Looking For Doug
Doug Walters: An Australian Cricketing Legend
A New book from Nimal R. Chandrasena, Ph.D.
Dr. Nimal Chandrasena, a former Associate Professor of Botany at the University of Colombo and a
self-confessed Cricket Tragic, has just published his SECOND book.
His first book, in January 2023, was The Virtuous Weed, which has sold over 100 copies globally and
is available in Sri Lankan bookstores.
The book is 350 pages and has 20 pages of Black and White high-quality photographs of Doug Walters and
other important cricketers featured in the narrative.
It tells the story of a Sri Lankan-born cricket freak, the author, and his journey in following the life and
achievements of his boyhood hero and cricket idol, the Australian cricketer - Kevin Doug Walters. The author
has been a personal friend of his subject (Doug Walters) since 2009.
Through innumerable meetings over many years, Doug’s inputs have enriched the narrative and its veracity.
An important interview with Ian Chappell, the former Australian captain, adorns the book. With the author’s
extensive research, the book provides an interesting and accurate account of the era, the Test matches that
featured Doug Walters, and the main details related to the series in which Doug played.
With the enthusiastic inputs from Ian Chappell, the author makes a reasonable effort to place Doug Walters,
both as a crucially important batsman and a match-winner for Australia at a time when Australia emerged as
the most dominant team in the world (the 1970s decade).
The narrative is sprinkled with the author’s own personal viewpoints as a cricket-lover. Although some are
personal opinions and perspectives on cricket, they are well discussed and justified with abundant notes, a
bibliography and cited references.
Doug Walters is a ‘rare organism’ in the sense C. L. R. James
described great cricketers like Sir Garry Sobers. ‘An Artist to the
Core’ would be how Neville Cardus might describe him.
Doug is a truly enduring, legendary Australian cricketer whose
exploits dazzled the fans who saw him play. Doug’s legendary
batting exploits are re-told in this book from the vantage point
of a cricket tragic who idolised him from childhood.
Doug epitomises the best ‘spirit’ of Australian cricket and the
best elements of any sport: the passions, skills, joys and the highs
and lows that affect sports people. As a ‘team player’ and
‘match-winner’, he was second to none, as his former captain –
another Australian legend - Ian Chappell
Error! Bookmark not
defined. attests.
His former teammate Ashley Mallet once wrote:
‘Doug WaltersError! Bookmark not defined. is a constant in
Australia: a national treasure like the Opera House or the Sydney
Harbour Bridge. Cricket fans embraced him as one of their own, for here
was a national batting hero who did the sort of stuff they did: he drank,
smoked, and had a bet and a laugh..”…
This book is a chronological ‘re-telling’ of Doug Walters’ story with commentary and analyses of the games
Doug featured in and highlighting his contributions within the context of those games. The book also includes
conversations with Doug Walters and Ian Chappell on various perspectives on how the game is changing and
other current topics in cricket that matter to cricket fans worldwide.
Nimal says that the book’s title was indeed the literal truth: He had been “Looking” for Doug from the time he
first arrived in Australia in July 1993. This book is his story, woven with Doug’s story, covering cricket in this
important and thoroughly enjoyable era (1965-1981). As a cricket freak, Nimal “witnessed this era” by listening
to ABC and BBC radio broadcasts that he listened to back in Sri Lanka.
A summarized account of Doug's statistics with an analysis ends the Book, placing him correctly where he
deserves to be, among the leading run scorers for Australia. The narrative also summarizes why Doug Walters
will be remembered as a true custodian of the game we love and the spirit in which it should be played. In the
final analysis, Doug stands head and shoulders above those who didn't endeavour to do so in the past or make
no attempt even today.