VE Walker: Best lob bowler of his day

VE Walker, born April 20, 1837, was the greatest lob bowler of his day, a fine batsman and a fantastic fielder. He was also a path-breaking captain. Arunabha Sengupta looks at the life and career of the man who carried the torch of lob bowling rekindled by William Clarke.

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William Lambert: Pioneering lobster and one of the greatest of his day

William Lambert (born 1779, died April 19, 1851) was acknowledged as the greatest cricketer of his day. A champion batsman, a near-unplayable lob bowler and one of the first authors of technical manuals of the game, this fascinating pioneer was also one of the first cricketers to be banned for match-fixing. Arunabha Sengupta looks back at the life and career of this extraordinary man.

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Saleem Malik: Velvet gloves, tainted palms

Saleem Malik, born April 16, 1963, was all flair and grace while batting; he was one of the greatest Pakistan batsmen of the eighties and nineties. He was Pakistan’s emergency attendant on many an occasion. However, people remember him more in context of the slimy cricketing underbelly of bookmakers and match-fixing. Arunabha Sengupta looks at the career of the most visually gratifying of batsmen whose career ended under obscurity of allegations.

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Manoj Prabhakar: One of the few to open with both bat and ball in Tests

Manoj Prabhakar, born April 15, 1963, was a gutsy batsman anywhere in the order and a bowler who swung the ball prodigiously. He is part of many trivia questions like: Who was Allan Lamb’s only Test victim? Who was the first Indian to open batting and bowling on Test debut? He was a cunning bowler who made defined the face of Indian bowling in the nineties.However, in spite of some commendable achievements in his career; he continues to be remembered for the wrong reasons. Arunabha Sengupta looks at the career of the man who opened both the batting and bowling for India in a record 21 Tests.

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Ladha Ramji: Fiery and fast

Ladha Ramji Nakum, born February 10, 1900, was among the early fast bowlers in Indian cricket history. Test cricket came too late for him, but that did not stop him from tormenting batsmen with his relentless aggression and raw pace for over a decade. While he never enjoyed the stature of his younger brother Amar Singh, Ramji carved a niche of his own in the Bombay Quadrangular. Abhishek Mukherjee looks at a temperamental fast bowler who got banished from two kingdoms.

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