Redders, the quiet Aussie

Australia lost one of its great team men when Ian lsquoReddarsquo Redpath died recently aged 83Redda 19412024 had a genuine team mentality The selectors had often unwisely left Redpath out of a few Australian sides but fortunately chose him in the squad to travel to New Zealand in 1974We were struggling in the opening spot when I went to Redda telling him hersquod be in the Test side no matter where he batted but Irsquod appreciate it if hersquod bat at the top of the order Without a secondrsquos hesitation Redda said hersquod be happy to openDeadlyrsquos victimHe was also tenacious When he was incorrectly given out caught off the bowling of lsquoDeadlyrsquo Derek Underwood on a damp pitch in the 197475 series he sat with his pads on by his locker in the dressing room After what seemed like an eternity he suddenly leant forward and spat on his bat That was the extent of a Redpath protestFollowing the 197475 series Redda whorsquod been a stalwart as an opener informed me unfortunately he couldnrsquot afford the time away from his antique business in Geelong Knowing we were a better side with the muchloved Redpath in the team I asked if he had anyone who could look after the business if he travelled with the squadHe replied that he had a bloke who he trusted who would look after his business for 40 a week When I approached an Australian Cricket Board ACB member to try and get Redda selected in the 1975 touring party he replied ldquoNo as it would set a precedentrdquo What precedent I wasnrsquot going to tell anyone and only one ACB member knew about the proposalAlso ReadShami should play RobertsDespite being a fierce competitor Redda was one of the soft spoken members of our team Imagine my surprise in the 1975 Test against England when I came back into the Sydney Cricket Ground dressing room after the toss to find ACB secretary Alan Barnes pinned to the dressing room wall by RedpathBarnes had upset all the players when after our agitation for better pay and conditions he was quoted in the paper as saying ldquoFive hundred thousand would play for Australia for nothingrdquoAfter pinning Barnes to the wall Redpath firmly told him ldquoOf course 500000 would play for nothing but they wouldnrsquot be a very good siderdquoRedpath especially enjoyed his time with the strong Australian team in the 1970s The ldquodesperate dozenrdquo was his nickname for the players and he was a great contributor to the teamrsquos success However Redda wasnrsquot just a very good cricketer He was also an accomplished Australian Rules footballer and an extremely keen golferTechnically soundI only played one club game against Redpath but it was a memorable match I was playing for North Melbourne on a wet pitch at South Melbournersquos home ground As the opposing captain Redda brought himself on to bowl while I was facing I was desperate not to be dismissed by Redda but one ball spat off a good length and just flicked my glove on the way through to the rsquokeeperRedpath a notorious appealer only uttered an aborted squawk At the end of the over I confessed to Redda that the ball had just flicked my glove and with his typically wry sense of humour he chastised me for not walkingAlso ReadWe should not doubt Rohit Sharmarsquos captaincy Kapil DevGreat knocksRedda played many fine and important innings for Australia but two really stand out in my mindIn 197374 he made a marvellous 159 not out in Auckland carrying his bat on a tricky pitch Despite his solid defence and ability to survive tough conditions Redpath still managed to hit 20 boundariesThen in 197576 on a stifling hot day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against a strong West Indies attack Redda batted virtually the whole first day to score a stubborn century It was Redpath at his technical best defying the bowling and the heat to score his third century of the seriesJust before he passed away I spoke to Annabel one of Reddarsquos daughters and said could you please tell your father ldquoIt was a privilege to play with him and to be his friendrdquo