India dismissed twice in a day by England in 1952

By A.C. De Silva

CRICKET: India, after a fine display in Test cricket has run into a spell of bad results in recent games. Against Australia right now the Indians are in the dumps and they trail 3-nil against the Aussies.

The Indian batting has collapsed and it has been the bad batting that has pulled them down.

This brings to mind over 60-years ago in England at Old Trafford, Manchester on July 19, in 1952. India were bowled out by England for 58 and 82 the only Test team to be dismissed twice in a day in a total batting time of 3 1/4 honour.

Talking about Test cricket, there are many stories being told but one of the startling stories was the one that came up in 1986 - that's the one of the 1,051 Test matches played until that date, has been won off the last possible ball.

Kingsmead in Durban was the venue and December 20th 1948 was day. England's 9th wicket pair of Alec Bedser and Cliff Gladwin needed 8 runs from the final eight-ball over from Lindsay Tuckett. Before Bedser brought the scores level off the sixth ball, all four results were possible.

Gladwin missed the seventh ball. He also missed the last ball. It bounced off his thigh and the batsman managed to scamper a leg-bye.

Sobers and Worrell batted for 2 days

The West Indies are reputed for having in their ranks some superb batsmen in the past. The only pair of batsmen to bat throughout two consecutive days of Test cricket are: Garfield Sobers (226) and Frank Worrell (197 not out) on January 9 and 11 in 1960, the fourth and fifth days of the First Test between West Indies and England at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.

The final hour of the 4th day was lost due to rain and a rest day intervened. The fourth-wicket partnership of 399 runs occupied 9 hours 39 minutes the longest stand in Test Cricket for a long time.

The West Indies figure once again in an all-time high, but on this occasion, they were at the receiving end of things. It was Kingston, Jamaica in June 1955 and it was Australia that called the tune. The most hundreds scored in a Test innings came off the bats of Australia.

West Indies made 357 and Australia went on the rampage to make 758 for 8 wickets and declared. Centuries came off the bats of Colin McDonald (127), Neil Harvey (204), Kieth Miller (108), Ron Archer (128) and Richie Benaud (121). Benaud reached his hundred in 78 minutes - the third fastest then in Tests.

Bradman 200 in 214 wins

Batting seemed to be the most lovable thing to watch in cricket. There was no doubt about it all those days that Australia's king pin Sir Donald Bradman was the pick of all batsmen in the world. Australia - England cricket Tests produced sparkling batting those days and with Bradman in the fray, big things had to happen.

July 11th 1930 was the day that Bradman's versatility was seen in no uncertain manner. He made 334 runs, having reached his 200 in 214 minutes and his century in 99 minutes. While Australia had Bradman, there was another hard hitting batsman and he came from England and he was Ian Botham who made 200 in 220 balls and in 268 minutes during his innings of 208 for England against India at the oval July 8 and 9 in 1982. Botham's 200 was the fastest measured by balls faced.

There is also the case of the not so attractive, but persevering batting at times by one-time England wicket-keeper Godfrey Evans. Playing against Australia at Adelaide on February 5 and 6 in 1947, Godfrey Evans joined Dennis Compton (40 not out) with England's second innings total 255 for 8 wickets. Evens survived 20 balls that evening while Compton scored 19 off 60 deliveries.

Evans slow and fast

Next day, Evans scored his first run off his 61st ball and enabled Compton to reach his second century of the match.

When England were safe from defeat and Hammond declared, Evans had scored 10 not out off 98 balls, and Compton 63 of his 103 not out off 179 balls in a partnership of 85 in 133 minutes.

But five years later, Evans amassed 98 runs before lunch off India's bowlers in a Test at Lord's. A lovable cricketer in the old days was West Indian Clyde Walcott. He had somewhat of a record in the fact that he was out without scoring only once during his entire Test career. He played 74 innings for the West Indies between January 1948 and March 1960, Scoring 3,798 runs (average 56.68) and making 15 centuries. His solitary 'duck' came at Brisbane on November 9 in 1951 when Ray Lindwall had him lbw in his first Test innings. In Australia.