John Watkins

Who is John Watkins?

John Russell Watkins, is a former Australian cricketer who played in one Test in 1973.

Watkins was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, where he played most of his cricket. A leg-spinner, he represented Northern New South Wales in non-first-class matches against several touring teams: India in 1967-68, England in 1970-71, and in 1971-72 against the Rest of the World XI, when he took 4 for 99. A few weeks later he was selected to play for New South Wales against South Australia. In the first innings he took 4 for 72 out of a total of 252 for 5 declared, his victims including Ian Chappell and Greg Chappell. In four Sheffield Shield matches the next season he took only six wickets; it was his 6 for 38 to bowl Northern New South Wales to victory against the touring Pakistan side that led the national selectors to choose him as the only spinner for the Third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground a month later, after only five first-class matches in which he had taken 10 wickets at 39.00.