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The two opening positions in our greatest Ashes XI of all time have been closely-fought races so far. This one is probably going to be less so.
It’s time for us to pick the first of three middle-order batsmen in the side, and we’re going to start with the first seed in the position – no prizes for guessing who that is – up against the sixth.
Sir Donald Bradman was comfortably the most popular of the middle order players in last week’s poll with 89 per cent of the vote – although he wasn’t the most-selected player across all positions. Today, he’s pitted against a rival from his playing days, England’s Wally Hammond.
We’ll cover Hammond’s Ashes record first, because it’s still an excellent one. Thirty-three Tests resulted in 2852 runs against Australia at an average of 51.85. He also had an excellent conversion rate, with two more centuries than half-centuries – nine and seven respectively – and was a handy medium-pace bowler.
Then there’s Bradman. The Don still holds the record for the most runs in Ashes history – one which may stand the test of time entirely – with 5028 at an average of 89.78. And if Hammond’s conversion rate was excellent, we don’t know how to describe Bradman’s 12 fifties and 19 hundreds. Nineteen!
So make your choice between the two in the poll below, then tell us why you chose Bradman in the comments section.
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