The five best Australian batsmen since The Don
Columnist
By Kersi Meher-Homji, 20 Jul 2010 Kersi Meher-Homji is a Roar Expert
It’s a challenging idea! Who were the five best Australian batsmen since Sir Don Bradman retired? There have been many, from Arthur Morris, Lindsay Hassett, Colin McDonald, Neil Harvey and Norm O’Neill, via Lawry and Simpson, the Chappell brothers, and the Waugh twins
Then there was the effervescent Walters, Stackpole, Slater, Gilchrist and Hayden, to hard as rock Redpath, AB Border and Tubby Taylor, to the current stars Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and never-say-never, Simon Katich.
My number one on the list is the elegant left-hander, Neil Harvey.
To quote John Polack from CricInfo, he was: “an electrifying batsman who thrilled spectators with the splendour of his stroke-play.”
He also fielded brilliantly and broke stumps with a throw from the boundary line, despite poor eyesight in later years when he could barely read the scoreboard.
I was lucky to watch him score two centuries in separate Mumbai Tests more than 40 years ago. In 1956, he attacked India’s feared leg-spinner Subash Gupte with gusto.
In the 1961 Kanpur Test, India’s opening batsman Nari Contractor hooked Alan Davidson ferociously. Contractor later told me: “The ball middled beautifully and Harvey at square-leg turned back to avoid injury. But the ball miraculously lodged itself in between his upper thighs and I was out.”
Ouch!
My next choice is Greg Chappell. I watched most of his innings, from his Test debut in the December 1970 Perth Test when he scored 108, to his swansong in the Sydney Test of January 1984.
Prior to his final bow, he needed 69 runs to overtake Don Bradman’s Test aggregate of 6996 and three more runs to become the first Australian to aggregate 7000 runs. He also required two catches to beat England’s Colin Cowdrey’s then Test record of 120 catches.
Despite having these landmarks in sight, he announced his retirement on the second day. And what a glorious swansong!
He took three catches to overtake Cowdrey’s record in 27 fewer Tests and played a masterly innings of 182. I still remember his dazzling strokes, especially his on-drives.
He was a majestic batsman.
Allan Border and Steve Waugh are my heroes but Mark Waugh wins the third spot. What grace while executing his wristy leg-glance, his signature tune!
Call it lazy elegance.
Like Greg, he also marked his Test debut with a century. In the 1991 Adelaide Ashes Test, he came in with Australia at 4-104 and stroked 138 runs off 186 balls.
Raved John Thickeness in Wisden: “He produced an innings which a batsman of any generation would have been overjoyed to play any time in his career, let alone in a first Test appearance and in a situation verged on crisis.”
A few months later, Mark Waugh scored an unbeaten 139 (3 sixes and 11 fours) in the St John’s Test against a frightening West Indies pace attack of Curtly Ambrose, Malcolm Marshall, Patrick Patterson and Courtney Walsh.
A journey to greatness had started, which along with twin Steve, ‘Tubby’, Warney, Healy, Gilly, McGrath, Slater, Ponting and Hayden, made Australia almost invincible from 1995 to 2007.
Mark’s ODI opening partner Adam Gilchrist is my next choice.
Born three years after the death of Stan McCabe, ebullient Gilchrist is perhaps his avatar (reincarnate). Both were scintillating excitement machines.
One expected fireworks from Gilly the minute he reached the middle. No settling period for the gregarious wicketkeeper-batsman. He was the uncrowned Six Sultan, having smashed 100 sixes in 96 Tests.
Next best is West Indies legend Brian Lara, with 88 in 131 Tests.
Gilchrist played so many magical innings that it is difficult to single out one.
To me, his outstanding effort was his unbeaten 149 against Pakistan at Hobart in 1999. In only his second Test, he led Australia to an unexpected victory with a magnificent sixth wicket stand of 238 with Justin Langer.
Challenged to score 369 for a win, Australia was in trouble at 5-126 but the valiant left-handers led the home side to a surprise victory.
“Gilchrist’s batting is as effortlessly potent as Pavarotti’s singing”, wrote Robert Drane in ‘Inside Sport’.
My final choice is Ricky Ponting.
He is the embodiment of grace and grit, power and placement, timing and tenacity. Determination oozes from every pour of his body as he takes his batting stance or stands in slips, chewing gum.
He plays all the shots with a full flourish of the bat, the cover drive and the pull predominating. Only India’s Sachin Tendulkar has recorded more centuries and runs in Tests.
It is difficult being stylish and pugnacious but Ponting is both. I have not mentioned his best innings because it is still to come.
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Vinay Verma said | July 20th 2010 @ 7:12am | Report comment
Kersi,the first thing that strikes me about your selections is Adam Gilchrist and I too would rate him as one of the five best. He redefined the role of a wicketkeeper batsman and is the template for all future generations. Like Warne with legspinning he has raised the bar to,perhaps,an unattainable level.
The other four are all batsmen that have batted at three or four and were also brilliant slips and allround fielders. In Ricky Ponting and Mark Waugh,probably the best all round fieldsmen of any generation.
My best five,in order of ranking would be Greg Chappell, Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh,Doug Walters and Gilchrist.
My criterea is simple: Who would I pay full price to score only 20 runs.
Doug Walters played with a joy that refused to accept the rigidity of an incresingly restrictive age.He remained true to his craft,as did all the five in my selections.
Mark Waugh had hands that gripped the bat with the sureness and gentleness of a mother holding a baby. In Greg Chappell’s hands the bat became a divining rod that unerringly found the sweetest of spots.
For Ricky Ponting the hook shot is both his trumpeting arrival and his eulogy,whenever that is written.
formeropenside said | July 20th 2010 @ 8:01am | Report comment
Discovering sport in the 80′s, I never saw Harvey or Ian Chappell bat, but I did see enough of Greg Chappell to agree he is second after Bradman. I won’t argue too much with other selections, save that I would have Border over Mark Waugh, for exactly the reason you choose Waugh: Border was not pretty, he was gritty and effective and never gave up.
I only ever saw Doug Walters in the Border testimonial, but that was enough to see one beautiful cover drive: surely, even knowing nothing about cricket, you could see that shot and have your breath taken away.
I also have my doubts at times about modern averages on flatter pitches of a more uniform type. Back in the 80′s, the Gabba was green early but an excellent batting track, Perth bouncy, Adelaide a beautiful road, but one on which it was possible to get a result, Sydney turned, and Melbourne was a disaster, falling apart almost from the first ball of the day. I think similar conditions prevail worldwide – a lot of tracks in the caribbean seem a lot more placid than 25 years ago. That also makes me doubt Ponting’s brilliance at times.
Brett McKay said | July 20th 2010 @ 9:05am | Report comment
wow Kersi, why must you inflict such pain on us in these challenges?!?
I’ll be honest here, naming my top 5 is infinitely harder than naming The Roar’s Test team of the decade in January.
You see, if I wanted someone to bat for my life, I’d want Border on strike, S.Waugh at the other end, and Langer padded up in the sheds.
If I wanted a masterclass in effortless batting, I settle in for G.Chappell, M.Waugh and Ponting, who I think is the best batsmen of my lifetime.
For domination of attacks, it’s hard to go past Hayden and Gilchrist, but even Kim Hughes on his day could take it to the best of them.
And then, just to confuse the issue further, I could watch Mike Hussey bat every day of the week and twice on Sundays.
So there you go. My top 5 runs to 10 – in no particluar order – and with notable mentions to D.Jones, M.Clarke, M.Slater, M.Taylor, D.Boon, and a couple of blokes at my local club….
Vinay Verma said | July 20th 2010 @ 9:13am | Report comment
Brett, you are right about AB..he was the soldier shepherding you across the bridge under enemy fire. He was also the last man standing. The 98 and 100 not out in the Windies was the defining Border Wars.
sheek said | July 20th 2010 @ 9:14am | Report comment
Kersi,
You ask, “Who are the 5 best Australian batsmen since the Don”?
Statistically & sensibly you must select Greg Chappell, Ricky Ponting & Neil Harvey, who all scored tons of runs, & with style & quickness as well.
Every team requires a grafter for stability, & here Allan Border pips Steve Waugh (but I could easily go either way). For sheer destruction & damage, Adam Gilchrist rounds out the list.
So my top 5 in chronological order – Harvey, G.Chappell, Border or S.Waugh, Ponting, Gilchrist.
As Vinay also suggests, “who are the guys you would pay to see bat”? Well, certainly Chappell & Gilchrist from the list above. I never saw Harvey bat live. I think towards the end of his career, Harvey’s batting average dipped as he struggled with failing eyesight & adjusting to contact lenses.
Add to that list Doug Walters & Mark Waugh. Walters was all improvisation & cheekiness, while Waugh batted the way most of us wished we could. But someone should have put a bomb under him, his final average tally doesn’t do him justice!
The best batting lineup since the Don? I reckon Arthur Morris & Bobby Simpson to open. Left & right hander combination. Both knew how to construct & build an innings. Then comes Ponting, Harvey, G.Chappell, Border or S.Waugh & Gilchrist.
That’s a pretty awesome “Magnificent Seven”! (or eight)…..
sheek said | July 20th 2010 @ 9:23am | Report comment
Guys,
Of course, stats never tell the full story, do they? I always remember when the Windies arrived in Australia in 1975/76, windies skipper Clive Lloyd considered Ian Chappell (who had recently stood down as Aussie skipper) as the most valuable wicket in the Australian team.
This despite the fact younger brother Greg had a 10 point superior batting average. And the Aussies also had Doug Walters (who would subsequently miss the entire series through injury).
As things turned out, Chappell junior scored a ton of runs, including twin centuries in the 1st test (also his first as test skipper) while Chappell senior, after a century in the 2nd test, tapered off as the series progressed.
Good comments Brett, BTW…..
Tony said | July 20th 2010 @ 9:28am | Report comment
Mark Waugh is just the ticket if you are looking for a graceful 44, but give me AB any day. Also, if you have Lillee, Warne, McGrath and, say, Thommo in his pomp, then you can comfortably afford to have Gilly at 7.
Kersi Meher-Homji said | July 20th 2010 @ 9:43am | Report comment
Interesting choices, Brett. So Canberra Cricket Club must be pretty strong, eh! ! To be serious, I should have mentioned Boon in passing.
Dougie Walters was my favourite too, Vinay and Formeropenside. Who can forget him reaching his century off the final ball of the day with a six off Bob Willis in the 1974 Perth Test? I was driving that day and went through two red lights during that final over with motorists honking in anger!
sheek said | July 20th 2010 @ 10:02am | Report comment
Kersi,
There’s a wonderful subscript to Walters getting his century off the last ball of the day in Perth (in 1974). Ian Chappell instructed the rest of the team to scatter & look as if they had been packing up ready to leave the sheds, & had missed the whole thing.
When Walters excitedly walked into the change rooms & found no-one to share his joy, he was initially distraught, but the boys soon cheered & back-slapped him heartily after letting him stew for a few minutes….. !
Brett McKay said | July 20th 2010 @ 11:30am | Report comment
Kersi, we’ve got some blokes at the club who in the nets, Bradman and Ponting would have trouble bettering, but out in the middle it doesn’t quite equate (and hence, they’re still playing grade cricket in Canberra!!).
But there’s a couple of beauties down here, as there would be in most clubs around the country and world…
M1tch said | July 20th 2010 @ 9:46am | Report comment
Watching Mark Waugh bat is the best site I’ve seen in cricket..his innings at the SCG in 1999 against England, when the world was calling for his head was just amazing to watch. Nervous early but had Steve at other end for majority of it and he dominated England for most of the day.
Midfielder said | July 20th 2010 @ 9:52am | Report comment
Boarder, Chapel (Greg), Pointing, Harvey, Gilchrist … in no particular order…
Kersi Meher-Homji said | July 20th 2010 @ 9:59am | Report comment
Sheek, Your Magnificent 7 or 8 are pretty formidable.
I put more poetry than prose in my selection of Top 5. I also considered Damien Martyn. So graceful with superb timing.
Chappelli, AB, Steve Waugh, Boonie and Langer were the gladiators. Mark Waugh and others on my list were elegant swordsmen. Ponting is both.