Highest score by a batsman in Australia vs England 'Ashes' test match. - Fast Cricket. Highest score by a batsman in Australia vs England 'Ashes' test match. Tag Ashes-Records When we talk Australia vs England test cricket, we rarely miss one name = Don Bradman, specially when our topic is related to batting. Over 60 years since this great right hander quit the game, with an average of 99.96 from 52 tests, his achievements continue to challenge modern day batters. But highest individual score by a batsman in Ashes test match is one important list of record Sir Donald Bradman comes second in.. behind Len Hutton who scored 364 from 847 balls at the Oval back in 1938, beating Bradman's 334 which was made 8 years and a month earlier. Bradman continued to play for over a decade since Len Hutton's record breaking innings, but got past double century only once.

Sir Leonard Hutton, a right handed batsman from Yorkshire, was just 21 year and few months old (and only a year old in International cricket) when he batted for over 13 hours to break the record for highest test score by a England batsman. 364 was the highest test match score by any batsman then, which was later broken by Sir Garfield Sobers of West Indies who went on to make 365. During his marathon innings, Hutton collected 382 runs with Maurice Leyland for the second wicket which still stands as the highest partnership for England against Australia. Len Hutton played 79 tests, made 6971 runs at an average of 56.67 with 19 century plus 33 fifties and also took 3 wickets with his leg spin bowling. Interestingly, Hutton wanted to be a footballer as a child but his father threw away his boot in fire and got him a cricket bat! Who are the other top scorers in Australia vs England test cricket?

following is a list of batsmen who have gone past double century in Ashes test matches over the years :- Highest scores Ashes test matches Batsman BBC SPORT | Cricket | Test Match Special | Stump the Bearded Wonder No 149 Stump the Bearded Wonder No 149 Bill Frindall, aka the Bearded Wonder, answers your latest batch of queries. Remember, the Test Match Special statistician is always on hand to help you out with your questions. And if you think you can catch him out, have a go! Fill in the form on the right-hand side of the page to stump the Bearded Wonder. Click here to visit Bill Frindall's website David, England (and others) Shiv Chanderpaul has just passed 1,000 minutes of uninterrupted batting in the current series. I believe he also holds the world record for this feat, when he batted for 1,500 uninterrupted minutes back in 2002. Is this true?

Yes, Chanderpaul holds the Test record for the longest time between dismissals with 1513 minutes (25 hours, 13 minutes) during West Indies' home series against India in April/May 2002. He is alone in batting for 1,000 minutes without being out in Tests on more than one occasion. Besides the 1,074 minutes he endured against England in the recent series, he batted for 1,031 minutes against Bangladesh (Kingston) and England (Lord's and Birmingham) in 2004. David Ford, Co Meath, Ireland How many times has the first ball of a Test match taken a wicket as Ryan Sidebottom did at the Riverside? I was there on that Saturday and, having sat through all the rain delays, I'm interested to know just how unusual that first ball dismissal was. The instance you witnessed was the 26th in 1,836 Test matches.

Daren Ganga was the 23rd batsman to be dismissed by the first ball of a Test, Hannan Sarkar (Bangladesh) having suffered that fate on three occasions, while Sunil Gavaskar did so twice. Sidebottom is only the third England bowler to achieve this feat, after Maurice Tate (v Australia at Leeds in 1926) and Geoff Arnold (v India at Birmingham in 1974 and v New Zealand at Christchurch in 1974-75). Neil Bayley, England Matt Prior scored 324 runs in the recent Test series. Over a four-Test rubber, is this the highest tally from an England keeper? What is the highest number of runs scored by an England keeper in any series? No, the four-match record belongs to Les Ames of Kent who scored 417 runs against West Indies in 1929-30. Surrey's Alec Stewart (465 runs against South Africa in 1998) holds the record for the highest aggregate by an England wicket-keeper in any series.

David, Andy and James, England On the subject of Test player's numbers, you mentioned that Steve Harmison was No. 611. How would the first England team's numbers be decided? Eleven number 1's? The numbering of Test cricketers by order of appearance is a very recent idea. When more than one player makes his debut in the same match, the numbers are allocated alphabetically. Compilers of England's numbers began with the inaugural Test (against Australia at Melbourne in March 1877). Thomas Armitage was given number 1. George Ulyett ended the alphabetical list for that team and became number 11. Jack Locke, West Glamorgan Please could you tell me when eight-ball overs were last used in Test cricket? Eight-ball overs were last used at Test level in 1978-79 in Australia and New Zealand.

Australia employed eight-ball overs in 1924-25 and from 1936-37 to 1978-79 inclusive, South Africa from 1938-39 to 1957-58, New Zealand from 1968-69 to 1978-79, and Pakistan from 1974-75 to 1977-78. England used them in 1939 as part of a two-year experiment ended by the War. West Indies, India, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh have used only six-ball overs in home Tests. Carey Clements, New Zealand Is Doris (Dot) Bailey the oldest current living women's Test cricketer? She was born on 6 December 1916 in Wellington, NZ. She played her only Test against England at Eden Park in 1949. If she is, then that would give Wellington and NZ a unique double as Eric Tindill is the current oldest-living Test cricketer at 96 not out. Sadly, I cannot confirm that your 'Dot' Bailey is the oldest surviving female Test cricketer.

Incidentally, WCA records list her as Doreen Bailey (nee Hatcher). Records of some of the early players are a little sketchy as can be seen from the Register in Volume III of the 2000 edition of my Wisden Book of Test Cricket. There are three England and four Australian players who were born prior to December 1916 and who may still be with us. I can confirm that Eric Tindill (96), born in Nelson on 18 December 1910, is the oldest living male Test cricketer. Jake Emmerson (age 10), England My dad has taught me to score like you do and I have already been promoted to scorer for my local 1st team who play in the Cheshire County League (but I have to use a standard scorebook). Could you tell me what entry I make if a bowler bowls a no-ball which goes for two byes (or leg-byes)? Is it recorded as, say, three no-balls, or one no-ball and two byes? And is the bowler then debited with bowling three no-balls, or just one? Well done, Jake. I began my scoring career at your age.

At last I have a successor! No-balls and wides take precedence over both sorts of byes. Byes and leg-byes scored off no-balls all count as no-balls and all are debited to the bowler's analysis. Adam White, England Did Mike Gatting once have bowling figures of 4-2-2-4 (four overs with two maidens and four wickets for two runs)? I'm sure he did in the late '80s or early '90s but my mate says not, there is ï¿½5 riding on the outcome. You win the fiver, Adam, although you have the overs and maidens wrong. Against Kent at Lord's in 1990, Gatting returned the remarkable analysis of 2-1-2-4, reducing their second innings from 265-6 to 265 all out. He bowled S.A.Marsh and C.Penn, had T.A.Merrick caught and trapped R.P.Davis lbw. He also contributed 58 and 87 not out to an eight-wicket victory. Ian Richardson, England Has a cricket match ever been won after a side has been forced to follow on?

It has happened three times in Test matches and nearly 100 times in first-class cricket. Introduced in 1835, the first follow-on law compelled a side 100 or more runs in arrears on first innings to follow its innings on. The margin was reduced to 80 runs in 1854 and raised to 120 in 1895. MCC established the current law in 1900, making enforcement optional and decreeing the following margins: five or more days - 200 runs; three or four days - 150; two days - 100; one day - 75. The first two Test match instances involved England beating Australia, by 10 runs at Sydney in 1894-95 and by 12 runs at Leeds in 1981. The most recent occurred at Calcutta in 2000-01 when India (171 and 657-7 dec) beat Australia (445 and 212) by 171 runs.

The most recent first-class instance happened at Hobart in 2005-06 when Victoria (167 and 394) beat Tasmania (347 and 105) by 109 runs. Nick, England Graeme Hick recently became the 16th player to score over 40,000 first class runs. Who are the other 15 and how many first-class runs did they each score?

In descending aggregate order they are: J.B.Hobbs 61,237; F.E.Woolley 58,969; E.H.Hendren 57,611; C.P.Mead 55,061; W.G.Grace 54,896; W.R.Hammond 50,551; H.Sutcliffe 50,138; G.Boycott 48,426; T.W.Graveney 47,793; G.A.Gooch 44,846; T.W.Hayward 43,551; D.L.Amiss 43,423; M.C.Cowdrey 42,719; A.Sandham 41,284; L.Hutton 40,140 and G.A.Hick 40,000 (up to July 2007).

Big Pete, Australia In the 1979-80 Pakistan v Australia series, 2nd Test in Faisalabad, all 11 Australian players, including wicket-keeper Rod Marsh, bowled in Pakistan's only innings. Is there any other instance of this occurring in Test cricket? That was the second of four instances of an entire eleven bowling in a Test innings. England, led by Lord Harris, provided the first instance, against Australia at The Oval in 1884. The most recent two occurred against West Indies at St John's, Antigua, and featured India (May 2002) and South Africa (May 2005). Lauren, England Which English cricketer has scored the most runs in a single innings for his country? Sir Leonard Hutton has held that record for almost 69 years with the 364 he scored against Australia at Kennington Oval on 20, 22, 23 August 1938. He batted for 797 minutes (13 hours, 17 minutes), faced 844 balls and hit 35 fours.

England scored 903 for 7 declared and won the match by an innings and 579 runs. Highest individual score by a batsman in test match cricket - Fast Cricket. Highest individual score by a batsman in test match cricket Tag Cricket Records Sachin Tendulkar may own the record of the batsman with most runs in test cricket (and in onedayers), Brain Lara, former West Indian artist with bat, will take heart from his highest score by a batsman in an innings which he owned for 9 years before Mathew Hayden broke it. 6 months since Hayden's hurricane against Zimbabweans, at same Venue (Recreation ground in Antigua) and against same opposition (England), Brain Lara snatched back his phenomenal record, scoring the first and only 400 in test match cricket till today. Drawback : Not that Brain Lara's record can't be broken today, but modern day batters have lost the patience with loads of ODI & T20 cricket played around the world and also the teams have become more result oriented than in Lara's days whose best test match score didn't fetch a win for his team (England earned a draw!).

Capables : Virendra Sehwag of India and Chris Gayle of West Indies who like to play their shots when most batsman like to defend in test cricket. Note : Double centuries may won a batsman a test match for his country, but not a place in elite list below, which comprises only 300s. Note : There have been 10 countries to play test cricket. Highest scores by batsman from West Indies, Australia, Sri Lanka, England, Pakistan, New Zealand and India feature in list below. Now among remaining teams, highest test match score by a Zimbabwe batsman is by David Houghton = 266 against Sri Lanka at Bulawayo in October 1994 while top test score by a Bangladesh batsman is 206 by Tamim Iqbal against Pakistan in 2015. (Mushfiqur Rahim has the only other double century for the country = 200*).

Highest Individual scores by a batsman in test matches Batsman (Country) Jan 1991 Record Holders : Highest test score was first owned by CG Bannerman who made 165 in that first ever test match between England and Australia in year 1877. Then, WL Murdoch of Australia broke the record in 1884 with his 211 and in process became the first batsman to score a double century in test cricket. Robert Foster took away the record with his 287 against Australia in 1903, before it was broken by A Sandham's first ever triple century = 325. WR Hammond, L Hutton and Gary Sobers held the record for highest test match score before Brain Lara broke Gary Sober's 36 years old record in 1994 with his 375 before making 400, taking record back from Mathew Hayden who held it for just 6 months! FastCricket welcomes your feedback : England v Australia, T20 head to head match results & Records. They played the first ever official cricket test match, as well as the first one day International.

They are, Australia and England but no, they didn't play the first ever T20I.. It was the second T20 International overall that brought England and Australia against each other in this shortest format, Australia v South Africa T20 head to head match results & records. It's quite easy to predict that Australia and England have played the most number of test matches (weren't they the pioneers of game of cricket?), locking horns well over 300 times until Ashes resumes in 2017 but that's the oldest format. Which two teams have played most number of T20 India v Pakistan T20 all match results & head to head records. In the days gone by, truth be told, Pakistan got the better of arch-rivals India on cricket field a regular basis, most of them at home and in Sharjah. This is clearly reflected when we see Indo-pak test head to head and green team's dominance is even more evident in List of T20 World cup winners & all team win/loss summary. Merely a look at all team test summary shows Australia have been the best team of longest format over the years.

Even the list of ODI summary and ODI world cup summary proves that Aussies have dominated in fifty over format more than any other team but story is quite India v Sri Lanka T20 head to head : All match results. India and Sri Lanka are like two neighbouring kids who just jump over the dotted sea and play whenever they can. I remember here at FastCricket we've talked about overdose of India SL cricket several times but recently as cricket schedule has become busier than ever before, these two best Sir Donald Bradman | Australia Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo August 27, 1908 Small town, big boy Donald George Bradman is born in the small country town of Cootamundra in New South Wales 1920 High school, high score Scores his first century, aged 12, for the Bowral Intermediate High School, but gets in trouble from the headmaster for leaving a bat behind 1925 O'Reilly gets a taste of the future Starts playing regularly for Bowral and collects 234 against Wingello, a team which includes Bill O'Reilly, the future Australian legspinning great.

Later in the summer he picks up 300 against Moss Vale, finishing the season with 1318 runs at 101.3 « Prev Showing 2 of 11 Next » 1930 Raining runs - Part I A never-to-be-repeated flood of runs on his first tour to England. By the end of the five Tests he has 974, including a world record 334 at Headingley, 254 at Lord's, 232 at The Oval and 131 at Trent Bridge . Beginning with 236 at Worcester, he has 1000 runs by the end of May and finishes with 2690, the most by any Australian batsman in a season 1931 Officially the best Named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year for his performances in England the previous summer. In August an offer arrives to play in the Lancashire League for Accrington, which is increased to £600 per season.

He rejects it, signing a combined newspaper-radio contract to secure his welfare during the harsh economic times 1931-32 Raining runs - Part II In his most successful home Test season, he scores 226, 112, 2, 167 and 299* against South Africa, but does not bat in the final Test because of a twisted ankle. In the same summer he thrashes 256 in a second-class fixture against a team from Lithgow, including taking 100 runs in three eight-ball overs « Prev Showing 3 of 11 Next » April 30, 1932 Finally, a match for Bradman Marries Jessie Menzies in Sydney and she accompanies him on a tour of the United States and Canada with a team arranged by Arthur Mailey, the former Australia legspinner. Bradman meets Babe Ruth at a Yankees game 1932-33 It's just not cricket Jardine's Bodyline almost halves Bradman's average - he managed 56.57 per innings - and is a success as England win the series 4-1.

Bradman misses the first Test with illness and falls first ball on his return in Melbourne, before raising his only century, 103 not out, in the second innings 1934 More records, and an illness In February he moves from New South Wales to South Australia, where he joins the stockbroking firm of Harry Hodgett's, a Board of Control board member. Chosen as vice-captain under Bill Woodfull for the 1934 England tour, Bradman repeats his Leeds triple-century of four years earlier, producing 304 , and earns a world-record partnership for the second wicket - Ponsford 226; Bradman 244 - at The Oval . Shortly before catching the boat home, he is diagnosed with appendicitis and is operated on immediately. Making a slow recovery, he misses the entire 1934-35 summer in Australia « Prev Showing 4 of 11 Next » 1935-36 Sheffield glory In his first season at South Australia he captains the undefeated team to the Sheffield Shield.

There were two triple-centuries that summer, 357 against Victoria , and 369 against Tasmania 1936-37 Captain, selector, winner After becoming a national selector, Bradman experiences his first Test series as captain and loses the first two games against England. Scores of 270, 212 and 169 help win the next three fixtures - and the series. The sequence also ends the calls for Victor Richardson to become the country's leader 1938 On the wrong side of a record Finally there are some world records against Bradman. At The Oval Len Hutton posts 364 as England reach 903 for 7 in the final Test. In a rare bowling appearance, Bradman slips in a foothole and breaks a bone in his ankle, ending his tour. The four-game series is drawn 1-1, but Australia retain the Ashes « Prev Showing 5 of 11 Next » 1938-39 Squash? Win it, leave it Playing for South Australia, he equals CB Fry's world record for six successive first-class centuries.

Showing his many skills, he wins the South Australian squash championship and never plays another competitive game 1939-40 War days Enlists with the RAAF as a member of the air crew, but due to his age heads to the army instead. While there, he is diagnosed with fibrositis and the condition becomes so bad he can't lift his right arm. He recovers slowly after a long period of rest. Three years after his first son dies shortly after birth, his second son John arrives in 1939. Daughter Shirley comes two years later 1945-46 End of a great career? Suffers another bout of fibrositis and does not expect to play cricket again « Prev Showing 6 of 11 Next » 1946-47 Doctors be damned Defying the opinions of his doctors, Bradman returns to action and convinces himself he is ready for the Test series against England. The decision is justified in the first game with 187 in Brisbane, which he follows with 234 in the next match in Sydney .

His partnership of 405 with Sid Barnes is a world record for the fifth wicket 1947-48 A hundred times a hundred Brings up his 100th first-class century against the touring Indians, reaching 172 at the SCG . By the end of the Test series he has 204 hundreds. Before the final match he signals his intent to retire after the 1948 tour 1948 Invincible at 40 Turning 40 during the trip, he leads the Invincibles to an undefeated tour of England and takes 173 not out in the world-record chase in the fourth Test in Leeds. In the next match at The Oval his fourth-ball duck leaves him with an average of 99.94 « Prev Showing 7 of 11 Next » January 1, 1949 The announcement comes that he will be knighted for his services to cricket September 13, 1960 Giving back Elected chairman of the Australian Board of Control and holds the position for one three-year term, repeating the assignment in September 1969.

He is part of the board from September 1945 to 1979 February 1963 Relief for bowlers Bats for the final time in a match, entering at No. 5 and making 4 for the Prime Minister's XI against England in Canberra « Prev Showing 8 of 11 Next » February 1971 Another innings ends Retires from role as Australian selector, a position held since 1936-37, apart from a couple of years in the early 1950s when his son John was sick with polio January 5, 1974 Attends the opening of the Bradman Stand at the Sydney Cricket Ground 1987 A man and his museum The Bradman Museum Trust forms and two years later Bradman is at the pavilion opening.

It is next to Bradman Oval, which is across the road from his childhood home « Prev Showing 9 of 11 Next » 1996 Inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame at the Melbourne Cricket Ground 2000 All-time best Named one of Wisden's five Cricketers of the Century alongside Jack Hobbs, Viv Richards, Garry Sobers and Shane Warne September 14, 1997 Commentators in cricket history – 2: BBC’s Howard Marshall - Cricket Country By Arunabha Sengupta | Updated : September 14, 2014 5:34 PM IST Len Hutton (left) broke Don Bradman’s highest individual Test score in the Ashes Test at The Oval in 1953. According to many it is not an exaggeration to say that without the voice of Howard Marshall (inset), Hutton’s 364 could never have become so famous.

The entire nation was hooked on to Howard’s baritone voice when Hutton got to the magical mark © Getty Images Howard Marshall, along with BBC director Seymour de Lotbinière, formed the equivalent of Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe in the art of cricket commentary, setting the tone and benchmarks that would be followed by BBC and Test Match Special for years to come. In the second part of the series on broadcasters, Arunabha Sengupta replays the first popular English voice of ball by ball commentary. The full score – cricket versus piano There was a time when Howard Marshall, and the engineers with their paraphernalia, were not allowed inside the hallowed precincts of the Lord’s cricket ground. But, radio bordered on the entertainment industry, and as per the old tenet, the show had to go on. So, they used to go around the corner to a house in Grove End Road, belonging to pianist Harold Craxton. Boasting a musicians’ gallery, the house was perhaps chosen jointly by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) as a suitable point for summarising the action at Lord’s. However, it led to offbeat conflicts as well.

In Radio Times, Marshall recalls, “Stumps had just been drawn at the end of a Test match and I rushed to (the house) to give an account of the play. A microphone had been installed there in the window of a semi-basement room, and just as the red light was about to come on, we heard, with startling clarity, the tinkle of a piano in the room above. Someone was practising scales with the utmost vigour, and essential though scales may be in a musical education, they form an odd background to a cricket commentary. It was zero hour, though, and I had to begin my talk while one of the engineers went upstairs to silence the piano. I must admit that the scales were a little distracting. “La-la-la-la-la-la-LA!” they went, with a triumphant thump on the last note, but suddenly, abruptly, they ceased. …The engineer had done his job, either by peaceful persuasion or by a show of force.

Anyway, I could now concentrate on cricket.” Howard and Lobby It took another couple of years, but by 1934, Marshall was back inside the ground, in a room at the top of the old Tavern, with Wendell Bill at his side to send back his cables to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) for their synthetic broadcasts. His minor brush with trouble came when he went overboard describing the skill of Bill O’Reilly during the Lord’s Test of 1934, parodying the old song, “As for O’Reilly you value so highly, Gorblimey O’Reilly, you are bowling well.” BBC received some 300 letters complaining against the use of the word ‘Gorblimey’, but it just went on to show how popular his broadcasts had become. Marshall’s job was mostly to give ten minute summaries and some rare running commentaries when the phases of games turned extremely interesting. Till then, it was a widely held belief in England that ball-by-ball commentary would never work for a game as slow as cricket. It was left to a visionary to prove otherwise.

Six foot eight inch Seymour de Lotbinière, Lobby to his friends, took over as the Head of BBC Outside Broadcasts in 1935. A qualified solicitor, he turned his analytical mind and energies to making BBC an even more enjoyable experience for a public who relished a sporting life. Within a year, he pioneered an Isle wide coverage of sports, including soccer, rugby, tennis, golf, horse and greyhound racing as well as cricket. And to give his vision shape, he chose Howard Marshall as his instrument, changing the habits of the cricket-lovers forever. Marshall had been a club level cricketer and a rugby Blue at Oxford who had also trained as a journalist. In him Lotbinière had detected the great asset of a conversational style of broadcasting during an era when even interviews ran to prepared script. Soon, Marshall became the first choice for ball by ball commentary, covering cricket matches across the length and breadth of the country. For a long time, Marshall operated alone, with just an engineer in tow, without even a scorer to back him up. No Test cricketer hovered around him, pitching in with their insights.

Hence in the surviving tapes we hear the score somewhat seldom; often one is not informed that Hedley Verity bowled left arm slow; and can find out how much the ball was turning only from the old newspaper reports. However, where the commentary succeeded was in the general mien. Throughout there was an air of expectation and the drama of a great cricket match. The style was pleasant, like a friend speaking to a friend, and the voice, a truly mellifluous one. The acid test of his genius was his ability to maintain interest of listeners irrespective of how exciting the cricket was in the middle. Describing history By the late 1930s, Lotbinière, in collaboration with Marshall, had worked out a technique for radio commentary which has been diligently followed by all the later luminaries of Test Match Special. Marshall, in fact, introduced the standard trick of the trade of being just ahead of the stroke. Breaking off to broadcast the coronation of King George VI in 1937, he returned to the box for the 1938 Ashes series, perhaps the highlight of his career of commentating on cricket. His voice rang far and wide, winning thousands of admirers in Australia.

There were letters from Down Under in which fans described how much they missed his voice when the Manchester Test was washed out. The poise and neutrality of his broadcasts were a marvel to many. When he showed a minute bit of emotion at the dismissal of Stan McCabe, Glasgow Herald wrote, “Mr Howard Marshall very successfully dispelled one false impression … that if Bradman himself dropped dead at the wicket, (he) would not allow even such a shocking happening as this to betray him into raising his voice or indicating anything untoward has happened. When Mr. Marshall came on at 2.20 on Saturday he was describing an over by Farnes to McCabe, and the beautiful voice went easily on, soothing as sunshine to a holidaymaker taking it easy in a deck chair after a good lunch. And then there was a fearful shout as if Mr. Marshall had swallowed his tonsils. ‘He’s out.’” At the decider at Oval, the nation and the Empire tuned in to Marshall’s commentary . According to many it is not an exaggeration to say that without the voice, Len Hutton’s 364 could never have become so famous.

This is how the first master of cricket commentary described Hutton’s world record: “Here’s Fleetwood-Smith again. Ah, there we are, there’s the record. Round the corner, and it’s going for four down here, I don’t think Hassett can possibly cut it off. Ah well, that’s gone for four. And that is the record. The highest score ever made by an individual in any kind of Test match. It’s beaten Bradman’s record in England/Australia series, he’s beaten Hammond’s record in all kinds of Test matches and, there we are, he’s on top of the world and the heartiest possible congratulations to him.” Hanging up his microphone Marshall went on to become the Director of War Reporting during the Second World War and a war correspondent. He famously broadcast from a Normandy beach immediately after the D-Day landings. He resumed cricket commentary for the victory Tests of 1945, but by the time real Test cricket had resumed, he had moved on to grander things, culminating perhaps in collaboration with John Arlott during the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

He worked as a Director of Personnel and Public Relations in the steel industry, wrote several books on sport, housing and exploration, and also co-found the fishing magazines Angling Times and Trout and Salmon. Yet, his lasting fame remains as the pioneering cricket commentator. Of him, Arlott later said, “He was eminently suited to cricket: he had a deep, warm, unhurried voice, a respect for the hard news of event, and a friendly feeling towards the men who played the game.” Brian Johnston recalled in It’s Been a lot of Fun, “His slow, deep, burbling voice came through loud and clear… I think it’s fair to say that of all the pre-war commentators, he would be the only one totally acceptable today, so good was his technique and his knowledge of cricket.” The most fitting tribute perhaps came from poet Edmund Blunden: “And then on the air, Mr Howard Marshall makes every ball bowled, every shifting of a fieldsman so fertile with meaning that any wireless set may make a subtle cricket student of anybody.” ( Arunabha Sengupta is a cricket historian and Chief Cricket Writer at CricketCountry.

He writes about the history and the romance of the game, punctuated often by opinions about modern day cricket, while his post-graduate degree in statistics peeps through in occasional analytical pieces. The author of three novels, he can be followed on Twitter at ) Ashes 1938: Len Hutton 364; England 903 for 7 at The Oval - Cricket Country › Series › The Ashes 1938 (Australia in England) › Articles Ashes 1938: Len Hutton 364; England 903 for 7 at The Oval Len Hutton's was a marathon batting performance that eventually culminated in one of the most one-sided Tests ever. By Abhishek Mukherjee | Updated : August 9, 2016 8:35 PM IST Groundsman ‘Bosser’ Martin with his roller, standing in front of a scoreboard displaying England’s final score in the fifth Test of the 1938 Ashes at The Oval © Getty Images A gazillion records tumbled as England’s three-day batting marathon ended on August 23, 1938.

Abhishek Mukherjee looks back at a marathon batting performance that eventually culminated in one of the most one-sided Tests ever. There is a general notion that Test matches that do not favour the batsmen are ‘bad’. Few pitches, however, have produced cricket as dull as the pitch at The Oval did in the 1938 Test. It was not about the batsmen scoring runs; nor was it the fact that they did not get out: it was more about the fact that they did not even seem to be getting out. It must be remembered that the Australians had, in their line-up, an all-time great in the form of Bill O’Reilly, and a more than competent ‘Chuck’ Fleetwood-Smith to back him up. They were a good fielding side to boot. Despite the fact that they had lacked a quality seamer, it was ridiculous that England would be able to take their score past 900 and would lose only seven wickets in eight sessions of batting. Whatever it wasn’t, was attractive cricket. And it certainly was not a good wicket.

It was, however, a statistician’s delight, and more importantly, an Englishman’s delight as Australia were finally given the most emphatic drubbing in the history of the sport. The build-up Australia had retained the 1936-37 Ashes almost miraculously — they still remain the only side to have won a series after being down 0-2. When Don Bradman brought his team to England in 1938 there was obviously talks of ‘revenge’, after that heart-breaking 2-3 defeat. England began emphatically on a flat track Trent Bridge, with Eddie Paynter scoring 216 not out — a new Ashes record by an Englishman at home — and three others going past the hundred-mark. After England declared at 658 for 8, Stan McCabe played an outrageous innings of 232 in 277 balls that could not help Australia avoid the follow-on. Bradman then scored his customary hundred (his fourth in 4 Tests — equalling his own world record), the Test was saved, and all was well with the world.

Come Lord’s, and Hammond lit up the hallowed turf with 240 of the most elegant runs one would ever see going past Paynter’s record in the previous Test. In response Bill Brown carried his bat with a 206 (Bradman scored his fifth hundred in five Tests, creating a new world record), and at stumps on Day Five, Australia had reached 204 for 6 chasing 315. The third Test at Old Trafford was washed off without a ball being bowled, though it has successfully etched its name in history by being the only Test whose events have coincided exactly with an Alfred Hitchcock movie . Australia now needed to win one of the two remaining Test to retain the Ashes, which was difficult to achieve given the fact that no team had been bowled out for below 400 in the series till then. Enter O’Reilly. The champion picked up 5 for 66 and 5 for 56 to rout England with excellent support from Fleetwood-Smith, who finished with 3 for 73 and 5 for 56. Of course, all that was supported by Bradman’s sixth hundred in six Tests .

The tourists eventually survived a Doug Wright scare and ended up winning by five wickets. With the Ashes already conceded, England made three changes to their side, bringing back a 22-year-old youth from Pudsey called Len Hutton with five Tests under his belt; the experienced Les Ames; and the reliable Maurice Leyland. Out went Charlie Barnett, Fred Price, and an injured Doug Wright. At the last moment, however, Ames picked up an injury as well, making way for the Yorkshireman Arthur Wood, who made his Test debut five days before he turned 40. He was the fifth Yorkshire player of the side, and between them they went on to score 612 runs and pick up 10 wickets. Wood was obviously excited at this unexpected reward that had come so late in his career: under the impression that it could well be his last Test, he took a taxi straight from Leeds to The Oval. “Not bad for a professional cricketer then earning some £200 or 300 a year,” Compton later exclaimed. Australia had no option but to leave out their spearhead Ernie McCormick who had been diagnosed with neuritis in the shoulder.

Bradman filled his side with seven batsmen along with a wicket-keeper, which meant that they went in with only three specialist bowlers in the form of O’Reilly, Fleetwood-Smith, and the medium pacer Mervyn Waite, who gone wicketless in his debut at Headingley. To pack their side with more batsmen Bradman also brought in a debutant — a 22-year old from Sydney called Sid Barnes. The pitch was a belter to suit the timeless Test.The wicket seemed absolutely lifeless, and Bradman’s face possibly dropped when he lost the toss for the fourth consecutive time in the series: Hammond had decided to bat. Day One: Hutton and Leyland scale new heights The pitch was so flat that it was not a surprise that England scored 347 for 1 on Day One. What was surprising that they had actually lost a wicket. Bradman had brought on O’Reilly after a few innocuous overs from Waite and McCabe: ‘Tiger’ responded immediately, trapping Bill Edrich leg-before for a 59-ball 12. England were 29 for one as Leyland walked out. It was a surreal spectacle.

The 22-year-old was trying to make a mark in Tests whereas his 38-year-old Yorkshire teammate was making a comeback since the previous Ashes a year and a half back. The two men, almost a generation apart, would use the Ashes as a platform to set up one of the biggest partnerships of all time. Don Bradman (left) watches as Wally Hammond tosses the coin ahead of play on Day One © Getty Images Hutton saw it as a chance to make a mark in the international arena; Leyland saw it as an opportunity to sign off from cricket in style. Hutton was an accumulator by nature, an epitome of concentration who was possibly born to bat on for hours. Leyland, despite his natural combative self, was a sound strokeplayer; but on that day the two of them batted in unison with a single-minded mission in mind — to bat Australia out of the Test. They crawled to 89 for 1 at lunch. Leyland took his time to settle in, but Hutton was on another plane.

Barnett could not gather a ball when Hutton had stepped out to hit Fleetwood-Smith: he was 40 then.Hutton shut out his mind against strokeplay subsequently and decided to grind in. “Poor Ben missed it and was never allowed to forget the fact,” Denis Compton sympathised later. Despite a 45-minute handicap Leyland caught up with Hutton and they scored their individual fifties almost at the same time: Leyland in 110 balls and 94 minutes, and Hutton in 173 balls and 142 minutes. The torture, however, had just begun. On reaching his fifty Leyland began to open up, playing the booming drives and fierce pulls that so characterised his batting. By the time Bradman realised he had erred in going into the Test a bowler short it was too late. Fleetwood-Smith’s ineffectiveness meant that O’Reilly had to be bowled and to be preserved. He tried the leg-breaks of the eager Barnes, but it did not change the mindset of the batsmen. They simply batted on.

Hutton reached his hundred first in 254 balls and 212 minutes, equalling his highest score. Leyland followed soon, reaching the landmark in 218 balls and 202 minutes. A rare chance came after almost five hours of cricket: with his feet tired after almost a day’s batting Leyland fell short of the crease while attempting a single. Waite, however, disturbed the bails in eagerness before Jack Badcock’s throw came in. Barring the two mishaps they had generally been sharp on the field. Wisden wrote: “Although both the England batsmen scored numerous singles on the off side Australia gave a superb display in the field, Bradman inspiring the team with his fast running and clean picking-up.” Hutton reached his 150 in 362 balls and 331 minutes; Leyland was there shortly afterwards, after batting for 331 balls and 299 minutes. They still carried on relentlessly, and at stumps Hutton was on 160 and Leyland on 156: they had added 318 in even time; England were 347 for 1.

The Australian shoulders had started to drop already. They had already set a new Test record partnership for two batsmen coming from the same state side: Table 1: Highest partnerships for same domestic side members Record 576 Bloomfield Providence had not gone their way. To quote Wisden, “A curiosity of the day’s cricket was that four times a no-ball led either to the wicket being hit or the ball being caught.” Day Two: Hutton carries on after Leyland’s departure Rain delayed the start by 25 minutes after the rest day. The downpour, however, somehow managed to improve the wicket rather than deteriorate it. The duo started off from where they had taken off the previous evening and almost immediately set up a new world record partnership for any wicket against Australia.

Table 2: Highest partnerships against Australia Record 1968-69 258 Cardus had complained during one of the intervals to the veteran batsman: “Even you, Maurice, even you won’t hit the ball and give us some cricket.” The response, as always, was prompt and tongue-in-cheek: “Hey, wait a minute, Mr Cardus, wait a minute — tha’ must remember that ah’m playing for me place in team!” If there was one batsman Bradman did not want to see at 411 for 2 it was probably Hammond. The English captain walked out and went into an uncharacteristic defensive shell almost immediately and saw Hutton reach his double-hundred in 516 balls and 468 minutes. Hutton went past the record set by Hammond at Lord’s: he still holds the record.

After taking 12 runs off a Fleetwood-Smith over Hammond suddenly went into a shell; it took him 117 balls and 111 minutes to reach his fifty; he got uncharacteristically stagnant, not hitting a single boundary in his last two hours before he was trapped leg-before by Fleetwood-Smith for a 153-ball 59. The pair had added 135 in 141 minutes, and Hutton was already past 250, a landmark that had taken him 616 balls and 563 minutes. During their wait for close to two days Paynter had told Compton: “Denis, I bet you a pound you and I don’t make ten between us!” Compton accepted the bet. Paynter eventually walked out, completely exhausted from waiting with his pads on. He misjudged a leg-break from O’Reilly and was trapped leg-before for a duck. Compton recalled what followed: “A minute or two later I had been bowled by, of all people, Mervyn Waite, for 1. I purposely say ‘Mervyn Waite of all people’.

You see, this was the only wicket he took in his Test career and he became so proud of his achievement that to this day every time I have arrived in Australia or he in England, he rings me to arrange to buy me a ‘thank-you’ drink.” Compton fell for one, lost the bet, and England had suddenly lost 3 for 9 in 18 minutes, sliding from an acceptable 546 for 2 to a deplorable 555 for 5. Joe Hardstaff jr, the son of Joe Hardstaff sr and the father of Joe Hardstaff (probably the only three First-Class cricketers in a lineage full of many other Joe Hardstaffs) joined Hutton. Len Hutton goes about his innings, breaking multiple records on the way © Getty Images Hutton soon surpassed his highest First-Class score of 271, and still seemed relentlessly hungry for more runs. He found the perfect partner in Hardstaff. His concentration did not waver for a single moment: “I soon realised that Len could play the type of innings that was foreign to my nature.

I could not have batted that length of time without having a number of rushes of blood, but he just ground on, unwilling to break his concentration even for one ball,” Compton commented later. With his concentration never deserting him Hutton eventually went on to register the highest score by anyone against Australia: Table 5: Highest score against Australia Batsman 364 847 Do note that the number of balls faced by Hanif Mohammad in the above innings is not known. He kept going, thanks to the consistent encouragement from Hammond and his Yorkshire teammates, Bill Bowes and Hedley Verity, during the intervals. “In the end they were keener on Len attempting to beat Don’s record [of the highest Ashes score] than he was,” Compton later recalled. Hutton reached his 300 from 718 balls and 662 minutes just before stumps on Day Two. He went to the pavilion unbeaten on that score with Hardstaff on 40. England were 634 for 5.

Hutton later recollected that he was beginning to feel tired when on 250; Leyland had probably anticipated the excitement and anticipation might give the youngster a sleepless night and had recommended the young teetotaller a port and a Guinness. It did Hutton absolutely no good as he tossed and turned with visions of O’Reilly haunting him through the night. While discussing that night Hutton said: “I could not shut out of my mind the thought of his charging up, ball after ball, as he always did, as though he was going to eat me. My, how that man hated batsmen. What a great competitive bowler. I’ve never played against a better.” Day Three: Records tumble O’Reilly began proceedings (“still breathing fire and brimstone as he galloped in”, Hutton later recalled) next morning, determined to stop Hutton from reaching the landmark. Bradman stood right in front of him at silly mid-off, inching closer with every passing ball, determined to lure Hutton into a false stroke. The body language was aggressive enough to suggest that the visitors were on top. They seemed completely unfazed by the fact that they had been thoroughly outplayed by the hosts for two days.

England soon reached 655, which meant that Hutton had been a part of three century partnerships in a single innings. In doing so he became only the fourth batsman in history to achieve this feat. Table 8: Three hundred-partnerships by the same batsman in an innings Batsman 6 215 Several batsmen have achieved this since Hutton. However, do note that Hutton was the first to do it on English soil, and Hanif Mohammad later went on to have four hundred-partnerships in the innings mentioned above, with Imtiaz Ahmed, Alimuddin, Saeed Ahmed, and Wazir Mohammad. This remains a unique feat. Hutton went on and past the 330-mark. The entire stadium, full of 30,000-odd spectators waited with bated breath as he inched on towards the landmark. Two more runs happened – he was now only two short of Bradman’s 334.The first 75 minutes of the morning had yielded only 32 runs for Hutton.

Hutton late-cut one from Fleetwood-Smith but Hardstaff sent him back and walked up to Hutton after the ball with the words “no, you don’t, it’s not worth taking a risk now.” In Len Hutton Remembered, Donald Trelford recollected the exact words said by Howard Marshall during this phase: “The gasometer sinking lower and lower as here comes Fleetwood-Smith running up to bowl. He bowls, and Hutton get a short one. Hutton forces it past silly mid-off where Bradman’s fielding; yes, it is Bradman crouching at silly mid-off. Now here’s Fleetwood-Smith in again to Hutton. Hutton hits him. Oh, beautiful stroke, that’s the record! Well, that was the most lovely stroke, a late-cut, off Fleetwood Smith’s leg-break, which absolutely flashed to the boundary for four runs to give Hutton the record.” Hutton himself recollected later: “In the end Fleetwood-Smith bowled me a long-hop outside the off stump. Gratefully, I chopped it through the slips and I had done it.

Many years later in Australia when Fleetwood-Smith was down on his luck, he came up to me and asked if I could help him a bit financially. I remembered the long-hop in 1938 — and I reckoned that had been worth a fiver of anybody’s money.” Len Hutton is congratulated by Bill Brown on breaking Don Bradman’s record of highest individual Ashes score of 334 runs © Getty Images Bradman himself was the first to congratulate Hutton (“slapped on the back”, wrote Arthur Mailey in The Argus) and the entire Australian team followed suit, as did Hardstaff. Hutton had set a new Ashes record: Table 9: Highest Ashes scores Batsman 2003-04 400* Hutton carried on, unfazed: he became the first player to reach 350 in a Test, the landmark coming up in 812 balls and 712 minutes. Soon afterwards he became the first player in history to be a part of a 300- and a 200-run partnership in the same innings.

The feat has subsequently been emulated by Michael Clarke, who added 288 with Ricky Ponting for the fourth wicket and an unbroken 334 with Michael Hussey for the fifth wicket against India at SCG in 2011-12, and Hashim Amla, 259 with Graeme Smith for the second wicket and an unbroken 377 with Jacques Kallis for the third wicket against England at The Oval in 2012. Hardstaff, on the other hand, went on hitting the ball prolifically, accelerating after Hutton’s record. Hutton eventually holed out to Hassett off O’Reilly, and was cheered on his way back. The magnum opus had lasted 847 balls and 797 minutes, and he his scoring shots included 143 singles, 18 twos, 15 threes, and 35 boundaries.

The following table shows a breakdown of Hutton’s innings in segments of fifty: Table 11: Hutton’s innings broken down Fifty 337 309 It was Wood’s turn now – the man who had possibly been ruing what was arguably the most useless taxi-ride in the history of Test cricket. He had to wait the mere matter of 14 hours after he had got off the taxi. As he walked out of the dressing-room Hammond told him that he needed to bat on, since many more runs needed to be scored before the declaration would come. With the scoreboard reading 770 for 6 Wood walked out with the words “aye, I’m just [the] man for crisis.” The scorecard when Len Hutton was dismissed on 364 © Getty Images The next record was broken when England went past their own score of 849: Table 14: Highest team scores Team 1997 952 for 6 Hardstaff, having reached his 50 in 113 balls and 92 minutes, now went past the hundred-mark in 236 balls and 192 minutes.

Shortly afterwards he bettered his previous Test best of 114. Wood also joined in the fun and reached 50 on debut in 78 balls and 74 minutes. He added 106 with Hardstaff; in the process England’s became the first one to include four century partnerships. This feat has been achieved seven more times. Hardstaff reached his 150 in 367 balls and 298 minutes. This became the first occasion when three batsmen went past 150 in the same innings. The only other time it has been achieved was in Kanpur 1986-87 when Sunil Gavaskar, Mohammad Azharuddin, and KapilDev scored 176, 199, and 163 respectively. The pair added 106 before Wood hit one back to Barnes off a full-toss to become his first Test wicket and eventually Hammond declared at tea with Hardstaff unbeaten on 169 and Verity on eight. England had scored 903 for 7 in 335.2 overs and the groundsman complained later about them not making an effort for the thousand-mark.

Then, with the score on 887, a major incident occurred: Bradman himself came on to bowl. The Advertiser (Adelaide) wrote: “Bradman collapsed at the popping-crease and was carried from the field by Waite and Fleetwood-Smith, Ward taking his place and McCabe assuming the captaincy. The accident occurred from the second ball of Bradman’s second bowling spell.” Hammond could possibly have batted longer but he declared the moment he got to know that Bradman’s injury was serious enough. He did not delay the decision further (what if Bradman had got enough time to be cured?). With Jack Fingleton also pulling out because of a muscle-strain the Australians were reduced to nine batsmen, making the decision a no-brainer. O’Reilly ended up with figures of 85-26-178-3 while Fleetwood-Smith had 87-11-298-1.Patsy Hendren was in awe of Fleetwood-Smith’s tenacity:”My admiration for Fleetwood has increased tremendously.

His final analysis will look dreadful in cold print, but figures will tell an awful lie concerning his bowling merit.” As things turned out, Fleetwood-Smith set two unenviable records: Table 15: Most balls bowled by a bowler in an innings Batsman 1938 2011 Hutton, in an interview to The West Australian (Perth), said: “Eight years ago when I was aged 14 I watched Bradman’s 334 at Leeds and little realised that I would have a chance of beating it.” Accolades poured in. Mailey called it “one of the best played for England.” He added: “The only regret is that it was not made in a match which had a bearing on the destination of The Ashes.” Charlie Macartney, in an interview to The Courier-Mail (Brisbane), said: “Hutton achieved a wonderful performance. It was an amazing feat of physical endurance and patience.

His innings contained remarkably few mistakes… it was a mixture of neat and crude cuts… the only time he left the crease to make a stroke he should have been stumped.” Bradman wrote: “Throughout the long innings his defence remained utterly impregnable, whilst his shots were correctly made and every ball played in its merit.” Of Leyland’s run out Bradman wrote that he “seemed unlikely to get out any other way.” Pudsey, Hutton’s city, went wild in excitement. The Argus wrote: “Bells were ringing and drinks were ‘on the house’ at all hotels. Complete strangers shook hands in the streets. Hutton’s mother wept for joy. His father was working on a building estate some distance from his home but relays of friends kept him posted with the latest score. The postmaster was swamped with congratulatory telegrams.” Alderman Myers, the Mayor of Pudsey, blurted out in excitement: “By goom, it’s costing me summat in telegrams!” Mr Myers had apparently sent Hutton a telegram after every fifty scored by the batsman! The fan mail had already started to arrive by the third day.

The Argus wrote: “It is rumoured that some letters contain marriage proposals, but Hutton refuses to deny or confirm.” Trying for press on the situation, Mailey cornered Hutton after he was dismissed, with George Duckworth listening in. Mailey: Are you married? Mailey: Engaged? Hutton (blushing): No, Arthur, I am not interested in anybody. I’m only a baby. At that moment a huge cheer went on inside the ground. A confused Hutton turned towards Duckworth. Hutton: What happened? Somebody beaten my record? Duckworth: No. Don’s bowling now. The entrepreneur A Whitelaw announced a reward worth £1,000 for Hutton. Eight years back he had gifted the same amount to Bradman when he had scored 334 at Headingley. Australia, now down to nine men, were up against the daunting task of scoring 704 to save the follow-on as they went out to bat at 5 pm. Given that the Test was a timeless one there was no question of playing out time and saving it: they were up against defeat even before they had come out to bat, and they were aware of it.

The team was psychologically quite down when they came out to bat; Bowes struck in the second over, having Jack Badcock (whose name caused general hilarity among contemporary fans) caught by Hardstaff at silly mid-on. Bowling with serious pace at the other end Ken Farnes had McCabe caught by Edrich at short square-leg for 14. Australia were 19 for 2 after 18 minutes of batting. Hassett walked out. The diminutive Victorian put up a brilliant display of batsmanship, driving Farnes for two boundaries on the leg-side. Australia, decided to go down fighting, brought up their fifty in 40 minutes. It was too good to last, however, and when Edrich bounced one he hooked straight to Compton at long-leg. Hassett’s 42 had taken him 41 balls and the pair had added 51 in 33 minutes. Barnes walked out for his first Test innings and played some beautiful strokes. Australia were 117 for 3 at stumps – a mere 786 runs behind – with Barnes on 25 and Brown still around with 29.

Day Four: Australia capitulate Brown and Barnes began the next day tentatively, but one spell from Bowes dismissed whatever hope there was in the heart of the Australian supporters: he ran through Barnes’s defence (the youngster had scored a 72-ball 41 and had helped Brown add 75 in 68 minutes); Barnett edged one to Woods; Waite was clean bowled; and O’Reilly was caught behind, giving Bowes his fifth wicket. From 145 for 3 Australia had slumped to 160 for 7. The stark contrast between scorelines of the two sides was unbelievable. Other than Brown, no Australian batsman had displayed the concentration and application of the Englishmen and surrendered meekly to the English attack. Fleetwood-Smith, effectively the last batsman in Bradman and Fingleton’s absence, scored a 20-ball 16 (going past his previous best of 13) with three fours and helped Brown take Australia past 200. “Neither pace nor spin bowling could disturb the equanimity of Brown,” wrote Wisden.

In an effort to bring Fleetwood-Smith on strike Hutton kicked the ball to the boundary when Brown had cut it to the Yorkshireman. Since the effort was intentional, however, Brown was awarded five runs and he managed to retain the strike. When nothing seemed to work Hammond tried the left-arm spin of Leyland. Keeping in tone with the success story of the Yorkshire players in the Test, Leyland struck: Brown was caught by Hammond of the second attempt for a 153-ball 69 with 6 fours. He just missed out on carrying his bat through an innings (though Australia were, technically speaking, two men short). The last wicket had added 41 in 26 minutes, and the entire innings had lasted only 52.1 overs and 166 minutes. To put things into perspective, Hutton had taken 142 minutes to reach his first fifty. Bowes finished with 5 for 49. Leading by 702 Hammond could well have batted on, setting the only four-digit target in Test cricket. However, he was probably sceptic about Bradman’s injury: what if he got fit and scored a 600?

He had, after all, scored a hundred in each of his last 6 Tests! Badcock was bowled by Bowes early in the second innings; McCabe was caught behind off Farnes and Bowes trapped Hassett leg-before. Australia’s last hope of going past Hutton possibly faded when Brown holed out to Edrich off Farnes. They were 41 for 4, and required 661 more to make England bat again. Barnes and Barnett hit out merrily, the former scoring 33 before Verity trapped him leg-before. Waite fell next ball. Barnett flashed his bat hard at everything that came his way, and scored a merry 50-ball 46 with seven fours before Farnes came back to bowl him. Farnes rounded off the innings as Leyland had the last touch of the Test, having Fleetwood-Smith caught. Farnes eventually finished with 4 for 63 while Bowes and Verity picked up a pair apiece. The Australian innings of 123 lasted only 34.1 overs.

Australia had lost by an innings and 579 runs, setting a new world record: Table 18: Biggest margin of victory Team 1938 Others to achieve the feat subsequently are Bradman, Greenidge, Inzamam, Hayden and Langer On their way back home Hutton and Compton had to stop at a traffic signal. A car pulled up next to them and a woman asked: “Well done, Len, but why didn’t you score one more — one for every day of the year?” A shell-shocked Hutton later told Compton: “Denis, tell me, can you ever satisfy a woman?” What followed? - Bradman was ruled out for the rest of the tour. Much to his dismay he could not play Amr Bey, the “undisputed champion” of squash, in a bout that would have brought two champions face-to-face.

- The Australians, demoralised by the rout, had a torrid time throughout the rest of the tour: they conceded a 117-run lead to Sussex at Hove and just about managed to save the match.The last match of the tour against HD Leveson-Gower’s XI at Scarborough, however, must have been a déjà vu for the tourists: Hutton scored 73, Leyland 51, and Hardstaff 108; Farnes picked up 3 for 75 in the first innings while Bowes had 5 for 42 in the second. Not to be left behind, Verity picked up 3 for 60 in the match. - The longest Test was played at Kingsmead a year after the incident. The two Tests put the concept of timeless Tests under serious doubt. In a meeting held on October 12, 1945 the Australian Board announced that timeless Tests would be used in last Tests of series only if it was a decider. It wasn’t needed as both the 1946-47 and 1948 Ashes were decided before the last Tests.

The next meeting before the 1950-51 did not even include the question of a timeless Test. - It turned out to be the last Ashes before World War II. Australia retained the Ashes for the next three series but eventually conceded it in 1953. England were led by Hutton. - After scoring 270 at MCG, 26 and 212 at Adelaide, 169 at MCG, 51 and 144 not out at Trent Bridge, 18 and 102 not out at Lord’s, and 103 and 16 at Headingley, Bradman did not bat at The Oval. It was already a world record then, with nobody having scored hundreds in more than three consecutive Tests. He took off after the war where he had left off — with 187 at The Gabba and 234 at SCG. - Australia as good as avenged the defeat in the next Ashes Test at Brisbane, winning the match by an innings and 332 runs — at that time the second-largest margin of victory after England’s at The Oval.

It was undoubtedly the greatest turnaround ever in the history of Test cricket. Brief scores: England 903 for 7 decl. (Len Hutton 364, Maurice Leyland 187, Joe Hardstaff jr 169*, Wally Hammond 59, Arthur Wood 53; Bill O’Reilly 3 for 178) beat Australia 201 (Bill Brown 69, Lindsay Hassett 42, Sid Barnes 41; Bill Bowes 5 for 49) and 123 (Ben Barnett 46; Ken Farnes 4 for 63).

Question: Which England cricketer holds the record for the highest individual score for his country - 364 versus Australia in 1938?
Answer: Sir Len Hutton