Photo Credit: Twitter Photo of @CricketAus
Cricket Australia is deeply saddened by the passing of Ian Redpath MBE, the Australian and Victorian opening batter and member of the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, aged 83.
Redpath was enormously admired by teammates and opponents alike for his proficiency, courage and stoicism at the crease throughout a career in which he was one of the mainstays of a fabled Australian batting line up.
From Geelong, Redpath played 66 Tests and made 4737 runs at 43.45 including eight centuries and 31 half centuries with a top score of 171. He took 83 catches mostly in the slips where he excelled.
Redpath made his debut for Victoria in 1962 and scored 226 – his highest first-class score – against Queensland in just his tenth innings. He went on to make 14,993 runs at 41.99 with 32 centuries and 84 fifties in 226 first class matches.
He made his Test debut on the MCG in the second Test of the 1963-64 series against South Africa and contributed 97 to an opening partnership of 219 with fellow Victorian Bill Lawry.
Redpath’s maiden Test century, 132 against the West Indies at the SCG, did not come until 1969. But his patience and endurance had already become a trusted bulwark to some of the more flamboyant members of the Australian line-up.
His seniority and leadership was acknowledged when he was made vice-captain to Ian Chappell of the Australian team for the home series against England in 1974-75 and to Greg Chappell for the series against the West Indies in 1975-76.
Redpath emerged from international retirement to join World Series Cricket where injury restricted his on-field contributions, before he returned to retirement.
Redpath remained an active contributor to first-class and community cricket serving as Victorian men’s coach and in various voluntary roles in his home city, particularly with the Geelong Cricket Club.
In 1975, Redpath was made a Member of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for services to cricket.
Mike Baird, Cricket Australia chair said:
“Ian was a much loved and revered figure and everyone in Australian Cricket will be enormously saddened by his passing.
“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.”
Ross Hepburn, Cricket Victoria chair said:
“This is enormously sad news as we farewell one of the greats of our game and a very proud Victorian in Ian Redpath. On behalf of Cricket Victoria, I would like to extend our sincere condolences to Ian’s family, particularly to his four children and many friends and team mates from across a generation of cricket.
“Ian’s talent on the field and leadership saw him contribute to one of the great eras of Australian cricket and he leaves behind a remarkable legacy to the game at national, state and local level.
“’Redders’, as we affectionately knew him, was a gifted storyteller with a wonderfully wry sense of humour. His friendship and presence will be missed by many in our cricket community.
“Despite being out of the game for some years, his involvement continued to be far-reaching off the field. In March this year he led some spirited cheering for Casey South Melbourne in the Premier Cricket Final versus Carlton at Windy Hill. In recent weeks he recorded an interview for the VicStateCricket podcast and attended a Past Players Association event at our headquarters.
“Earlier this month, his beloved Geelong Cricket Club unveiled their new scoreboard, bearing his name.”
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Name of Author: Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia (CA), formerly the Australian Cricket Board (ACB), is the governing body for cricket in Australia. Established in 1905 as the Australian Board of Control for International Cricket, CA manages all national teams, including Men’s, Women’s, and Youth sides, as well as other national teams. It oversees the organization of Test matches, ODIs, and T20Is, and coordinates home international fixtures.
