Courage under fire

Often, in this bat-dominated modern age of cricket, it is very easy to lose sight of the fact that batsmen did have it tough on quite a few occasions in the past. For many years, playing on uncovered pitches after an overnight downpour was as challenging as it ever got. 'Sticky Dogs' as the pitches were referred to, were minefields that could be most unpredictable and surviving for an hour on them could be deemed as an achievement. There has been the rare occasion in the last twenty years when pitches have been as treacherous. A quality knock in these conditions has always been a stand-out feature on a batsman's resume. For many days, I have been pondering about those lesser-known, almost forgotten classics on dangerous pitches. The knocks may hardly carry the weight (in terms of runs) of a triple-century on a featherbed at Antigua or the SSC, but outlive them in memory simply because of the quality, guts, concentration and technique on display.

Here is a selection of a few of the finest such knocks. Of course, the list is hardly exhaustive and there is a significant possibility of missing out on a few gems.

1. Wally Hammond's 32 at the MCG in 1936-37: Now this match is far more renowned for Bradman's brilliant 270 and his 346-run sixth-wicket stand with Jack Fingleton, who made 136. But then, why would this 32 stand out? The match was played on a terrible MCG wicket which had turned into a 'sticky' after heavy rain. When Australia batted first, the wicket was normal and most batsmen managed to get off to good starts. England, who were up 2-0 in the series, had the upper hand at the end of day one when Australia finished 181 for 6. Overnight downpour, however, turned the match on its head. Australia's total was now more than useful. In Morris Sievers (fast medium), Bill O'Reilly(leg spin) and Chuck Fleetwood Smith (left arm chinaman), Australia had the ideal bowlers for the surface. Hammond batted beautifully for his 32, taking a few risks, and faced 88 balls, more than a third of what the England team managed (224 balls). He was out eventually to an extraordinary catch at short leg. Bradman, realising the demons in the pitch, promoted the tail-enders and came in to bat when the pitch was docile. The rest, as they say, is history!

2. Len Hutton's 30 at The Oval in 1948: Hutton, the Yorkshire classicist, had started his career with a bang, scoring 364 at The Oval in 1938 as England beat Australia by a massive innings and 579 runs. However, his superlative 30 out of a total of 52 against Lindwall, Miller and Johnston at the same venue ten years later easily ranks as one of his finest displays. England were being outplayed totally by Bradman's invincibles and trailed 3-0 going into the final Test at The Oval. Heavy rains had lashed the ground leaving the pitch completely unprepared. Lindwall was lethal and burst through the England middle order after lunch with 5 for 8 in eight overs. Hutton played a masterly knock dominated by a solid defence. He was the last man out to a leg side catch off Lindwall for 30 off 147 balls. In all, the entire England team managed to last a total of just 253 balls. The match though, is more famous for Bradman's duck in his final Test.

3. Len Hutton's 62 in Brisbane in 1950: Harold Pinter, the great English playwright once wrote a one-line poem that said "I saw Len Hutton in his prime. Another time, another time". The period just after the war must have been Hutton's prime. England had done well to restrict Australia to just 228 with Neil Harvey scoring 74. A storm left the ground inundated and play resumed only late on the third day. By now, the pitch was totally unpredictable and tested every aspect of a batsman's technique. England declared their innings at 68/7 in the hope of making Australia bat on the dangerous track. Australia were rocked by Alec Bedser and themselved declared at 32/7, the lowest ever a team has declared on. The target of 193, however, proved to be virtually impossible as England were reduced to 30/6. Hutton, who had been asked to bat lower down the order to provide stability, responded in a manner that left Australia stunned. With only the tail for company, he launched an assault on the bowling playing drives and lofting effortlessly. Neither the turn nor the bounce in the wicket fazed the great batsman as he kept producing superb shots. It was not to be, however, as the remaining two wickets fell. Hutton remained unbeaten on 62 in 90 minutes - perhaps one of the all-time great batting performances.

4. Brian Lara's 45 in Barbados in 1997: Lara took over the captaincy of West Indies after a period of turmoil. The home team had managed to score 298 with the help of Shivnarine Chanderpaul's century. India, led by Tendulkar's excellent 92, managed to eke out a small, but valuable lead of 21 on the surface. In the second innings, the pitch had turned into a minefield. Alternate balls skipped along the ground and bounced over the wicketkeeper. Even a moderate Indian attack was looking extremely dangerous. Lara, West Indies' solitary hope, brought out his repertoire of strokes and played a few gorgeous drives. He was fifth out with the total on 86. A few runs from the tail took the target to 120 which eventually proved more than enough on a Barbados pitch, which lived up to its reputation of being a result-oriented wicket.

5. VVS Laxman (69), Sachin Tendulkar (55) in Mumbai 2004: Led by Adam Gilchrist in the first three Tests, Australia had produced a stunning team performance to take an unassailable 2-0 lead going into the fourth Test in Mumbai. With humiliation staring them in the face, India responded by going for a wicket that was likely to turn square from ball one. And the wicket did not disappoint! India were bowled out for just 104 with Dravid standing amidst the ruins with 31. Australia, led by the in-form Damien Martyn, grabbed a lead of 99 which was massive in the circumstances. In India's second innings, Laxman and Tendulkar, who had both done little of note in the series (Tendulkar missed the first two Tests and Laxman had a poor run), combined to turn the match around. Tendulkar was more aggressive and pulled off high-quality shots against both the pacemen and spinners. He reached his half-century in just 62 balls and fell eventually for 55. Laxman gained in confidence soon and provided glimpses of his shot making during the immortal 281. The innings ended swiftly after Laxman fell but India had the runs on the board. On a wicket where 38 wickets fell in just two days, Australia fell short by 13 runs chasing 107.