Max Walker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Australia (Aus) |
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| Batting style | Right-handed batsman (RHB) | |
|---|---|---|
| Bowling type | Right-arm fast-medium (RFM) | |
| Tests | ODIs | |
| Matches | 34 | 17 |
| Runs scored | 586 | 79 |
| Batting average | 19.53 | 9.87 |
| 100s/50s | 0/1 | 0/0 |
| Top score | 78* | 20 |
| Overs bowled | 1682.2 | 167.4 |
| Wickets | 138 | 20 |
| Bowling average | 27.47 | 27.30 |
| 5 wickets in innings | 6 | 0 |
| 10 wickets in match | 0 | n/a |
| Best bowling | 8/143 | 4/19 |
| Catches/stumpings | 12 | 6/0 |
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As of January 4, 2006 |
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Maxwell Henry Norman Walker (born September 12, 1948 in Hobart, Tasmania) is a former Australian cricketer and VFL/AFL footballer. He currently works as a media commentator and motivational speaker.
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[edit] Football career
Walker attended The Friends' School, Hobart and started his sports career when he played Australian rules football with the Melbourne Football Club from 1967 to 1972. He was a big ruckman and defender who played 85 games and booted 23 goals. He only played football at VFL level, never playing locally in Tasmania. After his foray in football he moved to cricket.
[edit] Cricket career
Walker then moved to cricket and played 70 first-class games for Victoria and 38 Tests for Australia, taking 138 wickets as a medium-fast bowler. He played in 29 ODI's between 1974 and 1981, including matches during World Series Cricket from 1977 to 1979. His strange bowling action, particularly the way he moved his feet, earned Walker the nickname of "Tangles" or "Tanglefoot".
[edit] Media career
Once he retired from cricket, Walker became a big celebrity on television and radio. He appeared on the Sunday Footy Show as a panellist, and also hosted the Nine Network's Nine's Wide World of Sport program until it was cancelled in 1999. He was also a commentator for international cricket matches.
Walker is also a writer, and has written many light hearted books including The Wit Of Walker, How To Kiss A Crocodile and How To Puzzle A Python. Today, Walker is prominent on the public speaking circuit, and in 2005 made a rare TV appearance on the Nine Network's sports show Any Given Sunday, hosted by James Brayshaw, as well as ABC2's sports programme "Late Night Legends" featuring highlight of the 1974/75 Ashes series in which Walker played a prominent role.
Walker has also been parodied by The Twelfth Man, on the 1994 album Wired World of Sports II. It follows Walker through a day at his job at the Nine Network in which he is involved in an assault on co-host Ken Sutcliffe in order to increase his chances of being included on the cricket commentary team. Also, there is a reference to Walker's book publishing when on the album Billy Birmingham (as Walker) remarks, "Have you got my latest book, Alligators and Arseholes? What about Dingoes and Dropkicks?"
He is a supporter of the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League.
[edit] External links
- Max Walker's Full Biography
- Player Profile: Max Walker from Cricinfo
- Max Walker - Official Website
- Speaker Solutions - Max Walker
- Interview on ABC Television's Talking Heads February 2007
Categories: 1948 births | Cricketers at the 1975 Cricket World Cup | Australian cricketers | Australian ODI cricketers | Australian Test cricketers | Cricket commentators | Living people | Melbourne Demons players | Nine Network presenters | People from Tasmania | Victoria cricketers | World Series Cricket players
