Recent from talks
Ian Redpath
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Ian Redpath
Ian Ritchie Redpath MBE (11 May 1941 – 1 December 2024) was an Australian international cricketer who played in 66 Test matches and five One Day Internationals between 1964 and 1976. Greg Chappell said he was one of only two players he knew who would kill to get into the Australian Test team, the other being Rod Marsh.
Educated at Geelong College, Redpath played first-class cricket for Victoria in 92 matches, scoring 6,103 runs with a highest score of 261 made in only his tenth first-class innings, scored in February 1962 against a Queensland attack including Wes Hall.
He made his test debut on New Year's Day at Melbourne in the second test of the 1963–64 series against South Africa. Opening the batting with Bill Lawry, the pair added 219 before Redpath was bowled on 97. Redpath was the last Australian Test cricketer to play as an amateur. He declined the match fee in his early Tests in order not to jeopardise his Australian rules football career in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA), where he played for Geelong Amateurs and was a four-time club best and fairest winner. His playing permit was revoked when he eventually accepted a match fee for the 1964 Ashes series, but it was restored by the VAFA 60 years later in August 2024.
With his lean, gangly body and long neck, Redpath attracted the early nickname "Gandhi" among his teammates. However, when some concerns about this were expressed by local fans on the Australian tour of India in 1964–65, his colleagues permanently reverted to the simpler "Redders".[citation needed] Originally a sweet striker of the ball, Redpath turned into something of a stonewaller, with impressive powers of concentration and a sound technique. He matured late. It would not be until the Sydney test of February 1969 against the West Indies that he reached his maiden test century. In that same series, at Adelaide, he was infamously run out backing up at the bowler's end by Charlie Griffith, without the customary warning from the bowler.[citation needed]
Having broken through with a big score, Redpath flourished and proceeded to score seven Test centuries in the second half of his career, including five in his final 15 Tests, and three in his final test series in 1975–76 whilst opening the batting against a vaunted West Indian fast bowling attack featuring Michael Holding and Andy Roberts. It was not until his penultimate test that he struck his first six, advancing down the wicket to loft Lance Gibbs over the fence. Having done so, he promptly hit another six in the same innings. Considered the most correct batsman in the world by Trevor Goddard in 1966–67, in his maturity, he was a fine player of spin bowling. [failed verification]
He was Australian vice captain to Ian Chappell in 1974–75, and to Greg Chappell in 1975–76. He was batting when the young Greg Chappell made a century on debut against England in 1970–71, who later wrote
My first innings in Test cricket was, as you might expect, a trying experience, but proved to be one of the best cricket lessons of my career, thanks to Ian Redpath. I came to the wicket with Australia reeling at 5/107 to join "Redders", who had watched three quick wickets fall at the other end. Illingworth and Snow, sensing that one more wicket would see them through our batting line up, stepped up their attack on the senior member of our partnership. "Snowy" concentrated his attack short of a length on "Redders" off-stump, with a liberal sprinkling of shorter pitched balls for good measure. Ian made a point of not playing at anything he didn't have to and ducked or swayed away from the shorter deliveries. Each time he swayed or ducked he came back to the upright position and sneered at "Snowy". It may not have looked all that pretty, but it was pretty effective as both Illingworth and Snow became more and more frustrated. Ian's example at the other end made me feel that if it meant that much to him to keep his wicket intact then I had better make sure I try just as hard at my end to keep mine intact. Fortunately we both succeeded and our partnership put us into a sound position, but from my point of view I had received an invaluable lesson in what Test match batting was all about from one of the most courageous batsmen ever to play for Australia.
In that match, Redpath made his highest Test score of 171 before he was caught and bowled by Ray Illingworth. He and the younger Chappell put on 219 for the sixth wicket. Redpath made 497 runs (49.70) in the series and the England fast bowler John Snow wrote "I liked bowling to him least of all" and added that he was "a real nuisance batsman".
Hub AI
Ian Redpath AI simulator
(@Ian Redpath_simulator)
Ian Redpath
Ian Ritchie Redpath MBE (11 May 1941 – 1 December 2024) was an Australian international cricketer who played in 66 Test matches and five One Day Internationals between 1964 and 1976. Greg Chappell said he was one of only two players he knew who would kill to get into the Australian Test team, the other being Rod Marsh.
Educated at Geelong College, Redpath played first-class cricket for Victoria in 92 matches, scoring 6,103 runs with a highest score of 261 made in only his tenth first-class innings, scored in February 1962 against a Queensland attack including Wes Hall.
He made his test debut on New Year's Day at Melbourne in the second test of the 1963–64 series against South Africa. Opening the batting with Bill Lawry, the pair added 219 before Redpath was bowled on 97. Redpath was the last Australian Test cricketer to play as an amateur. He declined the match fee in his early Tests in order not to jeopardise his Australian rules football career in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA), where he played for Geelong Amateurs and was a four-time club best and fairest winner. His playing permit was revoked when he eventually accepted a match fee for the 1964 Ashes series, but it was restored by the VAFA 60 years later in August 2024.
With his lean, gangly body and long neck, Redpath attracted the early nickname "Gandhi" among his teammates. However, when some concerns about this were expressed by local fans on the Australian tour of India in 1964–65, his colleagues permanently reverted to the simpler "Redders".[citation needed] Originally a sweet striker of the ball, Redpath turned into something of a stonewaller, with impressive powers of concentration and a sound technique. He matured late. It would not be until the Sydney test of February 1969 against the West Indies that he reached his maiden test century. In that same series, at Adelaide, he was infamously run out backing up at the bowler's end by Charlie Griffith, without the customary warning from the bowler.[citation needed]
Having broken through with a big score, Redpath flourished and proceeded to score seven Test centuries in the second half of his career, including five in his final 15 Tests, and three in his final test series in 1975–76 whilst opening the batting against a vaunted West Indian fast bowling attack featuring Michael Holding and Andy Roberts. It was not until his penultimate test that he struck his first six, advancing down the wicket to loft Lance Gibbs over the fence. Having done so, he promptly hit another six in the same innings. Considered the most correct batsman in the world by Trevor Goddard in 1966–67, in his maturity, he was a fine player of spin bowling. [failed verification]
He was Australian vice captain to Ian Chappell in 1974–75, and to Greg Chappell in 1975–76. He was batting when the young Greg Chappell made a century on debut against England in 1970–71, who later wrote
My first innings in Test cricket was, as you might expect, a trying experience, but proved to be one of the best cricket lessons of my career, thanks to Ian Redpath. I came to the wicket with Australia reeling at 5/107 to join "Redders", who had watched three quick wickets fall at the other end. Illingworth and Snow, sensing that one more wicket would see them through our batting line up, stepped up their attack on the senior member of our partnership. "Snowy" concentrated his attack short of a length on "Redders" off-stump, with a liberal sprinkling of shorter pitched balls for good measure. Ian made a point of not playing at anything he didn't have to and ducked or swayed away from the shorter deliveries. Each time he swayed or ducked he came back to the upright position and sneered at "Snowy". It may not have looked all that pretty, but it was pretty effective as both Illingworth and Snow became more and more frustrated. Ian's example at the other end made me feel that if it meant that much to him to keep his wicket intact then I had better make sure I try just as hard at my end to keep mine intact. Fortunately we both succeeded and our partnership put us into a sound position, but from my point of view I had received an invaluable lesson in what Test match batting was all about from one of the most courageous batsmen ever to play for Australia.
In that match, Redpath made his highest Test score of 171 before he was caught and bowled by Ray Illingworth. He and the younger Chappell put on 219 for the sixth wicket. Redpath made 497 runs (49.70) in the series and the England fast bowler John Snow wrote "I liked bowling to him least of all" and added that he was "a real nuisance batsman".