What would Bradman average if he played in a typical (i.e. neither batsman or bowler favored) period of the modern era (1970 - current)?

[Migara]

Unsure you know what expotential is

Unsure whether you could comprehend.

 

[centurymaker]

This shows how much Bradman was better than others in his era. No surprises that majority of the highest batting averages belong to his time period.



So compared to Vijay Merchant and George Headley, he was about 30% better in first class cricket ..facing a wide variety of pitches and opponents.

 

[Johan]

This shows how much Bradman was better than others in his era. No surprises that majority of the highest batting averages belong to his time period.

View attachment 48750

So compared to Vijay Merchant and George Headley, he was about 30% better in first class cricket ..facing a wide variety of pitches and opponents.

This does not work bruh, The level of competition in Indian and West Indies domestic circuits did not even approach the level of competition of Australian shield and especially English county championship.

Use Test numbers

 

[GotSpin]

of course the real nonsense is that bradman wouldn't have improved too.

Yeah that line of thinking always seems to imply that Bradman would simply be teleported or something from the 1930s to now

The reverse could also be suggested. How would modern batsmen cope with bats made of twigs, sausage gloves, no helmets, no support staff and a part time job to keep food on the table

 

[centurymaker]

This does not work bruh, The level of competition in Indian and West Indies domestic circuits did not even approach the level of competition of Australian shield and especially English county championship.

Use Test numbers

Tests were scarce. And it was basically just playing one opponent over and over again. Thats why looking at FC to ensure variety.

Surely Merchant and co played county

 

[Arachnödouche2.0]

Yeah that line of thinking always seems to imply that Bradman would simply be teleported or something from the 1930s to now

The reverse could also be suggested. How would modern batsmen cope with bats made of twigs, sausage gloves, no helmets, no support staff and a part time job to keep food on the table

That's the whole point of the exercise though. You want to take Bradman "as was" and transplant him to a different time to see how he'd cope with challenges foreign to him, else what are we even discussing here? Take his soul/genius/whatever rooted in the early 20th century when there was no internet and easy porn to distract him, and fast-forward his physical evolution through a hundred years of scientific progress? Convenient.

 

[Johan]

Tests were scarce. And it was basically just playing one opponent over and over again. Thats why looking at FC to ensure variety.

Surely Merchant and co played county

Merchant did 61 in English FC

 

[centurymaker]

Yeah that line of thinking always seems to imply that Bradman would simply be teleported or something from the 1930s to now

The reverse could also be suggested. How would modern batsmen cope with bats made of twigs, sausage gloves, no helmets, no support staff and a part time job to keep food on the table

How would they fare with very lenient LBW laws where you could just pad the ball outside the line, no need to play a shot. And pre 1937, they would only be LBW if the ball was 'pitching' in line with the stumps. Therefore, many modern batters facing mostly medium fast bowlers on highways though with crap bats and few other handicaps would do fairly well.

 

[Coronis]

How would they fare with very lenient LBW laws where you could just pad the ball outside the line, no need to play a shot. And pre 1937, they would only be LBW if the ball was 'pitching' in line with the stumps. Therefore, many modern batters facing mostly medium fast bowlers on highways though with crap bats and few other handicaps would do fairly well.

Oh yes our modern bats would do extremely well on uncovered pitches.

 

[Daemon]

Interesting point when bowlers played and got through timeless tests and bowlers now break after an IPL stint. I agree about the fielding standards though and confirmed by India in the present series in England.

Getting through timeless tests bowling 70mph isn’t impressive

 

[Johan]

Getting through timeless tests bowling 70mph isn’t impressive

I want a source for that number.

 

[Shri]

part time job to keep food on the table

this is why fast bowlers wouldn't have risked their bodies back in the day like they do now

i knew donny was a fraud

 

[Daemon]

I want a source for that number.

I played county cricket in the 30s.

 

[Coronis]

I played county cricket in the 30s.

That’s more than Bradman ever did tbf

 

[capt_Luffy]

This does not work bruh, The level of competition in Indian and West Indies domestic circuits did not even approach the level of competition of Australian shield and especially English county championship.

Use Test numbers

Tbaf, Sheffield Shield was extremely easy to score runs in as well. Might even be more so. Even except Don, Ponsford, Woodfull and Kippax absolutely demolished everyone. Ofc 95 is still staggering anyways you put it, and don't think this comparison between Don and his two namesakes means that much, when he infact averages 99.94 over 52 games.

 

[GotSpin]

How would they fare with very lenient LBW laws where you could just pad the ball outside the line, no need to play a shot. And pre 1937, they would only be LBW if the ball was 'pitching' in line with the stumps. Therefore, many modern batters facing mostly medium fast bowlers on highways though with crap bats and few other handicaps would do fairly well.

Modern batsmen would have to completely change their techniques though to adjust for the lack of protective equipment. That’s presuming that they can do that and are not simply benefactors of an era that suits power hitting above all else

 

[GotSpin]

Excellent point, however it just goes to show how Bradman wouldn’t be able to replicate the same conversion rate today. Fitness standards were rubbish back then and therefore it was easier for Bradman to whack tired and unfit bowlers around after he got set, while the lazy fielders ******ed the ball to the boundary or let 1s become 3s.

The outfield is much much quicker today and the grounds themselves are smaller so I’d say they would cancel themselves out

 

[Coronis]

Tbaf, Sheffield Shield was extremely easy to score runs in as well. Might even be more so. Even except Don, Ponsford, Woodfull and Kippax absolutely demolished everyone. Ofc 95 is still staggering anyways you put it, and don't think this comparison between Don and his two namesakes means that much, when he infact averages 99.94 over 52 games.

O’Reilly in Sheffield Shield
33 matches 203 @ 17.10

Bradman in Sheffield Shield
62 matches 8926 @ 110.19

Nearest contemporaries in average (min 100 wickets/1000 runs

Oxenham
46 matches 167 @ 22.11

Ponsford
43 matches 5413 @ 83.27

 

[Ali TT]

Yeah that line of thinking always seems to imply that Bradman would simply be teleported or something from the 1930s to now

The reverse could also be suggested. How would modern batsmen cope with bats made of twigs, sausage gloves, no helmets, no support staff and a part time job to keep food on the table

While they loss of conditioning would be a shock when they get out of the time machine, it'll be the struggle for breath they'd find hardest as the machine would've had to simulate smoking a pipe continuously since the age of 12.

 

[karan_fromthestands]

Excellent point, however it just goes to show how Bradman wouldn’t be able to replicate the same conversion rate today. Fitness standards were rubbish back then and therefore it was easier for Bradman to whack tired and unfit bowlers around after he got set, while the lazy fielders ******ed the ball to the boundary or let 1s become 3s.

Modern cricket is a different game. Fitter players, smarter tactics, superior bowling. But none of that should take away from how timeless a 99.94 really is.

People mention the soft LBW rule, generous fielding, bowlers who worked factory jobs, the lack of fitness, the absence of reverse swing and quality spin without DRS pressure, the Bodyline series where his average was nearly cut in half, and how he failed on sticky wickets. And I don't disagree. When the mud rose, the bouncers came, and the fielders did their jobs, he was suddenly human. But averaging a hundred on flat decks in a couple of countries is still a herculean task.