Bradmanesque

[honestbharani]

Yeah but look, that happened even in 2003. I just feel at times the bowlers also start saying that when they dont perform well. In general though, its a fair point and cricketers always complain anyways, does not really mean they never get what they want, does it? People played cricket before, during and after Bradman's time and yet no one has even come to matching half of his dominance over the game. Therefore, he is a legend. We are not comparing players across eras even. Just comparing the level of dominance within that one era and suggesting he is the greatest ever for that reason alone. Because, everything else is really just hypothesis.

And since you reminded me, Sparky, I had to go and watch these highlights now.

 

[Spark]

Haha, I fully agree ftr, I'm very much of the opinion that cricket has fundamentally remained constant and even major alterations such as helmets, covered wickets, the modern LBW law etc hasn't changed that much about the game in the last hundred years essentially. Just pointing out that bowlers moaning about flat decks is as much a cricketing tradition as any, particularly fast bowlers (and fair enough too, it's brutal work)

 

[OverratedSanity]

Man say what you want about flat pitches but I found that Ind-Aus MCG test massively entertaining.

 

[Spark]

That video is great btw. Amazing theatre, though it reminds me just how ****ing awful we were at taking catches off Johnson's bowling that summer. Thank **** we have a real first slip now.

 

[Spark]

Man say what you want about flat pitches but I found that Ind-Aus MCG test massively entertaining.

Oh yeah. That entire session and a bit where Johnson and Kohli were going at it, then Rahane went off was just great theatre.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Oh yeah. That entire session and a bit where Johnson and Kohli were going at it, then Rahane went off was just great theatre.

Followed by Harris sparking a collapse with a great spell and Haddin's amazing catch off the final ball of the day to get Kohli. Just a glorious day of cricket.

 

[Spark]

Followed by Harris sparking a collapse with a great spell and Haddin's amazing catch off the final ball of the day to get Kohli. Just a glorious day of cricket.

I still can't get over some of the drops though in that series. Lyon dropped a caught and bowled off Rahane that day which honestly a four year old could have caught.

 

[honestbharani]

It doesn't even have all the shots. And its great viewing for me coz back here we got the Star coverage. So its nice to hear what the 9 comms were saying when all that was going on.

 

[karan316]

Pretty sure I've heard people say the same thing about today's wickets. Speaking of which, I'd love to see how modern batsmen would handle a proper sticky.

Sticky wickets? Bradman was a failure on sticky wickets, lets not get into that arguement now.

 

[karan316]

I agree with karan316's opinion that every cricketer is unique and fair comparisons are not possible since we cannot grasp multiple parameters required for it.

Mike Atherton is one of my favourite batsmen, while he did have big problems against spin and seam bowling of Ambrose-Walsh-Mcgrath he has played few exceptionally good knocks on bad wickets, rearguard innings which I wouldn't even expect from Viv Richards, Tendulkar, Lara or Dravid. Alas, his average of 37 does no justice to his natural talent.

Exactly, people are too obsessed with stats, stats don't tell the entire story.

Rocky Marciano has a boxing record of 49-0, but Muhammad Ali was a bigger star despite of 5 losses, reason - Ali competed with one of the greatest boxers ever while most boxers in Marciano's time were average.

 

[Coronis]

Sticky wickets? Bradman was a failure on sticky wickets, lets not get into that arguement now.

Yet he still averaged 99.94, all I said was I'd like to see modern batsmen play on a sticky. I'm sure it would affect them too, just as you claim modern **** would affect Bradman.

 

[vcs]

I missed most of the last 3 Tests of the 2014 series since I was away on vacation. The Adelaide chase was brilliant, and heartbreaking.

I don't really have a problem with India losing as long as they put up a decent fight as they did in that series. Some of our other away tours in recent times were just completely pointless, though.

 

[OverratedSanity]

I missed most of the last 3 Tests of the 2014 series since I was away on vacation. The Adelaide chase was brilliant, and heartbreaking.

I don't really have a problem with India losing as long as they put up a decent fight as they did in that series. Some of our other away tours in recent times were just completely pointless, though.

Only England, really.

SA and NZ tours were extremely hard fought.

 

[Daemon]

That video is great btw. Amazing theatre, though it reminds me just how ****ing awful we were at taking catches off Johnson's bowling that summer. Thank **** we have a real first slip now.

Yeah you gotta feel for Johnson. Even on that day when the tension first started to build up he was well on top of things and would've had Kohli more than once if Watson could catch and one of the top/outside edges carried.

 

[vcs]

Only England, really.

SA and NZ tours were extremely hard fought.

Yeah. Last 3 Tests in England. I'm probably guilty of lumping in the 2011-12 nightmares also, but TBF, that was largely a different team.

 

[Red]

Exactly, people are too obsessed with stats, stats don't tell the entire story.

Rocky Marciano has a boxing record of 49-0, but Muhammad Ali was a bigger star despite of 5 losses, reason - Ali competed with one of the greatest boxers ever while most boxers in Marciano's time were average.

Ugh, Jesus. I guess all pre-1950s cricketers were "average" were they?

 

[Burgey]

Haha, I fully agree ftr, I'm very much of the opinion that cricket has fundamentally remained constant and even major alterations such as helmets, covered wickets, the modern LBW law etc hasn't changed that much about the game in the last hundred years essentially. Just pointing out that bowlers moaning about flat decks is as much a cricketing tradition as any, particularly fast bowlers (and fair enough too, it's brutal work)

Right, and despite those changes averages have mostly remained the same, because good and better-than-good players adapt. It's what they do.

Ftr I believe Bradman wrote to the MCC while he was still playing suggesting the changes to the lbw rule which later came into effect re. being hit outside off not playing a shot.

 

[TheJediBrah]

LOL, Bradman played in the era of flattest wickets, go and get your facts right first.

“Cricket is a batsman’s game. The pitches are prepared to suit run-making. The laws are made to preserve the batsman’s wicket. It was so biased in favour of the batsmen (in the 1920s and 1930s) that there was no pressure on them at all. If we got four wickets down in a day, we’d done a good day’s work. If we got five, we had an extra drink,” – Harold Larwood.

Lmao

A fast bowler claiming that the wickets were the flattest in the exact period he played all his cricket?

Better call Ripley's

 

[Victor Ian]

Sure you can compare eras, otherwise Smith is the bestest batsman ever - like EVER!

What you do is you notice that the batting average for everyone is roughly similar through all times. Then you presume that someone of old would have all the advantages of better training, discipline, equipment, techniques if they were to have grown up now and likewise modern players would all regress if transported to the lazy amateurish past. In the end you conclude that - darn it, that f'in normal curve is something miraculous that applies to all populations and you rank players about their peers for a timeless comparison. Then you go 'oh Gee! Bradman is the best ever. F''k I hate bell curves'.

 

[jonbrooks]

What tactics? Bowling on a good length outside off stump?

One example would be setting defensive fields and strangling the batsman. This hardly ever happened when Bradman played, if ever. They'd just keep attacking him irrespective of what score he was on. One of the things they say about Bradman is he could always find the gap between fielders. Well it was a lot easier for him to do it back then when there were wide open spaces everywhere.

Have you actually watched Bradman bat? Go watch some YouTube videos and then come back and tell me what you think of his technique.