A tough cookie from Western Australia, Ross Edwards was a flexible cricketer who could do things to create balance in the team. Whether it meant shedding his specialist wicket-keeper position to be a fielder or preferred middle order spot to open the innings in an emergency, Edwards did it all, with success too. He was an excellent fielder in the covers and was a more than reliable batsman anywhere in the order although he loved to bat in the middle order. A frenetic century as an opener during a crisis situation promised a lot for Australia but a pair in the following Test proved the fact that he was best meant for batting down the order rather than facing the new ball. There was also a sense of maturity in his game very early in his international career and that stemmed from gaining a wealth of experience prior to the national call up.

Edwards started his domestic career in the 1964-65 season but it took him about eight seasons to get a national call up. While the wait was long, it also meant that he was mentally strong enough to handle the pressures of international cricket. He enjoyed a fairly successful Test career and despite not playing many ODIs, made his presence felt with three fifties, including one in the 1975 World Cup final. The numbers suggested that Edwards was on his way to greatness but the World Series took him and on returning, he never got considered for national selection. Edwards ploughed on in domestic cricket for a while before retiring after the 1979-80 season. He shifted base to England and enjoyed a few years of club cricket before calling it quits altogether.

By Hariprasad Sadanandan