Biography

Tony Lock’s name features in many a trivia quizzes for being that bowler who spoilt Jim Laker’s chances of claiming all 20 wickets in a Test match. However, there is more to the man, than just this. For starters, he had a tally of 174 Test wickets which he picked at around 25 per wicket. To add to that, his first class career saw him get 2844 batsmen out. To put this figure in perspective, he stands in the top ten of all time first class wickets taken.

As a slow left arm bowler, Tony Lock had to wait for six years after making his first class debut to make it to the Test team. The reason according to some was the fact that Lock did not impart a lot of tweak to the ball, thus making him vulnerable against good opposition. With a remodeled action, he got a lot more purchase, but unfortunately was called for chucking. Dropped again from the Test team in 1962, he continued playing his first class cricket – for Western Australia and Leicestershire – with great distinction. Fred Titmus’s freak injury while swimming allowed a surprise recall for Lock into the Test team, but he did not do much with the ball, and played his last Test match in 1968.

Lock continued his association with cricket by coaching in Perth, but towards the later part of his life, he was charged with sexual misconducts. He got cleared of both, but died soon after of cancer, a very bitter man.