Max Walker dies, aged 68

Max Walker, the tangle-footed and rubber-armed Australia seamer of the 1970s, has died in Melbourne after succumbing to cancer. He was 68.

A key member of the successful Australian Test teams led by Ian and Greg Chappell, Walker was also among the breakaway group of players who took part in Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket from 1977 to 1979. Their stance fundamentally altered the shape of international cricket ever since.

Walker played 34 Tests for Australia, bowling into the wind opposite Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson in the memorable home summers of 1974-75 and 1975-76, when England and West Indies were laid to waste.

He also stepped up notably on occasions when the aforementioned pair were injured or unavailable. Chief among these efforts were early in his career: a Test match against Pakistan in 1973 when he ran through the tourists opposite an ailing Lillee, and the West Indies tour later the same year when he led an undermanned bowling attack to one of the team's best overseas wins.

Greg Chappell remembered Walker saying: "My two most indelible memories of Tangles would be the tour of the West Indies in 1973 when Australia lost our spearheads Dennis Lillee and Bob Massie, meaning that Jeff Hammond and Max had to shoulder the burden of the bowling. The conditions were pretty tough and they weren't really conducive to swing bowling, which was Max's strength, but it was one of the earliest occasions where we became aware of reverse swing, and he was able to get the older ball to go Irish, which really helped our cause.

"We won that series and he was a big contributor to that victory. The other moment that I can still recall vividly was during the Centenary Test in 1977 when England had dismissed us for 130-odd and we needed something special, and we got it from Max. Tony Greig was always a big wicket, but when he sent Greigy's off stump cart-wheeling, the roar from Tangles was louder than that of the crowd. I was in slips and it was almost frightening as he charged down the pitch with both arms in the air, roaring his delight."

Hailing from west Hobart, where he lived until recruited to the Melbourne Football Club by the legendary coach Norm Smith, Walker became an instantly recognisable figure for his handlebar moustache and toothy grin. Later in life those features helped him become a popular commentator and entertainer; he published a string of comedic books and hosted Wide World of Sports.

James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, paid tribute to Walker. "Max was an outstanding cricketer who played an important role in the emergence of successful Australian cricket teams in the 1970s," he said. "It was a golden era of Test Cricket under the captaincy of Ian and Greg Chappell, and Max's medium fast bowling and his unmistakeable bowling action were a feature of those teams, and then in the late 1970s when he joined World Series Cricket.

"The cricket world will be deeply saddened to hear of Max's sudden passing. As a cricketer, with ball or bat in hand, Max was always fiercely competitive. He was a genuine crowd favourite wherever he played - and nowhere more so than at his beloved MCG, where he had also played senior football prior to his Test debut."

Tony Dodemaide, CEO of Cricket Victoria, spoke of Walker's contribution. "Max was a positive and jovial character and devoted much of his life to playing and serving the game, during what many would call a revolutionary period for cricket," he said. "At the completion of his playing career, Max charmed many on our TV screens as he built his career in the entertainment industry.

"Max's contribution to the game was significant and at a time when cricket was undergoing significant changes, playing a critical role in World Series Cricket. A gentleman of his era, Max was able to be part of some moments that will be cherished forever in cricket history and will continue to inspire future generations."

Hugh Marks, chief executive of Channel Nine, offered his thoughts about Walker's time in television "At Nine and across the game we have lost a genuine hero of Australian cricket with Max Walker's sad passing," Marks said. "He was terrific bowler as his Test record shows, but an even better bloke. He will be missed by the whole Nine family.

"Larger than life on and off the field, a huge character with that laconic, laid-back approach to sport and life. Just a big, cuddly colourful bloke whom everyone really liked - his opponents just as much as the rest of us, Max enjoyed that unique sense of humour made only in Australia, which shone like a beacon in his post-retirement commentary roles on Nine, his hilarious books and his famous 'have a good weekend Mr Walker' television advertisements.

"Max leaves an indelible signature on Australian cricket and its culture. He will be profoundly missed'."