Famous father-son duos in international cricket (Photo Credit: Social Media )
New Delhi:
They say it runs in the family. One learns from people around and gets inspired by them. Just like the son of a business tycoon takes over the reins of the business after his father’s retirement, there have been people who have followed the footsteps of their cricketing fathers and gone on to represent their country at an international level.
In this article, we will take a look at some famous father-son duos to have graced the game of cricket:
Lala Amarnath and Mohinder Amarnath: With India’s first Test century to his name, Lala Amarnath is a pioneer when it comes to Indian cricket. His full name is Nanik Amarnath Bharadwaj. Along with being a technically sound batsman, Lala was a good bowler too. He has the distinction of being the only bowler to get the great Sir Donald Bradman hit-wicket. Like senior Amarnath, Mohinder Amarnath too was an all-rounder. He was the star of India’s World Cup-winning campaign in 1983. Jimmy, as he was fondly called, had a career that saw a lot of ups and downs. However, he kept making regular comebacks despite the odds being against him. Talking of odds, you can check the best lot on Betindia.
Peter Pollock and Shaun Pollock: Peter Pollock is one of South Africa’s premier fast bowlers. He picked up an impressive 116 wickets in the 28 Tests he played. Peter might not have been as stylish a batsman as his younger brother, Graeme, but he was no mug with the bat - he has two fifties to his name. His son, Shaun, is considered to be one of the finest all-rounders to come from the land of the Proteas. He even went on to captain South Africa after the Hansie Cronje controversy. With Allan Donald, Shaun went on to make a deadly bowling combination that helped South Africa win many games.
Micky Stewart and Alec Stewart: A gutsy batsman, Micky had a very late debut - against Pakistan in 1962, at the age of thirty. He went on to play just 8 Test matches for England. He had even toured India, but had to leave midway due to illness, and was never recalled. However, he continued to be associated with the ECB from 1986 to 1997. Unlike his father, Alec had a long run at the international level - he is the most capped Test player for England. A flamboyant batsman and a dependable wicketkeeper, Alec was one of England’s most important players throughout the 1990s. He has 19 centuries to his name - 15 in Tests and 4 in ODIs.
Geoff Marsh and Shaun & Mitchell Marsh: One of Australia’s finest opening batsmen, Geoff was known for his fighting spirit. He formed famous partnerships with David Boon and Mark Taylor, giving Australia some memorable starts in both Tests and ODIs. He scored 4357 runs in 117 ODIs at an average just short of 40. Geoff’s other notable contribution to Australian Cricket is that he gave them not one, but two good players - Shaun and Mitch Marsh. Shaun is a left-handed batsman, while Mitch is an all-rounder. Both have represented Australia in Tests and ODIs. Although they have been in and out of the team over the years, they continue to be in the scheme of things.
Sunil Gavaskar and Rohan Gavaskar: One of the best batsmen of all time, Sunil Gavaskar is known as the original ‘Little Master’. He was grit and determination personified when on the crease. Gavaskar announced his international test debut in style as he helped India win its first-ever Test series against the West Indies, in 1971. He faced the West Indian quicks with utmost fearlessness. He had gone on to register most of the batting records for India before Sachin Tendulkar took over in the modern era. Named after Rohan Kanhai, junior Gavaskar didn’t have a long run at the international level - he played only 11 ODIs for India, scoring a fifty and picking up a wicket.
These have been some of the well-known father-son pairs in cricket, who have represented their countries on the global stage and proved the idiom ‘like father, like son’ to be true.
