Ian Redpath, former legendary Australia opener and Hall of Famer passes away at age 83 due to natural causes.
Ian Redpath has died at the age of 83.
Known as an obdurate opener, Redpath played five ODIs and 66 Test matches throughout his 1964–1976 international career.
He came close to a century on Test debut against South Africa at the MCG when he was bowled by Joe Partridge for 97. “I hit an off-drive for four and there was another one I thought was in the same spot, and I licked my chops. Beautiful follow-through, it was,” he recalled to Nine newspapers last year.
He didn’t reach his first century until February 1969, when he faced the West Indies at the SCG, scoring 132 in the second innings against an attack that included Wes Hall, Charlie Griffith, Garry Sobers, and Lance Gibbs.
He’d go on to score seven more hundreds, including a career-high 171 against England in Perth in 1970. He finished his Test career with three runs in four innings against the West Indies in 1975–76.
On the first of that trio, at the MCG, Wisden wrote: “Although Redpath was at once subjected to plenty of short stuff. He ducked and weaved in his own effective way and went on to complete an important century for Australia. It was one which underlined the value which he has been to Australia over many years.”
In a piece for the Australian last year, Gideon Haigh wrote. “As there’s precious little footage of Redpath, how to picture him? He was a hard man to dismiss. He knew where his off stump was. He’d play straight, with a short pick-up, mainly off the back foot. He was a swayer and a ducker of bouncers rather than a hooker in those pre-helmet days. On his Sunicrust cricket card, he was pictured playing a leg glance.”
Redpath took 32 runs (four sixes and two fours) off Neil Rosendorff in 1969–70 against Orange Free State. He still holds the record for the most runs scored by an Australian in an over. But it wasn’t until his penultimate Test match against the West Indies that he scored his maiden six in international cricket.
Redpath, who would later coach Victoria, received an MBE in 1975. He was inducted into the Cricket Australia Hall of Fame in January 2023. The Geelong Cricket Club renamed their scoreboard in Redpath’s honour in 2024.
“Ian was a much loved and revered figure. Everyone in Australian cricket will be enormously saddened by his passing,” CA chair Mike Baird said. “As a fine opening batter, Ian was a mainstay of the national team through one of the great eras of Australian cricket and beloved by many throughout the world for his courage, impeccable sportsmanship and wry humour.
“We were privileged to hear Ian speak of the wonderful experiences and relationships cricket had provided upon his induction into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2023 and this deep love of the game was manifest in his enormous contribution to cricket at first-class and community level.
“The thoughts of everyone at Cricket Australia are with Ian’s family and many friends at this sad time.”