Bill Lawry
Lawry was born in the Melbourne suburb of Thornbury. He was given the names William Morris after the early Prime Minister of Australia, William Morris Hughes. His father Alfred played amateur cricket until the age of 51. Bill never saw his father play, who was aged 47 when Bill was born. Aged nine, he played competitive cricket for the first time with the Thornbury Presbyterian Church team. He spent three years there, as well as playing for Preston Technical School. When he was twelve, he entered Melbourne's district competition playing for Northcote's fourth team, working his way up to the First XI by the age of sixteen. At the time, he was apprenticed as a plumber and attending Preston Technical College. Lawry was selected for Victoria's Second XI at the age of seventeen. He made a duck against the South Australians and did not see any further action for the Seconds for the rest of the summer of 1954–55. The following season, Lawry was recalled to the Seconds and scored 183 against South Australia.
Australian cricket team in Australia in 1970–71
"It was in South Africa in 1969-70 that his batting, and with it his captaincy, began to falter. The unfortunate experiences he and his men endured in India prior to visiting South Africa, those incidents there and on and off the field, began to affect his outlook, converted it, I feel, into what might be called an inlook...He had to survive investigation of his leadership by the Australian Board of Control in the light of adverse reports from the authorities of both India and South Africa. I believe Bill Lawry had developed a sizable chip on his shoulder before the summer of 1970-71."
Bill Lawry succeeded his opening partner Bobby Simpson as Australian captain midway through the victorious 4-0 series victory over India in 1967-68, he retained the Ashes 1-1 in 1968 and defeated the West Indies 3-1 in 1968-69. The 1969-70 the tour of India was successful - Australia won 3-1 - but the non-smoking, non-drinking Lawry had little time for the social side of the tour, was unable to maintain good public relations and manager Fred Bennett submitted an unfavourable report. In the subsequent tour of South Africa he lost 4-0 and he sent the Australian Cricket Board a list of player grievances. According to vice-captain Ian Chappell, "That was the end of Lawry as captain of Australia. Then it was just a matter of finding any excuse to get rid of him". In 1970-71 he was determined to retain the Ashes, but chose to do this by batting every match into a draw and was criticised by his cautious, negative captaincy. With a victory required in the final Test to even the series and retain The Ashes the selectors dismissed Lawry, the first time an Australian captain had been dropped in mid-series. They failed to inform Lawry, who heard the news on the radio and was soon besieged by reporters. He accepted the verdict with his usual stoicism, but it was the end of his Test career and Australia lost a great opening batsman aged only 33. His successor Ian Chappell was far more aggressive and inspirational captain, but lost the last Test and with it The Ashes. However he recreated the Australian team in his own image and by 1974-75 it would be the most powerful Test team in the world.