by Arunabha Sengupta
Leeds, 27 July 1948.
Bradman and Headingley. In Test matches since 1930, the combination had brought forth scores of 334, 304, 103. This would be his last Test at the venue. The entire reserved accommodation was sold out by the first post on 1 January 1948.
158,000 crowded in for five days, and many more were turned away.
Let the ones who say ‘the game is bigger than the individual’ go and take a walk in their conccted dreamlands. No one would watch cricket had it not been for such men. Don Bradman was the greatest of them all.
But by the start of the fifth day, things looked bleak for the great man and his team. On the eve of the final day, he wrote in his diary, “We are set 400 to win and I fear we may be defeated.” He said as much to scorer Bill Ferguson. Fergie even instructed the coach-driver to collect the team by mid-afternoon, anticipating a quick end.
England 496, Australia 458 (Bradman b Pollard 33), England 362 for 8 overnight.
Norman Yardley used the heavy roller to break the wicket up even further. And then two overs and three runs into the morning, the England captain appeared on the balcony, signalling Laker and Evans to come in.
Australia needed 404 in 344 minutes.
During the changeover the police announced that lost children and their parents should go immediately to the office and wait there so that no announcement had to interrupt the match. Bradman used no roller at all.
Morris and Hassett began cautiously. Yardley introduced spin soon enough. Morris stroked a couple of boundaries off Laker, and Evans missed a stumping down the leg.
Hassett grinned towards the pavilion and measured off a foot of his bat. It was a spinner’s wicket.
With so many runs to play with, Compton’s chinaman was put into operation. Immediately Morris was missed, once again by Evans, the keeper fumbling the ball with the southpaw stranded down the wicket. Morris 32, total 55.
Two runs later Hassett pushed at Compton, got the edge and was thrillingly caught one-handed by the bowler inches off the ground. 57 for one in 75 minutes. 347 required in 269. Bradman in to bat with the clock showing one o’clock.
He immediately pulled Laker for four and was up to 12 in six minutes.
Now Yardley made a bloomer. No Pollard, no Bedser for Bradman. Since Compton was getting his wrist spin to turn, he brought on Hutton. Morris took three fours off him, Bradman two more.
96 for 1 in 90 minutes. Australia up with the clock. Bradman 22. Compton sent down a googly, Bradman did not read it. Away it went past Jack Crapp at slip for four.
Another slip came up. Bradman glanced a four. And then another googly, another snick and Crapp dropped him again. England could have won it during that over. Instead, Hutton was taken for more runs.
At lunch Australia 121 for 1, Morris 63, Bradman 35.
After lunch irregular bowlers continued. Seven fours came off two overs.
Morris passed his 100, Bradman his 50. At 59 Yardley dropped Bradman at backward point off Cranston as he mistimed a drive.
And then he hooked Cranston and Pollard for boundaries, but snapped something on his side. Pollard had to rub him vigorously.
At 4.10, after 147 minutes of batting, Bradman reached his 29th and final century in Test cricket. 19 and a half years between his first and last Test hundreds. Only Sachin Tendulkar has a greater between-hundred duration with 20 and a half.
And just before tea, at 108, he was down the wicket to Laker and Evans missed a stumping yet again. In the very next over, Morris was dropped by Laker off Compton.
A tale of butterfingers. Atrocious fielding by England.
At tea Australia 292 for 1, the tide had turned completely.
Morris did fall at 358, caught off Yardley for a personal score of 182. 301 runs added in three hours and 37 minutes. Miller was out at 396.
Bradman hit a four off Pollard to bring his score to 173 and the total to 400 before blocking the rest of the over to allow young Neil Harvey get the winning boundary off Cranston. Well, if Bradman had punched Pollard for a winning boundary the previous over, even the duck in his final innings at The Oval would have let him end with a Test batting average of 100.
Australia 404 for 3. Bradman 173 not out. Victory by seven wickets and The Ashes retained in one of the most fascinating chases on a square turner. Bradman at Headingley, 963 runs at 192.60.
The last time Bradman was seen scoring runs in Test cricket.