Mallett was a beloved writer and one of Australia’s most successful off-spinners, Davidson a dynamic allrounder who played in the 1960 tied Test
The
Australian Cricket community is in mourning after the deaths of greats Alan Davidson and Ashley Mallett. Davidson, an allrounder renowned for his potent ability to swing the ball both ways, died peacefully at age 92 on Saturday morning. Mallett, a superb off-spinner and prolific author, died on Friday at age 76 after a long battle with
cancer.
Mallett played 38 Tests from his debut against
England in 1968 and took 132 wickets at an average of 29.84, also finishing his Test career against England in 1980. He is behind only Nathan Lyon (399 wickets) and Hugh Trumble (141) on the list of Australia’s most successful Test off-spinners. His 8-59 against
Pakistan in 1972 was the eighth-best bowling performance by an Australian in a Test innings.