November 10, 1928. A landmark day in cricket as Don Bradman walked out to bat against the Englishmen for the first time in his career. Arunabha Sengupta relives the match that saw Bradman get 87 and 132 not out for New South Wales against the visiting MCC men.
The greatest desire of the 20-year-old Don Bradman was to watch Jack Hobbs in action. A few days earlier, in the match against South Australia at Adelaide, the great England opener had reached 50,000 runs in First-Class cricket and completed his 158th century.
Yet, the young man from Bowral was disappointed. After seven strenuous days of cricket against South Australia and Victoria, the ageing legend decided to stand down from the match against New South Wales.
In any case, the Englishmen arrived to a great welcome. An assembly of great New South Wales cricketers of the past and present greeted them at the station as their train chugged in from Melbourne. The welcoming party included Monty Noble, Charlie Turner, Alan Kippax, Bert Oldfield and Syd Gregory. However, it was Warren Bardsley who confided to Percy Chapman’s men that the state had produced a new cricketer by the name of Bradman.The Englishmen would be well advised to look out for him.
However, all MCC saw for most of the first two days was Bradman’s prowess in the field. The absence of Hobbs did not really do much to help the hosts. Douglas Jardine opened with Herbert Sutcliffe and added 148, Wally Hammond and Jardine put together 105 and then Patsy Hendren and Hammond combined in a 332-run stand.
Bradman did not see Hobbs, but watched plenty of world-class batsmen in action. Hendren and Jardine got hundreds, substantial ones, and Bradman’s first glimpse of Hammond was a long, long one, amounting to 225 runs.
Apart from the 903 at the famed Oval Test of 1938, this total of 734 for seven was to be the highest total Bradman would ever field to. He rolled his arm over as well, capturing the wicket of Hendren, but his five overs amounted to 55 runs. He also ended Hammond’s innings with a lightning return from mid-off.
And then, after two days of fielding, he went in to bat with the score reading 38 for three. Maurice Tate and Hammond had knocked over the first three wickets and Bradman joined captain Kippax at the wicket with the hosts looking up the barrel, a few minutes to go before the close of play. He proceeded to six before stumps. That was Saturday, and the 43,117 present in the stands constituted the biggest crowd Bradman had played in front of till then.
Bradman brilliance
On the following day, England got their first taste of Bradman brilliance. The classy Kippax stroked the ball sweetly, and Bradman waged a fierce battle. The attack consisted of Tate, Hammond, ‘Tich’ Freeman and a young Harold Larwood. The conditions were hot and stifling. And Bradman battled his way to 87.
However, he was not at all comfortable against Freeman’s leg-breaks and googlies. There were seven appeals of leg before against him before a ball struck his bat, went on to his foot and rolled on to the stumps. He was the fifth out for 196. His 87 had come in two hours and 11 minutes and contained eight fours.
Freeman’s five wickets checked a fight-back by veteran all-rounder Charles Kelleway and New South Wales were restricted to 349 in the first innings
The follow-on was enforced, and soon after lunch on the fourth and final day Bradman once again walked out to join his skipper at 115 for three. The Englishmen were eager, alert, the whiff of a victory in the air.
However, by now Bradman had got over his uncertainty against Freeman. The drives flowed, and all four bowlers were mastered. Chapman did all he could to get him out. According to Hammond, “Young [Don] Bradman looked as if he could stay forever. None of our bowlers could do any more than feed him runs.” Similar statements would be heard more and more for the next two decades from the Englishmen.
The 50 was brought up in 65 minutes, the 100 in 128. When bad light ended the match, he was on 132, having added an unbeaten 249 with skipper Kippax.
The match was saved, and the adjective Bradmanesque was already on its way to entering the cricketing lexicon. The performance was grand enough to put his name firmly in the selector’s list for the first Test.
Brief Scores:
MCC 734 for 7 declared (Herbert Sutcliffe 67, Douglas Jardine 140, Wally Hammond 225, Patsy Hendren 167, Maurice Leyland 47*) drew with New South Wales 349 (Alan Kippax 64, Don Bradman 87, Charles Kelleway 93*; Eric Freeman 5 for 136, Maurice Tate 3 for 98) and 364 for 3 (Archie Jackson 40, Alan Kippax 136 not out, Don Bradman 132*).