THE OLD BRADMAN

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21573, 8 February 1940, Page 8

THE OLD BRADMAN

Once Again A “ Dasher” Sparkling Form This Season Bradman the dasher of pre-Soutli Australian days—Bradman of the past four years—and Bradman of 1939-40. are contrasts in a cricketing personality that cannot but have people talking, says E. H. M. Baillie, in “The Melbourne Sporting Globe" of December

Not that we have ever ceased talking about Bradman from the day that he began his first-class career with a century for New South Wales against South Australia at the age of 18. He has never been out of the news since that Adelaide game 12 years ago. and he is in it as much as ever now. Here we have a curious contrast in cricket mentality, if you can call it such. We have had batsmen who have begun the game as dashers and have mellowed with the years into staid performers. But it is hard to recall a great one who, after a period of staidness, has returned to his former brilliance, as Bradman has this season.

The remarkable part of it is that after a period in which he largely discarded the vanities of batsmanship to play the orthodox game he should be able to return to his former dash, as Bradman has done. But we have come to regard anything as possible to this extraordinary young man.

' Perhaps the most notable example | of changing fortunes in cricket is that ■ of Wilfred Rhodes. Rhodes began his I career as a w’onderful bowler who used ' to go in last, or near it, for whatever ! side he was playing. He cherished the i ambition, however, to open the batting ! for England, and he succeeded. He become one of the greatest opening batsmen the game has known, and lost : most of his bowling skill. Then England called for greater bowling strength; and Rhodes responded. He became once again a great bowler and although still a good batsman, lost some of his skill in that department. And it was as a bowler chiefly that he ended his career. Bradman, as we all know, began as a dasher who pulverised every class of bowling that was opposed to him. In those days he was the carefree batsman • who had no other responsibility than that of making runs. It was impossible to keep him even moderately quiet. That was the period up to the time of his transfer to South Australia. fie Built a Side In his new State he had the responsibility of captaincy conferred on him, and he had the task of building up a weak side into a strong one. From that j time there was a remarkable ' change in his batting. He still made I his huge scores, and proved an even 1 tougher nut for the bowlers to crack. But he imposed upon himself the buri den of restraint, and it was seldom ; that we saw the former flashing batsmanship that sent the crowds into ‘ ecstasies of He was no longer ■ the whirlwind batsman that we knew so well. But he was the master all the same. Now this season we are seeing him back in his old flashing style, piling up the runs at the prodigious rate that we knew before he began with South Australia in 1935-6. True, there were occasional flashes of his brilliance in which he trounced the bowlers as ot old, but for the most part he has been the sedate batsman who has scored just as heavily as usual, but without the fireworks. In these days, when the demand is tor brighter cricket, and in which much is being done by players to see the realisation of that wish, it is good that Bradman has returned to his former style of play A man of his extraordinary ability should never put a curb on himself unless in exceptional I circumstances. We were wont to talk of “the new Bradman" when the change came in his style four years ago. Now we must discuss him as “the old Bradman."

Tremendous Influence

The influence of “the old Bradman’’ on the game has been tremendous, and will be even more so now that he has reverted to his dashing style. It is not too much to say that he is the man chiefly responsible for the very bright batting that has developed in South Australia recently. He has set the example by his own batsmanship, and he was the man responsible for the introduction of a scoring system in Adelaide this season that demands bright batting. We have been reading of the same brightness in Sydney cricket, and no doubt the Bradman influence has had something to do with

Years ago there were some wonderfully bright batsmen in New South Wales, the result of the great example set by such men as Victor Trumper. Reg. Duff, and other stars of the day. Everybody wanted then to be a Trumper or a Duff, and the result was fast scoring and great public interest. Then came a new period when the maxim was “safety first," and cricket as a spectacle lost favour.

More Pleasing Outlook

That period has been rather a long one. but we appear to be getting out of it now. With men like Bradman. McCabe. Badcock. Solomon, and others to show the way the outlook is much more pleasing. So far Victoria, which has been responsible for much of the

stodgy cricket, has not found dashers of this class, but she must heed the example being set in other States, and find the men if she can do so. Meantime, “the old Bradman” is continuing his record-breaking feats, and giving delight to the crowds by his brilliance. There never was a batsman like him. and it is rather too much to expect that we will see another. However he may differ from other champions of the past in style and methods, he must be given the credit of being the man who has broken almost every record in the game, and has established records that no one ever thought possible till his coming. And it is safe to say that many of his records will never be broken, in our generation at least. It is deeds that count, and Bradman has the deeds to his erdit. Victorians will see Bradman in action on the Melbourne ground again on Friday, and will, no doubt, flock to see what new feat this marvel of the bat can accomplish.