Wayne Prior
Encyclopedia
Wayne Prior was an Australian cricketer considered by some to be unlucky never to play Test cricket
.
Born in Salisbury, South Australia
, Prior played cricket and Australian rules football
as a junior before developing into a tall, rangy right-arm fast bowler, who, on his day, was one of the fastest in Australia.
Prior made his first-class
debut for South Australia on 1 November 1974 against the touring MCC
team at Adelaide Oval
, taking 1/60 and 0/18. After a moderately successful debut season, Prior became one of the stand out performers of the 1975-76 Australian cricket season, taking 43 wickets at 19.67, including 6/41 against the touring West Indian team
and match figures of 10/168 against New South Wales
, including a hat trick. Prior's bowling was a key element in South Australia winning the Sheffield Shield
and led to media speculation that he would be included in the Australian Test side
against the West Indies. While the large pool of talented fast bowlers available in Australia kept Prior out of the Test team, former English fast bowler Frank Tyson
was sufficiently impressed by his performances to confidentially predict that Prior would be a future mainstay of the Australian side.
Prior spent the 1976 English cricket season
playing English club cricket, as well as stints for the Kent Second XI
and DH Robins' XI. His 1976-77 season for South Australia was disappointing in comparison to his previous season, realising only 17 wickets at 43.00, but Prior was still considered as a future Test player. His problem, common to many cricketers of his era, was monetary. With cricket providing little financial compensation, Prior was required to work to earn a living, doing so as a casual labourer with a suburban Adelaide
council until South Australian Cricket Association
officials organised work for him with an Adelaide car dealer. Prior's financial situation was still precarious however, and so when he was offered a significant contract to join the new World Series Cricket
(WSC) competition (as well as the opportunity to again play under his former captain at South Australia, Ian Chappell
), Prior jumped at the opportunity.
Prior played two WSC Super Tests, taking two wickets at 116.00, and eight WSC International Cup matches, taking four wickets at 54.00 While Prior's bowling statistics were poor, team mates were impressed with his attitude and his pace, once breaking Kepler Wessels
ribs in a country match.
Following the end of World Series Cricket, Prior returned to South Australia for the 1979-80 season, taking 26 wickets at 41.53. He also bought a farm in Lobethal, South Australia
with the proceeds of his WSC payments, and his ensuing farm duties led to his unavailability for some matches. Prior missed most of the 1981-82 season due to a mixture of farm commitments and a suspension arising from disputing an umpire's decision in an Adelaide grade match
At his retirement at the end of the 1984/85 season, Prior had played 48 first-class matches for 140 wickets at 33.07. Referred to as "a placid, easy-going character until he gets a ball in his hand and sees a batsman at the other end", Prior was usually known by his nickname "Fang".
Some cricket writers have named Prior amongst the most unlucky players to not have played for Australia. David Hookes
, Prior's captain at South Australia, was one who believed Prior should have played Test cricket, calling him "a genuine fast and away-swing bowler", and noting that Prior often troubled West Indian champion Viv Richards
more than any of his Australian fast bowling counterparts.
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...
.
Born in Salisbury, South Australia
Salisbury, South Australia
Salisbury is a northern suburb in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the seat of the City of Salisbury, and in the South Australian Legislative Assembly electoral district of Ramsay and the Australian House of Representatives divisions of Wakefield and Port Adelaide...
, Prior played cricket and Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
as a junior before developing into a tall, rangy right-arm fast bowler, who, on his day, was one of the fastest in Australia.
Prior made his first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
debut for South Australia on 1 November 1974 against the touring MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
team at Adelaide Oval
Adelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
, taking 1/60 and 0/18. After a moderately successful debut season, Prior became one of the stand out performers of the 1975-76 Australian cricket season, taking 43 wickets at 19.67, including 6/41 against the touring West Indian team
West Indian cricket team
The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,...
and match figures of 10/168 against 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...
, including a hat trick. Prior's bowling was a key element in South Australia winning the Sheffield Shield
Pura Cup
The Sheffield Shield is the domestic cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Prior to the Shield being established, a number of intercolonial matches were played. The Shield, donated by Lord Sheffield, was first contested during...
and led to media speculation that he would be included in the Australian Test side
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...
against the West Indies. While the large pool of talented fast bowlers available in Australia kept Prior out of the Test team, former English fast bowler Frank Tyson
Frank Tyson
Frank Holmes Tyson is an England cricketer of the 1950s who became a journalist and cricket commentator after he emigrated to Australia in 1960. Nicknamed "Typhoon Tyson" by the press he was regarded by many commentators as one of the fastest bowlers ever seen in cricket and took 76 wickets in...
was sufficiently impressed by his performances to confidentially predict that Prior would be a future mainstay of the Australian side.
Prior spent the 1976 English cricket season
1976 English cricket season
The 1976 English cricket season saw Clive Lloyd's new approach to Test cricket as a battery of pace bowlers was used to intimidate the England batsmen. Lloyd adopted the tactic after his own team's experiences against Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee the previous year...
playing English club cricket, as well as stints for the Kent Second XI
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
and DH Robins' XI. His 1976-77 season for South Australia was disappointing in comparison to his previous season, realising only 17 wickets at 43.00, but Prior was still considered as a future Test player. His problem, common to many cricketers of his era, was monetary. With cricket providing little financial compensation, Prior was required to work to earn a living, doing so as a casual labourer with a suburban Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
council until South Australian Cricket Association
South Australian Cricket Association
The South Australian Cricket Association is the peak body for the sport of cricket in South Australia. The association runs Adelaide Oval and the Southern Redbacks based in Adelaide, South Australia. SACA is the controlling body for the South Australian Grade Cricket League...
officials organised work for him with an Adelaide car dealer. Prior's financial situation was still precarious however, and so when he was offered a significant contract to join the new 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...
(WSC) competition (as well as the opportunity to again play under his former captain at South Australia, Ian Chappell
Ian Chappell
Ian Michael Chappell is a former cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. He captained Australia between 1971 and 1975 before taking a central role in the breakaway World Series Cricket organisation...
), Prior jumped at the opportunity.
Prior played two WSC Super Tests, taking two wickets at 116.00, and eight WSC International Cup matches, taking four wickets at 54.00 While Prior's bowling statistics were poor, team mates were impressed with his attitude and his pace, once breaking Kepler Wessels
Kepler Wessels
Kepler Christoffel Wessels is a former South African cricketer who captained South Africa after playing 24 Tests for Australia. He was the first man to have played One Day International cricket for two countries....
ribs in a country match.
Following the end of World Series Cricket, Prior returned to South Australia for the 1979-80 season, taking 26 wickets at 41.53. He also bought a farm in Lobethal, South Australia
Lobethal, South Australia
Lobethal is a town in the Adelaide Hills area of South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council local government area, and is nestled on the banks of a creek between the hills and up the sides of the valley. It was once the centre of the Adelaide Hills wool processing industry, which...
with the proceeds of his WSC payments, and his ensuing farm duties led to his unavailability for some matches. Prior missed most of the 1981-82 season due to a mixture of farm commitments and a suspension arising from disputing an umpire's decision in an Adelaide grade match
At his retirement at the end of the 1984/85 season, Prior had played 48 first-class matches for 140 wickets at 33.07. Referred to as "a placid, easy-going character until he gets a ball in his hand and sees a batsman at the other end", Prior was usually known by his nickname "Fang".
Some cricket writers have named Prior amongst the most unlucky players to not have played for Australia. David Hookes
David Hookes
David William Hookes was an Australian cricketer, broadcaster and coach of the Victorian cricket team. An aggressive left-handed batsman, Hookes usually batted in the middle order...
, Prior's captain at South Australia, was one who believed Prior should have played Test cricket, calling him "a genuine fast and away-swing bowler", and noting that Prior often troubled West Indian champion Viv Richards
Viv Richards
Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, KNH, OBE is a former West Indian cricketer. Better known by his second name, Vivian or, more popularly, simply as Viv or King Viv Richards was voted one of the five Cricketers of the Century in 2000, by a 100-member panel of experts, along with Sir Donald...
more than any of his Australian fast bowling counterparts.