Anne Gordon is a former Test cricket captain of Australia and played her nine Test matches between 1968/9 and 1976/7. Anne played in the inaugural World Cup in 1973 and was also the first Australian captain to lead the team onto the Lords Cricket Ground.
Born 24th December 1941 in Moe in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley, Anne Gordon was An explosive left arm quick bowler who batted elegantly as a right hander, this allrounder yet another in the Victorian production line of Test players in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
Anne Gordon went on to captain her country’s first encounter with the West Indies, kept the powerful Heyhoe-Flint’s England team winless and played in Australia’s first World Cup team.
“The greatest feeling I had was when I received my Australian blazer and put it on for the first time, I felt very proud and honoured to be wearing it and this feeling lasted up until the last time I wore it.”
Anne was also at the helm when she led the Australian team on to the field at Lord’s in the first match ever played at the ground by women.
A batting average a tad below 20 in both Test and ODI cricket belies her true talent. Those who saw the elegance with which she batted made favourable comparisons to Greg Chappell. However her bowling numbers are top drawer. She became the second player after Betty Wilson to claim 10 wickets in a match. She took 22 wickets in her nine Test matches at 23.09.
Upon retirement Anne became a selector for Victoria then moved to the UK where she continued her service to cricket, becoming the Chairman of Selectors for England. An allrounder who would have fitted in easily in any era, in any format of the game, one of the game’s great ambassadors.
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