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Abhishek Mukherjee Profile picture
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16 Dec, 5 tweets, 2 min read
What to write of Jack Hobbs on his birth anniversary?

We know the quotes, we know about his inimitable style, everything...

Maybe some numbers.

Mosts in First-Class cricket:
Runs
61760 Hobbs
58959 Woolley

Hundreds
199 Hobbs
170 Hendren

50+
472 Hobbs
445 Hendren
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Mosts in Test cricket when Hobbs retired:
Runs
5410 Hobbs
3412 Hill

Hundreds
15 Hobbs
13 Hill

50+
43 Hobbs
29 Sutcliffe

Some of Hobbs' were lost due to World War 2. He played even at 47, and 27 of his 61 Tests came after he turned 40.
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Mosts in Test cricket after turning 40:
Runs
2440 Hobbs
2004 Misbah

Hundreds
8 Hobbs
5 Misbah

50+
19 Hobbs and Misbah

Best average Test partnership (cut-off: 2000 runs)
87.86 (3339 runs) Hobbs and Sutcliffe
82.16 (3451 runs) Langer and Ponting
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Hobbs also had 2294 runs at 58.82 with Woolley before The Great War.

So basically he forged one solid partnership before the war and one after.

And finally, Hobbs is one of only four cricketers to be named the ONLY Wisden Cricketer of a Year (1926).
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He is also one of only two to receive the honour twice (1909 and 1926).

And he is also the known (to me) doppelganger of actor Tapen Chatterjee.

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Abhishek Mukherjee Profile picture
16 Dec
I often come across gobbledygook like "Spirit of Cricket" or "Gentleman's Game" or "That's Not Cricket".

These comments often remind me of what Archie McLaren did to Charlie McLeod (in photo).

And that happened on this day, 1897-98, at Sydney.
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In those days, SoC and GG were often defined based on whether MCC were the enforcers or victim.

Before getting into the incident, a bit on McLeod.

McLeod's name never comes up when cricketers who overcame disabilities are listed.

He was hearing impaired.
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So he could not hear snicks, appeals, even the non-striker's call.

Yet he had 3,321 runs at 21 and 335 wickets at 24 in First-Class cricket.

His numbers were not great in Test cricket (17 Tests, 573 runs at 24, 33 wickets at 40), but he had one great series.
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Read 11 tweets
Abhishek Mukherjee Profile picture
15 Dec
On this day, 1979, Dennis Lillee walked out with an aluminium bat (the brand was called ComBat) during a Test match.

But a quiz question before all that.

There were many surplus ComBats, so they tried to sell them for another purpose. What?
(I shall answer this, don't worry)
+
The bat was devised by Graham Monaghan, a close friend and business partner of Lillee.

He had been inspired by the use of metal in baseball clubs.

It was merely a marketing exercise, but nobody knew that at that point.
+
Lillee had used it in a Test match, less than two weeks ago.

He had connected once before Garner dismissing him.

It was forgotten.

Here he was unbeaten on 11 at stumps on Day 1.

And he used it in the nets next morning, making ghastly sounds.
+
Read 11 tweets
Abhishek Mukherjee Profile picture
15 Dec
Today is the birthday of Greg Matthews, a superb cricketer and a hipster long before Colin Miller or Andre Russell.

In the Madras tied Test, Matthews got 44, 5/103, 27*, and 5/146 – one of the greatest all-round performances in history.
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But more than that it was his strategy to combat extreme heat that made him popular.

While a dehydrated Dean Jones lost weight, ran a high temperature, and vomited on the ground, Matthews fielded in *two sweaters*.

The theory was astonishing.
+
"Nomadic herders in the desert wore woollen coats because they kept the cool air in, thus acting as a kind of air-conditioner."

While bowling he handed a sweater to the umpire but bowled in a cap.

Mark Taylor once said that Merv Hughes was "more mainstream than" Matthews.
+
Read 13 tweets
Abhishek Mukherjee Profile picture
15 Dec
On this day, 1933, the first Test match on Indian soil got underway.

BCCI had been founded in Delhi, but Bombay was the hub of Indian cricket, more so given the popularity of the Quadrangular.

So Bombay Gymkhana was a fair choice as venue.

The build-up was tremendous.
+
India's had an impressive tour of England in 1932 (9 wins, 8 defeats).

Now people wanted to see these men live.

Twenty thousand people had attended the match between the MCC and Bombay Presidency at the same venue a week ago.
+
Now, when Nayudu went out to toss with Jardine, about fifty thousand people had to be crammed together.

Temporary tents had been set up in anticipation.

Making his debut was Rustomji Jamshedji, still the oldest man to play for India.


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Read 13 tweets
Abhishek Mukherjee Profile picture
14 Dec
I know this is subjective, but there is little doubt in my mind that the first tied Test match, at Brisbane, was the greatest in history.

Today is the 60th anniversary of the final day of that Test.

Here is how the drama unfolded as the day went on.

But first, some context.
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Not only the greatest, this was one of the most significant Test matches.

West Indies had their first full-time black captain, in Worrell.

The history of racism in the islands, the ridiculous injustice of it all, demands a separate thread.

I shall leave that for another day.
+
There is more.

Until this point, only Test matches involving England used to receive serious coverage.

That would change here. That demands another thread too.

Now for the cricket.

After four days, the score read West Indies 453 and 259/9, Australia 505.

207 ahead.
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Read 37 tweets
Abhishek Mukherjee Profile picture
13 Dec
On this day, 1948, during the Sydney Test, Vinoo Mankad whipped off the bails at the non-striker's end.

Bill Brown, out of the crease, was ruled out.

The mode of dismissal is unofficially referred to as Mankading.

There are a few misconceptions regarding Mankading.
+
Misconception 1: Mankad was the first to do this

Mankad was the first to do this *in a Test match*. However, there was nothing new about it.

The first recorded instance of Mankading in First-Class cricket happened in 1835 (not 1935).

Thomas Barker ran out George Baigent.
+
By 1843, Barker had run out four others, the last of these at Lord's.

No "spirit of cricket" garbage was uttered during any of this.

This illustration is from Nicholas Felix's 1845 book Felix on the Bat.

Do not miss the caption. This was the general attitude towards this.
+
Read 17 tweets

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