by Rohan Wijeyaratna
Those of you who can recall the finest and the greatest Test of all may be interested to know that I had the privilege of meeting one of the king makers of that match, Wes (now, Reverend Wes) Hall. He, being the President of the West Indies Cricket Board of Control, was here in connection with the tour now in progress. Spotting me, our Board Chairman Vijaya Malalasekera wasted no time at all in dragging me as well, into a little group that was already listening to Wes Hall as he sallied forth relating one escapade after another, all with much gusto.

‘The greatest Test of all’

Big Wes, was always quite a character, and once off the field, he had enough to say on the goings-on, on it. Each time of course, as all these great story-tellers are wont to do, the story reappears in a different format, hugely embellished and made even more entertaining than before. Story-telling is really an art, and usually a rather lucrative pastime for after dinner speakers in the more well-to-do countries. Anyway, there was Big Wes, telling us of a recent conversation between himself and Kanhai on that magnificent game of cricket 41 years ago at the ‘Gabba’, which produced the first ever tied Test match in the history of the game. It is still of course referred to, as Jack Fingleton so aptly called it, a long time ago, ‘The Greatest Test of All’.

Picture the scene. West Indies won the toss and batted and Sobers made a scintillating 132 in a total of 453. Of the West Indian first innings score, Wes Hall batting at number 10, made the most entertaining 50 seen on that ground for a long time, with swishes that never connected and heaves that did but going nowhere near where he intended. And each time he missed or mishit the ball, he would play the most immaculate mock stroke immediately afterwards which sent the crowd into raptures. Every minute of his stay at the wicket was chock-full of action. But going for the biggest hit of them all, Hall was stumped off Kline immediately after reaching his 50. Returning back to the pavilion the grinning Wesley Hall was explaining to his skipper the late Frankie Worrell, how he had thrown his wicket away. "Why man" he is quoted as saying, "I could easily have got a century. Yes, Sir. Then I suddenly say to myself, ‘Wes man, you’re not in this side as a batsman only. You’ve got to do some fast bowlin’. So I tell myself to be sensible and satisfied, man, and get out — and so I got out".

Australia on the ascendancy

Australia made 505 with O’Neill top scoring with 181. West Indies batting second were for a period of time even faced with the possibility of defeat. With eight hours play left, they were 152 ahead with six wickets in hand. And at stumps on the fourth day, they were only 207 ahead with one wicket standing. Twenty five runs later on the fifth day, the West Indies were all out, leaving Australia to get 233 to win in 312 minutes.

Australia quickly lost two wickets for only 7 runs and at lunch were 28 for 2 and well behind the clock. At twenty past two they were 57 for 5 with Hall finishing a devastating spell of 12 straight 8 ball overs that cost him only 38 runs and gave him four wickets. Australia had 176 runs to get in 200 minutes with half the side already out.

...and then, on the back-foot

The sixth wicket fell at 92 leaving Benaud and Davidson in together at tea. These two set about narrowing the gap and with 65 minutes left, Australia now needed 67 to win. It then became 45 in 46 minutes as the pair completed a thrilling century partnership for the seventh wicket, 36 in 31 minutes became 27 in 20 and with 4 wickets still standing. Worrell took the second new ball and gave it to Wesley Hall.

Game, set and match to Australia?

Amidst near dismissals and hair’s breath escapes, Australia went further ahead, needing only 19 runs in 21 minutes. Then it was 16 in 19 and finally, only 10 in 15 minutes, still with 4 wickets standing. Things looked as though it was game, set and match to Australia.

Davidson having played the innings of his life (to be repeated a few months later at Old Trafford in England) made 80 before going down to a Joe Soloman’s throw, possibly the only way he could have been dismissed on that day. 11 wickets and 126 runs were what ‘Davo’ contributed to that wonderful Test match. Grout the next man in, took a single off the penultimate ball of the penultimate over. 6 to win with nine balls to go, as Sobers bowled a dot ball to Benaud leaving Grout to face Wesley Hall in the last over of the match. The clock showed four minutes to six, Australia had three wickets in hand and were in need of just six runs to win off the last eight balls of the match

Hall defies Worrell

Benaud stole a run under Grout’s very own nose as the first ball hit the Australian keeper a crunching blow in the groin. Five to win with 7 balls to go and Benaud batting with a half a century under his belt. Contrary to Worrell’s wise words

a short while before, Wes Hall let fly at this point of time, another bouncer. Benaud unable to resist the temptation of hooking it into the stands gloved it instead to Alexander and Australia were 8 for 228. Five to win, 6 balls to go. Meckiff was the new batsman taking strike against Wesley Hall.

...and then, spills THAT catch!

A scampered single as the ball went wide of the batsman brought Grout into strike; four to win with 4 balls to go! And with the next one from Hall, Grout swung as if to signal the end, mistimed and the ball spooned high into the skies towards mid wicket where Rohan Kanhai positioned himself calmly, and waited for its descend into his waiting hands. That was of course discounting Wesley Hall. Unable to keep himself out of the action whether he was bowling or fielding, Hall changed course after delivery, and then, charging in the direction of mid wicket, jumped high over Rohan Kanhai’s waiting hands and spilled the catch!

The most amazing finish of all!

A throw by Hunte from the boundary’s edge saw Grout having run two being run out when attempting the third which meant that the scores were now level. And with two balls to go, one run was needed to win with the last man in! Lindsay Kline nudged his first ball to leg and scurried away for the winning run but little Joe Soloman from square leg threw down the only stump he saw leaving Meckiff well short of the crease. The perfect ending to a game that transcended more than once into the surreal, the first ever Test tie in the history of the game and that too achieved in the penultimate ball of the match!

...and back to our story

And now to get back to the story Rev. Wes Hall was relating to us. Forty one years on from the year of the tied Test, Wes Hall met Rohan Kanhai somewhere in the West Indies. And being the big hearted man he is, Hall walked up to the diminutive Gyanian and said " You know Rohan, I’ve been thinking. I really think it was all my fault, barging in like that and messing it all up. So it’s okay Man, jes’ forget it man, jes’ forget it."

"You know Wes", replied the little man fully well aware what the reference was all about, I’ve been waiting all these forty one years to hear you say just that and now that it is done, I can go to my grave happy that you have finally accepted it was not I after all who robbed the West Indies of a Test win that day, but it was you instead.

"Now, wait a minute man; wait a minute" said our Wes, "look at it this way. If I hadn’t barged in and helped you spill that catch, what would’ve happened? Well, you’d have caught it, and we’d have won the match. Then what would have happened? It would have ended up as just another Test match won by us in the record books, nothing more, nothing less. Now, with my barging in what did I do? I not only made that match the greatest of them all. I immortalized you for all time in the process!" said Wesley Hall to the amazed Rohan Kanhai.

Never a man without the last word, ‘Big Wes’ I thought was the perfect match for our own Chairman, Vijaya Malalasekera as I left their company, still holding my sides!