Don Bradman - why hasn't there been anyone like him since?

Hello.

I have always been extremely fascinated by the superiority of Sir Donald Bradman's record compared to all the other cricketers ever since the game, as we know it, has been played. How can one man outdistance all others so completely? Its simply mind boggling.

I'm pretty sure many of you out there also might have wondered about the Don's performances. The orthodox view has always been that he was supremely gifted in terms of being blessed with a sharp eye, quick feet, lightning reflexes and iron will. Maybe...

In pursuit of my fixation with the Don I've read a bit about him and some facts, which challenge the orthodox view point, have really surprised me.

For example, the Don enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force upon outbreak of the Second World War. However, what many don't know is that he was invalided out of the air force within a year and transferred to the army. In fact, a medical test of his eyesight revealed that it was below average. Subsequently, he suffered from fibrositis (a muscular ailment) and his doctor advised him not to play cricket after the war had ended.

What's truly amazing is that after the war, between November 1946 and August 1948, in 15 Test matches that the Don played (10 against England and 5 against India) despite not being very fit and having poorish eyesight he still managed to score 1,903 runs including 8 centuries and 5 fifties. In fact he even managed 2 scores of over 200 during that period. He averaged 97.14 against England in 1946/47; 178.75 against India in 1947/48; and 72.51 against England in 1948.

Considering the not so perfect physical shape that he was in towards the end of his career it is extremely interesting to note that he was still performing on a scale much higher than what modern day greats manage to achieve even at their peak.

Let's also not forget that over the last 3-4 decades cricket has been played on covered pitches whereas in the Don's time cricket was played on uncovered pitches - leading to much variation in pitch behaviour depending upon the weather conditions. A sticky wicket is no longer a hazard that the batsman has to contend with simply because these have become extinct but imagine the ball flying and hissing off a wet pitch and having to negotiate those spells of play. Or, if possible, imagine batting without a helmet against a Shoaib Akhtar or a Brett Lee with no restrictions on the number and placement of fielders on the leg side.

So, what set the Don apart? Maybe all the attributes that the orthodox pundits claim but I still feel there has to be something else. There have been many supremely gifted cricketers over the years who were blessed with a sharp eye, quick feet, lightning reflexes and iron will but none even threatened to achieve what the Don actually did achieve.

In this regard, I was lucky enough to be able to come across a book titled, Bradman Revisited: The Legacy of  Sir Donald Bradman by A.L. Shillinglaw. Mr. Shillinglaw posits that the Don had a unique continuous rotary batting technique which enabled him to control a fast moving ball and do it in a manner that was repeatable over time thus enabling him to post huge totals without overburdening his physique because the movement of the ball elicited an instinctive and almost automatic reaction. Thus, for the Don, concentration became natural and automatic rather than being forced and tiring. The great Greg Chappell refers to this forced and tiring concentration as "fierce focus".

The Don's prolific run scoring and penchant for huge scores is highlighted by the 12 double centuries that he scored in Test cricket - compare him to the little maestro Sachin Tendulkar (world record number of centuries in Tests and ODIs) who has only 5 double centuries to his name despite having played more than twice the Tests that the Don ever played.

Having read Mr. Shillinglaw's book at least twice, from cover to cover, I feel that he may be onto something. Mr. Shillinglaw attributes the development of the Don's batting style to his game of playing with a golf ball and cricket stump when he was a child. He would throw the ball at a brick stand (on which stood a large metal water tank) and play it on the rebound and it is said that he could manage to do it repeatedly without allowing the ball to go out of play. This childhood game supposedly developed his hand-eye-feet coordination and the rest as they say is history.

I would encourage anyone who is interested in the details to purchase the book. The legendary coach Bob Woolmer's book on cricket which was published after his tragic and untimely death also dedicates a whole section to Mr. Shillinglaw's work and research. It may not be very easy reading but he definitely drives home his argument and I believe he may have hit the nail on the head.

Adios amigos.