| 
Posts and words
Loading ...
don-bradman
The man who could do no wrong
By Rich Abbott 1 month ago, 1 Comment »
It rained today on the coast of New South Wales, so without beach cricket to play, or international cricket to watch, I was left with reading as my only cricket-related choice. I opted for some Gideon Haigh (when in Australia…) and, as is often the case with his writing, came across a previously unknown little Bradman-related gem. Apologies if this was only unknown to me…
Having been under the belief that over the course of his incomparable career the Don could do little wrong; it now seems clear he could do no wrong. In an essay from his collection, Inside Out, Haigh recalls this tale regarding Bradman’s duck in the Melbourne Test of the Bodyline series, in the words of Irving Rosenwater:
There is a pleasing story – a true one incidentally – how this duck by Bradman almost certainly saved the lives of three young children in Tasmania. Listening to the progress of the Test on the radio in a hotel in Launceston, a Mr P. Hancock stood up and walked out in disgust at Bradman’s failure. His brief walk took him past a nearby river, on whose bank three children – the youngest only two and a half – were playing and accidentally fell in. Mr Hancock promptly dived in fully clothed to rescue them – and one would like to think that all three (and the gallant gentleman too) are still thriving healthily and fully cognisant of the miraculous powers of a Test match duck.
So he was even good when he was bad.
We’re probably some way off introducing a ‘lives saved’ column alongside a Test batsman’s average, but were it ever to happen, it appears Bradman would end up topping that too.
1 Comment »Sehwag the new Bradman?
By Will 2 months ago, 10 Comments »
A slightly sensationalistic headline for Ian Chappell’s latest column at Cricinfo, but he has statistics to back up the outlandish claim:
10 Comments »Sehwag has often said he doesn’t think too much when he’s batting. A wise man. After years of speculation about what, apart from his enormous skill, made Sir Donald Bradman so great, I’ve come to the conclusion that a crucial attribute was his ability to bat with an uncluttered mind. That’s not all Sehwag has in common with Bradman. They are the only batsmen to surpass 290 three times in Test cricket. They also comfortably have the best strike rate among the high scorers of their generation. This leads to an interesting thought on batsmanship: should greater consideration be given to stroke production rather than technique in moulding young batsmen? After all, efficient run-scoring is not just a statistical exercise, it’s the first rung on the climb to victory
Bradman: happiest playing in front of 60,000 (video)
By Will 2 years ago, at the end of August, 3 Comments »
Have a look at this video interview of Don Bradman, in which he reveals some of his secrets. Fascinating.
3 Comments »India v England, 1st Test, Nagpur, Day Three
By Will 4 years ago, at the start of March, 37 Comments »
Interesting day, yesterday. England fought their way to 400 (falling just short) and, thanks to the lower-order supporting him, Paul Collingwood hit a fine first century. He’s not Bradman, but he does have a lot of guts.
So India trail by 257 runs. At stumps yesterday, Rahul Dravid (40*) and Wasim Jaffer (73*) were batting quite serenely – but they still trail, and won’t be sleeping too easily. Were it not for Collingwood’s century, England would be in a mess right now. And while his knock has helped balance the scales somewhat, the ball is in India’s court. It could be a long day for the fielders.
Chat away, chaps.
37 Comments »‘Bradman: Leave strong drink alone’
By Will 5 years ago, at the start of November, 7 Comments »
Briefly searched for ‘cricket’ at Google Print, and came across this fascinating photo (copyrighted like a bastard to everybody in the world, probably):
“Bradman: leave strong drink alone. Total abstinence is a big factor in success” reads the sign. Anyone seen this before?
7 Comments »Darryl Harper on David Shepherd
By Will 5 years ago, at the end of July, 6 Comments »
Fellow umpire Daryl Harper has posted his thoughts on the recently-retired David Shepherd, including this gem:
6 Comments »In August 2000 at The Oval, Courtney Walsh walked out to bat for the final time in a Test match on English soil. He was greeted with a guard of honour from his opponents as he entered the ground in his customary batting position at number eleven. As I stood with Shep and applauded the champion, David recalled that Don Bradman had been given a similar send-off on the same ground, 52 years earlier in his final Test match. As I returned to my position at the bowler’s end, I passed the big West Indian whose eyes were flowing with tears of emotion. I quickly mentioned the Bradman link as Shep had recalled, adding that the Don had made a second ball duck! Courtney threw his head back and vowed to do better than that. The first ball from Domenic Cork passed outside off stump and Walsh flashed at it without getting close. The second delivery was pitched on off stump and Walsh pushed forward with his bat. The ball eluded the wood and cannoned into the front pad, somewhere near the knee roll. It wasn’t a tough decision for me…..Courtney Walsh had emulated Bradman in his final Test innings in England.
