For long, Jasprit Bumrah has been one of the best performers in Indian cricket across formats and roles. At the recently concluded India vs Australia series Down Under, Bumrah was almost unplayable as he scalped 32 wickets across five Tests at an average 13.06. He strike-rate was an astounding 28.3. His wickets tally is the joint highest for an India pacer in a series in the longest format. It is also the highest for any India bowler in an away series.

In a podcast, former Australia star Adam Gilchrist and ex-England captain Michael Vaughan ‘rated’ Indian players’ performance in Australia. They had a special praise for Bumrah. 

“I’m not rating him. No number befitting of what he is in the world of sport. Infinity and beyond, seriously. He would have f****** ripped on Bradman’s pegs out in a matter of balls. It would have been away, away, hello in Good evening Donald. Don Bradman‘s average would have been much further south of 99 that it sits at. I would give Donald 35 out of Bumrah. Sport cannot have a reward that’s high enough for him,” Gilchrist said on Club Prairie Fire podcast.

“10/10. Well, he is as good as Gilly called him. The greatest sportsman of all time,” Vaughan said.

The cost of ‘overusing’ Jasprit Bumrah in the search of wickets on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy seems to have hurt India’s chances of winning the Champions Trophy. The pacer had to pull out during the 5th and final Test against Australia in Sydney over ‘back spasms’ but his injury has turned out to be much worse than first anticipated. It has been reported that Bumrah has swelling on his back and is unlikely to be fit in time for the start of the Champions Trophy next month.

The marquee pacer, who picked 32 wickets against Australia in the 5-match series, has been to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru where his recovery will be monitored, as per Indian Express. The situation has even prompted the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to ask the International Cricket Council (ICC) to grant an extension over the squad announcement, though the deadline is today (January 12).

The BCCI selection committee isn’t sure whether to name Bumrah in the 15-man roster or take him to UAE as one of the reserves since he is expected to be fit before the Champions Trophy knockouts begin.

Australian legend Don Bradman‘s ‘Baggy Green’ Test cap from the 1947-48 series against India was sold for an astounding $390,000, (Rs 2.14 crore) which rose to $479,700 (Rs 2.63 crore) after auction fees. The cap, believed to be the only known “Baggy Green” worn by Bradman during the series, holds immense historical value. Bradman’s performances in the 1947-48 series were nothing short of extraordinary. In what was his final Test series on home soil, the Australian captain amassed 715 runs in just six innings at an astronomical average of 178.75, which included three centuries and a double-century.

Bonhams, the auction house managing the sale, described the cap as a rare artefact and a direct connection to Bradman’s illustrious career. The cap was reportedly gifted by Bradman to Pankaj “Peter” Kumar Gupta, the Indian tour manager, reported Fox Sports.

The auction lasted a mere 10 minutes but saw intense bidding from collectors vying to own the cherished relic. When the final hammer fell, the cap had fetched a winning bid of $390,000, making it one of the most expensive pieces of cricket memorabilia ever sold.

Bradman is regarded as the best batsman to have ever played the game, amassing 6996 runs in 52 Test matches, including 13 fifties and 29 hundreds. In the longest format, the renowned hitter has the most double hundreds (12) and the joint-highest triple hundreds (2).

For Bradman, the Baggy Green represents a career that remains unmatched in cricket history. His all-time-high Test batting average of 99.94 has become an enduring benchmark.

Don Bradman, often referred to as “The Don,” has left an indelible mark on the world of cricket. His ability to dominate bowlers in an era of uncovered pitches and limited protective gear made him a sporting icon. He passed away in 2001 at the age of 92.

A cap worn by Australia’s greatest batsman Don Bradman will be auctioned in Sydney on Tuesday, with the tattered “baggy green” expected to fetch as much as US$260,000. Bradman donned the woollen cap during India’s 1947-48 tour of Australia, which marked the touring side’s first Tests on foreign soil after gaining independence. Auction house Bonhams said it was “the only known baggy green” worn by Bradman during one of his most prolific series.

Bradman scored 715 runs in six innings against the tourists at an average of 178.75, with three centuries and a double-hundred. Australia’s Test cricketers are awarded the dark green caps, which are revered by players and fans. Despite considerable fading, signs of insect damage and a torn peak, Bonhams expect the cap to fetch between US$195,000 and US$260,000.

Bradman retired with an all-time high Test batting average of 99.94, and has been described by cricket authority Wisden as the greatest to “have ever graced the gentleman’s game”. 

Cricket legend Bradman’s baggy green cap could fetch $260,000

https://t.co/YMT7KVmHcS#DonBradman pic.twitter.com/dKl5XmIGQ3

— Cricket World (@Cricket_World) December 2, 2024

A different “baggy green” worn by Bradman during his Test debut in 1928 fetched US$290,000 in 2020 — a then-record for one of the cricket legend’s caps.  But that was far less than the US$650,000 paid for spin legend Shane Warne‘s baggy green when he put it up for sale to help Australian bushfire victims earlier that year. 

Bradman died in 2001 aged 92 and Warne passed away in 2022 aged 52. 

The success story of Kamindu Mendis since he made his Test debut continues. The Sri Lanka star remained unbeaten on 51 on the first day of the second Test against New Zealand in Galle on Thursday and in doing so he set a new world record. The 25-year-old star is now the first batter in the 147 year history of Test cricket to score a fifty-plus score in each of his first eight Tests since debut. Before him, Pakistan’s Shaud Shakeel held the record as he had fifty-plus score is each of the first seven Tests that he played. Earlier, India’s Sunil Gavaskar (6) jointly held the record with three others. 

50+ scores in most successive Tests from debut

8 – Kamindu Mendis*

7 – Saud Shakeel

6 – Bert Sutcliffe, Saeed Ahmed, Basil Butcher and Sunil Gavaskar

Dinesh Chandimal‘s century in Galle powered Sri Lanka to 306-3 at stumps on Thursday’s opening day of the second Test against New Zealand.

The left-hander was bowled by Glenn Phillips in the final session after hitting 15 boundaries in his knock of 116 — his sixth Test century at the picturesque venue and his 16th overall. 

Angelo Mathews (78) and Kamindu Mendis (51) will resume for the hosts on the second day after both hitting half-centuries. 

For Kamindu it was a world record eighth consecutive fifty since the 25-year-old’s debut against Australia at the same venue two years ago. 

Mathews reached his own milestone by becoming only the sixth cricketer to make 2,000 Test runs at a single venue — a select group that includes the likes of Joe Root and Graham Gooch — on the notoriously bowler-friendly Galle pitch.

Chandimal made his ton with a single off Kiwi spinner Mitchell Santner in a knock that capitalised on loose deliveries.

He powered forwards after the end of his 122-run stand with Dimuth Karunaratne, who was run out on 46 and walked back to the pavilion fuming after a miscommunication between the pair. 

With AFP inputs