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What you see is what you get - the Bill Lawry legacy
Lawry has been commentating for 40 years now. © Getty
It was way back in 1947 when a nine-year-old Bill Lawry was taken to the Melbourne Cricket Ground by his father to watch his first Ashes Test. What he didn't know then though, that it was the start of an alliance that would span as many as six decades. After making his Test debut for Australia in 1961, he played eight Tests at the MCG, but has called games as he saw them for years together, with 2017 marking the 40th year of weaving his magic as a commentator for Channel Nine.
Lawry is your quintessential commentator. He still marks the start of an Australian summer with vibrant enthusiasm that he has always been associated with - even at the age of 80! That the commentary roster has breaks slotted for him doesn't amount to him shutting off; he stays tuned in irrespective so that he's in sync with what is being spoken of by his colleagues in order to avoid repetition or incognizance.
His attempt to avoid distractions stretches to the extent of even leaving his phone behind at home while he's at a Test. "Bill isn't available right now; he is at the stadium," says his wife Joy, as I call to set up a chat. "Although, I think there might be a problem. You speak too fast and your accent is very strong. You might have to slow down for him to understand," she laughs.
And it was little surprise when Lawry himself reiterated the same, with a jovial chuckle, resounding that similar to that of his wife.
Lawry was a sales manager for a whitegoods manufacturing company. He was for 28 years, and would have been quite happy to continue working there until retirement, he says. But in 1977-78, Kerry Packer arrived on the scene and formed the World Series Cricket - a spectacle that Channel Nine started to televise. Richie Benaud, who headed the Channel Nine team then, invited Lawry and Keith Stackpole along with Freddie Trueman from England to form the first team of commentators for the channel.
"I wasn't planning a career as a cricket commentator; it just happened," he says to Cricbuzz. "I've virtually just done this as a part-time enjoyment. I had a normal job till I retired when I was 67 and I've just kept on working at Channel Nine with a great team of guys like Richie Benaud, Tony Greig, Ian Chappell, Frank Tyson, some wonderful overseas commentators from all the countries.
"The good part about working at Channel Nine is that they've maintained the team. Unfortunately, Richie and Tony are no longer with us. They've run their life spans and it's very, very sad. We've lost two great friends and two great broadcasters, but new people come into the commentary box all the time. Mark Nicholas was running the show when Richie retired, we've got Michael Slater, Mark Taylor and so as time goes on, the next generation will come in."
Lawry has seen generations of commentators come in and go, and has been witness to evolution in broadcast right from the time when Kerry Packer took over and changed the face of broadcast in Australia. Then, ABC covered games in black and white in the absence of colour. The ABC was a government-run organisation that had just about six cameras at the ground those days. After Packer took over, there were 15. In modern-day broadcast, there are about 18 to 20 with spectators being shown every angle of play.
"Once when I played, if you watch the old vision of me, you'll see my face at one end and my back side at the other because they used to only take down the pitch from one end," says Lawry. "Now, it's almost as good as, if not better, than being at the cricket; you're seeing everything! You see catches, DRS, face of players close-ups, which you don't even get at the ground... We zoom in on players' faces, their grip on the bat, how they hold the ball and much more. Channel Nine is inventing new things all the time. That will keep evolving in the next 10-15 years and as long as cricket is played in this country.
"He (Packer) just wanted us to be positive and promote the game of cricket. He thought we had a big job to do. Cricketers are more important than the commentators. What we have done is showcased that. As commentators, we feel we should. You'll get me one minute, Ian Chappell for another whose opinions are completely different, Michael Slater, or whatever, so the public have got a variety of commentators. Some people would like you, some won't, but when we sort of have an opinion, we give it. Our job is pervading the game of cricket, winning the ratings for Channel Nine and making sure the Australian public is aware that we've got a good cricket team and that it could be a great cricket team and that you can watch it on Channel Nine and that's good for the game of cricket," he says.
What had Lawry in the best position to carry out the job he was anointed for was his own celebrated cricketing career, even skippering Australia. Lawry's father being 47 when he was born meant that, growing up, he didn't get to watch him play. His father played junior grade cricket, as did his brother, who was 14 years older, in what was the matting competition in the Northcote and Preston Churches' Cricket Association in the suburb of Thornbury. As a nine-year-old, Lawry played in the Presbyterian Sunday School team, where he remained for a couple of years before being invited to the Northcote Cricket Club, which is one of the premier cricket clubs in Melbourne. He played in the fourth XI on turf for the first time as a 11-year-old. After two years in the fourths, one in the third and then one in the second, he finally got to the first when he was 16. And that's where his career took off from.
His chance at international cricket finally came when he was 24, having been picked for the Ashes of 1961. He had never played a Test match, and Australia took 17 players in what was an established side with Bobby Simpson and Colin McDonald opening the batting, and one that comprised of the likes of Neil Harvey, Norm O'Neill, Peter Burge, Alan Davidson and Richie Benaud. He virtually was among the reserves alongside Graham McKenzie and Ian Quick.
"Luckily, I got some runs early and had a good tour and was selected to play the first Test match. I went on to play 67 Test matches from then. I was very lucky; I played with some great players. Richie Benaud was my first captain. My opening partner after three Test matches was Bobby Simpson, and we had a long association as a pair."
He got a half-century on debut and went on to top the batting charts for the tour aggregating 2019 first-class runs at 61.18. He had 420 runs in five Tests at 52.50, and struck the most centuries on tour, with nine. Six years later, he took over the reins of the side from Simpson, who stepped down after the home series in 1967-68 against India, and led Australia to a 4-0 whitewash.
"Never gave it a thought," he says when asked if he ever had captaincy aspirations. "I would have been quite happy playing with my brother, but once you get to a senior club level, you're hoping that you'll one day get selected for maybe Victoria. I got into the Victorian state squad, which is where the senior squad practices at the open ground... I was 17 when I played my first game for Victoria's seconds. In my second game, I got about 180-odd against South Australia for the second XIs and made it to the Victorian side at 19. That was the start of my first-class career."
The likes of Tony Greig and Ian Chappell worked with Lawry for Channel Nine. © Getty
At the stage of retirement, his first-class career was a celebrated one; one which saw him amass 18,734 runs in 249 matches at an average just under 51. Similar, is Lawry's international record with him having finished with 5234 Test runs at 47.15 in 67 Tests spanning a decade. Yet, he looks back ruefully about not having been able to win a Test series against South Africa - something which he was reminded of often by Tony Greig, his fellow commentator.
"I played three series against South Africa where Tony was born. Although he captained England, he was born in South Africa. We never beat them," he laughs. "Richie Benaud's team drew in Australia versus South Africa in 1963-64, Bobby Simpson's team got beaten in 1967 in South Africa, my team also got thrashed by South Africa in 1970. When Tony came into the commentary box, he reminded me of our performance.
"But that said, we got along really well. We really enjoyed working together as a commentary team along with guys like Ian Chappell. I played with him (Chappell) and against him when he was playing for South Australia. I also played with him for a long time for Australia when I was opening the batting and he was at No.3. We were a team of guys that got on very, very well. We had some wonderful tours we televised in England, South Africa, all over the place. So, it was just an adventure when you were going to work and when you walked into the commentary box, there were always some great players.
"I never considered myself as a great player. Richie Benaud was one of the great all-rounders, now we've got guys like Shane Warne coming into the box. For me, it's just a continuation of a dream," he says.
While this year could just as well be the end of Lawry's dream run, given that Channel Nine faces a fight to retain the rights, he acknowledges the fight that cricket faces in terms of sustenance and promotion of the sport with netball and soccer's gaining popularity in Australia, which poses cricket with the challenge of reinventing.
"I think cricket's got a massive challenge. Games like soccer, netball are gaining popularity. I've got three granddaughters who are netball crazy. Cricket's got to keep promoting the game, encouraging young people to play the game, encourage people to go watch the game and encourage them to watch it on television too. The game is making changes all the time. You'll catch some, you'll drop some. It'll be interesting to see what happens in the next 10-15 years in terms of changes in the game.
"We've got the Big Bash now and the other things coming. Cricket has to do that to survive. All sports do that now, like having women's netball at prime time television, which is great because millions of women watch and play netball. It's the way some channels go. Cricket will face its challenges but while we keep producing cricketers like (Steve) Smith, (David) Warner, (Mitchell) Starc, like we produced before (Shane) Warne, (Dennis) Lillee...while we keep producing household names, people watching will go to games because it's a great game that is being played by some wonderful players.
"Cricket has got a lot to sell. It's our national sport. We have football, rugby league, rugby union, Australian Rules Football, soccer, netball, softball, we have all these other sports, but cricket basically is still our national game. When Australia plays England this year, that's where everybody will be going, because that's our big challenge. If we put a five-Test match series against England, for the past players and the present ones, that's probably the one you'll aim for. To play in an Ashes series is what young boys, and hopefully, the future girls, dream about."
While Australian cricket's riposte to innovation was the Big Bash League, with the prime focus on children which has attracted millions the last three years, broadcast of the tournament has seen a shift from the traditional Channel Nine way. While you have the class and poise of the older generation leading the narratives on Nine, Ten has a sprightly bunch, who not just provide modern insights but also cater to the younger generation with their zealous energy.
"The Big Bash is that kind of a game that is drawing in a new audience. That's what cricket needed. You need something to attract mums, dads and kids, have some enjoyment and the Twenty20 competition worldwide is doing that. That is a real plus for cricket. I think that people who never go and watch a Test match, or a Sheffield Shield match, or even a 50-over game will go to a Twenty20 game. Some will graduate to the next level. It always happens; if they go to a Big Bash game and really love a batsman or bowler and if he ever gets elevated to Tests or Shield cricket, then they'll go and watch them. So, I think, cricket is in a very healthy state, but it's aware that it's got competition worldwide. That's what you have to do: face up to your competition, produce the players that entertain people, produce the grounds where players can entertain people and for television stations to give a product to the people at homes to watch it. It's an exciting time," he adds.
Lawry might or might not get to be a part of the new wave of evolution that the game is undergoing given the contractual obligations of Nine versus Ten. Yet, it will do little to shake off the legacy that he has left behind through the decades of providing Australia, and the world, with their phrases of the summer - one that have been etched as an integral part of the Bill Lawry tale.
"That's just the way I am; I just love going out there," says Lawry with the same ebullient tone. "It's 40 years with Channel Nine and it's just a dream. I'm living a dream that millions of Australian boys and men would love to do. I haven't been trained for television and it probably shows. I just go out there and broadcast a game as I would have played it. I loved playing the game, I get excited about it, I love to see the great catches, the great bowlers operating, love to see the great players like Vivian Richards or David Gower and that procession. I've tried to give the viewer at home how I feel about the game. Not everybody likes my style; I'd be disappointed if they did. That's just how I am. What you see is what you get."
What you see though, is not what you get. Although cricket has occupied a large chunk of Lawry's life, it wasn't ever the love of his life; pigeons were. Lawry's love and passion for racing pigeons is what his entire life has been centred around, with those being the first thing he thinks of every morning. Cricket comes after. Yet, when it comes to spelling out what legacy he'll leave behind, his humour is intact, even after 80 years.
"My legacy... some people turn the knob up, while some turn it down. That's my legacy," he chuckles.
© Cricbuzz
http://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-new...cy-australian-cricket-channel-nine-commentary
@WAJsal @Zaki @BDforever
Happy New Year Guys!
Lawry has been commentating for 40 years now. © Getty
It was way back in 1947 when a nine-year-old Bill Lawry was taken to the Melbourne Cricket Ground by his father to watch his first Ashes Test. What he didn't know then though, that it was the start of an alliance that would span as many as six decades. After making his Test debut for Australia in 1961, he played eight Tests at the MCG, but has called games as he saw them for years together, with 2017 marking the 40th year of weaving his magic as a commentator for Channel Nine.
Lawry is your quintessential commentator. He still marks the start of an Australian summer with vibrant enthusiasm that he has always been associated with - even at the age of 80! That the commentary roster has breaks slotted for him doesn't amount to him shutting off; he stays tuned in irrespective so that he's in sync with what is being spoken of by his colleagues in order to avoid repetition or incognizance.
His attempt to avoid distractions stretches to the extent of even leaving his phone behind at home while he's at a Test. "Bill isn't available right now; he is at the stadium," says his wife Joy, as I call to set up a chat. "Although, I think there might be a problem. You speak too fast and your accent is very strong. You might have to slow down for him to understand," she laughs.
And it was little surprise when Lawry himself reiterated the same, with a jovial chuckle, resounding that similar to that of his wife.
Lawry was a sales manager for a whitegoods manufacturing company. He was for 28 years, and would have been quite happy to continue working there until retirement, he says. But in 1977-78, Kerry Packer arrived on the scene and formed the World Series Cricket - a spectacle that Channel Nine started to televise. Richie Benaud, who headed the Channel Nine team then, invited Lawry and Keith Stackpole along with Freddie Trueman from England to form the first team of commentators for the channel.
"I wasn't planning a career as a cricket commentator; it just happened," he says to Cricbuzz. "I've virtually just done this as a part-time enjoyment. I had a normal job till I retired when I was 67 and I've just kept on working at Channel Nine with a great team of guys like Richie Benaud, Tony Greig, Ian Chappell, Frank Tyson, some wonderful overseas commentators from all the countries.
"The good part about working at Channel Nine is that they've maintained the team. Unfortunately, Richie and Tony are no longer with us. They've run their life spans and it's very, very sad. We've lost two great friends and two great broadcasters, but new people come into the commentary box all the time. Mark Nicholas was running the show when Richie retired, we've got Michael Slater, Mark Taylor and so as time goes on, the next generation will come in."
Lawry has seen generations of commentators come in and go, and has been witness to evolution in broadcast right from the time when Kerry Packer took over and changed the face of broadcast in Australia. Then, ABC covered games in black and white in the absence of colour. The ABC was a government-run organisation that had just about six cameras at the ground those days. After Packer took over, there were 15. In modern-day broadcast, there are about 18 to 20 with spectators being shown every angle of play.
"Once when I played, if you watch the old vision of me, you'll see my face at one end and my back side at the other because they used to only take down the pitch from one end," says Lawry. "Now, it's almost as good as, if not better, than being at the cricket; you're seeing everything! You see catches, DRS, face of players close-ups, which you don't even get at the ground... We zoom in on players' faces, their grip on the bat, how they hold the ball and much more. Channel Nine is inventing new things all the time. That will keep evolving in the next 10-15 years and as long as cricket is played in this country.
"He (Packer) just wanted us to be positive and promote the game of cricket. He thought we had a big job to do. Cricketers are more important than the commentators. What we have done is showcased that. As commentators, we feel we should. You'll get me one minute, Ian Chappell for another whose opinions are completely different, Michael Slater, or whatever, so the public have got a variety of commentators. Some people would like you, some won't, but when we sort of have an opinion, we give it. Our job is pervading the game of cricket, winning the ratings for Channel Nine and making sure the Australian public is aware that we've got a good cricket team and that it could be a great cricket team and that you can watch it on Channel Nine and that's good for the game of cricket," he says.
What had Lawry in the best position to carry out the job he was anointed for was his own celebrated cricketing career, even skippering Australia. Lawry's father being 47 when he was born meant that, growing up, he didn't get to watch him play. His father played junior grade cricket, as did his brother, who was 14 years older, in what was the matting competition in the Northcote and Preston Churches' Cricket Association in the suburb of Thornbury. As a nine-year-old, Lawry played in the Presbyterian Sunday School team, where he remained for a couple of years before being invited to the Northcote Cricket Club, which is one of the premier cricket clubs in Melbourne. He played in the fourth XI on turf for the first time as a 11-year-old. After two years in the fourths, one in the third and then one in the second, he finally got to the first when he was 16. And that's where his career took off from.
His chance at international cricket finally came when he was 24, having been picked for the Ashes of 1961. He had never played a Test match, and Australia took 17 players in what was an established side with Bobby Simpson and Colin McDonald opening the batting, and one that comprised of the likes of Neil Harvey, Norm O'Neill, Peter Burge, Alan Davidson and Richie Benaud. He virtually was among the reserves alongside Graham McKenzie and Ian Quick.
"Luckily, I got some runs early and had a good tour and was selected to play the first Test match. I went on to play 67 Test matches from then. I was very lucky; I played with some great players. Richie Benaud was my first captain. My opening partner after three Test matches was Bobby Simpson, and we had a long association as a pair."
He got a half-century on debut and went on to top the batting charts for the tour aggregating 2019 first-class runs at 61.18. He had 420 runs in five Tests at 52.50, and struck the most centuries on tour, with nine. Six years later, he took over the reins of the side from Simpson, who stepped down after the home series in 1967-68 against India, and led Australia to a 4-0 whitewash.
"Never gave it a thought," he says when asked if he ever had captaincy aspirations. "I would have been quite happy playing with my brother, but once you get to a senior club level, you're hoping that you'll one day get selected for maybe Victoria. I got into the Victorian state squad, which is where the senior squad practices at the open ground... I was 17 when I played my first game for Victoria's seconds. In my second game, I got about 180-odd against South Australia for the second XIs and made it to the Victorian side at 19. That was the start of my first-class career."
The likes of Tony Greig and Ian Chappell worked with Lawry for Channel Nine. © Getty
At the stage of retirement, his first-class career was a celebrated one; one which saw him amass 18,734 runs in 249 matches at an average just under 51. Similar, is Lawry's international record with him having finished with 5234 Test runs at 47.15 in 67 Tests spanning a decade. Yet, he looks back ruefully about not having been able to win a Test series against South Africa - something which he was reminded of often by Tony Greig, his fellow commentator.
"I played three series against South Africa where Tony was born. Although he captained England, he was born in South Africa. We never beat them," he laughs. "Richie Benaud's team drew in Australia versus South Africa in 1963-64, Bobby Simpson's team got beaten in 1967 in South Africa, my team also got thrashed by South Africa in 1970. When Tony came into the commentary box, he reminded me of our performance.
"But that said, we got along really well. We really enjoyed working together as a commentary team along with guys like Ian Chappell. I played with him (Chappell) and against him when he was playing for South Australia. I also played with him for a long time for Australia when I was opening the batting and he was at No.3. We were a team of guys that got on very, very well. We had some wonderful tours we televised in England, South Africa, all over the place. So, it was just an adventure when you were going to work and when you walked into the commentary box, there were always some great players.
"I never considered myself as a great player. Richie Benaud was one of the great all-rounders, now we've got guys like Shane Warne coming into the box. For me, it's just a continuation of a dream," he says.
While this year could just as well be the end of Lawry's dream run, given that Channel Nine faces a fight to retain the rights, he acknowledges the fight that cricket faces in terms of sustenance and promotion of the sport with netball and soccer's gaining popularity in Australia, which poses cricket with the challenge of reinventing.
"I think cricket's got a massive challenge. Games like soccer, netball are gaining popularity. I've got three granddaughters who are netball crazy. Cricket's got to keep promoting the game, encouraging young people to play the game, encourage people to go watch the game and encourage them to watch it on television too. The game is making changes all the time. You'll catch some, you'll drop some. It'll be interesting to see what happens in the next 10-15 years in terms of changes in the game.
"We've got the Big Bash now and the other things coming. Cricket has to do that to survive. All sports do that now, like having women's netball at prime time television, which is great because millions of women watch and play netball. It's the way some channels go. Cricket will face its challenges but while we keep producing cricketers like (Steve) Smith, (David) Warner, (Mitchell) Starc, like we produced before (Shane) Warne, (Dennis) Lillee...while we keep producing household names, people watching will go to games because it's a great game that is being played by some wonderful players.
"Cricket has got a lot to sell. It's our national sport. We have football, rugby league, rugby union, Australian Rules Football, soccer, netball, softball, we have all these other sports, but cricket basically is still our national game. When Australia plays England this year, that's where everybody will be going, because that's our big challenge. If we put a five-Test match series against England, for the past players and the present ones, that's probably the one you'll aim for. To play in an Ashes series is what young boys, and hopefully, the future girls, dream about."
While Australian cricket's riposte to innovation was the Big Bash League, with the prime focus on children which has attracted millions the last three years, broadcast of the tournament has seen a shift from the traditional Channel Nine way. While you have the class and poise of the older generation leading the narratives on Nine, Ten has a sprightly bunch, who not just provide modern insights but also cater to the younger generation with their zealous energy.
"The Big Bash is that kind of a game that is drawing in a new audience. That's what cricket needed. You need something to attract mums, dads and kids, have some enjoyment and the Twenty20 competition worldwide is doing that. That is a real plus for cricket. I think that people who never go and watch a Test match, or a Sheffield Shield match, or even a 50-over game will go to a Twenty20 game. Some will graduate to the next level. It always happens; if they go to a Big Bash game and really love a batsman or bowler and if he ever gets elevated to Tests or Shield cricket, then they'll go and watch them. So, I think, cricket is in a very healthy state, but it's aware that it's got competition worldwide. That's what you have to do: face up to your competition, produce the players that entertain people, produce the grounds where players can entertain people and for television stations to give a product to the people at homes to watch it. It's an exciting time," he adds.
Lawry might or might not get to be a part of the new wave of evolution that the game is undergoing given the contractual obligations of Nine versus Ten. Yet, it will do little to shake off the legacy that he has left behind through the decades of providing Australia, and the world, with their phrases of the summer - one that have been etched as an integral part of the Bill Lawry tale.
"That's just the way I am; I just love going out there," says Lawry with the same ebullient tone. "It's 40 years with Channel Nine and it's just a dream. I'm living a dream that millions of Australian boys and men would love to do. I haven't been trained for television and it probably shows. I just go out there and broadcast a game as I would have played it. I loved playing the game, I get excited about it, I love to see the great catches, the great bowlers operating, love to see the great players like Vivian Richards or David Gower and that procession. I've tried to give the viewer at home how I feel about the game. Not everybody likes my style; I'd be disappointed if they did. That's just how I am. What you see is what you get."
What you see though, is not what you get. Although cricket has occupied a large chunk of Lawry's life, it wasn't ever the love of his life; pigeons were. Lawry's love and passion for racing pigeons is what his entire life has been centred around, with those being the first thing he thinks of every morning. Cricket comes after. Yet, when it comes to spelling out what legacy he'll leave behind, his humour is intact, even after 80 years.
"My legacy... some people turn the knob up, while some turn it down. That's my legacy," he chuckles.
© Cricbuzz
http://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-new...cy-australian-cricket-channel-nine-commentary
@WAJsal @Zaki @BDforever
Happy New Year Guys!
