Bob HOLLAND

Bob Holland, the New South Wales leg spinner, was almost unplayable on the turning wickets of his home ground at Sydney, bowling West Indies to an innings defeat at the height of their success and taking 10 wickets against New Zealand a year later. Apart from one virtuoso performance at Lord's during the 1985 Ashes series he had little success elsewhere. He was already a veteran of six seasons of Sheffield Shield cricket when he was promoted to the Australia side in 1984-85 for the second Test against the West Indies at Brisbane. He took 2-97 in that match and only two expensive wickets in Adelaide, then was dropped. He returned at Sydney to bowl in tandem with left arm spinner Murray Bennett, taking 6-54 and 4-90.

Holland's 5-68 at Lord's gave Australia a four wicket victory, but he was left out of the team in Nottingham and only returned when England had gained the upper hand, taking 0-101 at Old Trafford as Gatting made 160 and 0-95 at Edgaston where Gower scored 215 and Tim Robinson 148. At Brisbane against New Zealand his figures were 0-106 and New Zealand won by an innings, so he was lucky to be retained for Sydney where he took 6-106 and 4-68, bowling Martin Crowe for 0 in the second innings. He had 3-63 in Perth, but was easy meat for the spin experts of India, taking 1-113 in an innings where Gavaskar got 172 and Srikkanth and Mohinder Amarnath also scored centuries. He played one more season for New South Wales before dropping out of big time cricket. (Bob Harragan).