Dirk Wellham - Why he doesn't deserve to be voted one of the worst
January 8th 2007 10:52
I know that someone out there is going to conclude after reading this that I have either lost what little sense I have or I really have nothing better to do. Sshh! I think it's a little bit of both, but keep that under your hat.
Does anyone remember the former Australian player and NSW/Tasmanian/Queensland Captain Dirk Wellham? When I was growing up for some reason he appealed to me as a player. Yeah, yeah yeah laugh all you want, because I can hear you saying "What, are you kidding me? He was one of the worst players to ever represent Australia!" Well I decided that I had to do my research on this to prove either he was or he wasn't one of the worst ever to represent the country as he frequently appears on worst Australian teams. What I found may or may not surprise you.
Through my research through statistics (both his and comparison to others) and reading of his book, he strikes me as somewhat of a controversial, enigmatic personality that didn't always fit in with the hierarcy of the team, the board, the selectors, the fans or the media. By his own admission he wasn't "gregarious or one of the boys". That didn't stop him being a fairly good cricketer (he is only one of two batsmen in history to score a century on debut for state and country) and a first rate state captain (where he won two sheffield shields in a row (including the double of the shield and the one day competition).
He played six tests between 1981 and 1987. He seems to have unfairly taken some flak for some of his supposed actions which may have reflected negatively on his standing with the selectors and the board. On his test debut in 1981 where he was approaching his century he was sent a message from the captain, Kim Hughes, who had seen the clouds get dark, to take his time. He was tied down by Peter Parker and Ian Botham for 25 minutes before he could get to his century. He was subsequently dropped for the next test that Australia played. He managed to play another three tests in 1981-82 and again subsequently disappeared again from the test team. He didn't exactly get an extended run throughout his career as the next time he was chosen was again for the sixth test and final test against England in 1985. A tour that seemed very unhappy and very divided because of the rebel tour to South Africa. A tour that he had signed to go on and then pulled out of, which upset many both on the inside and the outside of the team and the board. It seems that he and three others, Graeme Wood, Wayne Phillips and Murray Bennett who also were to have gone to South Africa, but like Wellham, pulled out at the last minute, were interrogated by the other players as to where their loyalties were and on top of that a unanimous vote was taken by the squad behind their backs that basically said that they weren't wanted in the squad.
He again disappeared from the test team after the sixth test and stayed on the fringe of international cricket with intermittent appearances in the one day side until he was again chosen in a dead rubber in the fifth test against England at Sydney in 1987. He, according to reports was chosen to be Allan Borders deputy by the selectors but this was rejected unanimously by the Board for their own reasons. It is also reported not only in his book, but in History of Australian Cricket (by Chris Harte) that he was the one who lead the team on the field to their only win in that series. It is also rumoured (don't sue!) that Allan Border locked himself in a hotel room when he found out that Wellham was to be his vice captain. Personally I believe he would have made an excellent Australian captain, but was never given a real opportunity at the top level. Despite him playing in most of the one day matches the summer of 1986-87 and being a part of the winning fifth test team, his career was over after the tour of Sharjah in early 1987.
Granted cricket is about performance and his test average is only 23.37 which is quite unremarkable compared to others, but given that his stop start test career was stretched over six years I decide to compare how his average over his short six test career compared to other more established Australian test cricketers averages (both current and former) in their first six tests. The results are below
Mike Hussey 80, Adam Gilchrist 69, Allan Border 70, Mark Taylor 63, Michael Clarke 60, Mark Waugh 51, Dean Jones/Graham Yallop 46, Geoff Marsh 38, Ricky Ponting/Greg Ritchie 33, David Hookes 32, Justin Langer 26, Matthew Hayden 25, Kim Hughes 24, Dirk Wellham 23 , Mike Veletta 21, David Boon 18, Andrew Symonds 17, Steve Waugh 14.
My conclusion just going by the statistics alone, he actually had a better average than Boon, Steve Waugh and Andrew Symonds after six tests each and there was only 3 and 2 runs on average between himself and Hayden and Langer. Isn't that a surprise? Statistically at that point in their test careers they were pretty much on par. Therefore he cannot be one of the worst cricketers to pull on the baggy green cap and after looking at all of the research I don't believe that his batting performance was what kept him out of the test side in the end.
Does anyone remember the former Australian player and NSW/Tasmanian/Queensland Captain Dirk Wellham? When I was growing up for some reason he appealed to me as a player. Yeah, yeah yeah laugh all you want, because I can hear you saying "What, are you kidding me? He was one of the worst players to ever represent Australia!" Well I decided that I had to do my research on this to prove either he was or he wasn't one of the worst ever to represent the country as he frequently appears on worst Australian teams. What I found may or may not surprise you.
Through my research through statistics (both his and comparison to others) and reading of his book, he strikes me as somewhat of a controversial, enigmatic personality that didn't always fit in with the hierarcy of the team, the board, the selectors, the fans or the media. By his own admission he wasn't "gregarious or one of the boys". That didn't stop him being a fairly good cricketer (he is only one of two batsmen in history to score a century on debut for state and country) and a first rate state captain (where he won two sheffield shields in a row (including the double of the shield and the one day competition).
He played six tests between 1981 and 1987. He seems to have unfairly taken some flak for some of his supposed actions which may have reflected negatively on his standing with the selectors and the board. On his test debut in 1981 where he was approaching his century he was sent a message from the captain, Kim Hughes, who had seen the clouds get dark, to take his time. He was tied down by Peter Parker and Ian Botham for 25 minutes before he could get to his century. He was subsequently dropped for the next test that Australia played. He managed to play another three tests in 1981-82 and again subsequently disappeared again from the test team. He didn't exactly get an extended run throughout his career as the next time he was chosen was again for the sixth test and final test against England in 1985. A tour that seemed very unhappy and very divided because of the rebel tour to South Africa. A tour that he had signed to go on and then pulled out of, which upset many both on the inside and the outside of the team and the board. It seems that he and three others, Graeme Wood, Wayne Phillips and Murray Bennett who also were to have gone to South Africa, but like Wellham, pulled out at the last minute, were interrogated by the other players as to where their loyalties were and on top of that a unanimous vote was taken by the squad behind their backs that basically said that they weren't wanted in the squad.
He again disappeared from the test team after the sixth test and stayed on the fringe of international cricket with intermittent appearances in the one day side until he was again chosen in a dead rubber in the fifth test against England at Sydney in 1987. He, according to reports was chosen to be Allan Borders deputy by the selectors but this was rejected unanimously by the Board for their own reasons. It is also reported not only in his book, but in History of Australian Cricket (by Chris Harte) that he was the one who lead the team on the field to their only win in that series. It is also rumoured (don't sue!) that Allan Border locked himself in a hotel room when he found out that Wellham was to be his vice captain. Personally I believe he would have made an excellent Australian captain, but was never given a real opportunity at the top level. Despite him playing in most of the one day matches the summer of 1986-87 and being a part of the winning fifth test team, his career was over after the tour of Sharjah in early 1987.
Granted cricket is about performance and his test average is only 23.37 which is quite unremarkable compared to others, but given that his stop start test career was stretched over six years I decide to compare how his average over his short six test career compared to other more established Australian test cricketers averages (both current and former) in their first six tests. The results are below
Mike Hussey 80, Adam Gilchrist 69, Allan Border 70, Mark Taylor 63, Michael Clarke 60, Mark Waugh 51, Dean Jones/Graham Yallop 46, Geoff Marsh 38, Ricky Ponting/Greg Ritchie 33, David Hookes 32, Justin Langer 26, Matthew Hayden 25, Kim Hughes 24, Dirk Wellham 23 , Mike Veletta 21, David Boon 18, Andrew Symonds 17, Steve Waugh 14.
My conclusion just going by the statistics alone, he actually had a better average than Boon, Steve Waugh and Andrew Symonds after six tests each and there was only 3 and 2 runs on average between himself and Hayden and Langer. Isn't that a surprise? Statistically at that point in their test careers they were pretty much on par. Therefore he cannot be one of the worst cricketers to pull on the baggy green cap and after looking at all of the research I don't believe that his batting performance was what kept him out of the test side in the end.
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Comment by Norm
Consumption Malfunction
Equal and Opposite
Arses and Elbows
Footy Power
your passion for Dirk is both endearing and astounding.
I remember seeing him bat and hearing him talk.
I'm glad I'll never have to again.
No offence.
Hearing him talk I wished that I was watching him bat.
Watching him bat I was wishing him talk.
Anyway, that's me.
Keep digging up skeletons,
Norm.
Comment by Anonymous
Certainly not one of the worste and certainly more intelligent than those who defame his talent.
Comment by Anonymous
Jason