When Australian cricket was in the doldrums in the mid-1980s "his dashing batsmanship and growing ability as a spin bowler suddenly elevated Matthews to a position of a national hero".[1] He made centuries in times of crisis against New Zealand and India in 1985-86, took ten wickets in the Tied Test at Madras and batted well against England in 1986-87.
Thereafter his career declined as the "effervesent and unorthodox"[1] Matthews did not fit in with the rest of the Australian Test team. As Australia rose to dominance in the 1990s Matthews proved to be "not good enough in either of the game's main departments to make a lasting impact as a Test all-rounder"[2] and despite a century against England in 1990-91 he played only irregularly and was finally dropped in 1993. He continued to play with success for New South Wales until he retired in 1997.
Prior to his cricket career taking off, Matthews played Colts (under 20's) Rugby for the Eastwood Rugby Club and was a pro for the Cumbrian side Whitehaven Cricket Club for three seasons, starring in the clubs 1981 league championship victory. At the conclusion of a successful season for Eastwood there was speculation that cricket may be put aside for Rugby, but he opted to play cricket.
1982/83: State Selection
Matthews made his first class debut over the 1982-83 summer. Scoring 123 and taking 3-48 for the state colts against Queensland saw him selected in the New South Wales side to play Western Australia in November 1982, replacing John Dyson, who was on test duty.[6]
He took 3-41 for NSW in a day-night game against a touring New Zealand side.[7]
Some enterprising runs from Matthews in a game against Queensland helped NSW get in the Sheffield Shield final.[8] Matthews played in the final, won by NSW - their first Sheffield Shield in 17 years.[9]
He spent the 1983 winter playing club cricket in England.
1983/84: National Selection
Matthews was made 12th man for NSW's first game of the 1983-84 season - a delayed McDonald's Cup one day final. However poor bowling by Murray Bennett in that game saw Matthews take Bennett's place.[10]
He took three wickets in a shield game against WA, then scored 86 with 13 boundaries against the touring Pakistan side.[11] He injured his hand while fielding in a game against Victoria.[12] However Matthews was then picked to play in the Australian team against Pakistan. He was chosen along with state teammate Murray Bennett.
Matthews had recently applied to go on the dole but was ruled out on a technicality when it was discovered that he was playing in a McDonald's Cup match that week. "I don't care what money I get, man," Matthews said. "It's the buzz of playing for Australia that's got me. I'm not worried about how much they pay ... I'd do it all for nothing just to wear that green cap." However, there was some sand news for Matthews. "My old coach from the Rydalmere junior days, Gordon Nolan, is dead and I owe so much to him that 1 wish I could have contacted him this morning as both our dreams came true."[13]
Matthews was also picked to play in the Prime Ministers XI.[14]
Early Test Career
Matthews is a tough, useful, determined little cricketer; a steady, flat, off-spin bowler; a staunch, correct left-hand bat; and a brilliant fielder. He is also a cocky, slightly zany character.
Early in his cricketing career Matthews was regarded "as a bowler who fielded energetically and could bat a bit"[15] and a "complete extrovert, dressing to shock".[16] He was usually referred to as Greg, but his teammates nicknamed him 'Mo', "short for 'misère', which he always called when we played five hundred".[16] Matthews enjoyed clubbing and ignored the midnight curfew imposed by New South Wales fast bowler Geoff Lawson as "these were his socialising hours and the time he came to life",[17] and his mantra was "'live each day as if it's your last'".[18]
Matthews took 2/95[19] and 2/48, running out Zaheer Abbas in the first innings and bowling him in the second. With the bat he made 75, joining Graham Yallop (268) on 354/7 and adding 185 together for the eighth wicket.
Australian captain Kim Hughes said he "thought that Matthews's innings was a remarkable performance as he is fiercely competitive which is typically Australian. His batting was great and his overall performance was outstanding."[20] However, there was controversy when Matthews was dismissed; he was given out lbw by umpire Tony Crafter and when he walked off he indicated that he thought the ball had come off his bat. (Matthews later apologised to the umpire for the very public display of dissent.[21])
The Test was drawn and Matthews was kept for the Fifth Test, preferred to Murray Bennett as the spinner. He was Greg Chappell's batting partner when he was dismissed for 182 in his final Test innings.[22]
Matthews' performance in the tests impressed captain Kim Hughes. "He's very competitive, wants to bowl and bat," Hughes said. "If we had 12 players with the same approach it would be great."[23]
Matthews was picked to play in Australia's one day team for the World Series Cricket competition that summer and was praised for his fielding, but failed to perform with the bat and ball and was dropped after two games.[24][25]
Matthews responded with a good performance against Tasmania in the Sheffield Shield.[26]
1983/84 Tour of West Indies
Mathews was selected as one of two spinners on the 1983-84 tour to the West Indies.[27]
He played in two early tour games but was out bowled by the other spinner Tom Hogan who was preferred in the first four tests.[28][29]
Matthews bowled well against Barbados[30] and scored 54 against Windward Islands as an opener.[31]
Australia lost the third and fourth tests. Matthews was picked in the fifth test.
He was a makeshift opener in the second innings as Steve Smith was injured.[32][33] Kim Hughes seemed reluctant to use Matthews as a bowler in a game which Australia lost.[34]
Matthews was omitted from the one day squad to tour India in 1984 and he was not offered a contract from the ACB for the following summer.[35]
1984/85 Summer
Matthews was unable to force his way back into a test team for the first three tests against the West Indies. But 88 against Queensland[36] helped see him selected in the side for the 4th test.[37]
Matthews dismissed Viv Richards (208) and Clive Lloyd (91) with his 2/67 in a draw that ended their 11 match winning streak.
He was not one of the three spinners chosen for the Fifth Test on his home ground at Sydney where Australia won by an innings.[38]
However Matthews finished the summer strongly in the Sheffield Shield. He scored 87 and took 5-32 against Queensland,[39] then scored his maiden century, 103 against Victoria. When asked about a possible return to the Australian side, Matthews said, "I think as little as possible about it. I used to lie awake thinking about it a lot but I don't want the disappointment of not going and besides, NSW has a lot to do."[40]
Matthews was told he was recalled to the Australian side to tour Sharjah for a one-day tournament,[41] then took part in the Sheffield Shield final, where NSW beat Qld by one wicket.[42] He capped off the season with news he had been picked in the squad to tour England for the 1985 Ashes. "I just didn't think I would make it," said a delighted Matthews.[43]
1985 Sharjah Tour
Matthews toured Sharjah with the Australian one day team.[44]
1985 Ashes
Matthews then went to England in 1985, where he proved popular in the county matches. Australia seemed determined to play an all rounder and Matthews was in competition with Simon O'Donnell.[45]
In the Third Test at Trent Bridge he mixed with the crowd and read a newspaper in the stands; "Matthews of the petit-punk hair and puppet movements...has a happy knack of winding up crowds".[48]
Matthews produced some solid batting performances in the county games.[49] He was selected in the Fourth Test because Graeme Wood was injured and again volunteered to open the innings,[50] but also ran out Allan Lamb from extra cover.[51][52]
At the end of the tour Matthews had now played in five Test matches, but had only made 139 runs (19.85) and taken 7 wickets (45.28) and was far from establishing his place in the Australia team.
Alan Border said "Greg never really came on as much as we expected. But he's still young and has time on his side."[53]
Breakthrough as International Cricketer: Australia vs New Zealand 1985-86
Greg Matthews' Test career batting performance.
Greg Matthews joined me at the wicket to start an innings which was to 'make' him as a Test cricketer...I think we had all regarded him as a bowler who fielded energetically and could bat a bit. We'd misjudged him, and that century put the true all-rounder stamp on him.
Matthews started the 1985-86 summer well with 184 against Tasmania.[54] He then took 5-22 against Victoria.[55]
"I'm a little older now, I'm more hungry for success and have a little more experience on my side in how I conduct myself," he said.[56]
Matthews was picked to play the First Test against New Zealand at the Woolloongabba. The selection choice came down to Matthews and Simon O'Donnell - Matthews was picked, with O'Donnell 12th man.[57]
This test saw Australia lose their third Test in a row by an innings as Richard Hadlee took 15/123. Matthews was Australian's best bowler (3/110)[58] and joined the Australian captain Allan Border at 67/5 in the second innings with 307 runs required to make New Zealand bat again. He made his first Test century - 115 off 229 balls with 10 fours and a six - and most of the 197 runs added with Border (152), a record sixth wicket stand for Australia against New Zealand.[59]
"I was really disappointed at get ting out," he said. "I felt as if I'd let the team down with just four overs to go and I'd wanted to see it through. Allan and I were confident we could play through tomorrow. We certainly felt that we could save the game."[60]
This was backed up with 111 for NSW against New Zealand[61] then 50 and 32 in the Second Test at Sydney, which Australia won by 4 wickets.[62]
In the third test he scored 34 and 14 as Australia lost.[63] He was second in the Australian series batting averages after the captain with 247 runs (41.16).
Alan Border was greatly pleased with Matthews performances that summer saying "Once he didn't feel part of the team, he fell he was a different sort of a character and others reacted that way to him. Now he feels accepted — his idiosyncrasies are not him being smart, we have found, and he now feels part of us."[64]
Australia vs India 1985-86
New Zealand was only the third country to beat Australia at home after England and the West Indies and India looked set to become the fourth. They made scores of 520, 445, 59/2 and 600/4 in the Tests and Matthews suffered with the other Australian bowlers, taking only two wickets (118.00) in the series.
In the Second Test at Melbourne he came in at 109/5 and made 100 not out adding 46 for the last wicket with his New South Wales team-mate Dave Gilbert (4) - who came in when Matthews was 59 - to hoist the Australian total up to 262.[65][66] Lacklustre Indian batting and late rain saved the match after Allan Border (163) and Gilbert (10 not out) made another rear-guard action in the second innings. Though they outplayed Australia in all three Tests this was the nearest India came to winning a Test and the series.
Benson and Hedges World Series Cup 1985-86
After the two Test series there was a triangular World Series CupOne Day series between Australia, New Zealand and India, who were the current World Champions, and Australia and India made it into the best out of three finals. Matthews was part of the Australian squad throughout the summer.[67]
Matthews played a key role in several Australian victories including 46 in a game against India[68] and 1-27 against New Zealand.[69]
In the First WSC Final Matthews was run out for 7 in Australia's 170/8, but returned an econmonical 9-0-27-3 to bowl out India for 159 to win by 11 runs.
"Matthews is a confidence player, never says die and has developed tremendously as a player," Border said after the game. "I ask special players their opinions as the game progresses, but would never have thought of confiding in Matthews a short time ago."[70]
In the Second WSC Final he took 10-0-37-2 to restrict India to 187 and saw Australia win the game by 7 wickets and the Finals 2-0 without the need for a third game. Matthews was voted Player of the Finals[71][72] and it was a considerable boost to Australian confidence as the team completed a lap of honour round the Melbourne Cricket Ground.[73][74]
Matthews was selected on Australia's tours of New Zealand and Sharjah.[75] For the latter he was to be one of Australia's selectors, a sign of how integral he had become.[76]
"National selector — that's a big wrap, man," he said at the time. "It's a bit of added responsibility and I hope that I can handle it. I'm really happy that the people who are virtually my employers think I can handle the extra responsibility that goes with being a selector."[77]
New Zealand vs Australia 1985-86
I could never analyse why, right from the outset, sections of the New Zealand crowds had taken a set against Greg. Perhaps it was his juanty manner on the field. Perhaps he was a shade too successful for the liking of the more rabidly parochial Kiwi fans...You could never understand the mentality behind the crank phone calls Greg received in New Zealand, the egg-throwing and the incident in Wellington where a toilet seat was thrown on the field.
Australia toured New Zealand in 1985-86 and lost their second series against them in the same season despite several improvements.
When they arrived Matthews said "Greg Matthews had a fantastic summer. He kept things going in the field, never said die and was full of enthusiasm. He certainly helped me: he has been a big plus for Australia."[79]
Matthews began the tour well with 57 in a tour game.[80] He was still nursing a shoulder injury from the WSC series but was picked in the first test team. "He is just too important to leave out," said Border.[81]
In the First Test, Matthews (130) came in at 166/4 and added 213 for the fifth wicket with Greg Ritchie (92), a record for Australia vs New Zealand and Matthews' highest Test score. Matthews had eggs pelted at him during his innings.[82]
Rain ensured a draw in both the first two Tests and in the Second Matthews had the unusual bowling analysis of 3-3-0-1 when he caught and bowled Bruce Edgar in New Zealand's second innings of 16/1.
Matthews scored 66 in a one day game in Napier.[83]
Australia lost the Third Test when they collapsed to 103 in the second innings and lost by 8 wickets. Matthews had taken his then best Test bowling of 4/61, dismissing Bruce Edgar (24), Ken Rutherford (0) and Martin Crowe (0) with the score on 73.[84]Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). Fortunately Australia won the last two games and Matthews was Man of the Match in the Fourth ODI at Eden Park, where he made 54, took 9-1-33-3 and held onto three catches in Australia's 44 run win.[85] This allowed Border to announce that the team had improved enough for him not to resign, much to the advantage of Australian cricket.[86]
Throughout the series, Matthews was constantly booed by the crowd. "I suppose I am paying the price for my style of individuality after they watched me on TV in the series at home," he said.[87]
"He gives everything, he is flamboyant but not a ratbag," said Border. "I know Matthews is disappointed - he hasn't enjoyed the tour, he has been given a hard time by some elements here. He likes meeting people but has been prevented from mingling socially."[88]
"If he finds the crowd harsh here then he must remember he asked for it." said Jeremy Coney. "But crowds just can't be neutral about him," he said. Some applaud his behaviour and others didn't. His behaviour polarises the crowds here and he must expect some sort of reaction from those who don't like it. I just feel neutral about him - when he is batting I want to get rid of him, when he is bowling I want to hit him around the park."[89]
India vs Australia 1986-87 and The Second Tied Test
There were many heros throughout the exhausting five days of play, but with a doubt, the most unsung of them was Greg Matthews, who scored 44 and 27 not out and took five wickets in each innings. His stamina and resilience were absolutely staggering, especially on the last day, when he bowled 39.5 overs just about consecutively to keep us in the game and then ultimately tie it. Making his feat all the more noteworthy in the eyes of his fellow players was the fact that he wore two sleeveless sweaters throughout the day. Actually, he gave one to the umpire when he fielded and only wore them both when he was bowling. We just shook our heads in disbelief, because it was so hot with 90 degree humidity, but as usual Greg had a theory. He explained that nomadic herders in the desert wore woollen coats because they kept the cool air in, thus acting as a kind of air-conditioner.
Australia toured India at the start of the 1986-87 season and played the First Test at Madras, a huge concrete bowl which radiated the intense heat, which rose to 50 °C with 90% humidity.[91]Allan Border won the toss and Australia declared on 574/7 on the third day when Matthews was out for 44. In the Indian innings he took 5/103, his first five wicket haul in Test cricket and best Test figures, as he dismissed Sunil Gavaskar (caught and bowled), Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Ravi Shastri, Chandrakant Pandit and Kapil Dev as India were bowled out for 397. Declining to enforce the follow on in the heat Border batted again and Matthews made 27 not out in Australia's 170/5, which set India 348 runs to win on the last day. Matthews dismissed Srikkanth, Mohinder Amarnath and Pandit as India collapsed from 200/2 to 291/6. His 40th over was the last that could be played in the match, bowling to Ravi Shastri, with India's last man Maninder Singh at the bowler's end. India needed four runs to win from the 6-ball over with only one wicket remaining;
1st ball : To Shastri: no run. Four runs required off five balls.
2nd ball : Shastri took two runs, retaining the strike. Two runs required off four balls.
3rd ball : Shastri pushed the ball to square leg for a single. The scores are now tied, with one run required for victory, but the Indian number 11 was now on strike.
4th ball : To Singh: no run. One run required off two balls.
5th ball : The ball hit Singh on his back leg and umpire Vikram Raju gives him out leg before wicket after a loud appeal.
India were all out for 347, Matthews having taken 5/146 (10/249 in the match) in the second Second Tied Test in cricket history. It was the second and last time that he would take five wickets in a Test innings and the only time that he took ten wickets in a Test match. Dean Jones (210) and Kapil Dev (119) were each selected as a 'man of the match'. Greg Matthews was later made 'all-rounder of the match'.[92] The Second Test began with three days of rain and Matthews did not bat or bowl. The Third Test was a draw, Matthews taking 4/158 to dismiss Gavaskar, Srikkanth, Amarnath and Mohammad Azharuddin in India's only innings. He took 14 wickets (29.07) and made 91 runs (45.50) in the series, his most successful with the ball.
Australia vs England 1986-87
When, at the start of the following season, Australia found themselves in trouble against England in the Brisbane Test, there was an extraordinary display of faith in his ability: up in the Press-box at The Gabba the assembled army of journalists, almost to a man, uttered statesments of relief when they saw Matthews emerging from the pavilion at number seven. He was the man to stop the rot they felt. He duly made fifty and by dogged batting and a good deal of talking managed to stave off a second defeat in the next game at Perth. But gradually his outer ebullience became crushed by inner doubts and by the end of the summer he was being viewed by some disillusioned scribes as just another player in a country which had temporarily lost its grip on international cricket
Matthews returned to Australia as with improved all-rounder credentials and the Test team's first choice spinner. Despite high hopes of regaining The Ashes against an England team that "can't bat, can't bowl and can't field"[93] Australia found itself in trouble again. Allan Border won the toss at The Gabba put England in to bat and watched them make 456. Greg Matthews was the most senior of bowlers, and had played as many Tests (17) as the others combined; Bruce Reid (8), Steve Waugh (8), Merv Hughes (1) and Chris Matthews (0). Still, he made a gritty 56 not out in the first innings, but Australia could not avoid the follow-on and lost by 7 wickets. In the Second Test at the WACA England made 592/7 declared and Matthews batted for 190 minutes for his 45 and 14 not out to see out the draw. The Third Test at Adelaide finally saw Australia on top, but Border declared their innings on 514/5 with Matthews on 73 not out and Waugh on 79 not out after complaining about their slow scoring rate. In any case England had no trouble drawing the match on a slow, flat wicket, though Matthews did bowl the England captain Mike Gatting for a first ball duck. The Fourth Test at Melbourne was a debacle as the Australian batsmen threw their wickets away to Ian Botham (5/41) and Gladstone Small (5/48) and losing inside three days. Although he had made 217 runs (53.75) Matthews had taken only two wickets (147.50) and could hardly justify his place in the bowling line up. With The Ashes out of reach the selectors dropped David Boon, Greg Matthews and Craig McDermott for the Fifth Test, which was won thanks to the debutant spinner Peter Taylor.
Out of the Test Team 1986-1990
He wasn't fitting in with the team. On many occasions he had breakfast alone, and he wasn't one to spend more time at a bar with the boys when there was a disco on hand. The "minor" things were causing a rift - his eating habits, his hair-style, his choice of clothes, or whatever, seemed to be an extra reason why he wasn't one of the boys.
Matthews would remain out of favour with the Australian Test selectors for four years. Despite his 10 wicket hall in the Tied Test his bowling was not of Test standard and his batting average 36.82 was not enough to keep him in the team by itself when David Boon, Allan Border, Dean Jones and Steve Waugh were occupying the middle order. He did play One Day Internationals until the Sharjah Cup in 1986-87, where he had an off-field argument over a barbecued steak and was fined $1,000 by Ian McDonald and Bobby Simpson. Steve Waugh thought he "was being punished largely for previous infractions and perceived attitude problems...and straight away you could sense that a couple of guys felt their careers might be over".[95]Bobby Simpson was Matthews' personal manager and the Australian coach and though he had been supportive in his early career,[94] but now wanted a more disciplined team and Matthews did not fit in.[96]
Australia vs England 1990-91
He was always excellent for the shock-value element, but also a guy who could play better than he probably ever realised and who record as an all-rounder for NSW is unrivalled.
Matthews continued to play well for New South Wales and was recalled for the First Test against England at Brisbane in 1990-91. Peter Taylor had not proved to be a long term success and Matthews was the only Australian spinner in the side, apart from Allan Border. He made 35 batting at number seven and took 1/30, but Australia won by eight wickets and he kept his place. He took 3/40 in the Second Test at Melbourne and 2/26 at in the Third Test at Sydney, where he also hit 128 with 17 boundaries to lift Australia from 292/5 to 512/9. In the Fourth Test at Adelaide he made 65 and 34 not out and 60 not out at Perth in the Fifth. Australia won the series 3-0 and Matthews made 353 runs (70.60), his best Test series with the bat, though he only took 7 wickets (60.28).
Later Test Career
Back in the team Matthews was selected for the tour of the West Indies on 1990-91, but did little and was dropped after the Second Test. Missing out on the 1991-92 home series he was picked again for the tour of Sri Lanka and here he did better. In the First Test at Colombo he was Man of the Match as he made 6 and 64, took 3/93 and 4/76 and caught Ranjith Madurasinghe off Shane Warne to give Australia a 16 run win. He followed this up with 55, 51, 57 and 96 to draw the two following Tests and Australia won the series. He was kept for the First Test against the West Indies at The Gabba in 1992-93, but again failed and was dropped. Recalled for the Third Test at Sydney he made 79, but was hit for 2/169 as Brian Lara made 277 in the tourists 606. With Shane Warne in the side Australia no longer needed Matthews as a spinner, he could not get a place on his batting alone and he never played for Australia again.
Matthews later hinted at politics being behind his lack of test cricket.
Some guys chew gum. Some chew their nails. Some abuse their team-mates. I played air guitar. I sang to the crowd. I sang to myself and I danced. I said things to the good sorts in the crowd. Can someone please tell me what’s wrong with that? People say Mark Waugh was a great player. I think I averaged 41, the same as him, and he played in a team that rarely lost. I played in a side that rarely won. There’s one reason why I didn’t play more and the brothers [translation: his Australian team-mates] know the reasons why I wasn’t picked, and it wasn’t because my bowling average was 48. I can’t say why; I’m going to write it myself.[98]
Later career
In September 1997 Matthews became the New South Wales representative of the Australian Cricketers' Association, which had been formed in August on the 1997 tour of England.[99] Matthews currently plays in the Sydney Grade Cricket competition for the University of Sydney team and had a bowling average of 11.04 for the 2008 season. On 24 January 2009, he bowled Australia opener Phil Jaques for 5 with his first ball when Sydney University was playing Sutherland. In 2009 he co-hosted SBS televisions coverage of The Ashes series alongside former Test players Stuart MacGill and Damien Martyn. In 2012 he began to coach part-time for The Sydney Grammar Cricket Club at all age groups. [citation needed]
Advertising
Greg Matthews was seen as a very saleable commodity in 1985-86.[2] With the Australian cricket coach Bobby Simpson as his manager he soon became a wealthy man, endorsing a whole range or products, until he and Simpson fell out.[100] He later set up cricket coaching clinics with Steve Waugh and Brad McNamara in 1991-92.[101] However, the distraction of having agents and pushing products unsettled his career, and he was "not so good that he can succeed in high company with giving his game everything he has".[2] Matthews was involved in a high-profile "yeah, yeah" promotion for a hair regrowth company, Advanced Hair Studio, as have cricketers Graham Gooch, Martin Crowe and Shane Warne.
References
^ abp28, Garry Linnell, Benson and Hedges Tests Series Official Book 1986-87 The Clashes for the Ashes, Playbill Sport Publication, 1986
