Geoff Lawson (cricketer)
A fast-bowling spearhead who terrorized batsmen in the 1980s before reshaping Pakistan's cricket team as a coach with a sharp tactical mind.
Born 1957 (age 69)·Australian cricketer·Birthday: December 7·Baby Boomers
Biography
Geoff Lawson played for Australia from 1980 to 1989 as a fast bowler with a relentless, upright action. He swung the ball at disconcerting pace and became a central figure in the bowling attack during a transitional era. After retiring, he entered commentary and coaching. In 2007, he took on the challenge of coaching the Pakistan national team, bringing a no-nonsense, scientific approach. He insisted on professionalism and fitness. Lawson later became a respected voice in cricket journalism, offering insightful and forthright opinions on the sport's evolution. He honed his craft through persistence, not prodigy.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Geoff was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Geoff Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Geoff's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Took 180 wickets in 46 Test matches for Australia, including a best of 7/81 against the West Indies.
- Served as the head coach of the Pakistan national cricket team from 2007 to 2008.
- Captained New South Wales to a Sheffield Shield title in the 1984-85 season.
- Authored several books on cricket, including an autobiography and technical guides on fast bowling.
Did You Know?
He is a qualified dentist, having studied at the University of Sydney while playing first-class cricket.
His nickname throughout his playing career was 'Henry' after the Australian poet Henry Lawson.
He once bowled a 13-ball over in a Test match against the West Indies in 1984 due to no-balls and wides.
“You've got to be able to put the ball in the right area often enough to ask questions of the batsman.”
