Bob Cowper was the only Australian to make a Test triple century at the MCG, became a multimillionaire after retiring from the game at 28 and played a vital behind-the-scenes role in cricket’s move to professionalism.
Cowper died in Melbourne on Saturday, aged 84, after a long battle with cancer, but left a legacy far greater than his low profile might suggest.
Bob Cowper after his triple century at the MCG in 1966. Almost 60 years on, it remains the highest score by a Test batsmen at the ground.Credit: The Age
According to Malcolm Gray, the former Australian Cricket Board chair who appointed him to represent the ACB at the International Cricket Council, that was just the way Cowper liked it.
“The word to describe him is unassuming,” Gray said.
Sir Donald Bradman (right) congratulates Cowper for his 307 in 1966, a knock that surpassed the Don’s 270 at the MCG in 1937. Credit: The Age
Playing 27 Tests between 1964 and 1968, Cowper was just 28 when he quit cricket to work overseas, ultimately settling in Monaco while maintaining many friendships back home with regular visits to Melbourne.
His 307 against England in 1966 helped Australia retain the Ashes, and was a stern rebuke to selectors who demoted Cowper to 12th man duties earlier in the series. It was the only Test triple century made in Australia until Matthew Hayden’s 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003.
Teammates regarded Cowper as being capable of captaining Australia, and in another era of longer careers he may well have done so.
A close friend of former Carlton president John Elliott, Cowper was instrumental in the Elders-Henry Jones IXL merger in 1983. The stockbroking career may have ended Cowper’s playing days early, but his combination of cricket and business knowledge made him a crucial figure as the game began to change shape.
Possessing strong opinions about the rights of cricketers to improve their lot, Cowper had a big influence on a young Ian Chappell in particular. Their friendship would be vital to informing Chappell’s attitude when he sought improved pay and conditions for players as Australian captain.
When Kerry Packer launched his World Series Cricket breakaway in 1977, Cowper was a key adviser of the venture. Later, after peace was brokered between Packer and the ACB, Cowper held his ICC role from 1987 to 2001.
That period saw cricket’s commercial value rise steeply, while also witnessing South Africa’s return to the fold and the advent of changes like the use of television replays for umpiring decisions and the introduction of neutral officials. Cowper was also an early match referee.
In early 1993, he officiated a limited-overs triangular series between South Africa, Pakistan and West Indies that experimented with video replays, and walked away convinced that technology had to play a greater role in umpiring.
“The Australian umpires don’t support the introduction, the administration is doubtful. I know Channel Nine have objections. I think all of it is based on ignorance,” Cowper said with typical foresight. “I have sympathy for umpires in Australia thinking it is taking something away from them, but I don’t think it does. It is part of the future.”
Cowper’s Monaco consulting business became the haven for early negotiations of the lucrative ICC global events deals that now provide the wellspring of international cricket’s funding.
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