The Reverse Sweep

Kevin Pietersen, Wally Hammond, Len Hutton and Test double hundreds

We're not claiming to have mystic powers or anything (predicting the winning lottery numbers still sadly eludes us), but in our preview of the Lord's Test we suggested that Kevin Pietersen was the England player to look out for.

We wrote:

"Kevin Pietersen likes the big occasion and it doesn’t get much bigger than this – the 2000th Test against the best side in the world at Lord’s. Don’t be surprised if KP marks the occasion with a sparkling hundred"

Ok, we didn't get the sparkling bit right as KP's unbeaten 202 was a real workmanlike innings. He was like a cat on a hot tin roof against Zaheer Khan on Thursday and perhaps fittingly he nearly used up all his nine lives before he finished with a flourish taking only 25 balls to go from 150 to 200.

Pietersen now has three Test double centuries. The only other England batsmen (see full list here) to have achieved this are Wally Hammond (who reached the milestone an incredible seven times) and Len Hutton (who did it four times). That's pretty good company for KP to be keeping.

Given the circumstances in which Pietersen got to 200 yesterday, we doubt it will be the last time he does this for England. This innings will act as an inspiration to him every time he is struggling at the crease and thus spells danger for opposition bowling attacks.

Where next?

Cricket Heroes: Wally Hammond

Zaheer Khan: He came, he saw, he conquered....he got injured

Don't miss a thing - Subscribe to and read about all of the Top 20 Cricket Blogs here

Read all our County Cricket coverage

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

The England-Sri Lanka series features four of the best 22 Test batsmen ever

 
That’s quite some statement and one that most cricket aficionados would vehemently (and quite understandably) disagree with.

However, if we take averages as our sole (and rather misleading) barometer and set the qualification criteria at a minimum of 20 Test innings, the 1st Test at Cardiff does feature statistically at least four of the best 22 batsmen in the history of the game (see full list here).

In 22nd place is Mahela Jayawardene, who averages 53.82 from his 117 Tests.

Four places higher is Thilan Samaraweera, the current cricketer with the largest amount of shrapnel in their body. He averages 54.25 from 64 Tests.

Then moving past the likes of legends like Hutton, Hobbs and Tendulkar, we reach 12th place where Kumar Sangakkara averages 57.25 from 95 Tests.

But, top of the pile and behind only Bradman in the pantheon (as far as averages go at least) is Bob Willis’s favourite batsman Jonathan Trott, who will have to go some this summer to maintain or improve upon an average of 61.53 from his 19 Tests.

Only five batsmen in Test history who have more than 20 innings average over 60: Bradman, Graeme Pollock, George Headley, Herbert Sutcliffe and for the time being Trott.

As Mark Twain so rightly said “there are lies, damned lies and statistics”.

Where next?

1st Test: Cardiff - Preview: England reach for the feel good hit of summer

Seven reasons why England should not underestimate Sri Lanka

The 30 Greatest Batsmen Ever: Part 1 (30-21), Part 2 (20-11), Part 3 (10-1)

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Ashes 100-1: 13 - The 25 Greatest Ashes Tests: Part 2 of 3

 
Yesterday we listed the first eight (see Part 1 of the 25 Greatest Ashes tests) of what we at The Reverse Sweep consider to be the 25 greatest Ashes tests of them all. Today we unveil the next eight.

3rd Test, Adelaide, 13-19 January 1933 - England won by 338 runs: The Test that nearly broke the Empire. With the series locked at 1-1, England slipped to 30 for four before recovering to 341. Then the real drama unfolded as first Woodfull and then Oldfield were felled by Larwood. Cables were exchanged between the ACB and MCC, mounted police kept a baying crowd from rioting and Jardine maintained his iron rule as England cantered to victory.

5th Test, The Oval, 18-22 August 1934 - Australia won by 562 runs: As had happened four years previously, the two sides went into the timeless decider at The Oval level at 1-1. This time Australia won the toss and a massive 451 second wicket partnership between Ponsford (266) and Bradman (244) put the game out of England's reach. They responded with 321, but Woodfull chose not to enforce the follow on and Bradman hit 77 as Australia made 327. Set 708 to win, England folded meekly only totalling 145 with Grimmett taking five for 64.  

3rd Test, Melbourne, 1-7 January 1937 - Australia won by 365 runs: With Australia 2-0 down in Bradman's first series as captain it was do-or-die at Melbourne. But with rain making batting a lottery at times and both sides making bold declarations, Bradman reversed his batting order in the second innings and hit a magnificent 270 from number seven once the wicket had improved. Set 689 to win, England could only muster 323 and the biggest turnaround in any test series had begun. 

4th Test, Headingley, 22-27 July 1948 - Australia won by 7 wickets: The Invincibles tag would have never been applied to the all-conquering 1948 Australians without their amazing chase of 404 in the Headingley Test. Bradman (173*) played his last great innings at the scene of previous triumphs - he hit 334 and 304 at the same ground in the 1930 and 1934 series. Morris (182) joined forces with Bradman to add 301 in 217 minutes to render a seemingly impossible chase into a ridiculously easy one.

5th Test, The Oval, 15-19 August 1953 - England won by 8 wickets: After 19 long years, Len Hutton became the first England captain to win the Ashes since Jardine as the home side won a see-saw deciding test. England earned a narrow but crucial 31 run first innings lead thanks to a last wicket partnership of 44 between Bailey and Bedser. Lock and Laker then combined with nine wickets as Australia succumbed to 162 all out. Amidst high tension, Bill Edrich hit 55 not out as England reached their target with eight wickets to spare.

2nd Test, Sydney, 17-22 December 1954 - England won by 38 runs: Having lost the first test by an innings, England looked in real trouble when they were shot out for 154 batting first. The fightback started with Bailey and Tyson sharing eight wickets as Australia's lead was restricted to 74. May then hit a classy hundred as England made 296 second time round, but it was Tyson being knocked unconscious by Lindwall that tipped the scales. The Typhoon was born and took his retribution with six for 85 as Australia were skittled for 184. The tide had turned and England eventually won the series 3-1.

4th Test, Old Trafford, 27 July-1 August 1961 - Australia won by 54 runs: With the series poised at 1-1, an Australian victory would see them retain the Ashes. But when they were bowled out for 190 and England made 367 in reply that didn't look likely. But a century from Lawry and a last wicket partnership of 98 enabled the Aussies to set a target of 256. Dexter wasn't cowed and made a brilliant 76 to guide England to 150 for 2 before Benaud struck, taking 5 for 12 in 25 balls as Australia snatched a 54-run victory.

7th Test, Sydney, 12-17 February 1971 - England won by 62 runs: When rain washed out the 3rd Test at Melbourne, a seventh Test was added at the end of the tour. With England 1-0 up in the series and Australia holding the urn, it was also an Ashes decider. Australia eked out an 80 run lead as controversy struck when Illingworth led England off the field after Snow was first warned for short pitched bowling and was then bombarded with bottles by an irate crowd. The incident seemed to imbue England with renewed steel and a solid second innings performance enabled them to set a challenging target before bowling their hosts out for 160.

Where next?

Ten Ashes controversies

10 reasons why Bradman is the greatest of them all

Bradman leads Australia back from the dead in 1936-37

Ashes 100-1: 54 - All-time England Ashes XI: Number 3

Unlike Australia (see All-time Australian XI - Number 3), picking a number three batsman in an all-time England Ashes XI is not such a straightforward task.

Indeed, looking back through the history of the battle for the little urn, one could argue that England have not had an outstanding specialist number three. A few batsman have flourished in this role, but can any of them be considered specialist number threes?

The most successful performance for England in this pivotal position is by Wally Hammond, who in 19 Ashes tests at first drop hit 1695 runs at 70.62 with eight hundreds. That is a phenomenal record, but Hammond moved up and down the order and played 14 other tests against Australia. His record at number three is significantly better than anywhere else, but that is arguably because he played there when at his peak and would have been just as devastating at four and five..

Similarly, David Gower has an outstanding record at number three in Ashes encounters with 1262 runs in 14 tests at 60.09 with four hundreds, but like Hammond, Gower played a significant number of Ashes tests (24) elsewhere in the batting order. Clearly however, both should be on the shortlist.

Others who were considered but rejected from our shortlist include George Gunn (777 runs at 51.80 at number three), Andrew Stoddart (478 runs at 59.75) and Arthur Shrewsbury (430 at 53.75). All these Edwardian or Victorian cricketers have excellent records at number three, but their overall test statistics are not in the realms of a Gower or a Hammond. Mark Butcher (who can forget that wonderful hundred at Headingley in 2001) and John Edrich, both of whom have good records against Australia at number three, also miss out for the same reason.

Joining Gower and Hammond on the shortlist are Ted Dexter (1077 runs at 48.95 in 13 Ashes tests at first drop) and two great England batsmen with none or few innings at number three in Ashes battles. The first is Len Hutton, who just missed out on selection for one of the opening positions (see All-time England XI - Openers). The other is Ken Barrington, whose obdurate style and fantastic overall Ashes record (2111 runs at 63.96 in 23 Ashes tests) would seem to make him well suited to the number three role.

Hammond is the best of the five and arguably England's greatest ever batsman along with Jack Hobbs. However, if Hutton doesn't get in at three, having missed out on one of the opening slots then he won't make the team. Can an all-time England Ashes XI really omit Hutton given his record (2428 runs in 27 Ashes tests at 56.46) and the fact that he captained England to two Ashes series wins? What about Dexter and Gower, who are probably the most stylish English batsmen of the last 50 years?

It is certainly a tough choice, but after first narrowing the final choice down to Hammond, Hutton or Gower, we've opted for Hutton. Why? Firstly, Hammond, Gower and Barrington can all come into contention for the number four and five positions, plus if it comes down to a choice between Hutton or Dexter, then the Yorkshireman has to win.

Finally, with England's great other Ashes captains like Douglas Jardine, Mike Brearley and Ray Illingworth all likely to miss out on selection, England need a shrewd and experienced skipper to combat Bradman and who better than the man who led England to victory in the 1953 and 1954/55 series? So, it is Hutton who fills an unaccustomed position for him.

Where next?

Heroes: David Gower

10 reasons why Bradman is the greatest Ashes cricketer of them all

The best England Test XI of the noughties

 

 

Ashes 100-1: 60 - All-time England Ashes XI: The Openers

 
Yesterday, we commenced our all-time Ashes XIs by naming our Australian opening pair (see here). Today, it is the turn of their English counterparts.

A number of great English openers have graced Ashes encounters stretching all the way back to the good Doctor himself in the Victorian era. This left us with a lengthy initial long-list comprising the aforementioned WG Grace, as well as Jack Hobbs, Herbert Sutcliffe, Len Hutton, Geoff Boycott, Graham Gooch, Michael Atherton, John Edrich and Michael Vaughan.

Gooch and Atherton were quickly discounted as despite both being very good batsmen, they met their respective nemeses' when facing the Australians. Atherton probably still wakes up with the sweats when Glenn McGrath features in his nightmares and the same is probably true for Gooch when the grinning face of Terry Alderman appears. As such, Gooch only averaged 33 in Ashes encounters and Atherton a touch under 30.

Grace was also discounted as by the time test cricket came around, the good Doctor was arguably a bit past his peak and in any case he saved his best for the Gentlemen versus Players matches, which probably were considered more important in his era.

Vaughan was ruled out too as he only had one series as an opener against the Australians. That said it was a phenomenal one with three hundreds and 633 runs at 63.33, which is why he deserves mention. But the others remaining have far more lengthy legacies. Finally, we considered that Edrich fell into the 'very good' rather than 'great' category, so he is missing from our final short-list too.

That leaves us with four English openers that certainly fall into the 'great' category - Hobbs, Sutcliffe, Hutton and Boycott. Along with Walter Hammond, Hobbs is arguably the greatest English batsman ever, so he has to be one of the two names. Certainly, The Master's record against Australia was superlative with more runs (3,636) and more tons (12) than anyone else and with an average in the mid-fifties. So, who should join him?

One of our earliest memories was of Boycott scoring his 100th hundred in the Headingley test of 1977 and he certainly has a decent enough record against the Australians. But the fact that more often than not self came before country as evidenced by his decision to opt out of the 1974/75 Ashes, rules out the opinionated one on this occasion.

That leaves a choice between Hutton and Sutcliffe. This is a very difficult decision. On the one hand there is Hutton, who captained England twice to Ashes glory, hit the highest score ever in Ashes battles at the Oval in 1938 and who averaged over 56 against England's greatest foe. Then there is Sutcliffe, who averaged a phenomenal 66.85 against Australia, hit eight centuries in 27 Ashes tests and who formed perhaps the greatest opening partnership of them all with Hobbs.

And it is this last point that tips the scales in  Sutcliffe's favour and sees him reunited with The Master in our all-time England Ashes XI. One only has to look at their opening stand of 105 on a treacherous wet wicket at Melbourne on the 1928/29 tour to see the benefit of pairing these two together. It may have not been their biggest stand in terms of runs, but it was probably the best century partnership in Ashes history given the state of the pitch. On this occasion, Hobbs was out first for 49 and Sutcliffe steered England to within touching distance of their victory target of 332 before falling for a stupendous 135.

Where next?

All-time Australian Ashes XI

Andrew Strauss' difficult assignment

Botham's Ashes

England win the Ashes 5-0

 

 

Ashes 100-1: 69 - Two Batting Phenomenons

 
The last batsman to score an Ashes double hundred was Paul Collingwood, but the Durham battler will have mixed emotions when he looks back on his 206 at Adelaide in 2006 given that England contrived to lose the match ignominiously on the final day.

There list below shows that there have been 34 double hundreds in Ashes contests with Len Hutton's 364 at The Oval in 1938 sitting proudly at the top of the pile. With apologies to Bobby Simpson it is the other two batsmen to have scored more than one Ashes double hundred that dominate this list.

Scores of 200+ in The Ashes
Player	Score	Mins	BF	SR	Ground	Start Date
L Hutton (Eng)	364	797	847	42.97	The Oval	20-Aug-38
DG Bradman (Aus)	334	383	448	74.55	Leeds	11-Jul-30
RB Simpson (Aus)	311	762	740	42.02	Manchester	23-Jul-64
RM Cowper (Aus)	307	727	589	52.12	Melbourne	11-Feb-66
DG Bradman (Aus)	304	430	473	64.27	Leeds	20-Jul-34
RE Foster (Eng)	287	419	-	-	Sydney	11-Dec-03
DG Bradman (Aus)	270	458	375	72.00	Melbourne	01-Jan-37
WH Ponsford (Aus)	266	460	422	63.03	The Oval	18-Aug-34
KF Barrington (Eng)	256	683	-	-	Manchester	23-Jul-64
DG Bradman (Aus)	254	341	376	67.55	Lord's	27-Jun-30
WR Hammond (Eng)	251	461	605	41.48	Sydney	14-Dec-28
JL Langer (Aus)	250	578	407	61.42	Melbourne	26-Dec-02
DG Bradman (Aus)	244	316	271	90.03	The Oval	18-Aug-34
WR Hammond (Eng)	240	367	394	60.91	Lord's	24-Jun-38
SG Barnes (Aus)	234	649	667	35.08	Sydney	13-Dec-46
DG Bradman (Aus)	234	397	396	59.09	Sydney	13-Dec-46
DG Bradman (Aus)	232	438	417	55.63	The Oval	16-Aug-30
SJ McCabe (Aus)	232	235	277	83.75	Nottingham	10-Jun-38
WR Hammond (Eng)	231*	460	579	39.89	Sydney	18-Dec-36
RB Simpson (Aus)	225	545	427	52.69	Adelaide	28-Jan-66
MA Taylor (Aus)	219	554	461	47.50	Nottingham	10-Aug-89
E Paynter (Eng)	216*	319	333	64.86	Nottingham	10-Jun-38
DI Gower (Eng)	215	452	314	68.47	Birmingham	15-Aug-85
DG Bradman (Aus)	212	437	395	53.67	Adelaide	29-Jan-37
WL Murdoch (Aus)	211	490	525	40.19	The Oval	11 Aug 1884
KR Stackpole (Aus)	207	454	356	58.14	Brisbane	27-Nov-70
N Hussain (Eng)	207	437	337	61.42	Birmingham	05-Jun-97
WA Brown (Aus)	206*	369	370	55.67	Lord's	24-Jun-38
AR Morris (Aus)	206	462	-	-	Adelaide	02-Feb-51
PD Collingwood (Eng)	206	515	392	52.55	Adelaide	01-Dec-06
J Ryder (Aus)	201*	385	461	43.60	Adelaide	16-Jan-25
SE Gregory (Aus)	201	243	-	-	Sydney	14 Dec 1894
AR Border (Aus)	200*	569	399	50.12	Leeds	22-Jul-93
WR Hammond (Eng)	200	398	472	42.37	Melbourne	29-Dec-28

Wally Hammond is arguably England's greatest batsman ever and he certainly had a thirst for big scores. His peak came in the series of 1928-29 when at the age of 25 he scored a record 905 runs at 113.12 and became the first batsman to score two double hundreds in a series with 251 at Sydney and 200 at Melbourne. England won the series 4-1 and Hammond was acclaimed as the best batsman in the world.

Don Bradman made his debut in the same series and was no doubt in awe of Hammond's achievements, but he was to surpass them only 18 months later. In the series of 1930 in England, Bradman did to England what Hammond had done to the Aussies by hitting 974 runs in the series at 139.14. The Don also took Hammond's other record by hitting three double hundreds including 334 at Headingley - the then highest test score.

Hammond went on to hit two more double hundreds (Sydney 1936 and Lord's 1938), but Bradman was to beat his counterpart here too by amassing eight Ashes double hundreds. Two more followed in the 1934 series in England as Australia took the Ashes back. Bradman hit another triple hundred (304) at Headingley and then hit a series clinching 244 at The Oval. He repeated the feat in the next series as Australia came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 with Bradman hitting 270 at Melbourne and 212 at Adelaide.

Though Bradman's achievements overshadowed those of Hammond, the fact that between them they scored 12 of the 34 scores of 200+ in Ashes history makes them collectively the two dominant batting phenomenons in the history of England-Australia encounters. 

Ashes 100-1: 75 - Andrew Strauss' difficult assignment

If Andrew Strauss is going to lead England to retaining the Ashes this winter then he is going to have to defeat history as well as Ricky Ponting's Australian side. Of course having regained the Ashes at The Oval last summer, England only have to draw the series to keep the little urn. But this is something they have never done when defending the Ashes in Australia.

Indeed since 1900 (England pretty much dominated the Ashes until then), England have only managed to retain the Ashes four times down under.

Retaining the Ashes

In 1928-29, a star-studded England side ably led by Percy Chapman and containing the likes of Hobbs, Sutcliffe, Hammond, Hendren, Larwood, Tate and Jardine overwhelmed an Australian side going through a period of transition (a certain Donald Bradman made his test match bow in this series) by four matches to one.

Then in 1954-55, Len Hutton's England side recovered from a heavy defeat in the first test at Brisbane to win the series 3-1, with Frank 'Typhoon' Tyson propelling them to victory with some fearsome fast bowling. Fast forward over 20 years to 1978-79, where an Australian side decimated by defections to World Series Cricket were hammered 5-1 by Mike Brearley's England.

Finally, in 1986-87, Mike Gatting captained an England side that was tagged as the team that 'can't bat, can't bowl and can't field' before the series to a 2-1 series victory with Chris Broad hitting three hundreds and with Botham and Gower also to the fore.

Since then of course, Australia have dominated, winning the subsequent series' by margins of 3-0, 3-1, 3-1, 4-1 and infamously 5-0 four years ago.

Regaining the Ashes

It's not as if England have been any better at regaining the Ashes on Australian soil. Again, they have only done this four times since 1900. In 1903-04, Pelham Warner's side won an exciting contest by three matches to two. Johnny Douglas repeated the trick eight years later when his England team triumphed 4-1.

After losing to a Bradman inspired Australian side at home in 1930, Douglas Jardine masterminded an immediate return of the little urn into English hands in the 1932/33 series - arguably the most infamous test series of them all. History should remember however that the runs of Hammond, Sutcliffe and Paynter amongst others were just as decisive as the venomous fast bowling of Larwood, Voce and Allen.

The last time that England regained the Ashes down under was in the elongated seven match series of 1970/71 when Raymond Illingworth's side triumphed by two tests to nil in another series marred with bad feeling and controversy.

Can England do it again in 2010/11?

History may be against them but this settled and talented side has the best chance of any England team of the last twenty years of returning to Heathrow Airport with the Ashes in their possession. And one possible omen in Strauss' favour is that Brearley and Gatting, the last two England captains to return triumphant also played county cricket for Middlesex - albeit more often. 

Ashes 100-1: 94 - England win the Ashes 5-0

It may not have been quite to the extent of Glenn McGrath's habitual 5-0 to Australia predictions, but Ricky Ponting's answer that a whitewash in favour of his side was "absolutely possible" this winter has caused hoots of derision in the English media.

Andrew Strauss has chosen to keep his counsel as to whether England could triumph 5-0 and referred to Ponting's remark as the start of "silly season". England won't win 5-0 of course, but we thought it would be fun to devote number 94 of our Ashes 100-1 countdown to the prospect of a such an emphatic series win for England this winter. If Strauss and his men can be inspired by their triumphant predecessors and draw inspiration from famous victories at each of the five venues, then who knows?

1-0 at Brisbane - inspired by A.P.F Chapman's side of 1928-29

A.P.F Chapman's side of 1928-29 (see picture) has a strong claim to being the best England team ever considering it contained greats such as Hobbs, Sutcliffe, Hammond, Mead, Hendren, Jardine, Larwood and Tate. They certainly walloped the Australians 4-1 and in the first test ever at The Gabba (also the first of the series), they humiliated their hosts by a still record test runs margin of 675 runs (see scorecard). Hendren hit 169 as England amassed 521 before as a forerunner to what would happen four years later, Larwood ran through the Australian batting line-up to finish with six for 32 as Australia were dismissed for 122. Chapman chose not to enforce the follow-on in what was a timeless test and Jardine made 65 not out as England made 342 for eight declared in their second innings. Set a mammoth 742 to win and with two men absent through injury, Australia capsized to 66 all out. The game is also notable as it saw the test match bow of one Donald Bradman. It wasn't the most auspicious of debuts as Bradman only made 18 and 1 and was dropped for the second test.

2-0 at Adelaide - inspired by Len Hutton's side of 1954-55

Despite a crushing defeat in the 1st test at Brisbane, Len Hutton's team inspired by Frank 'Typhoon' Tyson retained the Ashes with a 3-1 victory, which was sealed by a five wicket victory at Adelaide in the fourth test (see scorecard). Tyson, Bailey and Appleyard limited Australia to 323 in their first innings before Hutton (80) and Cowdrey (79) ensured England gained a slender 18 run lead on first innings. Tyson and Appleyard again, this time in tandem with Statham skittled the Australians for 111, before Compton steered England to their target of 94 after Miller had set hearts a flutter with three early wickets.

3-0 at Perth - inspired by Mike Brearley's side of 1978-79

England have only one won test at the WACA, which came during the series of 1978-79 (see scorecard) when Mike Brearley led England to a 5-1 series stroll against an Australian side severely depleted by the defection of most of its star players to World Series Cricket. In a relatively low-scoring contest, England won the Perth test by 166 runs. Gower scored 102 as England reached 309 in their first innings, before Willis took five for 44 to dismiss Australia for 190 and give his side a decisive lead. England didn't fare much better in their second innings as they slipped to 208 all out with Hogg (who took 41 wickets in the series) taking five for 57. But it was still too much for a weakened Australian batting line-up, which subsided for 161 to give England a 2-0 series lead.

4-0 at Melbourne - inspired by Mike Gatting's side of 1986-87

The team that was famously tagged as the side that "can't bat, can't bowl and can't field" retained the Ashes and sealed the series by going 2-0 up in the fourth test at Melbourne (see scorecard). Small and Botham took five wickets apiece as Australia were skittled for 141, before a third century of the series for Broad formed the basis of England's reply of 349. Australia fared little better in their second innings as they fell for 194 to complete a sorry three day defeat. Little did English cricket fans realise that it would be over 18 years before England would hold the Ashes again.

5-0 at Sydney - inspired by Douglas Jardine's side of 1932-33 

Cricket's most infamous test series began with England recording an emphatic 10 wicket victory at Sydney (see scorecard) in the first test as a precursor to a controversial ride to an eventual 4-1 series triumph, which saw the Ashes regained by the same score as Chapman's side had done four years earlier. Bradman, the primary target of Jardine's leg theory approach, missed this test due to a dispute with the Australian Board and watched McCabe play the best innings of them all against what would universally be forever known as Bodyline. McCabe's 187 not out amounted to over half of Australia's first innings total of 360, with Larwood taking five and Voce four. In reply, England had three centurions - Sutcliffe (194), Hammond (112) and Pataudi (102) as they recorded 524. Larwood then took another five for to reach ten wickets for the match as Australia were bundled out for 164 leaving Sutcliffe to fittingly hit the one run required for victory. The die had been cast.

A 5-0 victory for England? It's absolutely possible!  

The best 30 batsmen ever - Part 2/3 (20-11)

Last year we wrote a post for World Cricket Watch, where we named our top 20 batsmen of all time. As we explained yesterday, now seems a good time to revisit this. Firstly, so we can extend the list this time to 30. But secondly, because we are prepared to admit that we erred somewhat last time in placing Sachin Tendulkar behind Ricky Ponting in the all-time batting pantheon. Given that the Ashes were on at the time, we must have done it out of fear that Ponting would inspire his side to retain the little urn.

Today, we count down numbers 20 to 11, before concluding tomorrow with the top 10. If you missed yesterday's post check out numbers 30-21.

20. Kumar Ranjitsinhji (England) – 15 tests, 2 100s, 6 50s, average 44.95, HS 170 - An Indian prince and giant of Victorian and Edwardian cricket, Ranji was credited with bringing several new strokes into the game including the late cut and was an early exponent of back foot defence. Widely considered to be one of the greatest batsmen of all time prior to World War I, Neville Cardus described the stylish and unorthodox Ranji as "the midsummer night's dream of cricket".

 

19. Allan Border (Australia) - 156 tests, 27 100s, 63 50s, average 50.56, HS 205 - Gritty, durable and determined. A.B was all of these, but he was also reputedly Australia's best player of spin for over 50 years. World Series Cricket allowed him an early opportunity in the test side and he didn't relinquish his chance and played a remarkable 153 consecutive test matches. As we were growing up, we certainly remember Border piling on the runs against England and also of course the way he captained the side to comprehensive series wins in 1989 and 1993. Unfortunately, 1985 became a distant memory after that. 

 

18. Greg Chappell (Australia) – 87 tests, 24 100s, 31 50s, average 53.86, HS 247* - The best Australian batsman of the seventies and early eighties, Chappell allied steadfast concentration with attractive stroke making. Despite his excellent Test record, perhaps his best batting was during the World Series Cricket schism where he made 621 runs at 69 in five ‘Super Tests’ versus the mighty West Indies in the Caribbean in 1979.

 

17. Javed Miandad (Pakistan) – 124 tests, 23 100s, 43 50s, average 52.57, HS 280* - The greatest Pakistani batsman ever, Miandad was a precocious teenage prodigy scoring a century on debut and in the same series breaking George Headley’s record as the youngest player to score a Test match double century. His non-textbook style, pugnacity and ability to rile bowlers made him a thorn in the side of most opponents during a long and glittering career.

 

16. Graeme Pollock (South Africa) – 23 tests, 7 100s, 11 50s, average 60.97, HS 274 - Of those that have played at least 20 Test match innings, Pollock holds the second highest average after Bradman, who described the South African as the best left hander along with Sobers that he had ever seen. Widely recognised as his country’s best ever player, Pollock’s Test career was cut short abruptly at the age of 26 due to the sporting boycott of South Africa. 

 

15. Ricky Ponting (Australia) - 144* tests, 39 100s, 51 50s, average 55.22, HS 257- After Tendulkar, the outstanding batsman playing the game today, Ponting is widely acknowledged as the best Australian batsman since Bradman – high praise indeed. One of Ponting’s main strengths is his versatility in that he can score quickly, counter-attack or tough it out when the situation demands. Other strengths include his consistency and his habit of playing match winning innings. Last year we placed him at sixth, above Tendulkar, but we have now revised this view. Ponting is great, but not that great. 

 

14. Sunil Gavaskar (India) – 125 tests, 34 100s, 45 50s, average 51.12, HS 236* - Gavaskar was one of the best openers of all-time and the pre-eminent Indian batsman before Tendulkar – the man who broke his record of most Test match centuries. A brilliant batsman against fast bowling, Gavaskar scored a superlative 13 centuries at an average of 65.45 against the formidable West Indies side of the seventies and eighties.

 

13. Everton Weekes (West Indies) – 48 tests, 15 100s, 19 50s, average 58.61, HS 207 - The highest ranked of the immortal ‘three Ws’, Walcott believed that Weekes was the best all-round batsman of the three. An attacking batsman with a vast array of strokes, Weekes made an electric start to Test cricket, reaching 1,000 runs in only his 12^thinnings, one fewer than Bradman. During this run he also scored five centuries in five consecutive innings against England and India – still a Test record.

 

12. Leonard Hutton (England) – 79 tests, 19 100s, 33 50s, average 56.67, HS 364 - Despite World War II robbing him of six years of cricket from the age of 23, Hutton is still considered amongst the giants of English batters. Before the War and at the age of 22, he scored the then highest Test match score of 364 against Australia. Afterwards, he continued to amass runs for Yorkshire and England and became the first professional player to captain his country.

 

11. Herbert Sutcliffe (England) - 54 tests, 16 100s, 23 50s, average 60.73, HS 194 - Sutcliffe’s name always seems to be inexplicably left on the margins when discussions as to who is the best ever English batsman. Perhaps this is because he opened the batting with Hobbs and played in the same era as Hammond. Whatever the reasons, Sutcliffe deserves recognition in his own right - the fourth highest Test match batting average of all-time for players with at least 20 innings, a fantastic record against Australia and prodigious run scoring for country and Yorkshire alike.

England's ten greatest cricket captains

 

 
Here is our list of England's ten greatest captains. Andrew Strauss doesn’t make it just yet. If of course he leads England to retaining the Ashes in Australia next winter he will certainly join this list; and probably near the top too.

  

 

1. Douglas Jardine – P15 W9 D5 L1: ruthless, stubborn and a brilliant strategist. Thanks to “Bodyline” his name will live in infamy. We should also mention here that Jardine is our favourite cricketer ever so it was perhaps inevitable that he tops our list  - also see Heroes: Douglas Jardine.
2. Raymond Illingworth – P31 W12, D14, L5: tough, also ruthless and uncompromising, and also like Jardine won the Ashes in Australia. 

 

3. Mike Brearley – P31 W18 D9 L4: mediocre batsman but outstanding skipper who inspired Botham to his unforgettable heroic feats in the 1981 Ashes. 

 

4. Michael Vaughan – P51 W26 D14 L11: took the foundations laid by Hussain and together with Fletcher created the all-conquering side of 2004/05.

 

5. Percy Chapman – P17 W9 D6 L2: like Jardine four years later he won the Ashes 4-1 in Australia; but unlike DRJ he earned the respect of the locals with his natural bonhomie. 

 

6. Sir Len Hutton – P23 W11 D8 L4: England’s first professional captain for 65 years who regained the Ashes (after 20 years) in 1953 and then retained them in 1954/55. 

 

7. Peter May – P41 W20 D11 L10: Other than Vaughan, he won the most Tests as skipper and led England to number one in the World 

 

8. Nasser Hussain – P45 W17 D13 L15: took England from the bottom of the pile (behind even Zimbabwe) to series wins in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, providing the building blocks for Vaughan to take England into the stratosphere.  

 

9. W.G. Grace – P13 W8 D2 L3: the giant (literally) of the Victorian age captained his country for the last time at the age of 51.

10. Hon. Ivo Bligh - P4 W2 D0 L2: presented with the original Ashes urn after winning the series 2-1 Down Under in 1882/83. For that alone he deserves to make the list.

Who are the best 20 batsmen ever? - Part 1 (20-11)

I was having a debate come argument with one of my best pals over the weekend as to who is the greatest of the three modern day batting greats of Ponting, Tendulkar and Lara. I reckon it is the Australian captain who wins the day (just) because in my view he has played the greater number of match winning or game saving innings during his career. 

 

Whoever is the best modern day batsman (and there will never be common consensus on this one!), all three princes must rank amongst the twenty best batsmen to ever play the game. This leads rather aptly to my own list of the greatest batsmen ever.

 

Being in my mid-thirties, I obviously do not have the benefit of seeing the great players of yesteryear live at the crease. Thus, I have relied on my extensive collection of Wisden and other cricket books, plus newsreel footage and general knowledge of the game in order to arrive at my final list.

The twenty names are based primarily on Test cricket, which is undoubtedly the real barometer of a batsman’s ability and greatness. In any case, international limited overs cricket was not played before 1971 so we will never know how Bradman, Hammond and other such great luminaries would have fared in this form of the game. Naturally, comparing players from different generations is difficult as the game has changed irrevocably over the course of its history with covered pitches, faster scoring rates and changes to the laws of the game. As such, Ponting will never play on a ‘sticky dog’, but can be adjudged leg before to a ball pitching outside off-stump, which would not have been the case before 1935.

It has been an agonising process to come down to the final twenty names and several great names have not made the cut. Hopefully, it will provoke some discussion and debate amongst Cricket fans worldwide.

Here are numbers 20-11 in reverse order:

20. Kumar Ranjitsinhji (England) – 15 Tests, 2 100s, 6 50s, Average 44.95, HS 170

An Indian prince and giant of Victorian and Edwardian cricket, Ranji was credited with bringing several new strokes into the game including the late cut and was an early exponent of back foot defence. Widely considered to be one of the greatest batsmen of all time prior to World War I, Neville Cardus described the stylish and unorthodox Ranji as "the midsummer night's dream of cricket".

19. Clyde Walcott (West Indies) – 44 Tests, 15 100s, 14 50s, Average 56.68, HS 220

One of two of the ‘three Ws’ on this list, Walcott played an instrumental role in the first West Indian victory on English soil at Lord’s in 1950 scoring 168 not out. Along with Weekes, he was arguably the best batsman in the World during the mid-1950s reaching his peak with an incredible five hundreds and 827 runs during Australia’s first Test series in the Caribbean.

18. Greg Chappell (Australia) – 87 Tests, 24 100s, 31 50s, Average 53.86, HS 247*

The best Australian batsman of the seventies and early eighties, Chappell allied steadfast concentration with attractive stroke making. Despite his excellent Test record, perhaps his best batting was during the World Series Cricket schism where he made 621 runs at 69 in five ‘Super Tests’ versus the mighty West Indies in the Caribbean in 1979.

17. Sunil Gavaskar (India) – 125 Tests, 34 100s, 45 50s, Average 51.12, HS 236*

Gavaskar was one of the best openers of all-time and the pre-eminent Indian batsman before Tendulkar – the man who broke his record of most Test match centuries. A brilliant batsman against fast bowling, Gavaskar scored a superlative 13 centuries at an average of 65.45 against the formidable West Indies side of the seventies and eighties.

16. Javed Miandad (Pakistan) – 124 Tests, 23 100s, 43 50s, Average 52.57, HS 280*

The greatest Pakistani batsman ever, Miandad was a precocious teenage prodigy scoring a century on debut and in the same series breaking George Headley’s record as the youngest player to score a Test match double century. His non-textbook style, pugnacity and ability to rile bowlers made him a thorn in the side of most opponents during a long and glittering career.

15. William ‘W.G’ Grace (England) – 22 Tests, 2 100s, 5 50s, Average 32.29, HS 170

Until Bradman, Grace was regarded as the greatest cricket player ever and was certainly one of the most competitive. Over the course of a 44 year career, he transcended the sport and in the words of John Arlott “created modern cricket”. Amongst other nicknames, Grace was known as “the Champion” and one of his contemporaries and fellow all-time great batsmen Ranjitsinhji said of him in the Jubilee Book of Cricket “I hold him to be not only the finest player born or unborn, but the maker of modern batting”.

14. Graeme Pollock (South Africa) – 23 Tests, 7 100s, 11 50s, Average 60.97, HS 274

Of those that have played at least 20 Test match innings, Pollock holds the second highest average after Bradman, who described the South African as the best left hander along with Sobers that he had ever seen. Widely recognised as his country’s best ever player, Pollock’s Test career was cut short abruptly at the age of 26 due to the sporting boycott of South Africa. 

13. Everton Weekes (West Indies) – 48 Tests, 15 100s, 19 50s, Average 58.61, HS 207

The highest ranked of the immortal ‘three Ws’, Walcott believed that Weekes was the best all-round batsman of the three. An attacking batsman with a vast array of strokes, Weekes made an electric start to Test cricket, reaching 1,000 runs in only his 12^th innings, one fewer than Bradman. During this run he also scored five centuries in five consecutive innings against England and India – still a Test record.

12. Leonard Hutton (England) – 79 Tests, 19 100s, 33 50s, Average 56.67, HS 364

Despite World War II robbing him of six years of cricket from the age of 23, Hutton is still considered amongst the giants of English batters. Before the War and at the age of 22, he scored the then highest Test match score of 364 against Australia. Afterwards, he continued to amass runs for Yorkshire and England and became the first professional player to captain his country.

11. Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 162* Tests, 43 100s, 54 50s, Average 54.72, HS 248*

The ‘Little Master’ holds a number of prestigious Test batting records including most runs and most centuries; and he hasn’t finished yet. Other than Hobbs, Tendulkar is the only player to score ten centuries or more against Australia. Many would have him higher on this list – certainly Wisden ranked him behind only Bradman as the second greatest batsman of all time in 2002.

Numbers 10-1 will follow in a later blog.