First Australian Nightwatchman To Score Test Ton Tony Mann Passes Away

Former Australia cricket Tony Mann passed away on Friday morning after losing his seven-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Tony Mann had celebrated his 74th birthday last Friday. He will always be remembered for being the second nightwatchman to score a Test century. Mann was primarily a leg-spinner known for his sharp googlies.

He broke into the Australia Test squad for the home series against India during the 1977-78 season. Mann took 3–12 in the first innings of the First Test and also making useful scores of 19 and 26 in a closely fought match. He was less successful in the second innings as a bowler, going wicketless for 52 runs. He failed to pick up any wicket in his second Test either.

But he made the second Test memorable by scoring a fighting ton. In the second innings of the match when Australia was chasing 339 to win the game, Mann came to the wicket as nightwatchman when Australia was 13 for 1 and went on to score 105. Australia had gone on to win the game thanks to the century from Mann.

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He, however, struggled with the ball and was soon dropped in favour of fellow West Australian Bruce Yardley for the Fifth Test and never played for Australia again. Overall, he played 4 Tests, scoring 189 runs in addition to picking up 4 wickets.

His track record in domestic circuit is more impressive. Mann represented Western Australia in 76 first-class games over a 24-year career, winning seven Sheffield Shields to go with eight club titles. After his playing career, Mann was a teacher for 30 years before becoming WACA cricket manager where he was instrumental in recruiting Adam Gilchrist to WA and converting Brad Hogg into a wrist-spinner .

He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2012 but his predicted life expectancy of just a few months was extended by seven years through experimental medical treatment.