LOOKS LAZIEST MAN IN THE WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, 10 September 1934, Page 11

LOOKS LAZIEST MAN IN THE WORLD

Little Study Of Bradman In The Field Judging him from appearances the laziest man in the world is D. G. Bradman (said a writer in the “Manchester Guardian” recently). In the field at moments of inaction this greatest of outfieldsmen seems to be on the verge of decrepitude and senile decay. When the match begins Bradman takes up his position on the fine-leg boundary. Having taken it up he keeps it. Sometimes he will walk two steps and keep this new position stolidly. His favourite position is arms on hips and eyes glued to the ground, as if he is looking through to Australia and does not like how things are going on there. After half-an hour, however, he begins to get extremely tired. The batsman hits a four past cover. As soon as cover-point has missed, down goes Bradman on his haunches, and remains there until the ball has been returned. By the time lunch is over he is in the last stages. Even while the ball is being delivered he remains squatting and two or three balls will pass leaving him in that position. Sometimes he is mid-off to one bowler and square-leg to another, 10 yards between the two positions. How he crawls from one to the other! If he picks up a ball with his left hand and he is near enough, he will throw it in with that. If as he rises with, the ball he sees a man 15 yards in front of him he will sometimes throw the ball to him instead of the whole distance to the wicketkeeper. . ' But let there be a chance of a run out —Pythagoras would include it among his examples of the transmigration of souls. Absolutely the most impressive thing that the writer can remember of the Australians in the .field is the way Bradman ran from mid-off and stood over the wicket in order to take a return from. deep mid-on, there being a chance to run the batsman out. He would not take the risk of the bowler’s getting his hands hurt. The speed with which he ran to the wicket was his own; the keenness and concentration with which he waited to encompass the destruction of the batsman could be matched by one person only—G. Duckworth, when Lancashire is in the field and has to make an effort to pull off a match.