Jeff Thomson evoked fear in the minds of batsmen across the globe with his fast bowling in the 1970s. The Australian pacer formed a lethal partnership with another tearaway Dennis Lillee. 'If Lillee won't get you, Thommo will' chanted the crowd as the Australian duo ripped apart the English batting line-up in the 1974-75 Ashes series Down Under. Thommo, who had a forgettable Test debut against Pakistan in 1973, signaled his return in style by picking up 33 wickets from six Tests. His action - tilting back a la a javelin thrower - was a sight to behold on the cricket field.
However, an on-field collision in Adelaide in 1976 resulted in him sustaining a shoulder injury and Thommo was never the force he used to be. But he cut down on his pace and continued to be an integral part of the Australian Test team. He went on to reach the 200-wicket club before calling it quits in 1985 at the age of 35.
Thomson was in Kochi on Tuesday at the launch of Kerala Cricket Association(KCA)-IDBI Federal Life Insurance Bowling Foundation. Onmanorama spoke to the legend about his latest assignment with the KCA, future of Test cricket and much more. Read on.
What prompted you to take up the new role?
A challenge is always a challenge. Mumbai, Bangalore (Bengaluru) and now here down in Kerala. They are all Indian bowlers, it doesn't matter to me where we go. Mac (Makarand Waingankar, director of Excellence in Cricket) and the bosses selected here. So here we are.
Read also: KCA launches Bowling Foundation
Which areas will you be focusing on?
Attitude. I think the biggest thing in India is attitude. You probably got to have the fast bowling mentality more here. It's just the mental approach and the thinking. All the short cuts, the tricks and obviously the technique. Some of them (the trainees) are proven players. We've got half-a-dozen Ranji players, so we have to fine-tune them. The timing is good, it's before they start (the season).
India have generally struggled to produce fast bowlers...
I think it's just the mental thing. Flat wickets and the mentality is to get the new ball old and then the spinners can grip it. That thinking has to go out of the window. The spinners will do well somewhere. But you need fast bowlers and we need to locate them.
How tough is it being a modern day pace bowler?
It's always tough. It's a hard job. You take it on because you like it and it has not changed much. Since cricket began, fast bowling was always hard. Conditions always vary. That's what we will be talking to these guys. You got to adapt to the conditions. You got to be aggressive, watchful and pick up the tricks. You have to be smart.
Your take on the burn-out syndrome?
There is so much cricket these days - Tests, one-dayers, T20. If you play all forms of the game you are going to burn out very quickly. You have to pick your mark and that makes it hard for some of them to probably play for their country. They probably look at T20 and think I will play it and earn more money.
Do you think the art of defensive batting is on the wane?
They are not worried about the fundamentals - good footwork, getting into line and getting a look in. They are the victims of the situation. Look at Australia in Sri Lanka. Poor performance, bad footwork. But the moment they have a good game they will forget it. They just move on instead of fixing the technique.
At present, most of the teams don't perform well away from home?
There is so much cricket and it makes you weary and teary. Being away from the home is always harder. It was harder when we played and we didn't play that much. Nowadays they don't have any fun cricket. There are very few practice games. It's straight into the series. We enjoyed our practice games and used it to good effect.
You and Lillee formed a terrific pair...
We played together all the time and we are good mates. On the field Dennis was more aggressive. I was quieter, while he was in your face. I was sort of the quiet assassin. When you play with a guy like Dennis it makes life easier. It works both ways and it was good fun. If you have more bowlers it makes it harder for you. I played in a game where we had Dennis, Rodney Hogg, Len Pascoe and we did not know when we were going to bowl.
Your views on pink ball cricket?
I have no issues with pink ball cricket. Only the batsmen are complaining because the ball moves around a bit more and they can't smash them over the fence. They have got all the protective gear, less bouncers and the moment the ball does a bit more they are wincing.
Some have been calling for Test cricket to be made a four-day affair...
I don't know, it might hurry things along. Maybe you have bonus points if you get them out in a certain time. Test cricket has been struggling for some time and it's a concern because your best players are in Test cricket. If you are good in Tests, you are good in T20 too. When you look at Test matches, the amount of people who turn up is very few. But the moment you put on limited over cricket, it all changes.
Who do you rate as the batsman of your era?
I will give you four - Greg Chappell, Viv Richards, Barry Richards and Sunny (Gavaskar). Good luck bowling against all those on a flat wicket!