Test Cricket after World War II, 1950s and 1960s - Frank Worrell XI vs Richie Benaud XI

 29 March 1946 to 10 March 1970

A dream contest between the great players of the post Second World War era and the 1950s and 1960s would be one between teams led by two of the most charismatic captains, Frank Worrell and Richie Benaud. The effort has been to include the West Indies players in Worrell’s side, and the Australians in Benaud’s lineup. Don Bradman has been kept out of this ambit as he was essentially a player of the late 1920s, 1930s and 1940s.

What is immediately noticeable is that there were not too many top-class opening batsmen in this period but a plethora of accomplished middle-order players who would vie for places in teams of this nature. Len Hutton is an automatic choice, and placed in Worrell’s team with Conrad Hunte as his partner. One is inclined to select Bobby Simpson in Benaud’s squad, with a toss-up between his left-handed compatriots Arthur Morris and Bill Lawry. The former gets the vote for his grace and charm.

In the middle-order would be the three Ws, Everton Weekes, Clyde Walcott and Worrell himself. Worrell could turn his left-arm over with his pace as well as spin. On the other side one would pick Ken Barrington, Neil Harvey and Graeme Pollock. The allrounders spots are obvious, Gary Sobers and Keith Miller respectively. There is a bonus pair of spinning allrounders, the left-armer Vinoo Mankad who batted right-handed, and leg-spinner Benaud. The two top wicketkeepers of the time were Godfrey Evans and Wally Grout.

There is then a stirring face-off between speed merchants Freddie Trueman and Brian Statham with Ray Lindwall, who could wield the willow as well, and Keith Miller, already chosen as allrounder. Alec Bedser would back up the Aussie pair. The off-spinner’s spots go to Lance Gibbs and Jim Laker.

What an exciting contest this would be!

Frank Worrell XI                             

Len Hutton                                        

Conrad Hunte                                    

Everton Weekes                                 

Clyde Walcott                                    

Frank Worrell                                     

Gary Sobers                                       

Vinoo Mankad                                   

Godfrey Evans                                   

Freddie Trueman                                

Brian Statham                                    

Lance Gibbs                                       

Richie Benaud XI

Arthur Morris

Bobby Simpson

Ken Barrington

Neil Harvey

Graeme Pollock

Keith Miller

Richie Benaud

Wally Grout

Ray Lindwall

Alec Bedser

Jim Laker

The figures of these players during this period are:

Batsmen

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Allrounders

Gary Sobers (West Indies), Tests 76, Highest Score 365*, Runs 6776, Average 58.92, 100s 21, 50s 26, Best bowling 6/73, Wickets 193, Average 34.59, 5WI 6, 10WM –, Quotient 1.70

Keith Miller (Australia), Right-hand bat, Right-arm fast, Tests 55, Highest Score 147, Runs 2958, Average 36.97, 100s 7, 50s 13, Best bowling 7/60, Wickets 170, Average 22.97, 5WI 7, 10WM 1, Quotient 1.60

Vinoo Mankad (India), Tests 44, Highest Score 231, Runs 2109, Average 31.47, 100s 5, 50s 6, Best bowling 8/52, Wickets 162, Average 32.32, 5WI 8, 10WM 2, Quotient 0.97

Ray Lindwall (Australia), Tests 61, Highest Score 118, Runs 1502, Average 21.15, 100s 2, 50s 5, Best bowling 7/38, Wickets 228, Average 23.03, 5WI 12, 10WM –, Quotient 0.91

Richie Benaud (Australia), Tests 63, Highest Score 122, Runs 2201, Average 24.45, 100s 3, 50s 9, Best bowling 7/72, Wickets 248, Average 27.03, 5WI 16, 10WM 1, Quotient 0.90

Wicketkeepers

Godfrey Evans (England), Tests 91, Dismissals 219, Catches 173, Stumpings 46, Highest Score 104, Runs 2439, Average 20.49, 100s 2, 50s 8

Wally Grout (Australia) Tests 51, Dismissals 187, Catches 163, Stumpings 24, Highest Score 74, Runs 890, Average 15.08, 50s 3

Bowlers

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

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

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

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

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

Full Test Career

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

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

Gary Sobers (West Indies 1954-74), Tests 93, Highest Score 365*, Runs 8032, Average 57.78, 100s 26, 50s 30, Best bowling 6/73, Wickets 235, Average 34.03, 5WI 6, 10WM –, Quotient 1.69

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

And look at the list of world-class players who could not make it to these teams:

Batsmen                                                                                

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

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, 100s 9, 50s 27

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

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

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

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

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

Allrounders

Trevor Goddard (South Africa), Tests 41, Highest Score 112, Runs 2516, Average 34.46, 100s 1, 50s 18, Best bowling 6/53, Wickets 123, Average 26.22, 5WI 5, 10WM –, Quotient 1.31

Alan Davidson (Australia), Tests 44, Highest Score 80, Runs 1328, Average 24.59, 100s -, 50s 5, Best bowling 7/93, Wickets 186, Average 20.53, 5WI 14, 10WM 2, Quotient 1.19

Trevor Bailey (England), Tests 61, Highest Score 134*, Runs 2290, Average 29.74, 100s 1, 50s 10, Best bowling 7/34, Wickets 132, Average 29.21, 5WI 5, 10WM 1, Quotient 1.01

Wicketkeepers

Johnny Waite (South Africa), Tests 50, Dismissals 141, Catches 124, Stumpings 17, Highest Score 134, Runs 2405, Average 30.44, 100s 4, 50s 16

Jim Parks (England), Tests 46, Dismissals 112, Catches 101 (2 more catches as fielder), Stumpings 11, Highest Score 108 not out, Runs 1962, Average 32.16, 100s 2, 50s 9

Bowlers

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

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

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

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

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 Test Career

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

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

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

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

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

Lindsay Hassett, span 1938-53, Tests 43, Highest Score 198*, Runs 3073, Average 46.56, Hundreds 10, Fifties 11

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

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

Gary Sobers…..pure genius, inarguably the greatest allrounder ever. Excerpt from Indra Vikram Singh’s book ‘Don’s Century’

Just as the memorable careers of the three Ws were drawing to a close, there appeared on the stage a cricketer blessed by nature like no other. Inarguably the most versatile and complete player, with class stamped all over, the left-handed genius Garfield Sobers was the only one apart from Bradman who would walk into everybody’s all-time dream team. To state the obvious, Sobers was a powerful strokeplayer, predecessor to Brian Lara in myriad ways, not the least in hitting up the record score and highest aggregate in Test cricket; bowler of greater variety than anyone in history - genuine speed, medium-pace swing, left-arm orthodox as well as chinaman; and a superb fielder, particularly close to the wicket in the slips or at backward short-leg.  Like Bradman, the game is not likely to see another with his amazing skills.

The doyen himself, Sir Neville Cardus, described Sobers’ batting thus: “He makes a stroke with moments to spare. The sure sign of mastery, of genius of any order, is absence of strain, natural freedom of rhythm.” How aptly can this be applied to sportspersons of any discipline. Brian Johnston, legend in the commentary box, observed Sobers for years. He wrote in his book It’s Been a Piece of Cake: “…..like all the greats - he had a sound defensive technique, but in attack with a high backlift and perfect timing the power of his strokes had to be seen to be believed. His sizzling drives and crashing hooks were hammered to the boundary, leaving the fielders helpless to stop them.”

Sobers never wore a thigh pad, and except for early in his career had no use for a cap, batting or fielding. His rasping cuts were facilitated by a light bat weighing around 2 lb 4 oz. There was no less power in his shots than seen today by those wielding the chunky modern day bludgeons. That is one of the reasons why there are not many players today who can play genuine horizontal bat shots like the cut, pull and hook with authority. Sobers rarely went down the wicket to the spinners, either using his long reach to drive or playing right back.

For someone who was pitchforked into the Test arena as a 17-year-old left-arm spinner in 1953-54 after just two first-class appearances, it is quite amazing that Sobers went on to become one of the greatest batsmen in history. Four years after his debut, he recorded his first Test hundred against Pakistan at Kingston, an unbeaten 365, the top score at the highest level, surpassing Len Hutton’s mark of two decades earlier. He added 446 for the second wicket in the company of Conrad Hunte, just five runs short of the then all-time high for any wicket put up by Ponsford and Bradman in 1934. Sobers celebrated his achievement by hammering a century in each innings - 125 and 108 not out - in the Georgetown Test. He finished the series with 824 runs at an average of 137.33. The legend of Sobers had been launched.

In 1959-60 against England, Sobers hit up 709 runs at an average of 101.28, crashing 226 at Bridgetown, 147 at Kingston and 146 at Georgetown. He put on 399 for the fourth wicket with Worrell in the Georgetown Test. Though a natural successor to Worrell, Sobers was not as diligent a captain as Bradman. From 1966 to 1967-68, Sobers had a golden run with the bat, averaging over 100 in two successive series, and 90 in the third. During the 1966 tour of England, he scored 722 runs at an average of 103.14 in five Tests, took 20 wickets at 27.25 apiece and held 10 catches. England were again given a 3-1 hammering, and Sobers once more hit up three centuries - 161 at Old Trafford, 163 not out at Lord’s and 174 at Headingley. He then went to India in 1966-67, scoring half-centuries in all his five innings with a highest of 95, aggregating 342 runs and averaging 114. By now the West Indies were the best side in the world. In 1967-68 against England at home, Sobers knocked up 545 runs in five Tests at 90.83 per innings but his over-confident declaration in the fourth Test at Kingston - 215 to win in 165 minutes - handed the series to England, who won that game with three minutes to spare, and the crown slipped.

The irrepressible Sobers became the first batsman in first-class cricket to hit 6 sixes in an over for Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan, smashing a bewildered Malcolm Nash at St Helen’s Ground, Swansea in 1968. It was in the evening of his career that Sobers played what Sir Donald Bradman described as the best innings he had seen in Australia, comparing it to Stan McCabe’s superb 232 at Trent Bridge in 1938. He slammed 254 for the Rest of the World against Australia at Melbourne in 1971-72 against a young and lightning fast Dennis Lillee. It was an amazing display of pyrotechnics, and when it reached its crescendo, rousing applause came from the spectators and fielders alike. 

When a damaged knee ended his 20-year Test career, Sobers had become the highest rungetter in his 93 appearances with 8032 runs at an average of 57.78, having blazed 26 hundreds, second behind Bradman’s 29. He had captured 235 wickets at 34.03 each, and snapped up 109 catches. It would be fair to say that had he batted higher than the no. 6 that he often did as captain, and if the West Indies did not have bowlers of the calibre of Wesley Hall, Charlie Griffith and Lance Gibbs, Sobers would have had many more runs and wickets to his credit. Gary Sobers was a cricketer beyond compare. It was just a matter of time before knighthood was bestowed on him.

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

Don’s Century

Published in India by Sporting Links

ISBN 978-81-901668-5-0

Fully illustrated

Paperback French Fold 11 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches

188 pages