Read on Twitter
Thread:
Born 16 Dec 1884 .. Jack Hobbs, one of the greatest batsmen of all time.
#cricket #onthisday
Born 16 Dec 1884 .. Jack Hobbs, one of the greatest batsmen of all time.
#cricket #onthisday
Laski’s description was hardly the image of archetypal Englishmen of the era. The Empire was still chugging along. Illusion of supremacy built by years of myths—the remnants of which still remain in certain old cricketing societies—was very much entwined in national consciousness
But even if as an ironic contrast, it perhaps was the just tribute to Hobbs. No cricketer so unquestionably great was more seeped in self-effacing humility. No cricketer more unassuming of his worth & accepting of his lot. No cricketer more valuable for England & its Englishness
He arrived on the scene as cricket basked in the high noon of Edwardian 'Golden Age. The gallant willow was thought to be borne by the great amateurs not weighed down by plebeian caution, self-expression not tethered by the purse-strings of livelihood attached to the game.
Like most perceptions that surround cricket, this too was far-fetched.
The amateurs often made more of money from the game than the professionals. And some were notorious for the safety-first batting approach. Some professionals w were often the more flamboyant stroke-makers.
The amateurs often made more of money from the game than the professionals. And some were notorious for the safety-first batting approach. Some professionals w were often the more flamboyant stroke-makers.
And in 1905, busting the belief in its foundations, arrived Jack Hobbs.
He mastered Edwardian art of front-foot drives, but also added to it sublime and sure back-foot artillery. Perfect timing gave his strokes power, speed, while wrists added placement without apparent effort.
He mastered Edwardian art of front-foot drives, but also added to it sublime and sure back-foot artillery. Perfect timing gave his strokes power, speed, while wrists added placement without apparent effort.
There was not a more magical sight in pre-war cricket than Jack Hobbs dancing down the wicket to loft slow bowlers straight back over the head. Classically orthodox when defending or driving, he was at his audacious best while indulging in the glorious cuts and pulls.
His technique was as supremely effective as aesthetically pleasing. Every movement at the crease spoke of poise and fluency. One of the many, many tributes Neville Cardus paid him read, “A snick by Hobbs was a sort of disturbance in the cosmic orderliness.”
He never received professional coaching. Born in poverty in Rivar Place, Cambridge, he grew up close to the Fenners. As a kid of ten he watched Ranji. His father was a groundsman in Jesus College. But, Hobbs was self-taught.
When he started, googly was testing the best of batsmen , fast bowlers learnt to control the swing. Many a classical batsman struggled against such developments. But, Hobbs stood firm using his back-play and delayed strokes with use of pads to counter the wrong ’un and late swing
With fascinatingly exciting batsmanship, he romped to the top of the world before the Great War. In the post-War era, he remained the greatest batsman, but reined in his attacking instincts- partly due to his advancing years, more because of the burden of expectations
Hobbs scored 61,237 runs at 50.65 with a whopping 199 centuries in three decades of First-class cricket. In 61 Tests, he amassed 5140 runs at 56.94. Given that a major part of his career was played on pre-War unstandardised wickets, the numbers are remarkable.
Alongside compatriots Len Hutton and his immortal partner Herbert Sutcliffe, he remains one of the three greatest of opening batsmen the world has ever seen.
A brilliant cover-point in his prime, Hobbs was also a supreme runner between the wickets.
With Sutcliffe he added an incredible 3339 runs in 39 Tests at 87.86 with 15 century collaborations. No pair comes remotely close to matching the success even today
With Sutcliffe he added an incredible 3339 runs in 39 Tests at 87.86 with 15 century collaborations. No pair comes remotely close to matching the success even today
However, despite popularity, he was not without his share of controversies. Indeed, he was censured for his questionable use of pad-play to exploit the leg before rule of the day – in many quarters his tactics in this regard was thought to be against the spirit of the game.
Gubby Allen displayed surprise and once Vic Richardson let out a mouthful of abuse when he refused to walk after being clearly dismissed.
He was also criticised for not offering his services during the First World War.
He was also criticised for not offering his services during the First World War.
It was suggested that he always shied away from confrontation and was reluctant to be burdened with responsibility. It was this aversion to confrontation that prevented him for writing against Bodyline bowling when he toured Australia as a journalist in 1932-33.
It was also this diffidence that saw him tower like a giant over the game and yet never lead England.
He was acknowledged as the greatest cricketer of the time with two decades of Test cricket behind him when in 1926 Arthur Carr fell ill during the Manchester Test match.
He was acknowledged as the greatest cricketer of the time with two decades of Test cricket behind him when in 1926 Arthur Carr fell ill during the Manchester Test match.
Plum Warner walked into the dressing room asking Hobbs to take over for the rest of the game. “You’re doing me a great honour,” said Hobbs. “But Mr Stevens is in the eleven.” Greville Stevens, the man he alluded to, was a 25-year-old Middlesex amateur playing his second Test.
It not only shows how steeped in the spirit of times Hobbs was. It also underlines the British class distinctions, emphasising what a great man once said ‘A tiny island could not have colonised the world if they had not colonised their own country.’
In 1953, Hobbs became the first professional cricketer to be knighted for his services to the game – a feat rejoiced by amateurs, professionals and enthusiasts alike.
Jack Hobbs, one of the greatest, and certainly the most loved of cricketers, was born on 16 Dec 1884.
#cricket #onthisday
#cricket #onthisday
