In the shadow of the Don: 7 batsmen with highest runs/innings over 52 tests

Sir Donald Bradman has a unique place in the history of the modern-day sport, for in no other sport has its best exponent been twice as good as the next best. Although there have been arguments made claiming the numbers don't always do justice to talent (an Australian spectator once remarked about Hammond; "He was as good as Bradman, just didn't get enough runs"), Bradman's numbers still suggest that he had copious amounts of it and that it was put to the best possible use.

One argument that can be made against Bradman's numbers though is that he didn't play enough matches (52) for his mantle and stamina to be tested. It can be argued that other players may have had aggregates over a 52-test-purple patch in a much longer career.

But then again a question arises, which variable do we want to compare it with for as argued in an earlier article by the author, career numbers (especially not outs and hence, averages) are dictated greatly by batting position. For fairness of comparison, I have gone for runs/innings which negates the effect of lesser innings/matches and lesser not-outs (disadvantages for middle and top order batsmen respectively).

Even on truncated standards, Bradman's 87.5 runs/innings looks insane. Here is how close the following 7 batsmen came to challenging it.

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Brian Lara (Mtchs: 52, Inns: 93, Runs: 5576, Runs/Inns: 59.96, 100s-19, 50s-17)

Brian Lara's 52 test streak.

Perhaps the most captivating batsman of all time, Brian Lara scripted a remarkable turnaround towards the latter half of his career. Had it been able to turn around West Indies' cricket fortunes it would surely have gotten its due.

Having had a fabulous start to his career, Brian Lara's form faded away from 1997 onwards as West Indies started to tumble as a result of it. Although there were flickers of brilliance (1999 Frank Worrell Trophy), Lara was only a shadow of his former self until the 2001 series to Sri Lanka came about.

In conditions where the ball wasn't rising beyond waist height, Brian Lara was batting in a trance. He clobbered a staggering 688 runs in the 3 tests (second highest aggregate for a 3 test series) and didn't look back as far as personal form was concerned; averaging nearly 60 runs per innings during the phase. The fact that it lasted right until the end of his career meant that he was still the searing batsman that set the world on fire with his early career exploits.

Sachin Tendulkar (Mtchs:52, Inns: 86, Runs: 5177, Runs/Inn: 60.20, 100s-20, 50s-17)

Sachin batting in a tour game at Napier (2002)

Sachin Tendulkar's 52 test streak

Sachin Tendulkar's potency in the longer format of the game was evident from the very early days as he cracked hundreds in two of the toughest countries to play cricket (England and Australia). Throughout his career, Tendulkar's consistency was unlike any since Bradman himself (a testament to which was given by Bradman himself).

But still, Tendulkar's most glorious run of form over a 52 test streak was from March 1997 to October 2002 when his insane regularity of scoring hundreds (1 every 4.3 innings) meant that he was scoring nearly 100 runs per test and a staggering 60.2 runs/innings. His form began to slow down slightly after this high, but the timely arrival of a certain Rahul Dravid meant that India was never short of a match-winning batsman. (Dravid himself scored an impressive 56.8 runs/inns over a 52 test streak from 2000 to 2005).

Tendulkar had put the platform firmly in place by then.

Viv Richards (Mtchs: 52, Inns: 74, Runs: 4456, Runs/Inns: 60.22, 100s-15, 50s-20)

Viv Richards was Bradman-like in his dominance of the bowling.

Viv Richards' 52 test streak

Viv Richards scored 1710 runs in the calendar year 1976, and his exploits were very aptly described by Wisden as being Bradmanesque. Starting off a shaky year versus a rampant Australia at their den, Viv tamed Thomson and Lillee quickly enough to set off on a run that would be bettered only 30 years later by Mohammad Yousuf.

It is rare to find a batsman that is both belligerent and consistent, and Viv 'was' such a rarity. Starting from early 1976, Viv set about on a run of 52 tests as he subjugated bowling attacks around the world. He scored a century every 5 innings and scored an average 60.22 runs/innings. Couple that with a strike rate of almost 70 and you know why he was known as 'The King'.

Kumar Sangakkara (Mtchs: 52, Inns: 91, Runs: 5518, Runs/Inns: 60.64, 100s-21, 50s-18)

Kumar Sangakkara: Prolific like no other

Sangakkara's 52 test streak

Sangakkara ticked every possible box in a test career that soared so high in its bloom that nearly every other paled in comparison. Having been relieved of his wicketkeeping duties in 2006, Kumar Sangakkara showcased his true abilities as a batsman. So much so that by taking only non-wicket keeping careers into account, his average of 66.8 is only behind Don Bradman anyways.

For a like to like comparison with the Don, Sangakkara had a fabulous 52 test period from May 2006 to July 2012 where he scored more than 5500 runs and 21 centuries and was averaging 60.6 runs/innings.

One wonders what his already stellar numbers would have been had he been a specialist batsman for all his career.

Mohammad Yousuf (Mtchs: 52, Inns: 84, Runs: 5099, Runs/Inns: 60.7, 100s-20, 50s-16)

Mohammad Yousuf: Stylish and Consistent

Mohammad Yousuf's 52 test streak

An under-stated artist, Mohammad Yousuf was a sight for sore eyes when in full flow. His batting average is second best among Pakistani batsmen after Javed Miandad but for much of his career until 2006, Yousuf was known to plunder mostly on relatively weaker attacks.

But he put all such claims to rest when he had the most amazing calendar year of all when in 2006, he surpassed Viv Richards' 30-year-old record for most runs in a calendar year, scoring runs against attacks of all types and in all conditions. This was in the midst of a 52 test streak where he scored 20 centuries in 84 innings and was averaging 60.70 runs per innings.

Garry Sobers (Mtchs:52, Inns: 88, Runs: 5468, Runs/Inns: 62.14, 100s-19, 50s-20)

Garry Sobers: Batsman Supreme

Garry Sobers' 52 test streak

For many Garry Sobers was the complete cricketer to walk on the face of the earth. Even the great Don Bradman remarked that his 254 vs Australia at MCG in 1970 was the finest innings he had ever seen. It is hence no surprise that his name features in a list that seeks out those that came closest to emulating the great man.

From 1957 onwards until March 1968, Garry Sobers was arguably the finest batsman in the world (along with fellow West Indian Rohan Kanhai), in the 52 tests that he played in this period he scored nearly 5500 runs, averaging 62.14 runs per innings.

This given that he had to put in considerable efforts with the ball, had he played as a specialist batsman who knows what his numbers would have been.

Ricky Ponting (Mtchs: 52, Inns: 92, Runs: 5857, Runs/Inns: 63.66, 100s-23, 50s-20)

Ricky Ponting: Uncompromising Run Machine

Ricky Ponting's 52 test streak

The most uncompromising batsman of his generation, Ricky Ponting was scoring at such a ridiculous regularity during a 4.5 year period that it seemed almost inevitable that he would end up at the top of the all-time batting charts. In a 52 test period from March 2002 to December 2006, Ponting scored nearly 6000 test runs, scoring an average 63.66 runs per innings. This was helped by an insane rate of scoring a century every 4 innings (compared to Bradman's 2.8)

A dip in form towards the end of his career meant that Ponting couldn't get past his longtime rival Sachin Tendulkar in terms of aggregates, but at his peak, he was perhaps the most consistent and hefty scorer of runs that this game has witnessed after Don Bradman. It is perhaps appropriate that an Australian occupies the top spot after the indubitable master.