Jim Higgs
Encyclopedia
James Donald Higgs is a former Australia
n leg spin
ner who played in 22 Tests
from 1978 to 1981.
Higgs began his district cricket career at Melbourne University, where he studied civil engineering
, before transferring to Richmond
. He made his début for Victoria
against Western Australia
. Always a sharp spinner of the ball, he gradually improved to take 42 wickets in the 1974–75 Sheffield Shield season. This included his best first class bowling of 8/66 against Western Australia. He was subsequently selected for the Ashes tour in 1975 to England. He did not play a Test, but gained fame by not scoring a run for the whole tour. He batted twice and was bowled by the only ball he faced, which appealed to his humorous character.
With the introduction of World Series Cricket
, vacancies arose in the Australian team, and Higgs made his Test début in 1977–78. He became a regular member of the team from 1979 to 1981, playing in 22 Tests and touring the West Indies in 1978 and India in 1979. His best performances were 5/148 against England in 1978–79 and 7/143 against India in Madras in 1979, both long spells in trying conditions. He was a member of the Sheffield Shield Victorian teams in 1978–79 and 1979–80. In the final match of the 1979–80 season against South Australia, Higgs took 6/57 in the second innings to secure a Victorian win and the Shield. He retired at the end of the 1982–83 season because of persistent back problems. He was a Victorian selector from 1982–83 to 1988–89 and was appointed an Australian selector in 1985–86.
Higgs is currently working with TTM consulting in Melbourne as a joint director of the company with Damien Hancox
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 leg spin
Leg spin
Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in the sport of cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action, causing the ball to spin from right to left in the cricket pitch, at the point of delivery. When the ball bounces, the spin causes the ball to deviate sharply from right to left, that...
ner who played in 22 Tests
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
from 1978 to 1981.
Higgs began his district cricket career at Melbourne University, where he studied civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
, before transferring to Richmond
Richmond Cricket Club
This article concerns the Richmond club in Australia. For the English club of the same name, see Richmond Cricket Club, SurreyThe Richmond Cricket Club is an Australian cricket club based in Richmond, an inner suburb of Melbourne, Victoria....
. He made his début for Victoria
Victorian Bushrangers
The Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
against Western Australia
Western Warriors
The Western Australia cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team representing the state of Western Australia...
. Always a sharp spinner of the ball, he gradually improved to take 42 wickets in the 1974–75 Sheffield Shield season. This included his best first class bowling of 8/66 against Western Australia. He was subsequently selected for the Ashes tour in 1975 to England. He did not play a Test, but gained fame by not scoring a run for the whole tour. He batted twice and was bowled by the only ball he faced, which appealed to his humorous character.
With the introduction of World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket was a break away professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 and organised by Kerry Packer for his Australian television network, Nine Network. The matches ran in opposition to established international cricket...
, vacancies arose in the Australian team, and Higgs made his Test début in 1977–78. He became a regular member of the team from 1979 to 1981, playing in 22 Tests and touring the West Indies in 1978 and India in 1979. His best performances were 5/148 against England in 1978–79 and 7/143 against India in Madras in 1979, both long spells in trying conditions. He was a member of the Sheffield Shield Victorian teams in 1978–79 and 1979–80. In the final match of the 1979–80 season against South Australia, Higgs took 6/57 in the second innings to secure a Victorian win and the Shield. He retired at the end of the 1982–83 season because of persistent back problems. He was a Victorian selector from 1982–83 to 1988–89 and was appointed an Australian selector in 1985–86.
Higgs is currently working with TTM consulting in Melbourne as a joint director of the company with Damien Hancox