Graham Yallop
Yallop was born at Balwyn, Victoria in 1952 and played for Richmond age-group sides in the Dowling Shield during the late 1960s.
"[1] Initially more of a bowler, Yallop's coach at Richmond was former England international Frank Tyson, who had emigrated to Australia.
These included scores of 34 and 30 against the touring England side[5] and his debut first class century (100 not out) against South Australia.
In his memoirs Yallop wrote that he had "no doubts that certain members of that team wanted me to fail and therefore prove that the selectors had erred.
"[16] Following the retirement of Ian Chappell and Redpath, Yallop had a chance to consolidate his place in the Australian team in 1976–77.
Yallop scored 118 in a tour game against Guyana when his jaw was broken by a bouncer from Colin Croft.
At the beginning of the 1978–79 season, the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) decided that Bob Simpson should not continue as captain[26] and Yallop was installed as his replacement ahead of the first Test of the Ashes series against England.
[citation needed] Despite a century in Australia's second innings of the first Test, the team was beaten by seven wickets in the series opener.
[34] In his account of the series, The Ashes Retained, Brearley wrote that the English players nicknamed Yallop "Banzai" because of his tendency to adopt suicidally attacking fields at all times, when on occasion a more defensive approach may have prevented the England team's free scoring.
[38] At the end of the summer, a book came out under Yallop's name about his season's experiences, entitled Lambs To The Slaughter.
[41] Yallop kept his place in the team after losing the captaincy, playing in the 1979 Cricket World Cup and all six Tests on the tour of India in late 1979, the last Australian series before the WSC players were welcomed back into the national side.
He played in a single One Day International (ODI) during the 1979–80 season[46] and was selected for the tour of Pakistan in early 1980.
"[51] Despite this he was not picked for Australia during the 1980–81 summer, losing his spot to Doug Walters who was experiencing a resurgence of form, whilst Yallop's had dropped off again.
Much was made of Yallop's susceptibility to fast bowling because of an unusual incident during the fourth Test of the 1981 tour.
[1] Commentating on the match, Richie Benaud called Hughes's actions "as curious a captaincy decision as I have ever seen".
[56] He returned to the Victorian side in December and scored 647 first-class during the season but was overlooked for the Australian tour of Pakistan in 1982, the selectors preferring to take Greg Ritchie and Wayne Phillips.
Yallop was reappointed as Victoria's captain for the 1982–83 season and enjoyed a golden run of form that summer.
With the Australian middle-order batters all scoring consistently, he was, however, unable to break into the international side during the home summer.
[59] His form continued in the One Day International series, including making three half-centuries in the four matches on the tour,[60][61][62][63] Yallop was chosen in Australia's squad for the 1983 Cricket World Cup in England where he performed well, making another two half-centuries,[64][65] although the team did not advance beyond the group stage of the competition.
In the first Test he made 141, taking part in a 259 run partnership with debutant Wayne Phillips, an Australian record for any wicket against Pakistan.
[68] A contemporary report said "that Yallop should be the celebrity of the Australian team demonstrates again cricket's delightful uncertainty."
"[69] Bob Simpson called the innings "one of the finest I have seen" and said "Yallop has been one of the most maligned and poorly treated players in my experience in cricket.
"[16] A score of 30 in the fifth Test brought Yallop's series aggregate to 554 runs at an average of 92.33, comfortably the best result of any Australian batsman.
During the game, Yallop strained his left knee in a fielding mishap when trying to stop a boundary from Viv Richards.
Yallop then withdrew himself from the Victorian Shield team to play Tasmania, claiming a knee injury.
"[78] At the time Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke was highly critical of the tour, saying that "I and this government will not change our view about that obnoxious system of apartheid.
"[78] Undoubtedly, Yallop was more at home against slow bowling and was considered one of the best players of spinners during an era when few existed.
Although not ideally suited to the one-day game, Yallop's ODI figures are good and he played in the World Cups of 1979 and 1983 and toured India in 1984.
[83] He has worked closely with Indonesian cricket, coaching and fund raising, including donating one of his baggy green caps for auction for its development.
In appreciation, the premier cricket ground in Jakarta was named the Graham Yallop Oval in his honour.
