WARWICK ARMSTRONG

'Warwick Windridge Armstrong' (born May 22, 1879 in Kyneton, Victoria, died July 13 1947 in Sydney, New South Wales) was an Australian cricketer. He captained the Australian cricket team in two Ashes series in Australia and England in 1920-21 and 1921, winning both. He was generally placed alongside Monty Noble as the finest Australian all-rounder of the first twenty years of the 20th century. His captaincy in Ashes cricket is particularly of note, as he is the first captain (the only other to date being Ricky Ponting in 2006-07) to have achieved a complete "whitewash" in an Ashes series.
Armstrong played two seasons of Australian rules football for South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League in 1899 and 1900 before taking cricket seriously.
His early cricket career included being a ground bowler for Melbourne Cricket Club members practising in the nets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

He was a large man (21 stone), who used his size and strength to great effect in intimidating opposition bowlers who described the cricket ball coming back at them after being struck by Armstrong as being "like a cannonball". He was known as the "Big Ship".
Armstrong is the one of the two persons to bowl two consecutive overs illegally in the same innings in a Test match (the only other recorded instance is Alex Moir). This occurred at Old Trafford in Manchester in 1921 towards the end of the second day (first day having been rained off) when the English team declared their innings. The law at the time did not allow a declaration on the first day less than hundred minutes before the close of play. Armstrong had bowled the last over before the break in play. On recommencement of play shortly after, he bowled an over without anyone apparently noticing that he had also bowled the previous one.
"The Big Ship" had a first-class career that spanned twenty-four years, scoring over 16,000 runs and taking 832 wickets. After retiring, he became a cricket journalist. He was entered into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2000, fifty-three years after his death.

Contents

Career highlights

Bibliography

External links

Career highlights

Test Debut: vs England, Melbourne, 1901-1902

Last Test: vs England, The Oval, 1921

★ Armstrong's highest Test score of 159 not out was against South Africa, Johannesburg, 1902-1903

★ His best Test bowling effort of 6 for 35 was against England, Lord's, 1909

★ He captained Australia in ten Tests, winning eight and drawing two

Bibliography

★ ''"The Big Ship" - Warwick Armstrong and the making of modern cricket'' by Gideon Haigh ( ISBN 1-876485-98-1)

External links

★ Cricinfo Player Profile : Warwick Armstrong

★ HowSTAT! statistical profile on Warwick Armstrong