New TV replay policy grants Bradman fans' dream (01 April 1999)

01 April 1999

New TV replay policy grants Bradman fans' dream

CricInfo

It has been a recent and somewhat debateable policy among cricket's lawmakers that TV evidence can be applied retroactively to a batsman's performance. There have be any number of incidents since the introduction of the third umpire to Test and one day cricket in which batsmen have had runs added or deducted as a result of this, including England's John Crawley, who had a test Match fifty awarded him in the tea interval after he was out in the 1995 Oval Test against the West Indies.

There has never been any clear statement from cricket's governing body on how long after the event such changes can be made, but a recent discreet press release, we can now reveal, suggests that the answer is 'at least 65 years'. The press release in question is a note to statisticians, advising them of a change in one particular player's average.

The player?

Donald George Bradman.

Precious little film of the Don batting exists, but some of his Leeds innings of 304 against England in 1934 is available for study. One of the panel of international umpires, aided by modern computer enhancement technology, has reviewed the footage, and as a result, isolated one particular delivery which should have been called as four runs, as opposed to four leg byes, thus changing the Don's score to 308 and his Test average to exactly 100.

A touching application of modern technology - although we cannot help but wonder: what other changes in the Don's score might the existence of more footage produce?