Cricket as a sport has transcended well beyond generations and with every passing cycle of the game, the conditions have changed drastically. One can safely assert that the game was biased in favor of the bowlers till the beginning of the 21st century. In the 20th century, bowlers were the more dominant breed among cricketers as the circumstances were rarely in favor of batsmen.
Integral factors such as the nature of pitch, weather conditions and the absence of proper batting gear meant that batting against some feared pacers was far from an easy task. Among all though, the one major aspect that decimated the confidence of batsmen was the absence of any equipment to cover the pitch. As a result, weather such as heavy rainfall had a colossal impact upon the wicket and that was ultimately borne by the batsmen.
Nevertheless, the batsmen adjusted to such harsh measures by altering their game in an appropriate way. One such instance of the batting side adjusting to inclement conditions was set forward by the great man himself, Sir Donald Bradman. He put on a display of innovation during the 1936/37 Ashes in Australia.
This was Bradman’s first series as Australia’s Test skipper and the start was far from an ideal one. The hosts had been decimated in the first two games of the series and the third Test at Melbourne was set to be the ultimate one for them. The third Test got off not too convincingly for Australia as they were bundled out for a paltry 200.
The Aussie bowlers though fought back with immense determination to bundle out England for just 76. Despite gaining a 124-run lead, Bradman was far from being relaxed. The main reason behind that was the condition of the pitch. The 22-yard strip had been completely wet and batting was far from an easy task on such a treacherous wicket.
An innovative tactic from Bradman came to the fore as he reversed Australia’s batting order. As weird as it may sound but Australia’s number 10 and 11 in the first innings came out to open the innings! This was done as a measure to ensure that the wickets of the main batsmen were protected till the pitch eased out considerably.
Bradman, who batted at three in the first innings, came out to bat at 7. By then, the wicket had eased out and that allowed the run machine to put on a display of complete magic. Bradman went on to score a fluent 270 off just 375 deliveries and piled up misery for England. The move to reverse the batting order had been a major success as Australia cashed in to post a mammoth target of 689 for England. Bradman’s heroics were duly applauded by Wisden as it was rated as the greatest innings in the history of Test cricket.
England couldn’t do much in the fourth innings and were bowled out for 323, in pursuit of 689. The game though is most fondly be remembered for Bradman’s innovative strategy.