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If Bradman played in today's era?

How would Sir Donald Bradman go in today's era of cricket?


  • Total voters
    87

mr_mister

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Maybe Ricky Ponting would be unable to score many runs against Verity?

It's hard to say so I think it's silly to speculate on
 

NUFAN

Y no Afghanistan flag
Maybe Ricky Ponting would be unable to score many runs against Verity?

It's hard to say so I think it's silly to speculate on
Heh. Isnt it the purpose of this thread? I dunno it just seems lazy to accept everything would occur the same irrespective of the era.
 

mr_mister

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
And for people like Sutcliffe for example where it's often said he might have struggled against true pace(like the WI quartet), we forget how well he fared against high quality leg spin. Could Grimmett and OReilly have simply ran through Cook, KP and Root?
 

mr_mister

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Heh. Isnt it the purpose of this thread? I dunno it just seems lazy to accept everything would occur the same irrespective of the era.
I just mean it works both ways but we only ever seem to end up downgrading the past players under the assumption batsmen have only improved. Due to pace bowlers becoming fitter and quicker usually
 

the big bambino

International Captain
You'd be hard pressed to say batting has improved. Look at the last Ashes as a representative of the last 2 years. take out Smith and two best batsmen in the series are an all rounder and a former wicket keeper. I think that as much as the good bowling around now as well as the conditions of pitches and type of ball used explains the lower averages over the last 2 years say.
 

NUFAN

Y no Afghanistan flag
I just mean it works both ways but we only ever seem to end up downgrading the past players under the assumption batsmen have only improved. Due to pace bowlers becoming fitter and quicker usually
Oh is that what people were doing? That wasnt what I was suggesting.
 

Chrish

International Debutant
Although their career did overlap little bit, Hutton can't be considered Bradman's direct contemporary. Sort of like Hobbs and Bradman.
 

mr_mister

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I dunno if it happened a lot throughout this thread but I've seen it in many threads.

Sutcliffe is one common example. People say he's not considered in the 3 H's class because he was apparently far weaker against express pace. So he would have struggled in the modern game.

But he averaged 66 against Australia when they had 2 of the top 5 spinners ever playing for a decent chunk of his career. And Mailey was no mug either
 
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mr_mister

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Taking advantage of the rules in place. More power to him. Unless he noticeably declined once the law was changed I can't see why that's a solid argument either. Have no idea when the law changed btw
 

mr_mister

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
My point re Sutcliffe is he might have made up for lost runs against 80s WI pacers by pumping them out in Asia where some pace happy batsmen struggled

And the same could apply to Bradman. He'd do wonders against the swinging duke ball in England where Kohli had his famous flop series.
 

the big bambino

International Captain
Top 6 1920-1949: 43.1
Top 6 1990-2019: 36.8

Bradman has been excluded.
For 1990-2019 I'm getting 38.12. top six

I don't think the 20s is really relevant to Bradman so I've split up btwn pre and post war. 28-39 top six 37.44. 1945-1949 top six 41.64. Excluding Bradman
 

Chrish

International Debutant
Not sure about timeline either but I have always assumed he wasn't rated highly because of excessive pad-play which wouldn't work in modern day game from reading numerous discussions. Have never heard about his struggle against express pace though. If anything I have read anecdotes where it's stated that Sutcliffe enjoyed taking on pace bowlers. He faced Larwood in county circuit few times and did well iirc.

Have read about Hammond's dislike for facing pace bowlers..
 

Migara

Cricketer Of The Year
And there were plenty of variations in pitch conditions in Bradman's day. Far more than there are now.
I am still to hear Bradman playing on a dust bowl at 34C and 90% humidity 5 days at a stretch.

Subcontinent is HUGE. It is deluded to think that Australia and England can reproduce subcontinental conditions, for a stretch of a series.
 

mr_mister

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Not sure about timeline either but I have always assumed he wasn't rated highly because of excessive pad-play which wouldn't work in modern day game from reading numerous discussions. Have never heard about his struggle against express pace though. If anything I have read anecdotes where it's stated that Sutcliffe enjoyed taking on pace bowlers. He faced Larwood in county circuit few times and did well iirc.

Have read about Hammond's dislike for facing pace bowlers..
It's funny, Jardine faired way better than Hammond and Sutcliffe against the only international pace battery they faced, that of West Indies' Constantine-Martindale-Griffith

Jardine > Hammond and Sutcliffe if they played in the modern era?
 

trundler

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Are bowlers necessarily fitter if over rates are so much slower? Plus, Tyson and Thomson didn't have modern tech and coaching but they were still as fast as today's fastest. Whilst they weren't Bradman's contemporaries they were still premodern. Strike bowlers and fast opening bowlers became a thing post War though.
 

Chrish

International Debutant
It's funny, Jardine faired way better than Hammond and Sutcliffe against the only international pace battery they faced, that of West Indies' Constantine-Martindale-Griffith

Jardine > Hammond and Sutcliffe if they played in the modern era?
I was just responding to your post on why Sutcliffe is not rated highly.

The answer to bolded part is no.
 

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