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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.