Ian Redpath

Ian Ritchie Redpath (born 11 May 1941, Geelong, Victoria) is a former Australian cricketer who played in 66 Tests and 5 ODIs from 1964 to 1976. Greg Chappell said he was one of only two players he knew who would kill to get into the Australian Test team, the other being Rod Marsh.

Educated at Geelong College, Redpath played first-class cricket for Victoria in 92 matches scoring 6,103 runs with a highest score of 261 made in only his tenth first-class innings, scored in February 1962 against a Queensland attack including Wes Hall.

He made his test debut on New Year’s Day at Melbourne in the second test of the 1963-64 series against South Africa. Opening the batting with Bill Lawry, the pair added 219 before Redpath was bowled on 97. Redpath was the last Australian Test cricketer to play as an amateur. He declined the match fee in his early tests in order not to jeopardise his amateur football career.

With his lean, gangly body and long neck, Redpath attracted the early nickname "Gandhi" among his team mates. However, when some concerns about this were expressed by local fans on the Australian tour of India in 1964-65, his colleagues permanently reverted to the simpler "Redders". Originally a sweet striker of the ball, Redpath turned into something of a stonewaller, with impressive powers of concentration and a sound technique. He matured late. It would not be until the Sydney test of February 1969 against the West Indies that he reached his maiden test century. In that same series, at Adelaide, he was infamously run out backing up at the bowler's end by Charlie Griffith, without any warning from the bowler.

Having broken through with a big score, Redpath flourished and proceeded to score seven Test centuries in the second half of his career, including five in his final 15 Tests, and three in his final test series in 1975-76 whilst opening the batting against a vaunted West Indian fast bowling attack featuring Michael Holding and Andy Roberts. It was not until his penultimate test that he struck his first six, advancing down the wicket to loft Lance Gibbs over the fence. Having done so, he promptly hit another six in the same innings.