Hughes recruits ‘overweight 44-year-old’

Press, 4 February 1986, Page 38

Hughes recruits ‘overweight 44-year-old’

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AAP, through NZPA Kimberley Graham “Garth” McKenzie hopes to see some Eskimos sitting in the grandstand as he prepares to take the field with Kim Hughes’ Australian Rebels in Kimberley today. If there are, he’ll know conditions should be just about right for an overweight 44-year old to bowl 10 overs. It’s wishful thinking, what with the De Beers Country Club, the venue

for the match against Griqualand West, situated only a few kilometres from the edge of the Kalahari Desert The most he could expect would be some merciful cloud cover to hold the temperature in the 30s, although the forecast in that regard isn’t too promising. McKenzie, one of the most feared pace .bowlers of his era, who played 00 tests for Australia but has lived in South Africa for the last six years, was recruited

yesterday by the injury plagued rebels. But it is strictly a oneoff arrangement With Rodney Hogg, Carl Rackemann and Peter Faulkner all carrying injuries, the Johan-nesburg-based gem dealer and Investment broker was needed to fill one of the bowling places for the 50-overs match in the world’s diamond capital. It is vital that as many frontline players as possible have a rest before Thursday’s sixth and

final one-day international against South Africa In Pretoria. Everyone thought Hughes was joking when he casually mentioned on Saturday that McKenzie would join the rebels — but the beleaguered skipper certainly wasn’t “They originally put it to me on Saturday morning before the game against the Springboks at the Wanderers,” said McKenzie, “but I didn’t think it was such a good idea at the time. “Then the injury prob-

lem got worse during the match and when they approached me again I said ‘yes.’ Really, it was the sort of invitation that was hard to refuse, although I would have liked to have played a bit more cricket recently.” His only excursions on to the pitch this season have been for three “semi-social” matches. McKenzie, whose international career spanned a decade from 1961, is Australia’s third leading wicket taker (246) behind Dennis Lil-

lee and Ritchie Benaud. His best test performance was eight for 72 against the West Indies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1968. His last test appearance was against Ray Illingworth’s M.C.C. team on their 1970/71 tour and he hasn’t played first class , cricket since turning out ’ for Leicestershire in the English County Championship 16 years ago. 1 McKenzie, who is i thinking of returning to ! Australia next year to i settle with his wife and I

two children, said he kept in reasonable shape “Obviously Hl have to take it reasonably easy and hope that this hamstring problem with the team isn’t contagious. “I hope they don’t want me to open the bowling, but no matter what I’m sure Hl get through 10 overs.” Asked where he’d most like to field, the disarmingly modest, quietly spoken West Australian replied: “Anywhere the ball’s not going to go.”