You come, take the guard and stroll again. That was the unstated legislation for batters dealing with former West Indies nice Courtney Andrew Walsh. Those who dedicated the cardinal sin of touching their willow with a Walsh delivered cricket cherry knew of the implications. A Rated PG therapy of the best order. The few who nonetheless dared to do it, earned a repute like no different within the sport’s historical past.
And so, when former England soccer legend, Gary Lineker stood up for the duty, he had a option to make. One that he shared not too long ago on BBC Test Match particular.
Imagine asking to face @CuddyWalsh in full flight… @GaryLineker requested for it!
The finest sporting day ever!
📻 Listen to @bbctms on @BBCSounds, @5liveSport additional and @BBCRadio4 LW#BBCCricket #ENGvSA pic.twitter.com/1h8C2KzUoX
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) August 18, 2022
The 1986 World Cup highest purpose scorer advised the story of being invited by David English to play a charity match the place his paths crossed with one of the vital elusive quick bowlers in cricket’s historical past.
“He (David) called me on the Sunday night,” Lineker mentioned on BBCTMS. “He said, ‘Gary, couple of pull outs….I’m a bit short. I need a face’. I said, ‘I can’t play tomorrow, Dave…I’ve got a match tomorrow night…I cannot play’.”
With Lineker turning English down on one other request, the latter proposed him with a proposal he couldn’t refuse.
“He said, ‘What about if you turn up, you bat first, open the batting…when you are out, you can go?’,” Lineker advised, additional expressing how tempting a gig he felt that was. That feeling nevertheless, would meet the half referred to as actuality as soon as the skilled footballer obtained to know who’d bowl him the primary over.
“So I get in, and Courtney Walsh is bowling the first over,” he mentioned with the commentary field together with Sir Alastair Cook having a giant snigger.
He continues, “It’s a decent track and Courtney…he does a long run up and there’s the deliberate silly bouncer that goes about 10 feet over my head for a bit of fun.”
Mortals wouldn’t assume twice earlier than choosing a favourite within the battle of a 5’8” skilled footballer batting towards a 6’4” skilled cricket fast. This, wasn’t one for the betting books although. Lineker had thrown that risk out when he had mentioned to the person on the different finish, “Courtney, will you bowl me a proper over?”.
The 61-year-old agrees he was ‘completely mad’ to take action. About a 100 others together with his former countryman Robin Smith would agree.
Walsh nevertheless, didn’t attempt to kill the then Tottenham Hotspur striker, bowling fast however pitching the next 4 deliveries within the hall of uncertainty across the off-stump. It is right here Lineker would make a selection, one incomprehensible to this present day, 21 years after Walsh final performed a match for the West Indies.
“Last ball of the over I thought alright, ‘I know where he’s bowling, I’ll take a bit of chance’. I put my foot down and I went boom and it went straight through the covers for four,” he mentioned.
You shouldn’t try this. You can not try this. Not towards Courtney Walsh. The most probably of the result would’ve been Lineker strolling again to the pavilion shortly, courtesy Courtney. But we have to maintain our horses, for there’s extra to this unbelievable story.
“I ended up 112 not out at lunch,” Lineker has the commentary field breaking right into a laughter once more, of a distinct type this time. “I’m sweating buckets and I said, ‘Dave, I got to go’. He said, ‘Mate, you’ve done me proud’. So I went to Tottenham and score a hattrick.”
“That’s a ridiculous double.”
“Best day of my sporting life,” mentioned the skilled footballer who scored an unbeaten hundred towards a Courtney Walsh crew after which went to attain a hattrick for Spurs.
Best day of any sporting life in all probability.
