The man who roughed up Viv
On YouTube, there is a video from a Sunday League match of Viv Richards being given the hurry up. This is the story of the man who did it
ESPNcricinfo staff
17-Sep-2016
Duncan Spencer finished a 16-match first-class career with 36 wickets at 39.22. It doesn't sound like much. But there more, much more, to Spencer's story. Writing for the Nightwatchman, published via the Guardian, Rob Smyth seeks out the man himself and delves deep into a fascinating story.
Spencer's first high-profile match was against England, or rather England A, during a tour match at the WACA in 1992-93. He bowled 42 no-balls in 35 overs, a reflection of how things could go wrong when his rhythm was not quite right, yet he still made an impression and dismissed Mark Lathwell, Graham Thorpe and Graham Lloyd. He was so quick that the keeper Campbell stood outside the 30-yard circle. "He had us hopping around," remembers Lloyd. "Very unpleasant to face: short in stature, quite erratic, but extremely fast through the air. Our batsmen were saying things like, 'I don't think I've faced anyone as fast as that.'" Lloyd played with Wasim Akram at Lancashire and felt Spencer's pace was comparable: "I'd say he was as fast as Wasim, possibly even a bit quicker through the air in certain spells. He seemed to come and go pretty quickly. But as a one-off, and certainly at Perth, he was as fast as anything I faced."