SK Flashback: Remembering David Boon's last Test Match

A mention of the name David Clarence Boon brings an image of a man with a distinctive moustache chewing gums. He was a trailblazer of sorts. Till he came to the fore, the Tasmanian side which was although part of the Sheffield Shield (Australian domestic championship) struggled for success & consistency.

Boon was instrumental in Tasmania’s history making Gillette Cup (Australia’s domestic one-day tournament) win in 1978-79. He was the first prominent Australian Test cricketer from Tasmania and went on to play 107 Test matches. And until Ricky Ponting who played 162 Test matches for Australia, Boon had the distinction of having the highest Test caps for a Tasmanian.

It has been 21 years since he hung up his boots but even today he is fondly remembered as a man who played a key role in the resurgence of Australian cricket in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Today, we take a look at his last Test match which was played on this very day against Sri Lanka at the Adelaide Oval in 1996.

A no fuss cricketer

As Shane Warne had mentioned about Boon’s retirement in his book – Shane Warne’s Century: My Top 100 Test Cricketers, “Never a bloke to make a fuss, he announced his international retirement only the day before his final Test, against Sri Lanka in 1996.”

The Australian fans will recall that Boon had scored a century in just the previous Test match. At that point, only Allan Border had scored more runs or played in more Tests than Boon. Given his stature in Australian cricket then, he could have very well had a farewell with all the pomp & the show if he had announced his retirement in advance. But then again as Warne said referring to Boon, “He thought it was time to go.”

The beginning of the end

Many thought Boon was on his way to a fairytale ending

Since the time Boon made an announcement about his retirement a day before the commencement of the third Test match, the nation turned it into a tribute. It was quite understandable as the nation was bidding farewell to a great Australian.

Australian skipper Mark Taylor won the toss and elected to bat. Opening batsman Michael Slater was out without scoring and this brought in the man of the moment – Boon. He began well and put together a 60 run partnership with Mark Waugh. But just when it looked that Boon would have a fairytale ending, he was bowled by medium pacer Ravindra Pushpakumara after having scored 43 runs.

After Boon’s wicket, the Waugh brothers got into the act and they ensured that Australia puts up a strong first innings score. Steve Waugh was the highest scorer in the innings with a score of 170 runs.

In response, the Sri Lankans were dismissed for 317 runs courtesy a 5-wicket haul by Paul Reiffel and a 4-wicket haul by Glen McGrath.

The last innings

Not the best of goodbyes

With a handy lead of 185 runs, the Australians were looking to build the lead further in the second innings. Boon came in to bat for the last time in Baggy Green at the fall of skipper Taylor’s wicket and was welcomed to the crease with a thunderous applause.

Incidentally, Boon appeared to edge his very first ball from Chaminda Vaas; but was spared by the umpire. Later, Boon had joked that he could not even match Sir Don Bradman by being out for nought in his last innings. But this respite was short-lived as Vaas eventually got Boon out for 35 runs.

And Boon was gone without having scored heavily in his swan song. Australia declared at 215 runs for six wickets and set the Sri Lankans a target of 401 runs. Despite a century from opening batsman Sanath Jayasuriya and a fifty from Sanjeeva Ranatunga; the Sri Lankans could manage only 252 runs in their second innings. Thus the Australians completed a 3-0 whitewash against the Lankans.

Having already scored runs in both the innings, Steve Waugh shined with the ball too as he accounted for four Sri Lankan wickets and was declared as the man of the match. As a mark of respect to Boon, Steve Waugh presented him with the ball.

The perfect model of the bloke you would want to wear our Baggy Green Cap

A final swansong

His record of 7422 Test runs at an average of 43.65 is significant but may not find him a place in the list of all-time great Australian batsmen. Nevertheless, no one can deny the role that he played in Australian cricket. Be it his performance in the Ashes or the man-of-the-match effort in the 1987 World Cup, Boon was always there for the Aussies.

In addition to his batting skills, he was a very good short-leg fielder & silly-point fielder. This earned him the nickname ‘keg on legs’. Boon continued his contribution to cricket post-retirement as well in different capacities as ICC match-referee and Australian selector.

Recently, he was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame. And as Warne had said in his book, “If you were building a perfect model of the bloke you would want to wear our Baggy Green Cap, he would wear a pretty strong resemblance to David Boon: tough, uncompromising, defiant and proud.”