Few men have made such a big impression on Test debut as Bob Massie. Unfortunately for him, it was also the highlight of his international career. Almost as soon as he was in the limelight, he faded out of it, never to reappear.
Instead, he went back to his alternate career in finance with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, having left his mark in the record books.
A left-arm swing bowler, Massie had been selected to play for Western Australia at 18. But having failed to take any wickets on debut, he did not feature for them for another four years.
However, he earned a recall in 1969/70 season, and impressed enough to earn a call-up for a representative match between Australia and the Rest of the World XI.
He took 7-76 in that match, claiming, inter alia, the wickets of Garry Sobers, Sunil Gavaskar, and Graeme Pollock. On the basis of that, he earned a call-up for the Australian side that visited England in the summer of 1972 with the mission to regain the Ashes which had been lost on home soil 18 months earlier.
He played in the opening tour match against Worcestershire, taking 6-31 in the second innings, but a side strain ruled him out of the first Test match, at Old Trafford, Manchester, which England won by 89 runs.
However, the selectors decided that a change was needed for the second Test, at Lord’s. Massie was given his chance and seized it with both hands.
In the first innings he took 8-84, restricting England to 249. Then, after Australia had made 306 in reply, he did even better second tine round, taking 8-53 as the English were scuttled out for just 116. Australia duly knocked off the runs required to level the series.
Massie’s 16-137 was the best ever by a man on debut. It would stand in the record books alone until Indian leg-spinner Narendra Hirwani took 16-136 against the West Indies over 15 years later.
Sadly for Massie, this proved to be the high water mark of his international career. He took five wickets in the next Test match, but only four more in the next four.
His form dipped alarmingly. Not only was he dropped by Australia, but also by Western Australia, returning to his job at the bank.
His career thus reads six tests, 31 wickets and an average of 20.87.
They say that every dog must have his day. Massie’s was at Lord’s in June 1972. No one can take that away from him.