There was a lot of tension and excitement during the tied test match between West Indies and Australia, which you wouldn’t believe. Having scored a single, Wally Grout faced the first ball of the last over, which was to be bowled by Wes Hall, with Australia needing six runs to win, and three wickets remaining in the match.
The first ball hits Wally Grout high on the leg and then drops in front of him. As Wally Grout scrambles to catch the ball, Richie Benaud reaches it almost before him.
A second ball – this is the bouncer from Wes Hall. Richie Benaud edges his hook, and Alexander makes the catch at the wicket-keeper’s feet.
The third ball of the innings is played for no run by the new batsman, Meckiff.
The fourth ball – goes through to the wicket-keeper. The batsmen run, Hall runs, Grout reaches the striker’s end safely, and Wes Hall throws again at Meckiff’s end and fails there as well, thus preventing the overthrow from being made. A total of four runs is needed, four balls remain, and two wickets need to be taken.
Ball Five – is struck into the air by Grout as he hits the ball. It is Kanhai who is under the ball at midwicket. When Hall attempts to catch the ball, the ball lands on the ground and Grout and Meckiff run it. It takes three to win.
The sixth ball – is hit by Meckiff toward the unattended square-leg boundary area. There is a strong feeling that Meckiff will score at least three runs and win the game. Just as the batsmen turn for the winning run, Conrad Hunte reaches the ball. What a great throw that was. As Alexander lunges for the stumps, Grout is out for a duck. Scores are tied – both teams have 737 scores.
The last Australian batsman, left-hander Lindsay Kline, clipped the last ball of the innings to the leg by clipping his leg. As the Australians prepare to bowl, Joe Solomon pounces on the ball and takes aim at the only stump he can see. He is able to hit 15-yard throws with ease. The unbelievable result, the game is tied. The first-ever instance of a test match tied in a dramatic fashion.
Richie Benaud and Frank Worrell left the field arm-in-arm after this incredible finish. The first Test match had more to offer than just a great finish. An outstanding game set the series alive and rejuvenated cricket. By putting on 66 for the last wicket, Lindsay Kline and Ken Mackay saved the match for Australia in the fourth Test. Tied matches are wonderful because everyone is able to contribute. A sightscreen might not have been freed on the first day of ground staff did not take four minutes to do so.
In the new era that the Brisbane match ushered in, Australia’s big cricket was played by cricketers who were at a great distance from the journeymen who dominated the early years of the game in this country. In order to tour with a team sprinkled with professional cricketers, Frank Worrell had to take time off from his university. Richie Benaud drove a smart red two-seater to the grounds accompanied by the Australians, as they drove their own cars to the grounds.
There was no one among them who ironed their own flannels. There were masseurs on each team, and both teams had their own masseurs. The players stayed in the best hotels in the country, they traveled by air from state to state, they owned their own bats, they kept their gear in their own cricket bags, and they were accustomed to TV, radio, and newspaper interviews on a daily basis.
Several of the tour members had booked contracts in their luggage long before the tour ended. It was Alan McGilvray who had become such an important figure in the game through his radio broadcasts that umpires began making special signals in the stands telling him when a batsman was out leg before wicket or caught behind.
