ONE = Simon Barnes: “Muttiah Muralitharan as Cricketer of the Year 2006″
writing in 2007 on the year 2006 = https://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/350915.html
The time has come to grasp the nettle, to remove the mental and, to reject the frown, the shrug, the pursed lips and the quizzical look. Muttiah Muralitharan was, without qualification, the finest cricketer on the planet last year and, by implication, is one of the best cricketers that have ever played the game.
Filed under bowling average, Bradman, child of empire, cricket and life, cricketing icons, cricketing records, cricketing rules, ICC, Mahela Jayawardene, memorable moments, murali, performance, politics and cricket, spinning art, technology and cricket, tower of strength, unusual statistics, work ethic
Dan Coliasimone, in ABCnet, 1 February 2020, where the title runs “The inside story of Don Bradman’s final innings duck”
“Out from the pavilion came the short, slight, little figure whose name will still be in bright lights as long as cricket is played.” This is how a contemporary newspaper report set the scene for Sir Donald Bradman’s last innings.
Bradman b. Hollies… 00 — Photo supplied by State Library of South Australia
Roger Alton for the Daily Mail, 1 August 2019, with title “Pitch Perfect”
THE GREAT ROMANTIC …… by Duncan Hamilton (Hodder £20, 400 pp)
A FIELD OF TENTS AND WAVING COLOURS ……………. by Neville Cardus (Safe Haven £14.99, 240 pp)
The last days of summer may soon be upon us — give or take an Ashes tour — but, with these two beautiful books, the sky will always be silky blue, the sun shining down, thousands pouring into Old Trafford for a bitterly fought Roses match and Bradman 160 not out at tea.
Duncan Hamilton is already a multiple award-winning sports writer, but it is hard to imagine he will write a better book than this superb, elegaic portrait of the sociable, feted, but ultimately unknowable, man who virtually invented modern sports writing. Neville Cardus was born, illegitimate, into poverty in 1888. His real name was John Frederick Newsham, but he never knew his father. Both his mother and his aunt worked as prostitutes, and the young Fred Newsham was lightly educated to the age of ten.
Two beautifully written books reflect on how sports writing was impacted by Neville Cardus (pictured) who became one of the best-paid journalists in history
Errol Fernando in Melbourne
Two handshakes today at Wellington,New Zealand.One for Angelo Mathews and the other for Kusal Mendis. They batted all day and each is a hundred not out. Herculean effort to bat all day under pressure and Tuffy would have rushed up to them at stumps.I cannot praise them too highly.More hard work for them tomorrow to save the match Must bat for two more sessions.
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND – DECEMBER 18: Angelo Mathews of Sri Lanka bats during day four of the First Test match in the series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at Basin Reserve on December 18, 2018 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)
PERTH, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 17: Virat Kohli of India and Tim Paine of Australia bump into each other during day four of the second match in the Test series between Australia and India at Perth Stadium on December 17, 2018 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Gideon Haigh, in The Weekend Australian, 7 October 2018
Today, the world’s best batsman is a 29-year-old multi-millionaire with a sizeable portfolio of premium Sydney real estate — he also, of course, languishes under a year’s ban from cricket. Sixty-five years ago, by contrast, the world’s best batsman shared a bedroom with his younger brother. That summer of 1952-53, Neil Harvey had a season even more prolific than Steve Smith’s last: 834 runs in five Tests against South Africa and 1659 runs in 16 first-class matches, a total exceeded only by Donald Bradman.
Woodful hit by Larwood
Ashley Mallett, courtesy of CRICKET MONTHLY and ESPNcricinfo where the title of this article is “Bradman as a Boy”
At Bowral Primary School in the summer of 1915-16, Don Bradman, not yet eight years old, built a reputation as a cricketer. When the bell tolled to end another school day, Bradman didn’t dally to chat with others. In a desperate rush to get home, he ran helter-skelter through the small township of Bowral, turned into Shepherd Street, hurdled a white picket fence, breezed through his front door, and tossing his school bag in the hall and grabbing his cricket bat, yelled, “C’mon Mum, how about bowling me down a few?” Emily Bradman smiled. She discarded her apron, shifted the kettle on the stove and dutifully followed her son into the backyard. As Mrs Bradman wheeled down her own brand of left-arm deliveries, she could never have imagined that the small boy facing her at the other end of the back lawn would one day become the greatest batsman the world has known.
Bradman at 21, about to set sail for the 1930 Ashes, with a trophy for his world-record 452 made earlier in the year
