Test Cricket after World War II, 1950s and 1960s - Top Bowlers

29 March 1946 to 10 March 1970

The fearsome Australian post-World War II pair of pacemen Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller with their record-breaking successor Dennis Lillee.

The devastating English fast bowling duo of the 1950s and 1960s Fred Trueman and Brian Statham chat with greats of yesteryear Sydney Barnes and Frank Woolley, with Colin Cowdrey in the background, 1960.

The post-World War II period saw some top-class bowlers emerge, pacemen as well as spinners. In many ways, it was also an era of great pairs of bowlers. The English new-ball duo of Fred Trueman and Brian Statham were the top wicket-takers, with 307 and 252 wickets respectively. Needless to say, Trueman also held the record of most wickets in Test history at that time. Frank ‘Typhoon’ Tyson created havoc alongside them for five years, capturing 76 wickets in his 17 Tests at a terrific average of 18.56.

The Australian Richie Benaud followed with his leg-spin and googlies, bagging 248 wickets, which was the highest for his country until the legendary Dennis Lillee went past him in the early 1980s. Benaud’s Test career coincided with one of the greatest left-arm pacemen ever, Alan Davidson. He prised out 186 wickets of his own. Their compatriot, the fast bowler Graham McKenzie was next after Benaud with 239 wickets. McKenzie played another three Tests in the home Ashes series after this period, capturing 7 more wickets.

England’s fast-medium Alec Bedser troubled even the greatest of them all, Don Bradman, for some time, getting the great man caught at short-leg by Len Hutton a number of times. He had 236 wickets to his name.

Aussie speedster Ray Lindwall came next with 228 wickets. In tandem with the mercurial allrounder Keith Miller, conjured one of the most fearsome duets. Miller scalped 170 batsmen.

The lanky West Indies off-spinner Lance Gibbs picked up 209 wickets during this time. He added another 100 victims to his tally upto 1976, going past Trueman’s record that stood for more than a decade.

The first to snare 10 wickets in a Test innings, with still a record 19 wickets in a Test to his name, was the English off-spinner Jim Laker. He finished with 193 wickets. For a number of years, the left-armer Tony Lock partnered him. Lock took 174 wickets.

The inimitable and multi-faceted Gary Sobers also captured 193 wickets in this period, but went on to bag 235 wickets before he retired in 1974.

His fellow Barbadian, the colourful fast bowler Wesley Hall, with a long-loping run-up grabbed 192 wickets. Another Barbadian Charlie Griffith was his devastating partner with the new ball. Griffith’s career got mired in the chucking controversy, and he ended up with 94 Test wickets. The controversial Roy Gilchrist operated with Hall for a while, before the arrival of Griffith, snaring 57 wickets.

From South Africa came the top-class off-spinner Hugh Tayfield. He took 170 wickets. A number of other spinners too thrived at this time. Indian left-armer Vinoo Mankad and leg-spinner Subhash Gupte operated in each other’s company for many years in the 1950s, picking up 162 and 149 wickets respectively. The Caribbean spin-twins, Sonny Ramadhin - few batsmen could decipher his off-spin from his leg-spin - and left-armer Alf Valentine played a significant part in the rise of the West Indies as a powerhouse in Test cricket. They had tallies of 158 and 139 victims respectively. The English off-spinners Fred Titmus and David Allen had 146 wickets and 122 wickets respectively to their names.  

Tucked in between these tweakers was the left-armer Bill Johnston, who bowled fast-medium as well as orthodox spin, with 160 wickets. He was joined by the off-spinner Ian Johnson who accounted for 109 batsmen. They were part of Don Bradman’s Invincibles of 1948 as were, of course, Lindwall and Miller. Pakistan produced a right-arm fast-medium bowler of quality in Fazal Mahmood, a handful on matting wickets. He took 139 wickets. The right-arm swing bowler Khan Mohammad took the new-ball with him for a number of years, taking 54 wickets.

Two allrounders followed, England’s right-arm fast-medium Trevor Bailey with 132 wickets, and the South African left-arm medium-pacer Trevor Goddard who made 123 strikes. The latter’s compatriots, right-arm pacemen Peter Pollock and Neil Adcock prised out 116 and 104 wickets respectively. Adcock’s new-ball partner Peter Heine accounted for 58 dismissals.

Indian off-spinner Erapalli Prasanna was the first of what became the famous quartet of spinners along with Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, Srinivas Venkataraghavan and Bishan Singh Bedi. In this period, Prasanna had 113 wickets to his credit. He eventually tallied 189.

Two right-arm pacemen from the Antipodes, Australia’s Alan Connolly and New Zealand’s Richard ‘Dick’ Motz bagged 101 and 100 wickets respectively.

The other bowler in the list of bowlers with 100 wickets and more in this period was England’s left-armer Johnny Wardle who bowled orthodox as well as wrist-spin. His 102 wickets came at the best average of 20.39 among these bowlers.

English fast bowler John Snow was on 99 wickets at this stage. He went on to tally 202 wickets. Ken Higgs partnered him for a few years, and finished with 71 wickets. The Australian fast-medium Neil Hawke finished with 91 wickets.    

Next to Wardle in terms of averages was Davidson at 20.53. They were followed by Adcock, Laker and Trueman at 21.10, 21.24 and 21.57 respectively. Miller was next at 22.97, with his compatriots Lindwall and Johnston at 23.03 and 23.91 respectively. The others who had averages less than 25 were Peter Pollock (24.18), Fazal Mahmood (24.70, Brian Statham (24.84) and Alec Bedser (24.89).

It was indeed an era when several great bowlers regaled the cricketing world with their myriad skills, often in tandem. Many of these names will never be forgotten in the annals of Test cricket.

TOP WICKET-TAKERS (minimum 100 wickets)

Fred Trueman (England, right-arm fast) 1952-65, Tests 67, Balls 15178, Wickets 307, Average 21.57, BBI 8/31, BBM 12/119, 5WI 17, 10WM 3

Brian Statham (England, right-arm fast-medium) 1951-65, Tests 70, Balls 16056, Wickets 252, Average 24.84, BBI 7/39, BBM 11/97, 5WI 9, 10WM 1

Richie Benaud (Australia, right-arm legbreak-googly) 1952-64, Tests 63, Balls 19108, Wickets 248, Average 27.03, BBI 7/72, BBM 11/105, 5WI 16, 10WM 1

Graham McKenzie (Australia, right-arm fast) 1961-70, Tests 57, Balls 16797, Wickets 239, Average 29.19, BBI 8/71, BBM 10/91, 5WI 16, 10WM 3

Alec Bedser (England, right-arm fast-medium) 1946-55, Tests 51, Balls 15918, Wickets 236, Average 24.89, BBI 7/44, BBM 14/99, 5WI 15, 10WM 5

Ray Lindwall (Australia, right-arm fast) 1946-60, Tests 61, Balls 13650, Wickets 228, Average 23.03, BBI 7/38, BBM 9/70, 5WI 12, 10WM –

Lance Gibbs (West Indies, right-arm off-break) 1958-69, Tests 50, Balls 17229, Wickets 209, Average 27.54, BBI 8/38, BBM 11/157, 5WI 13, 10WM 2

Jim Laker (England, right-arm off-break) 1948-59, Tests 46, Balls 12027, Wickets 193, Average 21.24, BBI 10/53, BBM 19/90, 5WI 9, 10WM 3

Gary Sobers (West Indies, left-arm fast, fast-medium, slow left-arm, chinaman and googly) 1954-69, Tests 76, Balls 17366, Wickets 193, Average 34.59, BBI 6/73, BBM 8/80, 5WI 6, 10WM –

Wesley Hall (West Indies, right-arm fast) 1958-69, Tests 48, Balls 10421, Wickets 192, Average 26.38, BBI 7/69, BBM 11/126, 5WI 9, 10WM 1

Alan Davidson (Australia, left-arm fast) 1953-63, Tests 44, Balls 11587, Wickets 186, Average 20.53, BBI 7/93, BBM 12/124, 5WI 14, 10WM 2

Tony Lock (England, slow left-arm) 1952-68, Tests 49, Balls 13147, Wickets 174, Average 25.58, BBI 7/35, BBM 11/48, 5WI 9, 10WM 3

Keith Miller (Australia, right-arm fast) 1946-56, Tests 55, Balls 10461, Wickets 170, Average 22.97, BBI 7/60, BBM 10/152, 5WI 7, 10WM 1

Hugh Tayfield (South Africa, right-arm off-break) 1949-60, Tests 37, Balls 13568, Wickets 170, Average 25.91, BBI 9/113, BBM 13/165, 5WI 14, 10WM 2

Vinoo Mankad (India, slow left-arm) 1946-59, Tests 44, Balls 14686, Wickets 162, Average 32.32, BBI 8/52, BBM 13/131, 5WI 8, 10WM 2

Bill Johnston (Australia, left-arm fast-medium, slow left-arm) 1947-55, Tests 40, Balls 11048, Wickets 160, Average 23.91, BBI 6/44, BBM 9/183, 5WI 7, 10WM –

Sonny Ramadhin (West Indies, right-arm offbreak and legbreak) 1950-61, Tests 43, Balls 13939, Wickets 158, Average 28.98, BBI 7/49, BBM 11/152, 5WI 10, 10WM 1

Subhash Gupte (India, right-arm legbreak googly) 1951-61, Tests 36, Balls 11284, Wickets 149, Average 29.55, BBI 9/102, BBM 10/223, 5WI 12, 10WM 1

Fred Titmus (England, right-arm off-break) 1955-68, Tests 49, Balls 14139, Wickets 146, Average 31.30, BBI 7/79, BBM 9/162, 5WI 7, 10WM –

Fazal Mahmood (Pakistan, right-arm fast-medium) 1952-62, Tests 34, Balls 9834, Wickets 139, Average 24.70, BBI 7/42, BBM 13/114, 5WI 13, 10WM 4

Alf Valentine (West Indies, slow left-arm) 1950-62, Tests 36, Balls 12953, Wickets 139, Average 30.32, BBI 8/104, BBM 11/204, 5WI 8, 10WM 2

Trevor Bailey (England, right-arm fast-medium) 1949-59, Tests 61, Balls 9712, Wickets 132, Average 29.21, BBI 7/34, BBM 11/98, 5WI 5, 10WM 1

Trevor Goddard (South Africa, left-arm medium) 1955-70, Tests 41, Balls 11736, Wickets 123, Average 26.22, BBI 6/53, BBM 8/92, 5WI 5, 10WM –

David Allen (England, right-arm off-break) 1960-66, Tests 39, Balls 11297, Wickets 122, Average 30.97, BBI 5/30, BBM 9/162, 5WI 4, 10WM –

Peter Pollock (South Africa, right-arm fast) 1961-70, Tests 28, Balls 6522, Wickets 116, Average 24.18, BBI 6/38, BBM 10/87, 5WI 9, 10WM 1

Erapalli Prasanna (India, right-arm offbreak googly) 1962-69, Tests 22, Balls 7556, Wickets 113, Average 27.05, BBI 6/74, BBM 10/174, 5WI 8, 10WM 1

Ian Johnson (Australia, right-arm offbreak) 1946-56, Tests 45, Balls 8780, Wickets 109, Average 29.19, BBI 7/44, BBM 8/86, 5WI 3, 10WM –

Neil Adcock (South Africa, right-arm fast) 1953-62, Tests 26, Balls 6391, Wickets 104, Average 21.10, BBI 6/43, BBM 8/87, 5WI 5, 10WM –

Johnny Wardle (England, slow left-arm, chinaman) 1948-57, Tests 28, Balls 6597, Wickets 102, Average 20.39, BBI 7/36, BBM 12/89, 5WI 5, 10WM 1

Alan Connolly (Australia, right-arm fast-medium) 1963-70, Tests 28, Balls 7602, Wickets 101, Average 28.71, BBI 6/47, BBM 7/109, 5WI 4, 10WM –

Richard ‘Dick’ Motz (New Zealand, right-arm fast) 1961-69, Tests 32, Balls 7034, Wickets 100, Average 31.48, BBI 6/63, BBM 8/113, 5WI 5, 10WM –

BEST AVERAGES (minimum 100 wickets)

Johnny Wardle (England) 1948-57, Tests 28, Balls 6597, Wickets 102, Average 20.39, BBI 7/36, BBM 12/89, 5WI 5, 10WM 1

Alan Davidson (Australia) 1953-63, Tests 44, Balls 11587, Wickets 186, Average 20.53, BBI 7/93, BBM 12/124, 5WI 14, 10WM 2

Neil Adcock (South Africa) 1953-62, Tests 26, Balls 6391, Wickets 104, Average 21.10, BBI 6/43, BBM 8/87, 5WI 5, 10WM –

Jim Laker (England) 1948-59, Tests 46, Balls 12027, Wickets 193, Average 21.24, BBI 10/53, BBM 19/90, 5WI 9, 10WM 3

Fred Trueman (England) 1952-65, Tests 67, Balls 15178, Wickets 307, Average 21.57, BBI 8/31, BBM 12/119, 5WI 17, 10WM 3

Keith Miller (Australia) 1946-56, Tests 55, Balls 10461, Wickets 170, Average 22.97, BBI 7/60, BBM 10/152, 5WI 7, 10WM 1

Ray Lindwall (Australia) 1946-60, Tests 61, Balls 13650, Wickets 228, Average 23.03, BBI 7/38, BBM 9/70, 5WI 12, 10WM –

Bill Johnston (Australia) 1947-55, Tests 40, Balls 11048, Wickets 160, Average 23.91, BBI 6/44, BBM 9/183, 5WI 7, 10WM –

Peter Pollock (South Africa) 1961-70, Tests 28, Balls 6522, Wickets 116, Average 24.18, BBI 6/38, BBM 10/87, 5WI 9, 10WM 1

Fazal Mahmood (Pakistan) 1952-62, Tests 34, Balls 9834, Wickets 139, Average 24.70, BBI 7/42, BBM 13/114, 5WI 13, 10WM 4

Brian Statham (England) 1951-65, Tests 70, Balls 16056, Wickets 252, Average 24.84, BBI 7/39, BBM 11/97, 5WI 9, 10WM 1

Alec Bedser (England) 1946-55, Tests 51, Balls 15918, Wickets 236, Average 24.89, BBI 7/44, BBM 14/99, 5WI 15, 10WM 5

Tony Lock (England) 1952-68, Tests 49, Balls 13147, Wickets 174, Average 25.58, BBI 7/35, BBM 11/48, 5WI 9, 10WM 3

Hugh Tayfield (South Africa) 1949-60, Tests 37, Balls 13568, Wickets 170, Average 25.91, BBI 9/113, BBM 13/165, 5WI 14, 10WM 2

Trevor Goddard (South Africa) 1955-70, Tests 41, Balls 11736, Wickets 123, Average 26.22, BBI 6/53, BBM 8/92, 5WI 5, 10WM –

Wesley Hall (West Indies) 1958-69, Tests 48, Balls 10421, Wickets 192, Average 26.38, BBI 7/69, BBM 11/126, 5WI 9, 10WM 1

Richie Benaud (Australia) 1952-64, Tests 63, Balls 19108, Wickets 248, Average 27.03, BBI 7/72, BBM 11/105, 5WI 16, 10WM 1

Erapalli Prasanna (India) 1962-69, Tests 22, Balls 7556, Wickets 113, Average 27.05, BBI 6/74, BBM 10/174, 5WI 8, 10WM 1

Lance Gibbs (West Indies) 1958-69, Tests 50, Balls 17229, Wickets 209, Average 27.54, BBI 8/38, BBM 11/157, 5WI 13, 10WM 2

Alan Connolly (Australia) 1963-70, Tests 28, Balls 7602, Wickets 101, Average 28.71, BBI 6/47, BBM 7/109, 5WI 4, 10WM –

Sonny Ramadhin (West Indies) 1950-61, Tests 43, Balls 13939, Wickets 158, Average 28.98, BBI 7/49, BBM 11/152, 5WI 10, 10WM 1

Graham McKenzie (Australia) 1961-70, Tests 57, Balls 16797, Wickets 239, Average 29.19, BBI 8/71, BBM 10/91, 5WI 16, 10WM 3

Ian Johnson (Australia) 1946-56, Tests 45, Balls 8780, Wickets 109, Average 29.19, BBI 7/44, BBM 8/86, 5WI 3, 10WM –

Trevor Bailey (England) 1949-59, Tests 61, Balls 9712, Wickets 132, Average 29.21, BBI 7/34, BBM 11/98, 5WI 5, 10WM 1

Subhash Gupte (India) 1951-61, Tests 36, Balls 11284, Wickets 149, Average 29.55, BBI 9/102, BBM 10/223, 5WI 12, 10WM 1

FULL CAREER

Lance Gibbs (West Indies) 1958-76, Tests 79, Balls 27115, Wickets 309, Average 29.09, BBI 8/38, BBM 11/157, 5WI 18, 10WM 2

Graham McKenzie (Australia) 1961-71, Tests 60, Balls 17681, Wickets 246, Average 29.78, BBI 8/71, BBM 10/91, 5WI 16, 10WM 3

Gary Sobers (West Indies) 1954-74, Tests 93, Balls 21599, Wickets 235, Average 34.03, BBI 6/73, BBM 8/80, 5WI 6, 10WM –

Erapalli Prasanna (India) 1962-78, Tests 49, Balls 14353, Wickets 189, Average 30.38, BBI 8/76, BBM 11/140, 5WI 10, 10WM 2

Test Cricket after World War II, 1950s and 1960s - Top Batsmen

 Even though he played just 15 Tests over three series in two years at the age of 38 to 40 after the War, the name Bradman keeps cropping up even when talking about an era that spanned more than two decades after his retirement. He hit up nearly 2000 runs in this time, 1903 to be precise, at an astounding average of 105.72, even higher than in his prime, with 8 hundreds and 5 fifties. But then The Don essentially belongs to the era between the Wars, and in any case he is on a pedestal far higher than any other batsman…..past, present or future.

 

Gary Sobers

Len Hutton

The 3 Ws.....(from left) Frank Worrell, Everton Weekes and Clyde Walcott

Colin Cowdrey

Ken Barrington

Graeme Pollock

Doug Walters

So then let us confine ourselves to other great batsmen, more human in stature. There were seven batsmen in this period after the Second World War and in the 1950s and 1960s, ending in the banishment of South Africa, for reasons other than cricket. We saw the emergence of more and more brilliant batsmen from the West Indies, and from South Africa, some of whom could not, sadly, see their careers in full bloom. England’s Colin Cowdrey scored the most runs, the only one to top 7000, at 7228, closely followed by compatriot Ken Barrington and the inimitable West Indies allrounder Gary Sobers with 6808 and 6776. Australian left-hander Neil Harvey completed the 6000 runs club. Two English batsmen synonymous with each other, top-class opener Len Hutton and the debonair Denis Compton, along with the exquisite little West Indies strokeplayer Rohan Kanhai aggregated above 5000.

Turning to averages among batsmen who scored 2000 runs and more, the South African left-hander Graeme Pollock was on top at 60.97 for his 2256 runs in 23 Tests. The Australian star batsman Doug Walters was next at 59.21 for his 2250 runs in 25 Tests. They were followed by Gary Sobers and Ken Barrington at 58.92 and 58.67 respectively. Two of the famous Caribbean Ws, Everton Weekes and Clyde Walcott finished at 58.61 and 56.68. Len Hutton completed the list of averages of 50 at 54.62.

In the 45-plus category there are some very illustrious names, Denis Compton, Lindsay Hassett, Frank Worrell, Bobby Simpson, Neil Harvey, Rohan Kanhai, Ted Dexter, Bill Lawry, Vijay Hazare, Seymour Nurse, Bob Cowper, Peter May, Conrad Hunte, Arthur Morris, Colin Cowdrey, John Edrich, Eddie Barlow and Norman O’Neill.

Top Rungetters

(minimum 2000 runs)

Colin Cowdrey (England), Tests 104, Highest Score 182, Runs 7228, Average 46.33, Hundreds 22, Fifties 37

Ken Barrington (England), Tests 82, Highest Score 256, Runs 6808, Average 58.67, Hundreds 20, Fifties 35

Gary Sobers (West Indies), Tests 76, Highest Score 365*, Runs 6776, Average 58.92, Hundreds 21, Fifties 26

Neil Harvey (Australia), Tests 79, Highest Score 205, Runs 6149, Average 48.41, Hundreds 21, Fifties 24

Len Hutton (England), Tests 66, Highest Score 206, Runs 5626, Average 54.62, Hundreds 14, Fifties 30

Denis Compton (England), Tests 70, Highest Score 278, Runs 5339, Average 49.89, Hundreds 15, Fifties 26

Rohan Kanhai (West Indies), Tests 61, Highest Score 256, Runs 5056, Average 48.15, Hundreds 12, Fifties 22

Bill Lawry (Australia), Tests 62, Highest Score 210, Runs 4910, Average 47.66, Hundreds 13, Fifties 24

Tom Graveney (England), Tests 79, Highest Score 258, Runs 4882, Average 44.38, Hundreds 11, Fifties 20

Peter May (England), Tests 66, Highest Score 285*, Runs 4537, Average 46.77, Hundreds 13, Fifties 22

Ted Dexter (England), Tests 62, Highest Score 205, Runs 4502, Average 47.89, Hundreds 9, Fifties 27

Everton Weekes (West Indies), Tests 48, Highest Score 207, Runs 4455, Average 58.61, Hundreds 15, Fifties 19

Bobby Simpson (Australia), Tests 52, Highest Score 311, Runs 4131, Average 48.60, Hundreds 8, Fifties 24

Hanif Mohammad (Pakistan), Tests 55, Highest Score 337, Runs 3915, Average 43.98, Hundreds 12, Fifties 15

Frank Worrell (West Indies), Tests 51, Highest Score 261, Runs 3860, Average 49.48, Hundreds 9, Fifties 22

Clyde Walcott (West Indies), Tests 44, Highest Score 220, Runs 3798, Average 56.68, Hundreds 15, Fifties 14

Polly Umrigar (India), Tests 59, Highest Score 223, Runs 3631, Average 42.22, Hundreds 12, Fifties 14

Arthur Morris (Australia), Tests 46, Highest Score 206, Runs 3533, Average 46.48, Hundreds 12, Fifties 12

John Reid (New Zealand), Tests 58, Highest Score 142, Runs 3428, Average 33.28, Hundreds 6, Fifties 22

Conrad Hunte (West Indies), Tests 44, Highest Score 260, Runs 3245, Average 45.06, Hundreds 8, Fifties 13

Vijay Manjrekar (India), Tests 55, Highest Score 189*, Runs 3208, Average 39.12, Hundreds 7, Fifties 15

Colin McDonald (Australia), Tests 47, Highest Score 170, Runs 3107, Average 39.32, Hundreds 5, Fifties 17

Basil Butcher (West Indies), Tests 44, Highest Score 209*, Runs 3104, Average 43.11, Hundreds 7, Fifties 16

Chandu Borde (India), Tests 55, Highest Score 177*, Runs 3061, Average 35.59, Hundreds 5, Fifties 18

Keith Miller (Australia), Tests 55, Highest Score 147, Runs 2958, Average 36.97, Hundreds 7, Fifties 13

Lindsay Hassett (Australia), Tests 39, Highest Score 198*, Runs 2874, Average 49.55, Hundreds 10, Fifties 10

Saeed Ahmed (Pakistan), Tests 38, Highest Score 172, Runs 2833, Average 41.66, Hundreds 5, Fifties 15

Norman O’Neill (Australia), Tests 42, Highest Score 181, Runs 2779, Average 45.55, Hundreds 6, Fifties 15

Bert Sutcliffe (New Zealand), Tests 42, Highest Score 230*, Runs 2727, Average 40.10, Hundreds 5, Fifties 15

John Edrich (England), Tests 40, Highest Score 310*, Runs 2711, Average 45.94, Hundreds 8, Fifties 10

Geoff Boycott (England), Tests 41, Highest Score 246*, Runs 2609, Average 42.77, Hundreds 8, Fifties 10

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi (India), Tests 39, Highest Score 203*, Runs 2552, Average 36.98, Hundreds 6, Fifties 14

Cyril Washbrook (England), Tests 36, Highest Score 195, Runs 2552, Average 43.25, Hundreds 6, Fifties 12

Seymour Nurse (West Indies) Tests 29, Highest Score 258, Runs 2523, Average 47.60, Hundreds 6, Fifties 10

Eddie Barlow (South Africa), Tests 30, Highest Score 210, Runs 2516, Average 45.74, Hundreds 6, Fifties 15

Trevor Goddard (South Africa), Tests 41, Highest Score 112, Runs 2516, Average 34.46, Hundreds 1, Fifties 18

Pankaj Roy (India), Tests 43, Highest Score 173, Runs 2442, Average 32.56, Hundreds 5, Fifties 9

Jackie McGlew (South Africa), Tests 34, Highest Score 255*, Runs 2440, Average 42.06, Hundreds 7, Fifties 10

Godfrey Evans (England), Tests 91, Highest Score 104, Runs 2439, Average 20.49, Hundreds 2, Fifties 8

Johnny Waite (South Africa), Tests 50, Highest Score 134, Runs 2405, Average 30.44, Hundreds 4, Fifties 16

Trevor Bailey (England), Tests 61, Highest Score 134*, Runs 2290, Average 29.74, Hundreds 1, Fifties 10

Peter Burge (Australia), Tests 42, Highest Score 181, Runs 2290, Average 38.16, Hundreds 4, Fifties 12

Graeme Pollock (South Africa), Tests 23, Highest Score 274, Runs 2256, Average 60.97, Hundreds 7, Fifties 11

Doug Walters (Australia), Tests 25, Highest Score 242, Runs 2250, Average 59.21, Hundreds 7, Fifties 14

Richie Benaud (Australia), Tests 63, Highest Score 122, Runs 2201, Average 24.45, Hundreds 3, Fifties 9

Vijay Hazare (India), Tests 30, Highest Score 164*, Runs 2192, Average 47.65, Hundreds 7, Fifties 9

Graham Dowling (New Zealand), Tests 35, Highest Score 239, Runs 2163, Average 32.28, Hundreds 3, Fifties 10

Ian Redpath (Australia), Tests 37, Highest Score 132, Runs 2159, Average 37.22, Hundreds 1, Fifties 16

Mike Smith (England), Tests 47, Highest Score 121, Runs 2138, Average 32.39, Hundreds 3, Fifties 11

Bill Edrich (England), Tests 30, Highest Score 191, Runs 2133, Average 43.53, Hundreds 5, Fifties 13

Roy McLean (South Africa), Tests 40, Highest Score 142, Runs 2120, Average 30.28, Hundreds 5, Fifties 10

Vinoo Mankad (India), Tests 44, Highest Score 231, Runs 2109, Average 31.47, Hundreds 5, Fifties 6

Imtiaz Ahmed (Pakistan), Tests 41, Highest Score 209, Runs 2079, Average 29.28, Hundreds 3, Fifties 11

Bob Cowper (Australia), Tests 27, Highest Score 307, Runs 2061, Average 46.84, Hundreds 5, Fifties 10

Peter Richardson (England), Tests 34, Highest Score 126, Runs 2061, Average 37.47, Hundreds 5, Fifties 9

Jeff Stollmeyer (West Indies), Tests 29, Highest Score 160, Runs 2066, Average 44.04, Hundreds 4, Fifties 10

ML Jaisimha (India), Tests 36, Highest Score 129, Runs 2013, Average 32.46, Hundreds 3, Fifties 12

Highest Averages

(minimum 2000 runs with average of 50 and above)

Graeme Pollock (South Africa), Tests 23, Highest Score 274, Runs 2256, Average 60.97, Hundreds 7, Fifties 11

Doug Walters (Australia), Tests 25, Highest Score 242, Runs 2250, Average 59.21, Hundreds 7, Fifties 14

Gary Sobers (West Indies), Tests 76, Highest Score 365*, Runs 6776, Average 58.92, Hundreds 21, Fifties 26

Ken Barrington (England), Tests 82, Highest Score 256, Runs 6808, Average 58.67, Hundreds 20, Fifties 35

Everton Weekes (West Indies), Tests 48, Highest Score 207, Runs 4455, Average 58.61, Hundreds 15, Fifties 19

Clyde Walcott (West Indies), Tests 44, Highest Score 220, Runs 3798, Average 56.68, Hundreds 15, Fifties 14

Len Hutton (England), Tests 66, Highest Score 206, Runs 5626, Average 54.62, Hundreds 14, Fifties 30

Highest Averages

(less than 2000 runs but above 1000 runs with average of 50 and above)

Don Bradman (Australia), Tests 15, Highest Score 234, Runs 1903, Average 105.72, Hundreds 8, Fifties 5

Bruce Mitchell (South Africa), Tests 10, Highest Score 189*, Runs 1072, Average 59.55, Hundreds 3, Fifties 6

Dudley Nourse (South Africa), Tests 20, Highest Score 208, Runs 1863, Average 56.45, Hundreds 6, Fifties 10

Eric Rowan (South Africa), Tests 14, Highest Score 236, Runs 1238, Average 51.58, Hundreds 3, Fifties 7

Highest Averages

(less than 1000 runs but above 500 runs with average of 50 and above)

Barry Richards (South Africa), Tests 4, Highest Score 140, Runs 508, Average 72.57, Hundreds 2, Fifties 2

Sidney Barnes (Australia), Tests 12, Highest Score 234, Runs 998, Average 66.53, Hundreds 3, Fifties 5

Alan Melville (South Africa), Tests 6, Highest Score 189, Runs 608, Average 55.27, Hundreds 3, Fifties 1

Full Test career figures of some of these top batsmen whose careers spanned other periods as well:

Don Bradman, span 1928-48, Tests 52, Highest Score 334, Runs 6996, Average 99.94, Hundreds 29, Fifties 13

Sidney Barnes 1938-48, Tests 13, Highest Score 234, Runs 1072, Average 63.05, Hundreds 3, Fifties 5

Gary Sobers, span 1957-74, Tests 93, Highest Score 365*, Runs 8032, Average 57.78, Hundreds 26, Fifties 30

Len Hutton, span 1937-55, Tests 79, Highest Score 364, Runs 6971, Average 56.67, Hundreds 19, Fifties 33

Dudley Nourse, span 1935-51, Tests 34, Highest Score 231, Runs 2960, Average 53.81, Hundreds 9, Fifties 14

Alan Melville, span 1938-49, Tests 11, Highest Score 189, Runs 894, Average 52.58, Hundreds 4, Fifties 3

Denis Compton, span 1937-57, Tests 78, Highest Score 278, Runs 5807, Average 50.06, Hundreds 17, Fifties 28

Bruce Mitchell, span 1929-49, Tests 42, Highest Score 189*, Runs 3471, Average 48.88, Hundreds 8, Fifties 21

Doug Walters, span 1965-81, Tests 74, Highest Score 250, Runs 5357, Average 48.26, Hundreds 15, Fifties 33

Geoff Boycott, span 1964-82, Tests 108, Highest Score 246*, Runs 8114, Average 47.72, Hundreds 22, Fifties 42

Rohan Kanhai, span 1957-74, Tests 79, Highest Score 256, Runs 6227, Average 47.53, Hundreds 15, Fifties 28

Bill Lawry, span 1961-71, Tests 67, Highest Score 210, Runs 5234, Average 47.15, Hundreds 13, Fifties 27

Bobby Simpson, span 1957-78, Tests 62, Highest Score 311, Runs 4869, Average 46.81, Hundreds 10, Fifties 27

Colin Cowdrey, span 1954-75, Tests 114, Highest Score 182, Runs 7624, Average 44.06, Hundreds 22, Fifties 38

Eric Rowan, span 1935-51, Tests 26, Highest Score 236, Runs 1965, Average 43.66, Hundreds 3, Fifties 12

John Edrich, span 1963-76, Tests 77, Highest Score 310*, Runs 5138, Average 43.54, Hundreds 12, Fifties 24

Ian Redpath, span 1964-76, Tests 66, Highest Score 171, Runs 4737, Average 43.45, Hundreds 8, Fifties 31

Saeed Ahmed, span 1958-72, Tests 41, Highest Score 172, Runs 2991, Average 40.41, Hundreds 5, Fifties 16

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, span 1961-75, Tests 46, Highest Score 203*, Runs 2793, Average 34.91, Hundreds 6, Fifties 16

ML Jaisimha, span 1959-71, Tests 39, Highest Score 129, Runs 2056, Average 30.68, Hundreds 3, Fifties 12

Test Cricket: The Bradman Era 1928-48

 Test Cricket: The Bradman Era

30 November 1928 to 18 August 1948

Don Bradman's 'Invincibles' of 1948.

Team Performances

Australia - 1928 to 1948, Tests Played 60, Won 35, Lost 14, Drawn 11, Success % 67.50

England - 1928 to 1948, Tests Played 105, Won 33, Lost 24, Drawn 48, Success % 54.28

West Indies - 1930 to 1948, Tests Played 23, Won 6, Lost 9, Drawn 8, Success % 43.47

South Africa - 1929 to 1947, Tests Played 37, Won 4, Lost 15, Drawn 18, Success % 35.13

New Zealand - 1930 to 1947, Tests Played 16, Won 0, Lost 6, Drawn 10, Success % 31.25

India - 1932 to 1948, Tests Played 15, Won 0, Lost 10, Drawn 5, Success % 16.66

(Success % = Won 2 points, Drawn 1 point)

Australia’s graph continued to rise during the Bradman years. Pre-World War I, they trailed England. Between the two World Wars, they overtook England by a substantial margin, as the Bradman effect took shape. By the time the Bradman era was over in 1948, Australia had stamped their superiority in no uncertain terms. Their success percentage was 67.50, whereas England lagged behind at 54.28. West Indies were beginning to make their presence felt, and leapfrogged to third place at 43.47. There was little change in the fortunes of South Africa, New Zealand and India, the latter two still unable to win a Test.

In the 11 Test series that Bradman played, Australia lost just two, his first in 1928-29 and the Bodyline series in 1932-33. The Ashes series in 1938 was drawn. Australia won the other eight series, five of them against England. In addition, let us remember that Bradman could not tour South Africa in 1935-36 due to illness, in which Australia won 4-0, with one Test drawn. 

 

Top Batsmen

During the Bradman era, his great rival Wally Hammond scored 6817 runs in 77 Tests and 128 innings at an average of 60.32 with 22 hundreds and 20 fifties.

Don Bradman hit up 6996 runs in 52 Tests and 80 innings at an average of 99.94 with 29 hundreds and 13 fifties.

That was the difference between the greatest and the other greats of Test match batting. No one else aggregated 3000 runs during this period.

The highest averages among those who scored 1000 runs and above during this period were:

Don Bradman (Australia), 1928-48, Tests 52, Innings 80, Not Out 10, Highest Score 334, Runs 6996, Average 99.94, 100s 29, 50s 13.

Arthur Morris (Australia), 1946-48, Tests 14, Innings 22, Not Out 3, Highest Score 196, Runs 1408, Average 74.10, 100s 7, 50s 4.

George Headley (West Indies) 1930-48, Tests 20, Innings 37, Not Out 4, Highest Score 270*, Runs 2171, Average 65.78, 100s 10, 50s 5.

Dennis Compton (England) 1937-48, Tests 27, Innings 45, Not Out 7, Highest Score 208, Runs 2426, Average 63.84, 100s 10, 50s 10.

Sidney Barnes (Australia), 1938-48, Tests 13, Innings 19, Not Out 2, Highest Score 234, Runs 1072, Average 63.05, 100s 3, 50s 5.

Wally Hammond (England) 1928-47, Tests 77, Innings 128, Not Out 15, Highest Score 336*, Runs 6817, Average 60.32, 100s 22, 50s 20.

Eddie Paynter (England) 1931-39, Tests 20, Innings 31, Not Out 5, Highest Score 243, Runs 1540, Average 59.23, 100s 4, 50s 7.

Herbert Sutcliffe (England) 1928-35, Tests 31, Innings 50, Not Out 6, Highest Score 194, Runs 2463, Average 55.97, 100s 9, 50s 12.

Dudley Nourse (South Africa) 1935-47, Tests 19, Innings 35, Not Out 4, Highest Score 231, Runs 1718, Average 55.41, 100s 5, 50s 9.

Len Hutton (England) 1937-48, Tests 32, Innings 57, Not Out 5, Highest Score 364, Runs 2742, Average 52.73, 100s 7, 50s 13.

Bill Ponsford (Australia), 1928-34, Tests 22, Innings 35, Not Out 4, Highest Score 266, Runs 1617, Average 52.16, 100s 5, 50s 5.

Patsy Hendren (England) 1928-35, Tests 28, Innings 49, Not Out 4, Highest Score 205*, Runs 2277, Average 50.60, 100s 4, 50s 13.

Obviously, no one comes even remotely close to Don Bradman’s average of 99.94. The Australian left-handed opener Arthur Morris is second at 74.10. No wonder The Don close him in his all-time team. But the sample size is small at 14 Tests and 1408 runs. In his entire career upto 1955, Morris played 46 Tests, and scored 3533 runs at an average of 46.48. There is not much difference in the career averages of the other players, though Denis Compton dropped from an average of 63.84 in the Bradman years to 50.06 in his entire career of 78 Tests for 5807 runs till 1957.

It would be fair to say that in comparison with Bradman’s average of nearly 100, the next best averaged around 60.

Less than 1000 runs but above 500 runs with average of 50 and more:

KS Duleepsinhji (England) 1929-31, Tests 12, Innings 19, Not Out 2, Highest Score 173, Runs 995, Average 58.52, 100s 3, 50s 5.

Alan Melville (South Africa), 1938-47, Tests 10, Innings 17, Not Out 2, Highest Score 189, Runs 855, Average 57.00, 100s 4, 50s 3.

Cyril Walters (England) 1933-34, Tests 11, Innings 18, Not Out 3, Highest Score 102, Runs 784, Average 52.26, 100 1, 50s 7.

CS ‘Stewie’ Dempster (New Zealand) 1930-33, Tests 10, Innings 15, Not Out 4, Highest Score 136, Runs 723, Average 65.72, 100s 2, 50s 5.

Andy Sandham (England) 1930, Tests 4, Innings 8, Not Out -, Highest Score 325, Runs 592, Average 74.00, 100s 2, 50s 2.

Highest Scores:

Len Hutton, 364, England v Australia, The Oval, London, 1938

Wally Hammond, 336*, England v New Zealand, Auckland, 1932-33

Don Bradman, 334, Australia v England, Leeds, 1930

Andy Sandham, 325, England v West Indies, Kingston, 1929-30

Don Bradman, 304, Australia v England, Leeds, 1934

Don Bradman, 299*, Australia v South Africa, Adelaide, 1931-32

George Headley, 270*, West Indies v England, Kingston, 1934-35

Don Bradman, 270, Australia v England, Melbourne, 1936-37

Bill Ponsford, 266, Australia v England, The Oval, London, 1934 

Don Bradman, 254, Australia v England, Lord’s, London, 1930

Wally Hammond, 251, England v Australia, Sydney, 1928-29

England’s Andy Sandham scored the first triple-century in Test cricket in April 1930, 325 against the West Indies at Kingston. Three months later, Don Bradman took the record away, becoming the only batsman to hit up a Test triple-century in a day, eventually finishing on 334 at Leeds. After the Bodyline series in 1932-33, England travelled to New Zealand, Wally Hammond scoring 336 not out at Auckland. Five years later, Len Hutton logged up 364 at The Oval. The record stood for well-nigh two decades until Gary Sobers broke it.

In the Bradman era, of the 11 scores of 250 and above, The Don knocked up five, including two triple centuries and an unbeaten 299. A total of 35 double and triple centuries were scored during this time, of which Bradman had 12 to his name. Hammond was next with 7, and George Headley and Eddie Paynter 2 each. Twelve others had one score of 200 or more.

The full Test career records of the top batsmen of this era, according to their averages, are:

Don Bradman, span 1928-48, Tests 52, Highest Score 334, Runs 6996, Average 99.94, Hundreds 29, Fifties 13

Sidney Barnes, span 1938-48, Tests 13, Highest Score 234, Runs 1072, Average 63.05, Hundreds 3, Fifties 5

George Headley, span 1930-54, Tests 22, Highest Score 270*, Runs 2190, Average 60.83, Hundreds 10, Fifties 5

Herbert Sutcliffe, span 1924-1935, Tests 54, Highest Score 194, Runs 4555, Average 60.73, Hundreds 16, Fifties 23

Eddie Paynter, span 1931-39, Tests 20, Highest Score 243, Runs 1540, Average 59.23, Hundreds 4, Fifties 7

Wally Hammond, span 1927-47, Tests 85, Highest Score 336*, Runs 7249, Average 58.45, Hundreds 22, Fifties 24

Len Hutton, span 1937-55, Tests 79, Highest Score 364, Runs 6971, Average 56.67, Hundreds 19, Fifties 33

Dudley Nourse, 1935-51, Tests 34, Highest Score 231, Runs 2960, Average 53.81, Hundreds 9, Fifties 14

Denis Compton, span 1937-57, Tests 78, Highest Score 278, Runs 5807, Average 50.06, Hundreds 17, Fifties 28

Bruce Mitchell, 1929-49, Tests 42, Highest Score 189*, Runs 3471, Average 48.88, Hundreds 8, Fifties 21

Bill Ponsford, span 1924-34, Tests 29, Highest Score 266, Runs 2122, Average 48.22, Hundreds 7, Fifties 6

Stan McCabe, 1930-38, Tests 39, Highest Score 232, Runs 2748, Average 48.21, Hundreds 6, Fifties 13

Patsy Hendren, span 1920-35, Tests 51, Highest Score 205*, Runs 3525, Average 47.63, Hundreds 7, Fifties 21

Arthur Morris, span 1946-55, Tests 46, Highest Score 206, Runs 3533, Average 46.48, Hundreds 12, Fifties 12

Maurice Leyland, 1928-38, Tests 41, Highest Score 187, Runs 2764, Average 46.06, Hundreds 9, Fifties 10

Leslie Ames, 1929-39, Tests 47, Highest Score 149, Runs 2434, Average 40.56, Hundreds 8, Fifties 7

There is no doubt that the period 1928 to 1948, interrupted by the Second World War, was the Bradman era