Great article written recently by Fox Sports Executive Director Steve Crawley, delivering the sad news that Australian Cricket Legend Allan Border has Parkinson’s disease. However, being the pragmatist and realist that Allan Border is, he has accepted his diagnosis (diagnosed in 2016) and gotten on with things; that is typical Allan Border. No fuss. Tough bugger!
How tough? In the mid 1990’s he was voted Australia’s toughest sportsman ever! In 2015, journalist Robert Craddock stated that Allan Border was the toughest Queensland sportsperson ever!
In his test career he played 156 test matches and finished with 11,174 runs at an average of 50.56. His record against the feared and arguably the greatest fast bowling attacks of the West Indies was really good; 31 test matches, 2,052 runs at an average of 39.46; a little lower than his overall test batting average. However, if you break this up; when he was at his peak from the ages of 24 to 29, Border played 16 matches against the West Indies fearsome pace attack, scored 1,221 runs at an average of 45.22. Incredible!
Although a reluctant captain to begin with, he developed his leadership skills to the extent that many consider him one Australia’s greatest ever captains. Under his leadership he helped turn Australia’s cricket team into one of the best ever and left a great legacy and this as the years go on will reflect what a great Border truly is and will be forever as the generations continue.
An absolute legend and fighter. Many are with you Mr. Border