Graeme Wood was an opening batsman who saw off a difficult time in Australian cricket to become one of its mainstay players in the early 1980s. Wood had a rapid rise to the international ranks, making his Test debut against India as a 21-year-old in 1978 after several of Australia's leading players defected to World Series Cricket. He rewarded selectors later that year on a torrid tour of the West Indies, scoring a debut century and four half-centuries to top the Test series run aggregates (474 runs at 47.40). Other Test highlights included a century in the 1980 Centenary Test against England at Lord's; and 111 to set up victory in the low-scoring First Test against New Zealand in Brisbane in 1980-81. He also had a fine 1981-82 season. Wood regularly opened for Australia until the end of the 1985 Ashes tour. He played his last Tests against Pakistan and the West Indies in 1988-89, when recalled as a middle-order batsman. His nine Test centuries was a West Australian record jointly held with Kim Hughes and only passed in 2001-02 by Justin Langer. He went on to work for Foster's for 18 years, some of those as state manager and then at national level. But he returned to a full-time role in cricket when in February 2007 he became the WACA chief executive, having sat on their selection panel for several years. Anthony Fallick February 2007

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Jun 0, 1985 Graeme Wood in action against England at Lord's © Getty Images

Jun 0, 1985 Graeme Wood bats © Getty Images

Apr 1, 1981 Graeme Wood portrait © Cricinfo Ltd

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