Ashley Mallett facts for kids
Mallett in 2009
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| Full name |
Ashley Alexander Mallett
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| Born | 13 July 1945 Sydney, New South Wales |
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| Died | 29 October 2021 (aged 76) Adelaide, South Australia |
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| Nickname | Rowdy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm off break | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 247) | 22 August 1968 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 28 August 1980 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 6) | 5 January 1971 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 20 December 1975 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1967/68–1980/81 | South Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Source: CricketArchive (subscription needed), 29 October 2021
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Ashley Alexander Mallett (born 13 July 1945 – died 29 October 2021) was an Australian cricket player. He played in 38 Test matches and 9 One Day Internationals between 1968 and 1980. Mallett was a very successful off spin bowler for Australia. He was known for getting a lot of bounce from his bowling because of his height and high arm action. He was also part of the Australian team that came second in the 1975 Cricket World Cup.
Contents
Early Life and Start in Cricket
Mallett was born in Chatswood, New South Wales. When he was a child, his family moved to Perth, Western Australia. He went to Mount Lawley High School.
Joining South Australia
Mallett was part of the Western Australian cricket team in 1966–67. However, he didn't get to play any matches. This was because the WACA Ground in Perth, where they played, was good for fast bowlers, so they usually only needed one spin bowler. That spot was taken by Tony Lock, a former English Test player.
Because of this, Mallett moved to South Australia in 1967. Another young spin bowler, Terry Jenner, also moved with him. South Australia often used two spin bowlers on the Adelaide Oval's turning pitches. Mallett quickly became a regular player for the state team. He and Jenner became a strong spin bowling pair for ten years.
First-Class Debut
In the 1967–68 season, Mallett played his first major cricket match for South Australia. This was in November against the New Zealand team. He didn't take any wickets in that game.
In his next match against India, Mallett took his first wickets. He ended the season with 32 wickets, showing he was a promising new player.
Touring England in 1968
Mallett's strong start earned him a spot on the Australian team touring England in 1968. In one of his early matches in England, he took ten wickets in a single game for the first time. This helped his team win easily.
Test Cricket Career
Mallett made his Test debut in the final match of the 1968 series against England. He took a wicket with only his fifth ball! He ended the first innings with 3 wickets. He also scored 43 runs, which was his highest score in Test cricket. Australia lost that match, but they had already won the series.
Playing Against West Indies
In the 1968–69 season, Mallett played in the first Test against the West Indies. He only took one wicket in that match, and Australia lost. After this, he was dropped from the Test team.
He went back to playing for South Australia and performed very well. He took 39 wickets that season, helping South Australia win the Sheffield Shield competition.
Success in India (1969–70)
Mallett was a key player in Australia's tour of India in 1969–70. He took 28 wickets during the series. This was Australia's last Test series win in India for 35 years.
In one match, he took 7 wickets for only 38 runs, helping Australia win by a lot. In another Test, he took 6 wickets for 64 runs.
Challenges in South Africa
Right after the India tour, the Australian team went to South Africa. Mallett played in the first Test there and took 5 wickets in the first innings. However, Australia lost the match. Despite his good performance, he was dropped for the rest of the series. Australia then lost the remaining three Tests by large margins.
Return to the Team
Mallett worked hard to get back into the Test team. He had a great season for South Australia, taking many wickets.
In 1971, he played in the first-ever one-day international match against England. Even though he hadn't played well in this new format before, he took 3 wickets for 34 runs. Australia won that historic match.
He continued to play for Australia in the Ashes series against England. He took 4 wickets in one match, but Australia lost. He was dropped again but later recalled.
Later Test Career
Mallett continued to play well for South Australia, taking 54 and 62 wickets in two seasons. This led to him being recalled to the Test team. He took his best Test figures of 8 wickets for 59 runs against Pakistan in 1972–73.
As his career went on, he was sometimes used more defensively. He took 32 wickets in his last 15 Tests. Towards the end of his career, he had arthritis, which affected his bowling. His last Test match was in 1980.
Sheffield Shield Achievements
Mallett had a very successful career playing for South Australia in the Sheffield Shield competition. He took 391 wickets in 91 matches, which is one of the highest numbers for the state.
He was part of three Sheffield Shield winning teams with South Australia:
- 1968–69
- 1970–71
- 1975–76
His best bowling performance in the Shield was taking 13 wickets for 122 runs against his home state, Western Australia.
Mallett was also a good fielder, especially in the gully position, where he took many difficult catches. He even captained the South Australian team twice in his final season.
Nickname
Mallett was known for being quiet and enjoying books. Because of this, his teammates jokingly gave him the nickname "Rowdy."
After Playing Cricket
After retiring from playing, Mallett worked as a journalist. He also became a commentator, a spin bowling coach, and a writer.
- He worked as a spin coach for the Sri Lankan Cricket Board.
- He wrote books about famous cricketers like Victor Trumper and Clarrie Grimmett.
- He also wrote a book about the Australian Aboriginal cricket team in England in 1868.
Books Written by Mallett
Mallett wrote several books, including:
- 1985: Trumper: An illustrated biography of batsman Victor Trumper.
- 2002: Lord's Dreaming: The Story of the 1868 Aboriginal Tour of England and Beyond, about the first Aboriginal cricket team to tour England.
- 2005: Thommo Speaks Out, a biography of Australian bowler Jeff Thomson.
- 2007: Chappelli Speaks Out, a biography of Australian batsman Ian Chappell.
- 2008: One of a Kind: the Doug Walters story, a biography of Australian batsman Doug Walters.
- 2018: The Boys from St Francis, Stories of the remarkable Aboriginal activists, artists and athletes who grew up in one seaside home.
Death
Ashley Mallett passed away from cancer on 29 October 2021, in Adelaide. He was 76 years old.
