Prudential Cricket World Cup 1979 : Excerpt from ‘The Big Book of World Cup Cricket 1975-2011’ by Indra Vikram Singh

There was little change in 1979, with the same venue, the same sponsor doling out two-and-a-half times the amount given previously, and the same winner. The one difference was that a tournament for the associate members was conducted earlier, and the winners Sri Lanka and runners-up Canada, earned the right to participate in the World Cup alongside the six Test-playing countries.

The second Prudential World Cup was played in the shadow of the crisis precipitated by the rebel World Series Cricket of Australian tycoon, Kerry Packer. He had contracted a number of top players of the world. The Australians and English did not include these players in the World Cup squads, though the West Indies and Pakistani Boards were not so harsh.

With the sponsorship amount at £250,000 ($405,000), the prize money was hiked to £25,900. The winners received £10,000, and the runners-up £4,000. The losing semi-finalists got £2,000 each. Inclement weather, which also led to the abandonment of a match, limited the crowds to 132,768 people, though the gate money nearly doubled to £359,717.

Group A now comprised Australia, Canada, England and Pakistan. In Group B were India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. In the semi-finals, the West Indies defeated Pakistan, while England beat New Zealand.

The final:

Lord’s, London, 23 June 1979

West Indies won by 92 runs

West Indies: 286 for 9 wickets in 60 overs (Vivian Richards 138 not out, Collis King 86)

England: 194 all out in 51 overs (Mike Brearley 64, Geoff Boycott 57, Graham Gooch 32, Colin Croft 3 for 42, Joel Garner 5 for 38)

Man of the Match: Vivian Richards

(Author Indra Vikram Singh can be contacted on email singh_iv@hotmail.com).

The Big Book of World Cup Cricket 1975-2011

ISBN 978-81-901668-4-3

Distributed in India by Variety Book Depot, Connaught Place, New Delhi, Phones + 91 11 23417175, 23412567

Available in leading bookshops, and online on several websites.

Prudential Cricket World Cup 1975 : Excerpt from ‘The Big Book of World Cup Cricket 1975-2011’ by Indra Vikram Singh

The International Cricket Conference (ICC), now known as International Cricket Council, approved a proposal on 25 July 1973 to hold a Limited-overs World Cup tournament. Hardly could anyone have imagined what a mega event this would become right from its inception.

When the World Cup first began in 1975, scarcely two years before the centenary of Test matches, One-day cricket was a vastly different game. There were no fielding circles, white balls, coloured clothing or helmets. Most of the teams had little experience in this form of the game; just 18 One-day Internationals had been played till then. Only the English players - and the overseas professionals - had received adequate exposure in the truncated game on the county circuit.

The Prudential Assurance Company pitched in with sponsorship worth £100,000 ($162,000) and the tournament got under way amid great euphoria. How much excitement there was, could be gauged from the fact that Sir Garfield Sobers, inarguably the greatest allround cricketer ever, was initially included in the West Indies squad even though it was known that a debilitating knee injury had effectively finished his career. That the mighty Sobers was unable to participate is another matter.

England, long considered the home of cricket with headquarters at Lord’s, was deemed to be a natural venue for the World Cup. Long hours of daylight and several top-class grounds located not far from each other were cited as factor in favour of retaining England as the permanent base for the premier event. It did not take long for the players, public or administrators to realise that they had a product that was an instant hit.

The first tournament was played for an exquisite sterling silver trophy, 18.5 inches high and containing 89.5 ounces of the sparkling metal. Never before had there been such a large and distinguished gathering of the world's finest cricketers.

There were six Test-playing countries then: Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and the West Indies. To this list were added Sri Lanka, for long a strong contender for Test status, and East Africa, considered the best of the rest. The teams were divided into two groups. In Group A were East Africa, England, India and New Zealand. Group B comprised Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. In the semi-finals Australia beat England, and the West Indies trounced New Zealand. 

The West Indies, then beginning their ascent to the pinnacle with an incredible run of successes, won the inaugural Prudential World Cup final. There was tremendous Caribbean support at Lord's on that grand occasion as 26,000 spectators sat enthralled till 8-45 in the evening, watching the drama unfold. It was a box-office bonanza too, with £66,400 in the kitty, considered a world record at the time for a day's collection in a Limited-overs match.

The total prize money on offer was £9,000, with the winners receiving £4,000 along with gilt silver medals for each player. The runners-up got £2,000, and the losing semi-finalists £1,000 each. Total gate money of £188,598 was paid by the 158,000 people who came in through the turnstiles. A profit of £200,000 provided ample indication that the event had enormous potential to generate hitherto unimagined revenue for the game.

The World Cup became a great spectacle, graced by princes and prime ministers, and savoured by a huge number of people all over the globe.

The final:

Lord’s, London, 21 June 1975

West Indies won by 17 runs

West Indies: 291 for 8 wickets in 60 overs (Rohan Kanhai 55, Clive Lloyd 102, Keith Boyce 34, Gary Gilmour 5 for 48)

Australia: 274 all out in 58.4 overs (Alan Turner 40, Ian Chappell 62, Doug Walters 35, Keith Boyce 4 for 50)

Man of the Match: Clive Lloyd

(Author Indra Vikram Singh can be contacted on email singh_iv@hotmail.com).

The Big Book of World Cup Cricket 1975-2011

ISBN 978-81-901668-4-3

Distributed in India by Variety Book Depot, Connaught Place, New Delhi, Phones + 91 11 23417175, 23412567

Available in leading bookshops, and online on several websites. 

World Championship of Test Cricket

For long there has been talk about the need for an interesting world championship of Test cricket. Obviously, the rolling mace for the no. 1 Test team in the world has not been exciting enough. A world Test tournament was proposed by the International Cricket Council (ICC), and thankfully shelved in its recent meeting

As far back as 1912, a triangular Test tournament was played between hosts England. Australia and South Africa, and it was not a success. In the late 1990s a misconceived Asian Test championship was conducted, and once again added no value. It is established that a tournament for Test cricket is not a workable proposition, yet administrators come up with fanciful ideas time and again.

I first put forth my arguments in my debut book ‘Test Cricket: End of the Road?’ as far back as 1990, proposing a four-year World Championship of Test cricket, to be played between one One-day ICC World Cup and the next. For long I have felt that this is the way forward for Test cricket. If points are totalled over a four-year period and a champion team emerges after dividing these points by the number of Test matches and series played by each side, it would make for a very exciting championship.

Ideally, every Test-playing nation should play against every other, home and away, in a two to five-Test series every four years. If this is not always possible, it should be as close to this principle as far as can be. There is, though, no reason why it cannot happen if the ICC and the respective Boards make an effort.

The points system should place a premium on wins, quick scoring and good bowling strike-rates. Hence there should be 10 points for each Test win, and no point for a draw, except in the event of a Test match ending without a result due to interference by the weather, in which case both teams should be awarded 5 points each.

This system should also be so devised as not to encourage teams to bat on and on, particularly in the first innings and take too much advantage of a flat wicket, nor also in the second innings in an over-cautious attempt to avoid defeat. Batting and bowling points should, hence, be awarded only up to the first 135 overs - translating to a-day-and-a-half - in each of the first innings, and 90 overs in each of the second innings.

In the first innings, each team should be awarded one point for scoring 270 runs, two points for scoring 340 runs, three points for scoring 405 runs, and four points for scoring 475 runs in the first 135 overs of their respective turns. This would mean that they would get one point for scoring at a rate of at least 2 runs an over, two points for scoring at a rate of at least 2.5 runs an over, three points for scoring at a rate of at least 3 runs an over, and four points for scoring at a rate of at least 3.5 runs an over.

In the second innings, each team should be awarded one point for scoring 180 runs, two points for scoring 205 runs, three points for scoring 225 runs, and four points for scoring 250 runs in their respective first 90 overs. They would, therefore, get one point for scoring at least 2 runs an over, two points for scoring at least 2.25 runs an over, three points for scoring at least 2.5 runs an over, and four points for scoring at least 2.75 runs an over.

For bowling, in either innings, one point should be awarded to both sides for taking 7 wickets, two points for taking 8 wickets, three points for taking 9 wickets, and four points for taking 10 wickets in the first 135 overs and 90 overs respectively.

In the event of innings wins, four points should be awarded for the second innings in which the team did not bat. In case of wins by wickets, batting points should be awarded for scoring at the rates mentioned above in case 90 overs have not been completed. Similarly, in case of second-innings declaration leading to wins by runs, batting points should be awarded for scoring at the prescribed rates.

Such a system would make for positive cricket, and also provide an incentive to quicken the over-rate, as it would be in the interests of both teams to strive for runs and wickets, and for victories.

For winning a series 20 points should be awarded. At the end of the four-year period, the total match points should be divided by the Tests, and the series points divided by the series played by each team, and added up. Not only would a champion team emerge, but periodic rankings would also be known.   

I would strongly urge the ICC to look seriously at such a system, fine-tune it and implement it immediately after its One-day World Cup 2015. Even rankings of players could be worked out over such a four-year period. It is time Test cricket got a World Championship of this nature.

(Indra Vikram Singh is author of several books on cricket and can be contacted on email singh_iv@hotmail.com).

Timeless magic of pre-1939 Rolls-Royce cars

There is something about pre-1939 Rolls-Royce cars that is unmatched by any other. Here is a Rolls-Royce Phantom I 1925 tourer, chassis no. 76 RC, with coachwork by Barker. This exquisite car was on view at the 21-gun Salute Vintage and Classic Car Rally held at the City Centre, Gurgaon, on 1st and 2nd February 2014. This is the first series of Phantom I after the iconic Silver Ghost was discontinued in 1924, a car for the true connoisseur, perfectly engineered and exquisitely crafted.

Rolls-Royce Phantom II 1934, chassis no. 181 RY, Sedanca de ville coachwork by Windovers

Indra Vikram Singh with Rolls-Royce Phantom II 1934 (chassis no. 181 RY, Sedanca de ville coachwork by Windovers), originally owned by his grandfather Maharaja Sir Vijaysinhji of Rajpipla, and now by Shriji Arvind Singhji Mewar.

Photographs taken at the Vintage and Classic Car Collection, The Palace, Udaipur, on 25th January 2014.

This exquisite car was featured in the James Bond movie 'Octopussy' and has already completed a glorious journey of 80 years from Rajpipla to Kolhapur to Udaipur, remaining with the Gohil-Bhonsle-Sisodia clan, an iconic automobile with a wonderful history and still running beautifully.

(Prince Indra Vikram Singh of Rajpipla can be contacted on emails teddy.rajpipla@gmail.com or singh_iv@hotmail.com).

Top allrounders in the history of Test cricket

What makes a top-class allrounder? To my way of thinking, purely in terms of statistics, a genuine high-quality allrounder is one whose batting average is above 30, and bowling average under 30, the difference between two such averages being large. A good allrounder should be able to score hundreds and bag five wickets in an innings.

There are instances where bowling averages are not below 30 even in the case of great allrounders. Two prime examples are Gary Sobers and Jacques Kallis who are arguably the best, at least in terms of statistics. But their batting averages are very high, way beyond those of other great allrounders. Conversely, some great allrounders do not have batting averages above 30, but their bowling averages are brilliant. This is true of Richard Hadlee and Alan Davidson.

They other yardstick to rate allrounders statistically is by arriving at an allrounder’s quotient, that is, dividing the batting average by the bowling average.

Using these yardsticks, since the commencement of Test cricket in 1877 till date, the top four allrounders among those who have scored at least 1,000 runs and captured 100 wickets are: 1. Gary Sobers, 2. Jacques Kallis, 3. Imran Khan, and 4. Keith Miller. In terms of statistics the difference between Sobers and Kallis is almost a dead heat. Imran and Miller are not too far behind, both being very accomplished, and often explosive, batsmen and devastating fast bowlers. Sobers was a multi-faceted genius with a brilliant batting record, as good as anyone except Bradman. Kallis was definitely a batting allrounder, an accumulator of runs, and a back-up paceman. But Imran and Miller were true-blooded thoroughbred allrounders, embodying the very definition of a cricket allrounder.     

Trailing close behind this great quartet are some world class allrounders, though the next three names, Shaun Pollock, Trevor Goddard and Tony Grieg, might cause a bit of surprise to some. But a second look at their records would leave no doubt that they are indeed top-quality and genuine allrounders.

Richard Hadlee, Monty Noble and Alan Davidson make up the top ten. Hadlee was a bowling allrounder whose batting abilities flowered as his career advanced. Noble was probably the first great allrounder. Davidson was perhaps the greatest left-arm paceman along with Wasim Akram. In recent times, Akram has been lauded, and rightly so, but Davidson was in no way inferior and had a bowling action so exquisite that everyone wanted to emulate it.

The next six are those with allrounder's quotient also above 1, that is, with batting average higher than bowling average, and they too qualify among the very best. They are Ian Botham, Chris Cairns, Shakib Al Hasan, Wilfred Rhodes, Kapil Dev and Trevor Bailey. Botham and Kapil Dev complete the great quartet of the seventies, eighties and early nineties, possibly the modern golden age of cricket. But for injuries, Cairns would certainly have ranked even higher. Shakib is definitely the pride of Bangladesh and poised to go places. Rhodes’ longevity ensured that he played alongside and against three of the true greats of batting, Grace, Hobbs and Bradman, and he built up a formidable record. Bailey rendered yeomen service to England in the 1950s, and helped re-assert pride in the post-Bradman era.

The next batch, which narrowly missed the coveted allrounder’s quotient of 1, comprises Irfan Pathan, Maurice Tate, Vinoo Mankad, Andrew Flintoff and Wasim Akram. Pathan first promised great things with the ball, then with the bat, but for some reason did not realise his true potential. Maurice Tate was one of the finest fast-medium bowlers, precursor to Alec Bedser, and Akram was a true great of left-arm fast bowling, successor to Davidson. Vinoo Mankad and Andrew Flintoff were genuine allrounders and could well have figured higher but for a few quirks of statistics. Mankad could win a match with bat or ball, or both, and few Tests have been named after a player as was the Lord’s Test of 1952, even though his team lost. Flintoff was explosive with bat and ball but ultimately his big frame proved too unwieldy for top-class cricket any longer than it did. It is pertinent to point out here that spinners are at a slight disadvantage while rating allrounders statistically as their bowling averages are generally higher than pace bowlers, and this showed in Mankad’s case.

The Australians, Ray Lindwall and Richie Benaud come next, one a great fast bowler and the other a great leg-spinner, both very handy with the bat.

Bringing up the rear in the list of quality Test allrounders are Daniel Vettori, Ravi Shastri and George Giffen. Vettori was probably the finest left-arm spinner of present times who always added value with the bat. Shastri was a fighter to the core, whose strong mind made up what he lacked in terms of pure natural ability. Giffen is the only one in our list to play Test matches solely in the 19^th century, and for much of the early part of his career wickets were of poor quality. But the disadvantage that he suffered as a batsman was nullified by what he gained as a batsman. In that sense conditions get neutralised while assessing allrounders, but equally our yardstick of allrounder’s quotient is not always the ultimate test.            

The top allrounders in the history of Test cricket in terms of quotient are :

1.  Gary Sobers (West Indies) ….. Test career span 1954-1974,  Tests 93,  Highest score 365*,  Runs 8,032,   Average 57.78,  Hundreds 26,  Wickets 235,  Average 34.03,  Best bowling 6/73,  5 Wickets / Innings 6,  Catches 109,  Quotient 1.697.

2.  Jacques Kallis (South Africa) ….. Test career span 1995-2013,  Tests 166,  Highest score 224,  Runs 13,289,   Average 55.37,  Hundreds 45,  Wickets 292,  Average 32.65,  Best bowling 6/54,  5 Wickets / Innings 5,  Catches 200,  Quotient 1.695.

3.  Imran Khan (Pakistan) ….. Test career span 1971-1992,  Tests 88,  Highest score 136,  Runs 3,807,   Average 37.69,  Hundreds 6,  Wickets 362,  Average 22.81,  Best bowling 8/58,  5 Wickets / Innings 23,  Catches 28,  Quotient 1.65.

4.  Keith Miller (Australia) ….. Test career span 1946-1956,  Tests 55,  Highest score 147,  Runs 2,958,   Average 36.97,  Hundreds 7,  Wickets 170,  Average 22.97,  Best bowling 7/60,  5 Wickets / Innings 7,  Catches 38,  Quotient 1.60.

5.  Shaun Pollock (South Africa) ….. Test career span 1995-2008,  Tests 108,  Highest score 111,  Runs 3,781,  Average 32.31,  Hundred 2,  Wickets 421,  Average 23.11,  Best bowling 7/87,  5 Wickets / Innings 16,  Catches 72,  Quotient 1.39.

6.  Trevor Goddard (South Africa) ….. Test career span 1955-1970,  Tests 41,  Highest score 112,  Runs 2,516,   Average 34.46,  Hundred 1,  Wickets 123,  Average 26.22,  Best bowling 6/53,  5 Wickets / Innings 5,  Catches 48,  Quotient 1.31.

7.  Tony Grieg (England) ….. Test career span 1972-1977,  Tests 58,  Highest score 148,  Runs 3,599,   Average 40.43,  Hundreds 8,  Wickets 141,  Average 32.20,  Best bowling 8/86,  5 Wickets / Innings 6,  Catches 87,  Quotient 1.25.

8.  Richard Hadlee (New Zealand) ….. Test career span 1973-1990,  Tests 86,  Highest score 151*,  Runs 3,124,   Average 27.16,  Hundreds 2,  Wickets 431,  Average 22.29,  Best bowling 9/52,  5 Wickets / Innings 36,  Catches 39,  Quotient 1.218.

9.  Monty Noble (Australia) ….. Test career span 1898-1909,  Tests 42,  Highest score 133,  Runs 1,997,   Average 30.25,  Hundred 1,  Wickets 121,  Average 25.00,  Best bowling 7/71,  5 Wickets / Innings 9,  Catches 26,  Quotient 1.210.

10.  Alan Davidson (Australia) ….. Test career span 1953-1963,  Tests 44,  Highest score 80,  Runs 1,328,   Average 24.59,  Hundreds 0,  Wickets 186,  Average 20.53,  Best bowling 7/93,  5 Wickets / Innings 14,  Catches 42,  Quotient 1.19.

11.  Ian Botham (England) ….. Test career span 1977-1992,  Tests 102,  Highest score 208,  Runs 5,200,   Average 33.54,  Hundreds 14,  Wickets 383,  Average 28.40,  Best bowling 8/34,  5 Wickets / Innings 27,  Catches 120,  Quotient 1.18.

12.  Chris Cairns (New Zealand) ….. Test career span 1989-2004,  Tests 62,  Highest score 158,  Runs 3,320,   Average 33.53,  Hundreds 5,  Wickets 218,  Average 29.40,  Best bowling 7/27,  5 Wickets / Innings 13,  Catches 14,  Quotient 1.14.

13.  Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) ….. Test career span 2007-2013,  Tests 32,  Highest score 144,  Runs 2,105,   Average 36.92,  Hundreds 2,  Wickets 113,  Average 32.62,  Best bowling 7/36,  5 Wickets / Innings 10,  Catches 14,  Quotient 1.13.

14.  Wilfred Rhodes (England) ….. Test career span 1899-1930,  Tests 58,  Highest score 179,  Runs 2,325,   Average 30.19,  Hundreds 2,  Wickets 127,  Average 26.96,  Best bowling 8/68,  5 Wickets / Innings 6,  Catches 60,  Quotient 1.11.

15.  Kapil Dev (India) ….. Test career span 1978-1994,  Tests 131,  Highest score 163,  Runs 5,248,   Average 31.05,  Hundreds 8,  Wickets 434,  Average 29.64,  Best bowling 9/83,  5 Wickets / Innings 23,  Catches 64,  Quotient 1.04.

16.  Trevor Bailey (England) ….. Test career span 1949-1959,  Tests 61,  Highest score 134*,  Runs 2,290,   Average 29.74,  Hundred 1,  Wickets 132,  Average 29.21,  Best bowling 7/34,  5 Wickets / Innings 5,  Catches 32,  Quotient 1.01.

17.  Irfan Pathan (India) ….. Test career span 2003-2008,  Tests 29,  Highest score 102,  Runs 1,105,   Average 31.57,  Hundreds 1,  Wickets 100,  Average 32.26,  Best bowling 7/59,  5 Wickets / Innings 7,  Catches 8,  Quotient 0.978.

18.  Maurice Tate (England) ….. Test career span 1924-1935,  Tests 39,  Highest score 100*,  Runs 1,198,   Average 25.48,  Hundred 1,  Wickets 155,  Average 26.16,  Best bowling 6/42,  5 Wickets / Innings 7,  Catches 11,  Quotient 0.974.

19.  Vinoo Mankad (India) ….. Test career span 1946-1959,  Tests 44,  Highest score 231,  Runs 2,109,   Average 31.47,  Hundreds 5,  Wickets 162,  Average 32.32,  Best bowling 8/52,  5 Wickets / Innings 8,  Catches 33,  Quotient 0.973.

20.  Andrew Flintoff (England) ….. Test career span 1998-2009,  Tests 79,  Highest score 167,  Runs 3,845,   Average 31.77,  Hundreds 5,  Wickets 226,  Average 32.78,  Best bowling 5/58,  5 Wickets / Innings 3,  Catches 52,  Quotient 0.96.

21.  Wasim Akram (Pakistan) ….. Test career span 1985-2002,  Tests 104,  Highest score 257*,  Runs 2,898,   Average 22.64,  Hundreds 3,  Wickets 414,  Average 23.62,  Best bowling 7/119,  5 Wickets / Innings 25,  Catches 44,  Quotient 0.95.

22.  Ray Lindwall (Australia) ….. Test career span 1946-1960,  Tests 61,  Highest score 118,  Runs 1,502,   Average 21.15,  Hundreds 2,  Wickets 228,  Average 23.03,  Best bowling 7/38,  5 Wickets / Innings 12,  Catches 26,  Quotient 0.91.

23.  Richie Benaud (Australia) ….. Test career span 1952-1964,  Tests 63,  Highest score 122,  Runs 2,201,   Average 24.45,  Hundreds 3,  Wickets 248,  Average 27.03,  Best bowling 7/72,  5 Wickets / Innings 16,  Catches 65,  Quotient 0.90.

24.  Daniel Vettori (New Zealand) ….. Test career span 1997-2012,  Tests 112,  Highest score 140,  Runs 4,516,   Average 30.10,  Hundreds 6,  Wickets 360,  Average 34.42,  Best bowling 7/87,  5 Wickets / Innings 20,  Catches 58,  Quotient 0.874.

25.  Ravi Shastri (India) ….. Test career span 1981-1992,  Tests 80,  Highest score 206,  Runs 3,830,   Average 35.79,  Hundreds 11,  Wickets 151,  Average 40.96,  Best bowling 5/75,  5 Wickets / Innings 2,  Catches 36,  Quotient 0.873.

26.  George Giffen (Australia) ….. Test career span 1881-1896,  Tests 31,  Highest score 161,  Runs 1,238,   Average 23.25,  Hundred 1,  Wickets 103,  Average 27.09,  Best bowling 7/117,  5 Wickets / Innings 7,  Catches 24,  Quotient 0.85.

This is how great Test allrounders have been ranked in terms of pure statistics. Some of these might not be allrounders in the true cricketing sense of the term, but most are, and few would disagree that there have been no better allrounders in Test cricket. To rate them using other parameters comes within the scope of books. Having said that, I think the best allrounders in Test cricket are 1. Sobers, 2. Imran, 3. Miller, 4. Botham, 5. Kapil Dev and 6. Hadlee for their sheer brilliance and their ability to turn matches.

(Indra Vikram Singh can be contacted on email singh_iv@hotmail.com).

35 of the greatest batsmen in nearly 150 years of First-class and Test cricket history

WG Grace (England) ….. Tests span: 1880-1899,  Matches 22,  Highest Score 170,  Runs 1,098,  Average 32.29,  2 Centuries,  5 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1865-1908,  Matches 870,  Highest Score 344,  Runs 54,211,  Average 39.45,  124 Hundreds,  251 Fifties.

KS Ranjitsinhji (England) ….. Tests span: 1896-1902,  Matches 15,  Highest Score 175,  Runs 989,  Average 44.95,  2 Centuries,  6 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1893-1920,  Matches 307,  Highest Score 285*,  Runs 24,692,  Average 56.37,  72 Hundreds,  109 Fifties.  

Victor Trumper (Australia) ….. Tests span: 1899-1912,  Matches 48,  Highest Score 214*,  Runs 3,163,  Average 39.04,  8 Centuries,  13 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1894-1914,  Matches 255,  Highest Score 300*,  Runs 16,939,  Average 44.57,  42 Hundreds,  87 Fifties.

Charlie McCartney (Australia) ….. Tests span: 1907-1926,  Matches 35,  Highest Score 170,  Runs 2,131,  Average 41.78,  7 Centuries,  9 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1905-1927,  Matches 249,  Highest Score 345,  Runs 15,019,  Average 45.78,  49 Hundreds,  53 Fifties.

Jack Hobbs (England) ….. Tests span: 1908-1930,  Matches 61,  Highest Score 211,  Runs 5,410,  Average 56.94,  15 Centuries,  28 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1905-1934,  Matches 834,  Highest Score 316*,  Runs 61,760,  Average 50.70,  199 Hundreds,  273 Fifties.

Frank Woolley (England) ….. Tests span: 1909-1934,  Matches 64,  Highest Score 154,  Runs 3,283,  Average 36.07,  5 Centuries,  23 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1906-1938,  Matches 978,  Highest Score 305*,  Runs 58,959,  Average 40.77,  145 Hundreds,  295 Fifties. 

Bill Ponsford (Australia) ….. Tests span: 1924-1934,  Matches 29,  Highest Score 266,  Runs 2,122,  Average 48.22,  7 Centuries,  6 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1920-1934,  Matches 162,  Highest Score 437,  Runs 13,819,  Average 65.18,  47 Hundreds,  43 Fifties.

Wally Hammond (England) ….. Tests span: 1927-1947,  Matches 85,  Highest Score 336*,  Runs 7,249,  Average 58.45,  22 Centuries,  24 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1920-1951,  Matches 634,  Highest Score 336*,  Runs 50,551,  Average 56.10,  167 Hundreds,  185 Fifties.

Don Bradman (Australia) ….. Tests span: 1928-1948,  Matches 52,  Highest Score 334,  Runs 6,996,  Average 99.94,  29 Centuries,  13 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1927-1949,  Matches 234,  Highest Score 452*,  Runs 28,067,  Average 95.14,  117 Hundreds,  69 Fifties.

George Headley (West Indies) ….. Tests span: 1930-1954,  Matches 22,  Highest Score 270*,  Runs 2,190,  Average 60.83,  10 Centuries,  5 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1927-1954,  Matches 103,  Highest Score 344*,  Runs 9,921,  Average 69.86,  33 Hundreds,  44 Fifties.

Stan McCabe (Australia) ….. Tests span: 1930-1938,  Matches 39,  Highest Score 232,  Runs 2,748,  Average 48.21,  6 Centuries,  13 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1928-1942,  Matches 182,  Highest Score 240,  Runs 11,951,  Average 49.38,  29 Hundreds,  68 Fifties.

Bruce Mitchell (South Africa) ….. Tests span: 1929-1949,  Matches 42,  Highest Score 189*,  Runs 3,471,  Average 48.88,  8 Centuries,  21 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1925-1950,  Matches 173,  Highest Score 195,  Runs 11,395,  Average 45.39,  30 Hundreds,  55 Fifties.

Vijay Merchant (India) ….. Tests span: 1933-1951,  Matches 10,  Highest Score 154,  Runs 859,  Average 47.72,  3 Centuries,  3 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1929-1951, Matches 150,  Highest Score 359*,  Runs 13,470,  Average 71.64,  45 Hundreds,  52 Fifties.

Dudley Nourse (South Africa) ….. Tests span: 1935-1951,  Matches 34,  Highest Score 231,  Runs 2,960,  Average 53.81,  9 Centuries,  14 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1931-1953,  Matches 175,  Highest Score 260*,  Runs 12,472,  Average 51.53,  41 Hundreds,  54 Fifties.

Len Hutton (England) ….. Tests span: 1937-1955,  Matches 79,  Highest Score 364,  Runs 6,971,  Average 56.67,  19 Centuries,  33 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1934-1955,  Matches 513,  Highest Score 364,  Runs 40,140,  Average 55.51,  129 Hundreds,  177 Fifties.

Denis Compton (England) ….. Tests span: 1937-1957,  Matches 78,  Highest Score 278,  Runs 5,807,  Average 50.06,  17 Centuries,  28 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1936-1964,  Matches 515,  Highest Score 300,  Runs 38,942,  Average 51.85,  123 Hundreds,  183 Fifties.

Arthur Morris (Australia) ….. Tests span: 1946-1955,  Matches 46,  Highest Score 206,  Runs 3,533,  Average 46.48,  12 Centuries,  12 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1940-1955,  Matches 162,  Highest Score 290,  Runs 12,614,  Average 53.67,  46 Hundreds,  46 Fifties.

Frank Worrell (West Indies) ….. Tests span: 1948-1963,  Matches 51,  Highest Score 261,  Runs 3,860,  Average 49.48,  9 Centuries,  22 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1941-1964,  Matches 208,  Highest Score 308*,  Runs 15,025,  Average 54.24,  39 Hundreds,  80 Fifties.

Clyde Walcott (West Indies) ….. Tests span: 1948-1960,  Matches 44,  Highest Score 220,  Runs 3,798,  Average 56.68,  15 Centuries,  14 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1941-1964,  Matches 146,  Highest Score 314*,  Runs 11,820,  Average 56.55,  40 Hundreds,  54 Fifties.

Everton Weekes (West Indies) ….. Tests span: 1948-1958,  Matches 48,  Highest Score 207,  Runs 4,455,  Average 58.61,  15 Centuries,  19 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1944-1964,  Matches 152,  Highest Score 304*,  Runs 12,010,  Average 55.34,  36 Hundreds,  54 Fifties.

Neil Harvey (Australia) ….. Tests span: 1948-1963,  Matches 79,  Highest Score 205,  Runs 6,149,  Average 48.41,  21 Centuries,  24 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1946-1963,  Matches 306,  Highest Score 231*,  Runs 21,699,  Average 50.93,  67 Hundreds,  94 Fifties.

Hanif Mohammad (Pakistan) ….. Tests span: 1952-1969,  Matches 55,  Highest Score 337,  Runs 3,915,  Average 43.98,  12 Centuries,  15 Fifties; ….. First-class span:  1951-1976,  Matches 238,  Highest Score 499,  Runs 17,059,  Average 52.32,  55 Hundreds,  66 Fifties.

Gary Sobers (West Indies) ….. Tests span: 1954-1974,  Matches 93,  Highest Score 365*,  Runs 8,032,  Average 57.78,  26 Centuries,  30 Fifties; ….. First-class span:  1952-1974,  Matches 383,  Highest Score 365*,  Runs 28,314,  Average 54.87,  86 Hundreds,  121 Fifties.

Graeme Pollock (South Africa) ….. Tests span: 1963-1970,  Matches 23,  Highest Score 274,  Runs 2,256,  Average 60.97,  7 Centuries,  11 Fifties; ….. First-class span:  1960-1987,  Matches 262,  Highest Score 274,  Runs 20,940,  Average 54.67,  64 Hundreds,  99 Fifties.

Barry Richards (South Africa) ….. Tests span: 1970,  Matches 4,  Highest Score 140,  Runs 508,  Average 72.57,  2 Centuries,  2 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1964-1983,   Matches 339,  Highest Score 356,  Runs 28,358,  Average 54.74,  80 Hundreds,  152 Fifties.

Greg Chappell (Australia) ….. Tests span: 1970-1984,  Matches 87,  Highest Score 247*,  Runs 7,110,  Average 53.86,  24 Centuries,  31 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1966-1984,  Matches 321,  Highest Score 247*,  Runs 24,535,  Average 52.20,  74 Hundreds,  111 Fifties.

Sunil Gavaskar (India) ….. Tests span: 1971-1987,  Matches 125,  Highest Score 236*,  Runs 10,122,  Average 51.12,  34 Centuries,  45 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1966-1987,  Matches 348,  Highest Score 340,  Runs 25,834,  Average 51.46,  81 Hundreds,  105 Fifties.

Vivian Richards (West Indies) ….. Tests span: 1974-1991,  Matches 121,  Highest Score 291,  Runs 8,540,  Average 50.23,  24 Centuries,  45 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1971-1993,  Matches 507,  Highest Score 322,  Runs 36,212,  Average 49.40,  114 Hundreds,  162 Fifties.

Martin Crowe (New Zealand) ….. Tests span: 1982-1995,  Matches 77,  Highest Score 299,  Runs 5,444,  Average 45.36,  17 Centuries,  18 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1979-1996,  Matches 247,  Highest Score 299,  Runs 19,608,  Average 56.02,  71 Hundreds,  80 Fifties.

Aravinda de Silva (Sri Lanka) ….. Tests span: 1984-2002,  Matches 93,  Highest Score 267,  Runs 6,361,  Average 42.97,  20 Centuries,  22 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1983-2002,  Matches 220,  Highest Score 267,  Runs 15,000,  Average 48.38,  43 Hundreds,  71 Fifties.

Steve Waugh (Australia) ….. Tests span: 1985-2004,  Matches 168,  Highest Score 200,  Runs 10,927,  Average 51.06,  32 Centuries,  50 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1984-2004,  Matches 356,  Highest Score 216*,  Runs 24,052,  Average 51.94,  79 Hundreds,  97 Fifties.

Brian Lara (West Indies) ….. Tests span: 1990-2006,  Matches 131,  Highest Score 400*,  Runs 11,953,  Average 52.88,  34 Centuries,  48 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1987-2008,  Matches 261,  Highest Score 501*,  Runs 22,156,  Average 51.88,  65 Hundreds,  88 Fifties.

Sachin Tendulkar (India) ….. Tests span: 1989-2013,  Matches 200,  Highest Score 248*,  Runs 15,921,  Average 53.78,  51 Centuries,  68 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1988-2013,  Matches 310,  Highest Score 248*,  Runs 25,396,  Average 57.84,  81 Hundreds,  116 Fifties.

Matthew Hayden (Australia) ….. Tests span: 1994-2009,  Matches 103,  Highest Score 380,  Runs 8,625,  Average 50.73,  30 Centuries,  29 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1991-2009,  Matches 295,  Highest Score 380,  Runs 24,603,  Average 52.57,  79 Hundreds,  100 Fifties.

Ricky Ponting (Australia) ….. Tests span: 1995-2012,  Matches 168,  Highest Score 257,  Runs 13,378,  Average 51.85,  41 Centuries,  62 Fifties; ….. First-class span: 1992-2013,  Matches 289,  Highest Score 257,  Runs 24,150,  Average 55.90,  82 Hundreds,  106 Fifties.

These 35 batsmen are featured in Indra Vikram Singh's book 'Don's Century', which is a biography of Don Bradman and a panorama of batting from the 1860s till the present times. Author Indra Vikram Singh can be contacted on email singh_iv@hotmail.com.