The Hindu : `The Don would have averaged 100 today'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 12, 2003

Sport

Sport - Cricket

`The Don would have averaged 100 today'

Australian cricket legend Bill Brown (left) autographs a photograph of himself and Australian Test captain Steve Waugh during the Australian Test Cricketers' Cap Presentation Reunion in Sydney on Friday. The reunion was attended by 150 of Australia's 197 living Test cricketers. — AP

Sydney July 11. Australian Test greats Arthur Morris, Steve Waugh and Bill Brown claim Don Bradman would still be averaging around 100 runs per innings if he was playing Test cricket today. As 150 of Australia's 197 living Test players attended a gala function here on Friday to receive commemorative baggy green caps, the incomparable deeds of the `The Don' remained the subject of widespread discussion and disbelief.

``He'd be averaging 99 these days, believe me, and he might even get himself up over the 100 mark because Sir Donald Bradman was a unique batsman,'' said Morris, who was a member of Bradman's 1948 Invincibles that toured England.

``He was a great, great player. He had tremendous determination and concentration and he had all the shots. He was amazing. We really can't compare anyone with. Nobody comes close. There have been very good fast bowlers over the years but there were very good fast bowlers in his day, too. Bodyline (England's 1932-33 tour to Australia) was impossible to bat against.

``If you had all the fast bowlers of today, bowling straight at the head with six fellas on the leg side, how would they go?

``Bradman had to play against that, and he didn't have a helmet,'' Morris said.

The question of how Bradman, who averaged 99.94 in 52 Tests between 1928 and 1948, would fare against the finest bowlers of recent times such as Curtly Ambrose, Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Wasim Akram, Richard Hadlee and Muttiah Muralitharan is one that fascinates contemporary cricket followers.

Brown and Morris, who both played with Bradman, and current Test captain Waugh, Australia's most capped player, believe Bradman was so good he would have dominated any era.

Waugh nodded to the suggestion Bradman's average would be 100, saying: ``If he dominated his era, I think it's fair to say he'd dominate any era, including ours. A genius is a genius. That's probably the most simple way you can put it.''

Brown agreed. ``He would have been successful whenever he played, one-day cricket, anything,'' said Australia's oldest Test survivor, 91 later this month.

``He was just the complete player who seemed to be able to bat as long as he wanted to. He would just go on, 100, 200, 300 and on one occasion 400. That's just unbelievable to the average bloke. His record would be little different, I think.'' — AFP

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport