Colour me purple
When cricketers (other than Bradman) briefly tried on the cloak of invincibility
Steven Lynch
10-Oct-2011
Mohammad Yousuf: tormented bowlers all of 2006 • Getty Images
Clyde Walcott
The big Barbadian, one of the legendary West Indian three Ws, had a run of form during the home Tests against Australia in 1955 that remains unmatched. Walcott hit five centuries in the series - no one else has ever managed more than four - starting with 108 and 39 in the first Test in Kingston, 126 and 110 in the second in Port-of-Spain, 8 and 73 in Georgetown, 15 and 83 in Bridgetown, and rounded it all off with 155 and 110 in the fifth Test in Kingston, to finish with 827 runs. All this in a series his side lost 3-0.
The big Barbadian, one of the legendary West Indian three Ws, had a run of form during the home Tests against Australia in 1955 that remains unmatched. Walcott hit five centuries in the series - no one else has ever managed more than four - starting with 108 and 39 in the first Test in Kingston, 126 and 110 in the second in Port-of-Spain, 8 and 73 in Georgetown, 15 and 83 in Bridgetown, and rounded it all off with 155 and 110 in the fifth Test in Kingston, to finish with 827 runs. All this in a series his side lost 3-0.
Mike Procter
Procter was best known for his eyeballs-out wrong-footed express bowling, but he was a fine batsman too. Playing for Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1970-71, he made hundreds in five successive matches (v Natal B, v Transvaal B, v Orange Free State, v North Eastern Transvaal, v Griqualand West), and since he hadn't needed to bat in the second innings of any of them, had a crack at the record of six in successive innings, set by CB Fry in 1901 and equalled by Don Bradman in 1938-39. Critics pointed out that Procter's first five centuries had come in the B section (second division) of the Currie Cup, but his next innings was against Western Province, who had narrowly missed out on the A section title. Rhodesia were soon 5 for 3... but Procter stayed there, making a career-best 254 out of an eventual 383. He missed the chance of owning the record outright when he was out for 22 in his next match.
Procter was best known for his eyeballs-out wrong-footed express bowling, but he was a fine batsman too. Playing for Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1970-71, he made hundreds in five successive matches (v Natal B, v Transvaal B, v Orange Free State, v North Eastern Transvaal, v Griqualand West), and since he hadn't needed to bat in the second innings of any of them, had a crack at the record of six in successive innings, set by CB Fry in 1901 and equalled by Don Bradman in 1938-39. Critics pointed out that Procter's first five centuries had come in the B section (second division) of the Currie Cup, but his next innings was against Western Province, who had narrowly missed out on the A section title. Rhodesia were soon 5 for 3... but Procter stayed there, making a career-best 254 out of an eventual 383. He missed the chance of owning the record outright when he was out for 22 in his next match.
Harbhajan Singh
It looked like business as usual for Australia when they toured India in 2000-01. Victory in the first Test was a record-equalling 16th in a row, and No. 17 looked a formality when India followed on in the second one. Harbhajan, who had taken four wickets in the first Test, toiled hard for 7 for 123 in the first innings - then really got to work after the epic partnership between VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid that stood the Kolkata Test on its head. Australia needed 384 after that... and never looked like getting close. Harbhajan, who had taken India's first Test hat-trick in the first innings, added 6 for 73 in the second, including Adam Gilchrist for a king pair. Then he did it all again in the third Test in Chennai, with 7 for 133 and a mesmerising 8 for 84. Fittingly it was Harbhajan who scored the winning runs to clinch an unlikely victory in a series in which he had taken 32 wickets - no other Indian bowler managed more than three.
It looked like business as usual for Australia when they toured India in 2000-01. Victory in the first Test was a record-equalling 16th in a row, and No. 17 looked a formality when India followed on in the second one. Harbhajan, who had taken four wickets in the first Test, toiled hard for 7 for 123 in the first innings - then really got to work after the epic partnership between VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid that stood the Kolkata Test on its head. Australia needed 384 after that... and never looked like getting close. Harbhajan, who had taken India's first Test hat-trick in the first innings, added 6 for 73 in the second, including Adam Gilchrist for a king pair. Then he did it all again in the third Test in Chennai, with 7 for 133 and a mesmerising 8 for 84. Fittingly it was Harbhajan who scored the winning runs to clinch an unlikely victory in a series in which he had taken 32 wickets - no other Indian bowler managed more than three.
Mohammad Yousuf
Yousuf scored 1788 runs in Tests in 2006, breaking Viv Richards' 30-year-old record for a calendar year. That included a run even Bradman never quite managed - a spell of five Tests that included six centuries. It started in England, where Yousuf scored 192 at Headingley and 128 at The Oval (in the match eventually forfeited by Pakistan after they were accused of ball-tampering), and continued at home against West Indies later in the year: 192 in the first Test in Lahore, 56 and 191 in the second in Multan, and 102 and 124 in Karachi.
Yousuf scored 1788 runs in Tests in 2006, breaking Viv Richards' 30-year-old record for a calendar year. That included a run even Bradman never quite managed - a spell of five Tests that included six centuries. It started in England, where Yousuf scored 192 at Headingley and 128 at The Oval (in the match eventually forfeited by Pakistan after they were accused of ball-tampering), and continued at home against West Indies later in the year: 192 in the first Test in Lahore, 56 and 191 in the second in Multan, and 102 and 124 in Karachi.
Clarrie Grimmett
Grimmett didn't look much like an international athlete: short and bald, he often bowled with his cap on, and had a peculiar round-armed bowling action. But it worked… and how. In South Africa in 1935-36, when he was 44, Grimmett warmed up with five wickets in the first Test and six in the second, then really got going: in Cape Town he took 5 for 32 and 5 for 56, added 3 for 70 and 7 for 40 in Johannesburg, and rounded things off with 7 for 100 and 6 for 73 in Durban. Australia strolled to a 4-0 win, and Grimmett - who had taken 10 or more wickets in each of the last three Tests - finished with 44 at less than 15 apiece (and his fellow legspinner, Bill O'Reilly, took 27 at 17). This, however, was Grimmett's Test swansong: he was considered too old for the following year's home Ashes series, a decision usually blamed on Australia's new captain, Don Bradman.
Grimmett didn't look much like an international athlete: short and bald, he often bowled with his cap on, and had a peculiar round-armed bowling action. But it worked… and how. In South Africa in 1935-36, when he was 44, Grimmett warmed up with five wickets in the first Test and six in the second, then really got going: in Cape Town he took 5 for 32 and 5 for 56, added 3 for 70 and 7 for 40 in Johannesburg, and rounded things off with 7 for 100 and 6 for 73 in Durban. Australia strolled to a 4-0 win, and Grimmett - who had taken 10 or more wickets in each of the last three Tests - finished with 44 at less than 15 apiece (and his fellow legspinner, Bill O'Reilly, took 27 at 17). This, however, was Grimmett's Test swansong: he was considered too old for the following year's home Ashes series, a decision usually blamed on Australia's new captain, Don Bradman.
Cheteshwar Pujara
The Don himself might have been pushed to match the run of scoring that Pujara maintained for a few weeks late in 2006. After a duck against New Zealand A, Pujara feasted on Under-22 bowling, making 386 for Saurashtra's youngsters against Maharashtra, and adding 309 in their next match, against Mumbai Under-22s. After a couple of one-day innings - which included 65 for India Green in the Challenger Trophy - reality intruded with 8 and 0 in a Ranji Trophy match against Gujarat. But that was a mere hiccup, as Pujara proved by slamming 302 not out in the Ranji Trophy against Orissa, where he shared an unbroken stand of 520 with Ravindra Jadeja, and followed that with 189 against Punjab and 176 v Mumbai.
The Don himself might have been pushed to match the run of scoring that Pujara maintained for a few weeks late in 2006. After a duck against New Zealand A, Pujara feasted on Under-22 bowling, making 386 for Saurashtra's youngsters against Maharashtra, and adding 309 in their next match, against Mumbai Under-22s. After a couple of one-day innings - which included 65 for India Green in the Challenger Trophy - reality intruded with 8 and 0 in a Ranji Trophy match against Gujarat. But that was a mere hiccup, as Pujara proved by slamming 302 not out in the Ranji Trophy against Orissa, where he shared an unbroken stand of 520 with Ravindra Jadeja, and followed that with 189 against Punjab and 176 v Mumbai.
Barry Richards
The great South African opener enjoyed a few purple patches during his career, none of a deeper hue than his solitary season in Australian domestic cricket, for South Australia in 1970-71. Enjoying the batsman-friendly conditions in Adelaide, he warmed up with 224 against the England tourists (John Snow, the hammer of the Aussies in the Ashes series that followed, finished with 2 for 166). Then, three weeks later, came perhaps Richards' best-remembered innings. On a bouncy Perth pitch, against a new-ball attack of Graham McKenzie and the young Dennis Lillee, Richards hurtled to 325 not out on the first day, and was out for 356 early on the second. He was nearly out first ball: after he played and missed, the wicketkeeper, Rod Marsh, told John Inverarity at first slip that this batsman wasn't as good as his advance publicity. At the end of a first day in which Marsh hardly had to collect another ball, since most of them located the middle of Richards's bat, Inverarity suggested that "Maybe he can play a bit..." More runs followed: Richards scored a century against all the other state sides, and finished his Australian adventure with 1538 runs at an average of nearly 110.
The great South African opener enjoyed a few purple patches during his career, none of a deeper hue than his solitary season in Australian domestic cricket, for South Australia in 1970-71. Enjoying the batsman-friendly conditions in Adelaide, he warmed up with 224 against the England tourists (John Snow, the hammer of the Aussies in the Ashes series that followed, finished with 2 for 166). Then, three weeks later, came perhaps Richards' best-remembered innings. On a bouncy Perth pitch, against a new-ball attack of Graham McKenzie and the young Dennis Lillee, Richards hurtled to 325 not out on the first day, and was out for 356 early on the second. He was nearly out first ball: after he played and missed, the wicketkeeper, Rod Marsh, told John Inverarity at first slip that this batsman wasn't as good as his advance publicity. At the end of a first day in which Marsh hardly had to collect another ball, since most of them located the middle of Richards's bat, Inverarity suggested that "Maybe he can play a bit..." More runs followed: Richards scored a century against all the other state sides, and finished his Australian adventure with 1538 runs at an average of nearly 110.
CB Fry
The first man to score six successive centuries in first-class cricket was the multi-talented Charles Burgess Fry, in 1901. The first five tons came for Sussex in the County Championship, including 209 against the eventual champions Yorkshire in Hove, followed by 149 against Middlesex, who finished second. The record-breaking sixth century was also at Yorkshire's expense - 105 for The Rest against the new county champions at Lord's in September. In his next innings - for London County against Surrey at The Oval early the following season - Fry was out for 82 after an opening stand of 130 with WG Grace.
The first man to score six successive centuries in first-class cricket was the multi-talented Charles Burgess Fry, in 1901. The first five tons came for Sussex in the County Championship, including 209 against the eventual champions Yorkshire in Hove, followed by 149 against Middlesex, who finished second. The record-breaking sixth century was also at Yorkshire's expense - 105 for The Rest against the new county champions at Lord's in September. In his next innings - for London County against Surrey at The Oval early the following season - Fry was out for 82 after an opening stand of 130 with WG Grace.
Everton Weekes
Weekes, another of the three Ws, scored five centuries in successive Test innings, starting with 141 for West Indies against England in Kingston in March 1948, and continuing in India later that year with 128 in Delhi, 194 in Bombay and 162 and 101 in Calcutta. A record-breaking sixth successive ton seemed on the cards when he reached 90 in the fourth Test in Madras... but then he was given run out, a decision Weekes and his team-mates were astonished by.
Weekes, another of the three Ws, scored five centuries in successive Test innings, starting with 141 for West Indies against England in Kingston in March 1948, and continuing in India later that year with 128 in Delhi, 194 in Bombay and 162 and 101 in Calcutta. A record-breaking sixth successive ton seemed on the cards when he reached 90 in the fourth Test in Madras... but then he was given run out, a decision Weekes and his team-mates were astonished by.
SF Barnes
Sydney Barnes remains arguably the greatest bowler of them all, and he burnished his career stats with a phenomenal performance in what turned out to be his final Test series, in South Africa in 1913-14. After 10 wickets in the first Test, he took 17 in the second - 8 for 56 and 9 for 103 - a Test record at the time and since outdone only by Jim Laker's 19 for 90 in 1956. Eight wickets followed in the third Test, then 14 more - 7 for 56 and 7 for 88 - in the fourth, in Durban, giving Barnes 49 wickets in the series (which remains a record) at just 10.93 apiece. The South Africans were doubtless relieved that he missed the final Test, but they lost it anyway, to go down 4-0.
Sydney Barnes remains arguably the greatest bowler of them all, and he burnished his career stats with a phenomenal performance in what turned out to be his final Test series, in South Africa in 1913-14. After 10 wickets in the first Test, he took 17 in the second - 8 for 56 and 9 for 103 - a Test record at the time and since outdone only by Jim Laker's 19 for 90 in 1956. Eight wickets followed in the third Test, then 14 more - 7 for 56 and 7 for 88 - in the fourth, in Durban, giving Barnes 49 wickets in the series (which remains a record) at just 10.93 apiece. The South Africans were doubtless relieved that he missed the final Test, but they lost it anyway, to go down 4-0.
Don Bradman
Finally, just a reminder of the sort of sequences Bradman routinely produced, any one of which would have been considered superb by most people. Six successive first-class hundreds, equalling Fry's record, in 1938-39. (He also scored four in a row twice). Ten half-centuries in consecutive innings in 1947-48 and 1948, when he was 39, equalling the first-class record. Averaged 115.66 in the 1938 English season, the highest ever recorded. (Bradman topped the national averages on all four of his tours of England). Scored 974 runs in five Tests in England in 1930, still the record for any Test series. Made hundreds in six consecutive Tests in 1936-37 and 1938 (no one else has managed more than five); the sequence was ended when he was unable to bat after injury at The Oval in 1938 - excluding that match but including the first two of 1946-47, Bradman made centuries in eight successive Tests in which he batted, all against England. Averaged 99.94 in Test cricket (the next-best over a significant career is Graeme Pollock's 60.97) and 95.14 in first-class cricket (next best: 71.22 by Vijay Merchant).
Finally, just a reminder of the sort of sequences Bradman routinely produced, any one of which would have been considered superb by most people. Six successive first-class hundreds, equalling Fry's record, in 1938-39. (He also scored four in a row twice). Ten half-centuries in consecutive innings in 1947-48 and 1948, when he was 39, equalling the first-class record. Averaged 115.66 in the 1938 English season, the highest ever recorded. (Bradman topped the national averages on all four of his tours of England). Scored 974 runs in five Tests in England in 1930, still the record for any Test series. Made hundreds in six consecutive Tests in 1936-37 and 1938 (no one else has managed more than five); the sequence was ended when he was unable to bat after injury at The Oval in 1938 - excluding that match but including the first two of 1946-47, Bradman made centuries in eight successive Tests in which he batted, all against England. Averaged 99.94 in Test cricket (the next-best over a significant career is Graeme Pollock's 60.97) and 95.14 in first-class cricket (next best: 71.22 by Vijay Merchant).
Steven Lynch is the editor of the Wisden Guide to International Cricket 2011.