the field for quite a while and they were close. Why not interview him?

 

[footyfan1978]

Yer they lifted when they bowled to Border. I'd like to know how quick that ball was, it was rocketing. Border averaging over 50 when he played a lot against the Wet Indies shows how good he was.

We had a s**t batting line-up in mid 80's.
I mean our openers were s**t and we had clowns like Fat Cat Ritchie tried out in middle order and even Simon O'Donnell bat at 6 at one point so other sides knew the only real wicket that was super important to knock the stuffing out of our team was Border's , especially as captain.
Not that different to South Africa batting this summer. You just know if we humble Elgar at the crease there not much left in South Africa's confidence to post any decent totals to win a Test here. Although in saying that, Elgar is no Border in batting ability but he clearly the most capable bat in South Africa's present Test line-up.

Kim Hughes and a few other bats had gone on Rebel tour to South Africa so that was lowest point of Aussie Test side in mid 80's for us to try to find a decent batting lin-up after that. We were probably worse ironically around time Border made his debut because our best players were playing World Series Cricket so we did not have much left in batting cupboard but Hughes when WSC Aussie side was the real side and our Test side was some put together mess of what was left in rest of Aussie cricket. Bob Willis called it our 3rds when he played us.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

I watched the last part of the doco last night, at the end when AB was asked to sum up his career he said he would give himself a pass, about 6/10.

Humble as always, which was one of his endearing qualities, but 6/10 is selling himself short, when he retired he had the most test runs in the world.

He also held the record for the most consecutive tests and the most tests as captain, it was an impressive career by anyone's standards, a true legend.




Yeah it was a pretty lightweight doco that skimmed over a lot of stuff, I was expecting it to be longer and go more in depth into his career.

I didn't learn much more about AB and his career that I didn't already know, people that didn't know much about him may have got more out of it.




It was a combination of things, him being undermined and criticised by other senior Australian players and ex-players in the media took it's toll on him and it was easier for them to take pot shots at him when he was up against the West Indies and they were always losing and he struggled to score runs.

Pretty sure Border rated himself 6/10 for his captaincy rather than his batting record.

Agree though he was too humble as he ended up with a 32-22 win-loss record... after taking the side over when they were easy beats & laying thr foundations for one of the beat ever teams. Surely 7/10.

Interesting to see him reflect in hindsight that he should have communicated to the players better, but given the circumstances, difficult to be perfect. Taylor obviously learnt from this.

 

[The hands of stone]

I don't think the documentary was that good. Would have been better if we heard from more players that Border came up against. Gower, Ambrose, Hadlee, Super Cat, Sir Vivian. What plans did they have to get him out? Geoff Marsh was his right hand man on the field for quite a while and they were close. Why not interview him?

Wouldnt get Gower , personality is the opposite of his batting ......bland and no flair .

I was suprised Marsh wasnt there though

 

[footyfan1978]

I watched the last part of the doco last night, at the end when AB was asked to sum up his career he said he would give himself a pass, about 6/10.

Humble as always, which was one of his endearing qualities, but 6/10 is selling himself short, when he retired he had the most test runs in the world.

He also held the record for the most consecutive tests and the most tests as captain, it was an impressive career by anyone's standards, a true legend.

I think he is admireable in his honesty. Fact is, he never was able to topple the West Indies in his time as captain. That is something he wanted to achieve and six out of ten is probably around the mark in his overall judgement. He lost the 92 home World Cup which would have not sat well with him and in his early era as captain had a lot of losses in Tests and not much success in mid to late 80's Took until 1989 and Ashes series win to start to be successful. He had sooner success in ODI captaincy in 1987 World Cup. He became a good captain over time but Captain Grumpy was not a label for no reason.