Test player
Darling was given his chance in the Australian Test team through the defection of several players to World Series Cricket in 1977. In October 1977 Ray Robinson listed Darling as a test possibility,saying Darling and Dav Whatmore "both look test material for the future". [21] However at the beginning of the season he was 12th man for South Australia against the Indian team. [22] Darling eventually got back into the first eleven and scored runs,playing particularly well against Western Australia,making 45 and 100. [23] [24] He made 101 against Tasmania in a one-day game,which won him the Man of the Match Award nd saw him come into discussions about possibly opening for Australia,especially as the test team had been unable to find a consistent opening combination throughout the summer. [25] [26] Darling's other scores were 0 and 43 against Victoria [27] and 39 and 15 against WA. [28]
Darling was selected for the Australian side for the fifth test against India and subsequent tour of the West Indies (both were announced on the same day). He later recalled,"I was at the local water ski beach having a ski and first thing I knew was dad came down in the ute in a cloud of dust and was yelling out from the other side of the river 'come over here,get to Adelaide and play in the fifth Test'". [29] Also selected to make his test debut was Graeme Wood of Western Australia;it was thought Wood and Darling two could make an ideal opening combination,although Wood was only 21 and Darling just 20. Darling was the youngest member of the tour side. [30] [31] Ian Chappell wrote,"I applaud the selection" of Darling,saying "he is as good a hooker as you will find in Shield cricket and uses his feet well to spin bowlers." Chapell added "I am not convinced about him opening in test matches yet,but if he is brought along gradually on tour he may be the answer to a long-standing Australian problem." [32]
Australia's gamble on Wood and Darling made dividends with the two of them putting on 89 for the first wicket,Australia's best opening partnership of the series. Darling made 65. [33] Bill O'Reilly said he "functioned with extraordinary confidence" and called it "a magnificent debut which will give Australian cricket a lift." [34] Darling followed his up with 56 in the second innings,helping Australia win the game. [35] [36]
West Indies tour
Darling began the West Indies tour well,scoring 26 and 35 in a tour game against Leeward Islands [37] and 8 in the first ODI. [38] John Benaud wrote "the form of Rick Darling on this West Indian tour has been so disappointing the Australian selectors minds must be churning at the thought of yet another opening experiment." [39] Darling then made 105 and 43 against Trinidad and Tobago. [40] [41] However he missed the first test due to a virus infection (being replaced by Craig Serjeant. [42]
Darling recovered and made 62 against Barbados. [43] [44] He scored 21 in the second ODI. [45]
Darling was picked for the second test but failed twice,making 4 and 8. [46] A score of 123 in a tour game against Guyana restored his confidence [47] [48] but Darling failed twice again in the third test (which Australia won),making 15 and 0. [49] [50]
Darling made 12 and 36 against the Windward Islands (doubling as wicketkeeper) [51] and failed again in the fourth test,making 10 and 6. [52] [53] According to one report "Darling has developed an unfortunate habit of committing himself to the front foot,always looking to work the ball on the leg side. Yesterday he was bowled when he moved too far inside the line to glance and left his leg stump exposed." [54]
Darling had made 43 runs in six test innings. He was dropped from the Australia team for the fifth test,being replaced by David Ogilvie. Bob Simpson said he would have preferred a specialist opener "but we couldn't really persevere with Rick." [55] Australia came close to winning the game before the crowd rioted and the match ended in a draw. Darling did finish the tour with 75 against Bermuda Counties. [56] [57] However it had been a disappointing tour for Darling,who now found his position in the Australian side in doubt.
1978–79 Ashes
Darling began the 1978–79 season poorly failing twice for South Australia against the touring English team,making 17 and 1. [58] [59] Peter McFarline of The Age felt Darling "hooked himself out of the first test side" with this match. [60]
Darling then made 39 against Tasmania. [61] He was omitted for the first test side with Australia using Wood and Gary Cosier as openers. However they failed to put on a strong opening stand and when Darling scored 85 and 82 against NSW [62] he was recalled for the second test,with Cosier dropped down the order. [63] [64] "I will hook as long as I live," said Darling. "I am not going to quit the shot. Why should I when it gets me so many of my runs?" [60] "I'm happy that we now have two experienced opening batsmen in Wood and Rick Darling,and I am confident that they will be able to give us a sound start," said captain Graham Yallop. [65] This did not turn out to be the case with Darling only scoring 25 (run out) and 5. [66] (Although he was incorrectly ruled run out in the first innings. [67] )
Darling then made 19 and 41 for South Australia against England. [68] Darling and Wood put on two 50-plus opening stands in the third test,helping Australia to a rare victory. Darling made 33 (run out) in the first innings and 21 in the second. [69] [70] [71] The number of times either Darling or Wood were run out saw them given the nickname "the kamikaze kids". According to Darling,"It was not the way we ran between wickets it was the speed we ran between wickets. For example,if we were running a three,I or him would be coming back for the third when the other person was only finishing the second. It wasn't the calling,it wasn't the misjudgement of a run —well I suppose it was —but it all goes back to the speed of us at the time." [31]
Darling's finest Test innings was 91 against England at Sydney in the 4th Test. [72] Bill O'Reilly called the batsman's performance "top class. A few weeks ago this young man was performing like an undisiplined yet talented apprentice who had not mastered the basic lessons on self control... Since then,he has matured incredibly." [73] Darling helped Australia to a first innings lead but they collapsed in the second innings (Darling made 13;it was Wood's turn to be run out) and lost badly,meaning England retained the Ashes. [74] [75] O'Reilly bemoaned Darling's second innings dismissal calling it "a depressing loss of concentration." [76]
Darling was injured in a fielding mishap playing for South Australia against an invitational eleven. "I just could not hold a bat",he said. "Frankly I don't think I'll be able to play again for at least a week". [77] This saw him omitted for a one-day match against England (he was replaced by Andrew Hilditch). However he kept his place for the fifth test. [78] It was this match for which Darling is perhaps most famous,as he was struck on the chest by a delivery that lifted viciously from fast bowler Bob Willis. The blow caused Darling's chewing gum to become lodged in his throat,and he collapsed on the pitch,not breathing. Umpire Max O'Connell and SACA physiotherapist Michael Mason moved Darling's tongue forward and removed gum. "He was in agony,grasping for breath and almost unconscious when I got to him," said Mason. [79] Darling was taken off the field to sent to hospital: [80]
"All I can remember is,Bob Willis had this big inswinging,in-dipping action",Darling says. "The ball was pitched well outside off stump was the last thing I remember. Once it swung in,it also cut in further. I was caught in no man's land. I was sort of caught out of position,and hit in the chest. Unfortunately,at the time,I was chewing a chewy,and I swallowed my tongue and chewy as well. That caused me to black out." [81]
Darling returned to the crease the following day,but could only make 15 runs. Darling:
I knew the Englishmen would test me out as soon as I walked out. Ian Botham. Bob Willis. I remember facing Ian Botham when I went out there,and he did test me out. Fortunately enough I did hook him for a six,but I must admit it was more of a top edge. Adelaide Oval had quite short square boundaries,and it managed to clear them for a six. Of course he tested me out a few more times. [81]
Darling made 9 in the second innings and Australia fell to a crushing 205-run loss,which allowed England to retain The Ashes. [82] [83]
English captain Mike Brearley attributed his team's success to its ability to get through the Australian batting order. "The biggest problem is to break the opening pair,Rick Darling and Graeme Wood",he said. "At times they have played very well,but we have found that once we can get one of them cheaply we have been able to dismiss numbers three,four and five with the new ball." [84]
Darling was dropped from the Australian test team for the sixth test in favour of Andrew Hilditch. [85] He kept his place in the one day side but performed poorly. [86] [87] Darling made 36 against NSW, [88] 17 and 22 against Queensland, [89] and 1 and 34 against WA. [90]
Australia lost the first test against Pakistan and Darling was recalled for the second test,replacing Graeme Wood. "Darling has been unlucky throughout the series",said Yallop. [91] Darling made 79 for South Australia against Pakistan. [92] [93] He carried this form into the test match,fielding brilliantly and scoring 75 in the first innings,putting on 96 with Hilditch. [94] [95] A similar knock of 79 in the second innings helped Australia win and Darling won the man of the match award. [96]
It was reported that World Series Cricket officials had offered Darling a contract for the upcoming 1979/80 WSC season (which did not eventuate). [97] Darling had been unemployed for six months but went to work for Hindmarsh Building Society,sponsors of the South Australian side. [98]
Darling was described as one of the most nervous first-class cricketers,often biting his fingernails before he went out to bat.
1979 World Cup
Darling was selected to play for Australia in the 1979 World Cup. He made 60 in a warm up game against New Zealand [99] but failed to impress in the official games,with scores of 25 (against England [100] ),13 (against Pakistan [101] ) and 13 (against Canada [102] ).
1979 India tour
Darling was selected for Australia's tour of India in 1979. [103] He fell ill with a stomach ailment early in the tour. [104] Then later he was hit in the face while fielding,meaning he only batted once in the lead up games,making 34 against North Zone. [105] [106] Eventually Darling was ruled unfit and Wood took his place. [107]
Darling returned to the team for the second test,replacing Dav Whatmore but was dismissed cheaply for 7 in the first innings,and did not bat in the second innings due to illness. [108] [109]
82 in a tour game against Central Zone restored his confidence. [110] [111] In the third test he was injured again while fielding. [112] Darling batted down the order and scored a fighting 59. [113] He opened in the second innings and scored only 4. [114]
According to a contemporary report,"In a team of complex characters,Darling is perhaps the most complex. He is a tremendously talented batsman dragged back by acute nervousness. Sometimes he gets so worked up thinking about batting that he has to run off the field and be physically ill in the dressing room. Darling's problem has always been with him. It is the main reason why he has been made into an opener,when his technique and attacking flair make him more suited to a position down the order." [115]
Darling made 27 and 3 against West Zone [116] and was dismissed cheaply twice in the fourth test,19 and 7. [117] He was dropped down the order for the fifth and sixth tests. In the fifth he made 39 and 7; [118] in the 6th it was 16 and 0. [119]
In the final Test,Darling was hit on the head attempting a hook shot from a Kapil Dev bouncer,and was carried off the field and forced to retire hurt with no score to his name. [120] His head split open,Darling was taken to hospital,where,according to Bob Merriman,the doctors refused to stitch him up until he signed an autograph for them. (Darling later said this was untrue.) [81]
