In recent debates over who should replace David Warner to open for Australia, I’ve seen suggestions that Cameron Green’s form declined in the Ashes because he was tired thanks to a heavy workload – two Tests and a couple of one-dayers in India, followed by a full IPL season.
I was reminded of Stuart Broad’s proposal that the 2021-22 Ashes should be considered null and void because the players had to cope with oppressive COVID travel restrictions. (When it’s not null and void, it’s a moral victory – have I got that right?)
Staying in first-class hotels, with occasional bio-bubbles, forced to spend two whole months of the balmy English winter in Australia and even having to spend time with their families. All on incomes in the UK’s top percentile. The horror!
Acting England coach Paul Collingwood claimed after the series that the England players deserved medals, and dwelt on the hefty workload his players had endured in recent times. Then-captain Joe Root spent 93 days on the cricket field in 2021.
Australia had its own exploited class: Glenn Maxwell topped out at 101 days in the 12 months before taking a break in 2019, mentioning the burden of constant playing and travelling while scraping through on upwards of $30,000 for each day in the field.
Glenn Maxwell. (Photo by Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)
Moved by their sacrifice, I lobbied our two countries’ Prime Ministers to mint a special Broady-Colly-Maxy medal for Remembrance Day, commemorating our cricketers’ gallantry along with those fallen at Gallipoli, the Somme, Kokoda Trail and the Falklands. Alas, no answer yet from Anthony Albanese and Rishi Sunak.
But speaking of past heroes, it might be instructive to compare Green’s workload with some players of the yesteryear. Namely, Jacques Kallis of South Africa, whose feats as an all-rounder we all hope Green can match; and Richard Hadlee, arguably one of the five greatest fast bowlers of all time, who was also a handy batsman.
I compared their workloads in an October-July span over one year, the period Green played from the beginning of the 2022-23 Australian season until his last Test in July 2023. I picked two spans in which I had a hunch they were pretty busy, 1996-97 for Kallis and 1985-86 for Hadlee, although these may not actually be their busiest years.
I compared the number of days played (with 0.5 days for a T20); the number of games played in each format; runs scored; and overs bowled. Here are the results:
| Player | Total days | First Class | One-dayers | T20s | Overs | Runs |
| C. Green | 51 | 10 | 3 | 20 | 192 | 852 |
| J. Kallis | 112 | 20 | 38 | N/A | 381 | 2378 |
| R. Hadlee | 112 | 21 | 41 | N/A | 1087 | 1481 |
Sorry, Prime Ministers, it seems I must withdraw my medal proposal. Cam Green played only 45 per cent of the days that both Kallis and Hadlee took to the field. He bowled less than 20 per cent of Hadlee’s overs, and Hadlee faced about twice as many balls in the middle, estimated on the basis of their respective scoring rates in different formats (Hadlee averaged 34 with the bat across all competitions that year, along with a measly 17 bowling).
This didn’t seem to tire out Hadlee, who turned 35 in July 1986. In August, he was named Man of the Series in New Zealand’s historic first series win in England, bagging 19 wickets at 20.5. The previous summer, Hadlee had spearheaded first-time victories over Australia in two three-Test series home and away.
In the days before T20s and central contracts, professional cricketers from the southern hemisphere often played a lot more games because it was harder to make a living and they were expected to play full seasons for their domestic provinces alongside and between Tests. Some played English county cricket, if they could get a contract.
For example, in February 1997 Kallis played a four-day Currie Cup match then a three-day match for Western Province against the touring Australians before the first Test, then another Currie Cup match between the first and second Tests. Doesn’t happen today.
But Hadlee and Kallis look like veritable slackers compared to Australian skipper Allan Border, who statistician Charles Davis found had the busiest calendar year of all – on the field on 183 days in 1986, nearly double Root’s 2021 burden and triple Green’s last year.
Border’s schedule included 11 Tests and 21 ODIs, a five-month County season with champions Essex, several games for Queensland and tours to India and New Zealand. Going back to the almost fully amateur era, Aussie opener Bill Lawry averaged 93 days annually, exactly the same as Root’s 2021 load.
England’s Joe Root celebrates reaching a century. (Photo by Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)
Of course, early tours between Australia and England entailed sea voyages of four-six weeks until the 1950s and absences of six or seven months. The champions of doing it the hard way were the 1878 Australian team.
They travelled to and across England, North America, New Zealand and the Australian countryside in uncomfortable steamships, trains and horses-and-buggies for over a year, covering an estimated 70,000 miles and funding the venture from their own pockets.
By the end, fast bowler Fred Spofforth played 77 matches across some 190 playing days, sending down the equivalent of 2260 six-ball overs (taking 813 wickets at an average of 6.3) – double Hadlee’s 1986-87 output.
This puts some perspective on English commentators’ claims that Mark Wood was “bowled into the ground” in the 2021-22 Ashes. Wood delivered a grand total of 120 overs in the season, in just four Tests with no tour games.
Great Ashes quicks like John Snow and Jeff Thomson might scratch their heads. Snow bowled the equivalent of 301 six-ball overs in the 1970-71 Ashes and 449 across the whole tour. Thomson – possibly fastest of all time – bowled 479 in the 1974-75 summer.
Something to contemplate for today’s players who start to feel a bit jaded or sore?
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Training for example, was nowhere near as intense as it is these days, especially the pre-season but that suggests all the work modern players do is a good thing. Given the injuries and issues many modern cricketers have had, I wonder if they aren’t over training? I think you are looking at this the wrong way a little. Yes the training probably leads to injuries. But it's not the training causing it. The training is all about playing at close to your physical potential and capacity, consistently for as long as possible. That was what causes the injuries. Fast bowlers in the past may have bowled more. But they probably also didn't "redline" themselves in the same way that players do today. It manifests in things like bowling 5km/h higher on average than they naturally would have 40 years ago, etc. But these are the things they put the wear on the body.
Mick Cooney
Roar Rookie
Very few. Even when the Australian team returned from India recently most players were managed, need rest etc after playing 11 ODI games over 45 days with a 15 man squad.Pathetic
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
— COMMENT DELETED —
The Bush
Roar Guru
No doubt, but of course we're talking about the world's premier fast bowler for a decade and someone who suffered a major injury and went through a prolonged recovery and change of his action. It's not surprising his fitness and training regime stacks up with modern players, but what about the rest? What about the average FC player?
Gamechanger
Roar Rookie
I read an article a few years ago that stated such was Dennis Lillee’s commitment to fitness that after the other team had batted, he would then go on a ten kilometre run. Amazing.
Gamechanger
Roar Rookie
The multi format nature of the game today perpetuates the myth that there must be a greater workload for players. Yet there are less tests and not every player is engaged in all formats. Excellent article with solid stats.
Gamechanger
Roar Rookie
“..he was struggling with the short turn-around switch from IPL T20, to English Test wickets, due to no “transition/practice/warm-up matches” prior to the WTC/Ashes.”Yes and in hindsight he may wish he had been playing county cricket like Smith and labs
Cadfael
Roar Guru
I think the reason the intensity has sdropped in Shield cricket is that in days gone bye test players played Shield cricket inless they wered playing in a test. The intensity for a young batsmen to prove himself against our best bowlers and the bowlers to prove themselves against the top batsmen. Sadly can't happen now due to the plerthora of ODI and T20 tours. For example, how many Shield games would the current test players play in a season. One or two. As the competition goes so does the intensity.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
Your comment on training is spot on. It was only after the Packer years that players became professional. Prior to this they all had jobs, Lillee was a bank teller, Bob Cowper was a banker, Doug Walters a Rothman's representative so yes the modern player did have the advantage of proessionalism over the previous players.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Thanks Jeff. I’ve got into trouble criticising editorial policy so won’t go down that road today. I was grateful it wasn’t featured below the BBL videos and the previous days’ main articles.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Yes, I was simply pointing out acclimatisation isn’t a problem if you’ve already played 30 matches in England, starting in April, before the Test series starts!
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Well that would be a first for me! :stoked:
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
Yep, basically that’s my point, just expressed better
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Like Lillee (who I vividly recall "pushing off" from the boundary hoardings at the WACA) , I reckon the Windies bowlers simply came off the long run to put the frighteners up the batsmen, giving them just that much longer to sweat on what they were about to be delivered :stoked:
Jeff
Roar Rookie
PS: Dave, great article. It's the type of stuff The Roar used to deliver day in and day out, the likes of which actually got us all engaged. Sadly it's a bit more "click" nowadays with basically the same "articles" presented in slightly different ways each day, to generate the same (or similar) comments over and over again. Good work!
Jeff
Roar Rookie
I too have been diligently working on achieving the physique I now have in my 50s. Have been at since my 20s. Anyways, time to source a new hernia patch. Suggestions?
Jeff
Roar Rookie
I agree re what he was asked to do re bowling short in the Ashes. He was tasked with being on a hiding to nothing, when short-pitched stuff is not his go-to. He's a pace and line/length bowler with the short ball being used sparingly as a "surprise" ball utilising his pace. Probably added to mixing up his overall mindset in-game when came to batting too. It's a lot to ask of a young player trying to work out their own game against top tier opposition, being required to bat, then bowl "out of character", layered upon which is swicting between formats in a short space of time. I do think he needs to be managed better both within the playing side by the captain/coach, as well as by the selectors re what formats he is playing (and when). I don't think he's tired - I think he's muddled.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
For sure, but every player is different re how they adapt, so won't be a one size fits all - the like of Smith, Warner etc with a decade plus of professional cricketing swapping-and turning amongst formats have no doubt got used to it and learned how to compartmentalise their approaches to different formats on a short turnaround. Green's got huge talent, but even in the Test arena, you can see he is still trying to work around the new challenges that playing against top-tier opponents presents. I have no doubt he'll get there, but he'll need some ongoing extended exposure to do that - like most players before him. Quickly switching between formats is no doubt a challenge that multi format players will simply need to adapt to in the here and now that is contemporary scheduling. But understandable that it will take time to do so. Also re Hadlee '86. Hadlee was a pretty seasoned campaigner by then - was probably pretty comfortable in his professional cricketing skin.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
P.S. Bush, I’m sure Hadlee’s shorter run helped his durability. He actually started off as a tearaway off a longish run, Dennis Lillee was his idol. Changed round about 1979-80 in his late 20s. But he was still brisk. And his figures got even better. He averaged 30 after his first six years. Then from 1979-89 he took 293 wickets in 53 Tests at 19.2, which is why I would rate him one of the top 5 pace bowlers of all time, focusing on players’ best ten years. He averaged 22 against the Windies and his worst average against any opposition was 23.7 vs England. And averaged 18 outside NZ! Also partly why Wisden rated him second best bowler and best quick ever in 2002, using a range of weighted factors including strength of opposition in each innings. The top 5 were 1. Muralitharan 2. Hadlee 3. Syd Barnes. 4. Warne 5. Grimmett. However, I suspect Murali and Hadlee got extra points for performance in weaker teams, which isn’t necessarily logical.
The Bush
Roar Guru
Just to be clear, I don't think the baseball training improved our catching; the sports are different there. The baseball coaching is what led to the players diving all of the place to stop certain boundaries and cut balls off, plus - as you say - the big improvement in hitting the stumps for run outs. But certainly there have always been fine catchers in any team (and you also hear about the occasional rocket arm).