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Geoff Lawson (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Geoffrey Francis Lawson, OAM
(born 7 December 1957 in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
) is a former Australia
n cricket
er and the former coach of the Pakistan cricket team.
Nicknamed "Henry" after the Australian poet
, Lawson was a fast bowler for New South Wales
(NSW) and Australia
. He first played for NSW in 1977–78, made his international debut in 1980–81. Lawson made three tours of England, including the 1989 Ashes-winning tour.
For a few seasons in the early 1980s, Lawson was Australia's leading fast bowler, but his career suffered from poor luck with injury.
Lawson received the Order of Australia
in 1990 for services to cricket and in 2002 he was given the Australian Sports Medal. He is a qualified optometrist who graduated with a Bachelor of Optometry (BOptom) from the University of New South Wales
.
Since his playing retirement, Lawson has been a coach, commentator and writer on the game. He has broadcast for ABC Radio
, Channel Nine
and Foxsports, and contributed to the Sydney Morning Herald and other newspapers and magazines in various countries. He has coached the Pakistan national cricket team and the Kochi Tuskers Kerala.
He took three wickets during his debut in the first Test against New Zealand at Brisbane in 1980–81, and played the first three ODIs of his career in the World Series Cup. In only his third Test, Lawson returned 7/81 in the first innings against England at Lord's in 1981, which earned him the man of the match award. However, injuries interrupted his progress. He missed the last three Tests of the series with a back injury and played only one Test in the following Australian season, against the West Indies at Melbourne. Chosen for nine preliminary ODIs in the World Series Cup
, his total of nine wickets was not enough to earn him selection for the finals against the West Indies.
Establishing himself as a leading bowler on Australia's tour of Pakistan in 1982, Lawson claimed nine wickets at 33.55 in three Tests on slow wickets not conducive to fast bowling.'Player of the Series' award for his efforts in the 1982–83 Ashes series. In the absence of the injured Dennis Lillee
, he became the spearhead of the Australian attack, taking 34 wickets at 20.20 average. This included 5/108 in the second innings at Perth during the first Test (where he scored 50 in the first innings), match figures of 11/134 at Brisbane, and 4/46 and 5/66 at Adelaide. Australia won the series 2–1 and regained the Ashes. Lawson enjoyed a successful World Series Cup tournament, capturing 16 wickets at 15.80 in ten ODIs as Australia defeated New Zealand in the final.
Opting to miss the short tour of Sri Lanka that followed, Lawson returned to the team for the 1983 World Cup. The Australians failed to make the semi-final in a disappointing performance and Lawson's contribution was five wickets in four games. Against Pakistan in 1983–84, he was again Australia's most successful Test bowler in a 2–0 win, taking 24 wickets at 24.16, including 5/59 and 4/48 in the fifth Test at Sydney.
Lawson's mediocre figures on the 1984 tour of the West Indies (12 wickets in five Tests) was a primary reason for Australia's heavy defeat in the series. Playing against the same opponents in the Australian season of 1984–85, Lawson returned to form with 23 wickets at 25.60. In the third Test at Adelaide, he claimed 8/112 in a marathon spell on a batting-friendly pitch, then made 49 in the first innings but Australia lost the match, and eventually the series 1–3. During the season, he played 15 ODIs and took 17 wickets, but surprisingly was never chosen for an ODI in Australia again.
Leading an inexperienced bowling attack weakened by player defections to the rebel tours of South Africa, Lawson captured 24 wickets in six Tests against England in 1985 despite suffering bronchial problems throughout the tour. His best was 5/103 in the first innings at Nottingham and a score of 53 in the fifth Test at Edgbaston. However, his wickets were obtained at the expensive average of 37.72, as England compiled a series of high scores and won the series 3–1. The weakened Australian team fared little better in the 1985–86 season, playing New Zealand and India. Injury restricted Lawson to only two Tests against the Kiwis, for five wickets.
As Australia began rebuilding its team, Lawson was absent for most of the next three years, due to injuries and falling out of favour with the selectors and the captain Allan Border
. He played a single Test in both the 1986–87 Ashes series and the 1988–89 series against the West Indies. In the latter match, he took three wickets, but had his jaw broken by a bouncer from Curtly Ambrose while batting. Lawson recovered to make the 1989 tour of England, when his experience and guile conributed to a resurgence in Australia's performances. Forming a potent pace bowling attack with Terry Alderman
and Merv Hughes
, Lawson finished with 29 wickets at 27.27 as Australia won back the Ashes with a crushing 4–0 victory. His best performance came in the fourth Test at Manchester, where he took 6/72 and 3/81 and was named man of the match. In the second Test at Lord's, Lawson hit a career-best 74 in the first innings in sharing a partnership of 130 with Steve Waugh
.
It proved to be the Indian summer of his career. He played his last ODIs during the Nehru Cup tournament in India that followed the England tour. In the 1989–90 Australian season, he played one Test against New Zealand (for two wickets) and then took a solitary wicket in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Brisbane. Dropped for the next Test, he failed to regain his place although he continued playing for NSW until the end of the 1991–92 season.
and Steve Waugh
. He had a brief playing stint for Lancashire
in the English County Championship
.
chairman Ijaz Butt
stated Lawson's contract would not be renewed once his term finishes in April 2009 stating "We have no utility for Lawson." He was subsequently sacked on 24 October.
Even after this, Geoff Lawson was shown to keep loyalties, in the Pakistan vs Australia series, he was reportedly seen wearing a Pakistan T-Shirt. He describes the time he lived as an Australian in Lahore
as "enjoyable."
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 7 December 1957 in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
Wagga Wagga is a city in New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, and with an urban population of 46,735 people, Wagga Wagga is the state's largest inland city, as well as an important agricultural, military, and transport hub of Australia...
) is a former Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er and the former coach of the Pakistan cricket team.
Nicknamed "Henry" after the Australian poet
Henry Lawson
Henry Lawson was an Australian writer and poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest writer"...
, Lawson was a fast bowler for New South Wales
New South Wales Blues
The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
(NSW) and Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
. He first played for NSW in 1977–78, made his international debut in 1980–81. Lawson made three tours of England, including the 1989 Ashes-winning tour.
For a few seasons in the early 1980s, Lawson was Australia's leading fast bowler, but his career suffered from poor luck with injury.
Lawson received the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
in 1990 for services to cricket and in 2002 he was given the Australian Sports Medal. He is a qualified optometrist who graduated with a Bachelor of Optometry (BOptom) from the University of New South Wales
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
.
Since his playing retirement, Lawson has been a coach, commentator and writer on the game. He has broadcast for ABC Radio
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
, Channel Nine
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
and Foxsports, and contributed to the Sydney Morning Herald and other newspapers and magazines in various countries. He has coached the Pakistan national cricket team and the Kochi Tuskers Kerala.
International career
Lawson first came to notice in international cricket by bowling a series of bouncers during a brief spell against Geoff Boycott in a tour match between NSW and England in the 1978–79 season. He was called up as a replacement player for the 1979 tour of India, but did not play a Test match. Similarly, he toured Pakistan in 1980 and did not make the Test team.He took three wickets during his debut in the first Test against New Zealand at Brisbane in 1980–81, and played the first three ODIs of his career in the World Series Cup. In only his third Test, Lawson returned 7/81 in the first innings against England at Lord's in 1981, which earned him the man of the match award. However, injuries interrupted his progress. He missed the last three Tests of the series with a back injury and played only one Test in the following Australian season, against the West Indies at Melbourne. Chosen for nine preliminary ODIs in the World Series Cup
World Series Cup
The World Series Cup was the name of the One Day International cricket tournament that took place in Australia every season between Australia and two touring teams from 1979-80 to 1995-96. The tournament was renamed the World Series from 1990-1. This was the very first of the One Day International ...
, his total of nine wickets was not enough to earn him selection for the finals against the West Indies.
Establishing himself as a leading bowler on Australia's tour of Pakistan in 1982, Lawson claimed nine wickets at 33.55 in three Tests on slow wickets not conducive to fast bowling.'Player of the Series' award for his efforts in the 1982–83 Ashes series. In the absence of the injured Dennis Lillee
Dennis Lillee
Dennis Keith Lillee, AM, MBE is a former Australian cricketer rated as the "outstanding fast bowler of his generation"...
, he became the spearhead of the Australian attack, taking 34 wickets at 20.20 average. This included 5/108 in the second innings at Perth during the first Test (where he scored 50 in the first innings), match figures of 11/134 at Brisbane, and 4/46 and 5/66 at Adelaide. Australia won the series 2–1 and regained the Ashes. Lawson enjoyed a successful World Series Cup tournament, capturing 16 wickets at 15.80 in ten ODIs as Australia defeated New Zealand in the final.
Lawson's mediocre figures on the 1984 tour of the West Indies (12 wickets in five Tests) was a primary reason for Australia's heavy defeat in the series. Playing against the same opponents in the Australian season of 1984–85, Lawson returned to form with 23 wickets at 25.60. In the third Test at Adelaide, he claimed 8/112 in a marathon spell on a batting-friendly pitch, then made 49 in the first innings but Australia lost the match, and eventually the series 1–3. During the season, he played 15 ODIs and took 17 wickets, but surprisingly was never chosen for an ODI in Australia again.
Leading an inexperienced bowling attack weakened by player defections to the rebel tours of South Africa, Lawson captured 24 wickets in six Tests against England in 1985 despite suffering bronchial problems throughout the tour. His best was 5/103 in the first innings at Nottingham and a score of 53 in the fifth Test at Edgbaston. However, his wickets were obtained at the expensive average of 37.72, as England compiled a series of high scores and won the series 3–1. The weakened Australian team fared little better in the 1985–86 season, playing New Zealand and India. Injury restricted Lawson to only two Tests against the Kiwis, for five wickets.
As Australia began rebuilding its team, Lawson was absent for most of the next three years, due to injuries and falling out of favour with the selectors and the captain Allan Border
Allan Border
Allan Robert Border AO is a former Australian cricketer. A batsman, Border was for many years the captain of the Australian team. His playing nickname was "A.B.". He played 156 Test matches in his career, a record until it was passed by fellow Australian Steve Waugh...
. He played a single Test in both the 1986–87 Ashes series and the 1988–89 series against the West Indies. In the latter match, he took three wickets, but had his jaw broken by a bouncer from Curtly Ambrose while batting. Lawson recovered to make the 1989 tour of England, when his experience and guile conributed to a resurgence in Australia's performances. Forming a potent pace bowling attack with Terry Alderman
Terry Alderman
Terence Michael Alderman is a former Australian cricketer.He began his first-class career in 1974 with Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield and came to international prominence when he was chosen for the Australian national team to tour England in 1981...
and Merv Hughes
Merv Hughes
Mervyn Gregory Hughes is a former Australian cricketer. A right-arm fast bowler, he represented Australia between 1985 and 1994 in 53 Test matches, taking 212 wickets. He played 33 One Day Internationals, taking 38 wickets. He took a hat trick in a Test against the West Indies at the WACA in...
, Lawson finished with 29 wickets at 27.27 as Australia won back the Ashes with a crushing 4–0 victory. His best performance came in the fourth Test at Manchester, where he took 6/72 and 3/81 and was named man of the match. In the second Test at Lord's, Lawson hit a career-best 74 in the first innings in sharing a partnership of 130 with Steve Waugh
Steve Waugh
Stephen Rodger "Steve" Waugh, AO is a former Australian cricketer and fraternal twin of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman, he was also a successful medium-pace bowler...
.
It proved to be the Indian summer of his career. He played his last ODIs during the Nehru Cup tournament in India that followed the England tour. In the 1989–90 Australian season, he played one Test against New Zealand (for two wickets) and then took a solitary wicket in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Brisbane. Dropped for the next Test, he failed to regain his place although he continued playing for NSW until the end of the 1991–92 season.
Domestic cricket career
In the Sheffield Shield competition, he captained NSW between 1988 and 1992, leading the team to the title in the 1991–92 final, his final first-class game. In all, he captured 395 wickets for NSW. His positive, aggressive captaincy influenced NSW colleagues and future Australian captains Mark TaylorMark Taylor (cricketer)
Mark Anthony Taylor, AO is a former Australian cricket player and Test opening batsman from 1988–1999, as well as captain from 1994–1999, succeeding Allan Border...
and Steve Waugh
Steve Waugh
Stephen Rodger "Steve" Waugh, AO is a former Australian cricketer and fraternal twin of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman, he was also a successful medium-pace bowler...
. He had a brief playing stint for Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
in the English County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
.
Coaching Pakistan national cricket team (July 2007 - October 2008)
Between 1995 and 1997, Lawson was coach of the NSW team. On 16 July 2007, he was appointed as coach of the Pakistan cricket team for two years, becoming the third foreigner to take on the role. On 20 October 2008, Pakistan Cricket BoardPakistan Cricket Board
The Pakistan Cricket Board is a sporting organization that is responsible for governing all professional cricket including Test cricket and One Day International matches played in Pakistan...
chairman Ijaz Butt
Ijaz Butt
Mohammed Ijaz Butt is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in eight Tests from 1959 to 1962...
stated Lawson's contract would not be renewed once his term finishes in April 2009 stating "We have no utility for Lawson." He was subsequently sacked on 24 October.
Even after this, Geoff Lawson was shown to keep loyalties, in the Pakistan vs Australia series, he was reportedly seen wearing a Pakistan T-Shirt. He describes the time he lived as an Australian in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
as "enjoyable."