The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Norman O’Neill: an entertaining cricketer

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Norman O’Neill: an entertaining cricketer

Special Correspondent

— The Hindu Photo Archives

Norman O’Neill.

Chennai: Among the many overseas icons that Indian cricket enthusiasts wanted to witness in action on home soil, Norman O’Neill was one. A brilliant right-hand batsman and superb fielder along with the incomparable pick and throw stalwart, Neil Harvey, the powerfully built O’Neill toured India twice, first in 1959, under Richie Benaud, and in 1963-64 under R.B. Simpson.

Richie Benaud, under whom O’Neill flourished as an outstanding batsman of that era, described O’Neill as “one of the finest batsmen I reckon ever to have played for Australia. He was a brilliant fielder and a team man as well. ”

Fast bowler, Alan Davidson said, “He was dynamite. He would play attacking shots off balls that other people could only think of defending.”

India’s Test batsman, A.G. Milka Singh, who made his debut against the Aussie team in 1961 here, described “O’Neill as a good hitter of the ball, but always a nervous starter.”

However, Milkha said O’ Neill was a brilliant out-fielder with a fantastic throw. He recalled how O’Neill got into form in the match against the President’s XI at Ahmedabad, after a string of poor scores.

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