The timeless appeal of Sir Don Bradman

Like James Bond, Don Bradman has a timeless appeal. The Australian legend always makes for an interesting discussion, interesting watching, and interesting reading. An interesting copy as well, particularly if it is on the eve of his birth anniversary.

An effort to find the relevance of Bradman in these times of T20 led to some interesting questions — would he have liked the shortest form of the game, would he have played in the IPL… and would he have led Australia to victory in the Oval Test?

Given the hypothetical nature of the queries, it is anybody’s conjecture if the Don would have done this or not but a discussion with someone who has known the greatest batsman ever from close quarters, makes for an interesting discussion. Yes, interesting.
“It is not right to say Australia would have chased 548 if Bradman was playing,” says Bernard Whimpress, a cricket historian who has written a few books on Bradman and the Australia-England cricketing rivalry.

“The highest Australia chased under him was only 404,” is the reply of the Adelaide-based Whimpress, who has written a book called Bradman at the Adelaide Oval. He would remind: “If you bring in Sir Don, you have to bring in Jim Laker too. You cannot dispute... Laker is a better spinner than Graeme Swann and 548 would be difficult for Bradman too.”

But Whimpress is impressed with a couple of pull shots Ricky Ponting played at The Oval the other day.

“That would have made the Don proud,” he comments although the Aussie feels Ponting is no match for the Don. The 59-year Aussie thinks there were a few Australians who resembled Bradman with the willow despite the legend’s famous endorsement of Sachin Tendulkar’s style.

“There is no one since Doug Walters,” is Whimpress’s verdict. But there were a few before the stocky New South Walesean. “Norm O’Neill and Ian Craig,” Whimpress recalls. “They were batsmen of Bradman’s style if not substance.”

Whimpress, who recently released a book on the Ashes in London, feels Bradman was a much misunderstood man. “It’s wrong to call him a loner or an aloof person. He was quite sociable although he would have his own group,” the historian says, willing to discuss in length the anecdotes quoting his letters of 1938 visit to England. So what is the Bradman legacy to the game?

“Interesting question. It has to be 99.94,” avers Whimpress with a touch of scepticism. “Few bother about the averages these days. They want strike rate. Those numbers may never be bettered in the game but those numbers may not be interesting for too many people. People might soon be looking for something called Bradmanesque strike rate.”
That leads to the obvious question. Would he have played T20 and IPL? Whimpress has no doubts.

“He would have certainly.” But how is he so sure? Because in 1931, Bradman was willing to pack his bags to play for Accrington Club in a professional league in Lancashire for 1000 pounds. “Till an influential Aussie official decreed him not to.” Hmm... interesting, isn’t it?