Photo credit: Youtube.Max Walker - one of the most beloved Australian cricketers to wear the Baggy Green - died today. He was 68.Walker - a Tasmanian - made his test debut in 1973 and went on to play 34 tests for Australia, taking 138 wickets.Known to fans as 'Tangles' or 'Tanglefoot' due to his unusual, awkward delivery style, Walker was a regular first change bowler to Aussie speed demons Dennis Lillie and Jeff Thomson. His best test figures were 8 for 143, against England at the MCG, in 1975.Max Walker bowling against New Zealand in a one-dayer in 1981. Source: Youtube.More than his exploits on the cricket field, Walker - whose life was finally claimed by melanoma - enjoyed a following as a top-notch bloke off it.From his big drooping mustache to his classic Aussie witt and all spaces between, Walker was a true blue-collar hero of the game Down Under."He was just a really down-to-earth, humorous guy," former Test seamer Bob Massie told the ABC. "He was never lost for words. He was just good fun."Walker made good on his wit as a match commentator and in a publishing career that saw him pen 14 books, including seven number one sellers in Australia.Along with his test career, Walker played 17 one-dayers during the form's early days in Australia. His last ODI came in the infamous 'Underarm game' against New Zealand in 1981.
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A proud Tasmanian, Walker made history when he made his five-day debut in '73 as he was the first from the island to be picked in a test since C.L. Braddock in 1936. He was also a handy Aussie Rules footballer, playing for Melbourne Football Club in the early 70s when working as a scoreboard operator at the MCG.