Murray Hedgcock's Ashes Top Ten

To complement our weekly series on the men who shaped the Ashes, we have invited some players, journalists and bloggers to contribute their own lists. After David Capel got the ball rolling, our guest columnist this week is Murray Hedgcock, the veteran Australian journalist who some of you will recall contributed to our Bodyline series of essays and podcast last winter.

Murray, who was taught in Melbourne by Bill Woodfull, the Australian Bodyline captain, is also editor of the wonderful Wodehouse at the Wicket. As ever, let us know what you think of his list by clicking "comments" at the bottom.

Murray writes: Any study of Ashes cricket must begin with Fred Spofforth, the man who humbled MCC at Lord's on May 27, 1878. His match figures of ten for 20 runs led to an Australia victory by nine wickets. It set the seal on Anglo-Australian rivalry. Douglas Jardine does not rate as a favourite, but you cannot deny his Ashes impact, not only immediately, but long-term. Surely his Bodyline tactics were what sealed the significance of the Ashes, making Australia all the more fiercely determined ever afterwards (yes, up to 2009 and beyond) to show the onetime Imperial masters how their Colonial offspring would now go their own proudly independent way - and prove better than the Mother Country in the process?

Alongside - or ahead of - Jardine, you have The Don. Without Don Bradman, there may well have been no Jardine bothering to get involved. Bradman endures - and always will do so.

After that trio, who is next? Averages are little help: players are on an ever-accelerating treadmill of matches and series, to make the programmes of their predecessors look like a spare-time activity (which in most Australian and some English cases, it was). Two bowlers of differing vintages and type come to the fore: first Harold Larwood (even if it was only in 1932-33 that he was seen at his peak - but that was enough), and then Shane Warne, the larrikin who revived wrist-spin and proved that you can terrorise batsmen other than with brutal pace.

Hobbs, Hammond and Hutton make their English claims: perhaps in the finish it has to be Len Hutton for his 13-hour 364 on the Oval featherbed, reminding skipper Bradman that Bodyline may have gone, but the Poms would still play it hard, and had to be treated accordingly. It was 1946-47 before he was able to demonstrate how he felt.

The two glamour boys of the Forties, each putting his own particular brand of charm on the game must qualify. Keith Miller and Denis Compton drew the crowds and were always splendid value for money - and for national loyalty. To ensure that Ashes cricket remains serious and summons up the fiercest of competition, I nominate the one and only Geoff Boycott. Here is a man to make any Australian attack bristle, the skipper to conjure up his most fiendish tactics - and the Baggy Green Caps to gather round like a pack of wolves. The atmosphere is electric.

And, finally, the most influential man in Ashes cricket for the future is Sir Allen Stanford. The riches he is pouring into the short game - inspiring others to do the same, or more - will kill off Test cricket everywhere except between the old opponents. Before long, Ashes series will be the only Test cricket. Which, for this Aussie, is as it should be, taking us back to the roots of the greatest sporting contest of all.

Comments

[Vishy]

Interesting selection. My favourites in the list are Keith Miller and Geoff Boycott. Pleasantly surprised that the list has more golden greats :-) Liked the last passage which said "The riches he is pouring into the short game...will kill off Test cricket everywhere except between the old opponents. Before long, Ashes series will be the only Test cricket. Which, for this Aussie, is as it should be, taking us back to the roots of the greatest sporting contest of all." Well test cricket is alive and kicking. But hope that it doesn't turn out that way. We would like to see South Africa, India, West Indies and others play exciting test cricket too as they have done in the past.

[David Dodd]

To leave out Jack Hobbs who's recordagainst Australia is second to none is inexplicable. Fingleton rated him better than Bradman

[Dave Totnes]

As ever it's impossible to compare the greats of one era with another. In that case the impact on or contribution to the concept of the Ashes must include those listed by Murray Hedgcock. To an extended list I would certainly add Botham, Lillee and Border, and others spring readily to mind.
I agree with the idea of the only real tests being those of the Ashes. It may well be that given the antics of the sub-continent's endless muscle flexing, and blind pursuit of financial gains, the Ashes may be all we will be left with.
All? Well, not a bad world, surely? Certainly better than the politicaly dominated and financially driven circus we have at present.

[selector]

Allan Border brought the Ashes back in Australia.

He made it the MOST burning ambition of Australians... Why? Because at the time Australia were being flogged by everyone and the only team we could beat were the English....

By the way, in a recent poll in Australia, India was the most popular series amongst Australians.

[ed]

And why not Pieterson? Or Peter May, or Ted Dexter - the best number 3 we've ever had.

[ed]

Atherton as our best number 4. 'Avin a laugh? Captain, maybe, and gutsy, but wouldn't get a run against that lot, not least because McGrath's playing! You'd have to have Cowdrey at 4 [but he peaked in the early 60s]. Nor would D'olly get in my team. Nor can you choose three all rounders. You'd take Both over Freddie, and add a spinner depending on the venue.

Hard job but I'd sacrifice Athers to include Derek Underwood - he was unplayable at his peak.

A Jock cricket nut!

[chris forward]

Who's Graham Gower ?

[Rob Bryant]

Len Hutton is included on the strength of his monumental innings against a weakened attack in which even Bradman was forced to bowl. The three, yes three, great innings, plus one might-have-been, of the Thirties were made by Stan McCabe, each one of which Bradman would have given his eye teeth to have made. Each of them was played when his side was on the brink of disaster whereupon he put superb bowling attacks to the sword with verve and magisterial disdain.

But who on TMS now remembers the giants of yesteryear?

The definitive lists of World and period XIs were compiled by Prittie in his Mainly Middlesex, written while a prisoner after having been caught at Calais in 1940. Well worth looking for but usually available from MacKenzie's.

[Peter Jones]

Just from my own short memories, I would like to offer the following 11's as a "ripper" of a game:

Australia:

Ricky Ponting
Matthew Hayden
Greg Chappell
Ian Chappell
Steve Waugh
Allen Border
Rod Marsh
Shane Warne
Dennis Lillie
Jeff Thomson
Glenn McGrath

England:

Geoff Boycott
Graham Gooch
John Edrich
Michael Atherton
Graham Gower
Freddy Flintoff
Ian Botham
Basil D'Oliveira
Alan Knott
John Snow
Bob Willis