Rick McCosker
Encyclopedia
Richard Bede McCosker is a former New South Wales
and Australian cricketer
.
McCosker played in 25 Tests
and 14 One Day Internationals in a career spanning 1975 to 1982 playing as a right hand batsman.
He is probably best remembered for playing in the 1977 Centenary Test
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
after he had his jaw broken by a bouncer
off Bob Willis
in the 1st innings. In the second innings he batted at number ten in bandages with his jaw wired shut, making 25, and 54 for the ninth wicket in partnership with Rod Marsh
. Australia won the match by 45 runs.
He also played in the World Series Cricket
team, and was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1976.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and Australian cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
.
McCosker played in 25 Tests
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
and 14 One Day Internationals in a career spanning 1975 to 1982 playing as a right hand batsman.
He is probably best remembered for playing in the 1977 Centenary Test
Centenary Test
Centenary Test refers to two matches of Test cricket played between the English cricket team and the Australian cricket team, the first in 1977 and the second in 1980. These matches were played to mark the 100th anniversaries of the first Test cricket matches played in Australia and in England ...
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
after he had his jaw broken by a bouncer
Bouncer (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a bouncer is a type of delivery, usually bowled by a fast bowler. It is pitched short so that it bounces on the pitch well short of the batsman and rears up to chest or head height as it reaches the batsman.Bouncers are used tactically to drive the batsman back on to his...
off Bob Willis
Bob Willis
Robert George Dylan Willis MBE , known as Bob Willis, is a former English cricketer who played for Surrey, Warwickshire, Northern Transvaal and England...
in the 1st innings. In the second innings he batted at number ten in bandages with his jaw wired shut, making 25, and 54 for the ninth wicket in partnership with Rod Marsh
Rod Marsh
Rodney William Marsh MBE is a former Australian wicketkeeper.A colourful character, Marsh had a Test career spanning from the 1970–71 to the 1983–84 Australian season. In 96 Tests, he set a world record of 355 wicketkeeping dismissals, the same number his pace bowling Western...
. Australia won the match by 45 runs.
He also played in the World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket was a break away professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 and organised by Kerry Packer for his Australian television network, Nine Network. The matches ran in opposition to established international cricket...
team, and was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1976.