Bowlers and their bunnies

[Dry Rot]

Pity Pointing doesn't post here...

What are some of the great bowler and bunny pairings over the years?

Warne and McGrath had a few IIRC, and what about opposition bowlers and Aussie batsmen?

[Dogs 24/7]

Warne had Cullinans measure.

[Chops]

Dennis Amiss was Lillee's and maybe had Gavaskar in Australia.
There are a few english ones like Atherton, I think McGrath might of had him.

[The Coon Dog]

Dennis Amiss was Lillee's and maybe had Gavaskar in Australia.
There are a few english ones like Atherton, I think McGrath might of had him.

Did he what!

http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/1597/22006436rm3.jpg

[Mantis]

Geez Atherton's stats don't look to good against tall RH bowlers, but I suppose those guys took over 1400 wickets between them.

I wasn't a great fan of M. Waugh so I used to love when big Curtly, who I loved used to fix him up. Got him first ball on Boxing Day some 12 or 15 years back. I was the only person in my area rejoicing and yes I am a proud Aussie supporter I just disliked M. Waugh.

[Chops]

Thanks Barry
Love to see a comparison between matches and dismissals which is probably a better indication of the bunnies and their bowlers. Eg Border had a max 62 bats against Botham for 12 dismissals so you can't really call him Botham's bunny.

Also if the batsman is making a 100 every time but the same bowler is getting him out, I'm not sure if you can call that a bunny.

[Sockeye Salmon]

There was a story a few years back that the message on Graham Gooch's answerphone was something like:

"Hi. You've called Graham. I'm currently out, probably LBW to Alderman, so leave a message".

[Lantern]

This may sound like a strange one, and it's no disrespect at all to the great man, but Alec Bedser had the great Don's measure in the last few years of his great career. We don't hear very much about it because no one ever talks about Bradman's 'weaknesses', but there's a great reverential little essay called "Bedser vs. Bradman" (I can't remember who it's by.. I'll look the anthology up when I get home tonight) that paints the most wonderful picture of the little battles they had, although I think Bedser would be well in his rights to say pretty much what Harbhajan said about Ponting the other day about not having bowled enough balls at him to make a call either way!

[Sockeye Salmon]

This may sound like a strange one, and it's no disrespect at all to the great man, but Alec Bedser had the great Don's measure in the last few years of his great career. We don't hear very much about it because no one ever talks about Bradman's 'weaknesses', but there's a great reverential little essay called "Bedser vs. Bradman" (I can't remember who it's by.. I'll look the anthology up when I get home tonight) that paints the most wonderful picture of the little battles they had, although I think Bedser would be well in his rights to say pretty much what Harbhajan said about Ponting the other day about not having bowled enough balls at him to make a call either way!

Bradman v England sides that included Alec Bedser.

10 matches
1188 runs @ 84.8
4 centuries (incl. 1 double)
4 half centuries
Dismissed by Bedser 6 times.

Slightly worse record than his overall career (he was pushing 40 after all) but not exactly a pwning.

[Lantern]

Bradman v England sides that included Alec Bedser.

10 matches
1188 runs @ 84.8
4 centuries (incl. 1 double)
4 half centuries
Dismissed by Bedser 6 times.

Slightly worse record than his overall career (he was pushing 40 after all) but not exactly a pwning.


Great work pulling up the stats! I was re-reading the essay yesterday and realised that I had totally misrepresented the article. The first three or four paragraphs give an account of the first few tours where Bedser played Australia and Bradman played him like he did any other English bowler (ie. he towelled him). It was a specific tour later in his career (sigh, I can't remember now which tour exactly.. I really have to make some notes before my next post) where Bradman had dominated in the first couple of tests when late in one of them Bedser got Bradman out to a pretty weird little leg-side field (cover point, point and and Hutton at leg slip..), and in the next four or five innings Bedser would come on immediately when Bradman came in, and got him caught at leg slip in the first few balls before he got himself set. Apparently Bradman throughout his prime would play full-length deliveries heading down the leg-side square of the wicket but by this time his reactions were slightly slower (I imagine would still be light-years faster than anyone else though!) and he was coming down on the ball just a little bit late and glancing them straight to Hutton. The third or fourth time the Don did it he apparently said back in the dressing room that something along the lines of "gee I can't make heads or tails of what I should be doing" (again, I'll get the accurate quote for all by tomorrow). By all accounts it was an epic battle and the essay is a terribly compelling read. In the strict context of this thread then of course I would be mistaken as Bradman was clearly nobody's bunny, nor was I really suggesting he was. I just half-remembered this article and thought it would be a fun little mention. ;)

[westdog54]

There was a story a few years back that the message on Graham Gooch's answerphone was something like:

"Hi. You've called Graham. I'm currently out, probably LBW to Alderman, so leave a message".

Haha I like that one. Gooch->Alderman was the one that came to mind for me. I remember Allan Border making a mention of it in his autobiography. 4 times in 9 digs on the 89 Ashes tour if memory serves.

One of the ones that stuck out for me in that list (probably to no-one else) was Victor Trumper and Sidney Barnes. Trumper was regarded as the best of his time, and Richie Benaud held Barnes in such high regard he included him in his best ever XI. He'd have to have been bloody good to get Trumper out that many times. Its a shame that there's no moving images of these greats of yesteryear, I think some of the cricket they would have displayed would have been top class.

What was the line Warne fired at Cullinan after his visit to the sports psychologist? Was it "What colour was the couch?" Out next ball:D

[Sockeye Salmon]

What was the line Warne fired at Cullinan after his visit to the sports psychologist? Was it "What colour was the couch?" Out next ball:D

Cullinan did come up with one of the all-time great combacks, though.

WARNE: Hello, David. I've been waiting two years to torment you again.
CULLINAN: Looks like you spent it eating.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Great work pulling up the stats! I was re-reading the essay yesterday and realised that I had totally misrepresented the article. The first three or four paragraphs give an account of the first few tours where Bedser played Australia and Bradman played him like he did any other English bowler (ie. he towelled him). It was a specific tour later in his career (sigh, I can't remember now which tour exactly.. I really have to make some notes before my next post) where Bradman had dominated in the first couple of tests when late in one of them Bedser got Bradman out to a pretty weird little leg-side field (cover point, point and and Hutton at leg slip..), and in the next four or five innings Bedser would come on immediately when Bradman came in, and got him caught at leg slip in the first few balls before he got himself set. Apparently Bradman throughout his prime would play full-length deliveries heading down the leg-side square of the wicket but by this time his reactions were slightly slower (I imagine would still be light-years faster than anyone else though!) and he was coming down on the ball just a little bit late and glancing them straight to Hutton. The third or fourth time the Don did it he apparently said back in the dressing room that something along the lines of "gee I can't make heads or tails of what I should be doing" (again, I'll get the accurate quote for all by tomorrow). By all accounts it was an epic battle and the essay is a terribly compelling read. In the strict context of this thread then of course I would be mistaken as Bradman was clearly nobody's bunny, nor was I really suggesting he was. I just half-remembered this article and thought it would be a fun little mention. ;)

This would be referring to Bradman's last test series in England in '48.

Bedser got him out in Bradman's first four test innings on that tour for scores of 138, 0, 38 & 89.

Bradman made 7 (out to Pollard) & 30no in the 3rd test and 33 (Pollard again) and 173no in the fourth (the famous 3-404 to win on the 5th day).

The fifth test was Bradman's last. England won the toss and batted first and were rolled for 52 (Lindwall 6-20). Australia made 389 in reply with Bradman getting out famously to Hollies for a duck (Arthur Morris made 196). England made 188 in their second dig to lose by an innings and 149 runs.

Perhaps if Lindwall hadn't bowled so well in the first innings Bradman might have got a another bat and made 4no.

[westdog54]

Cullinan did come up with one of the all-time great combacks, though.

WARNE: Hello, David. I've been waiting two years to torment you again.
CULLINAN: Looks like you spent it eating.

That would be Daryl, would it not?

[Sockeye Salmon]

That would be Daryl, would it not?

Pedantics, pedantics...



Maybe Warnie forgot his name?