It won't be wrong to say that Harry Trott's best contribution to Australian cricket was his leadership skills and captaincy stint. That's actually saying a lot because he was a skilled batsman with primitive ultra-defensive skills and a solid technique. He was a smart tactician and was an excellent person of man-management skills. Harry knew how to bring the best out of his mates and also stressed on discipline like never before, transforming the behavioral culture of Australian cricket totally during his tenure as the skipper. He is arguably the most loved Australian captain of all times with even opposition teams being bowled over by his personality. Harry's composure under the most trickiest of situations was infectious and spurred the team along with him. If all these qualities weren't impressive enough, he could also bowl wily leg spin that could often deceive the batsmen with the drift and sharp turn that he could extract.

While Harry's bowling was attacking, he was also at times guilty of conceding too many runs at a brisk pace. Nevertheless, he complimented the other bowler in the unit efficiently and performed the role of a filler bowler really well. Born in a large family of eight children, Harry was the third of the lot and he along with one of the other brothers played Test cricket for the country. His all-round credentials and tactical expertise saw him breeze through the grade and club cricket circles, eventually entering Test cricket as well. Slow as his bowling generally was, he reserved his flatter skiddy trajectory for the leg break that had a fair amount of spice off the deck, often hurrying batsmen into their strokes. Illness disrupted and eventually ended his career. Initially, it was a mental issue that eventually turned into physical weaknesses, forcing the brave man to yield to the challenges of life. He fought many battles and came back stronger, only to fall again. At the age of 51, he passed away in 1917. Harry Trott's name will eternally be remembered in Australian cricket folklore.

By Hariprasad Sadanandan