When an unlikely comet emblazoned the Cricketing skies
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Cricket has evolved ever since it became a world sport
In the entire history of Test cricket, dating back to 1877 with 1,650 plus games played to date, no player dominated a single encounter with such an epic all-round performance. It was certainly an instance of a ‘comet’ eclipsing an entire galaxy of ‘stars’!
Today, the term all-rounder is used rather loosely. Anyone who can turn his arm over and is a specialist batsman or conversely, another who is a specialist bowler and can bat a bit, qualifies as an all-rounder. The genuine all-rounder, in real cricketing parlance, would be one who can command his place in the team either as a batsman or a bowler. They are, naturally, rare as a four-leaf clover. In this regard, can anyone dispute the claims of Keith Ross Miller of Australia and Garfield St. Aubrun Sobers of West Indies to be classified as genuine all-rounders? Surely not.
This was a Test match when, not only these two luminaries were pitted against each other, but also lesser lights with, subsequently, poorer claims of being termed ‘all-rounders’ such as Richie Benaud, Ron Archer, Frank Worrell, O.G. (‘Collie’) Smith, and not forgetting outstanding paceman Ray Lindwall, who scored his 2nd Test century in this Test, were on display. However, a relatively unknown player, with an incandescent performance, stole the spotlight from under their very noses. Even the fairy-tale feats of England all-rounder, Ian Botham, in the 1981 Ashes series, pale into relative insignificance, when compared with the efforts of our unsung hero, Denis St.Eval Atkinson (1926 – 2001), at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetwon, Barbados, during the 4th Test in the 1954-55 season against the Australians led by Ian Johnson. Incidentally, younger brother Eric St. Eval (1927-1998), also an all-rounder, played 8 Tests for his country, and made his Test debut in their inaugural Test against Pakistan, in the 1957-58 season at the very same venue, which was the last Test played by Denis. That was the 3rd occasion, after the Grants and the Stollmeyers, when two brothers played for the West Indies.
Just study the background scenario. Here was Atkinson, a 28-year old right-hand batsman/medium-pace bowler playing in the 14th of his undistinguished and unstable 22-Test match career, where he had aggregated a mere 429 runs (average of 23.8), with a highest score of 74 runs made against England at Trinidad in the 1953-54 season. Atkinson’s best bowling feat of 3/78 was achieved in the previous Test of the same series, and he had not captured more than 4 wickets as a match-bag.
Then, in just 1 Test, Atkinson, with scores of 219 and 20 not out (239), totals more than half his career batting aggregate and captures double the number of wickets, namely 8, more than his previous best. Unbelievable, but true. Something that should qualify to be included in Ripley’s ‘Believe it or Not.’ The figures, however, tell only part of the story.
When the 1954-55 series against Australia began, due to injury, regular skipper Jeff Stollmeyer was not available and, as was the custom at that time, another ‘white’ player, namely Atkinson, was appointed captain for the 1st Test at Sabina Park. The Australians cake-walked the game by 9 wickets and Atkinson was dropped for the 2nd Test, when Stollmeyer returned to lead the side in Trinidad. This game was drawn. Atkinson was picked for the 3rd Test, but Stollmeyer led the side and the hosts were trounced by 8 wickets. Stollmeyer’s injury ruled him out for the rest of the series and Atkinson was appointed to carry on for the remaining 2 Tests. Two down and two to go was the series tally against the West Indies as the two teams girded their loins for the epic 4th Test at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
Pause awhile to feast your eyes on the galaxy of ‘stars’ on show. Australia boasted of Colin McDonald, Les Favell, Ron Archer, Neil Harvey, Keith Miller, Ray Lindwall, and skipper Ian Johnson, the last 4 being members of Don Bradman’s ‘Invincibles’ of 1948. West Indies had in their midst the celebrated triumvirate of batsmen in Everton Weekes, Frank Worrell and Clyde Walcott, known throughout the Cricket world as the 3 W’s, Gary Sobers (admittedly, playing in only his 4th Test), ‘Collie’ Smith, and “those two little pals of mine”, ‘Sonny’ Ramadhin and Alfred Valentine. Simply to out-bat all of these ‘greats’ in a match would be a stupendous feat. But, to out-bat and out-bowl the whole lot should be a pipe-dream. Yet, that is exactly what Atkinson did – and by far!
This is how Atkinson began working the miracle. Winning the toss, Johnson decided to bat first as the tourists went on to compile the highest-ever total of 668 runs in a Test at Barbados, thanks in the main to centuries by Miller (137), Lindwall (118), and half-centuries by Archer (98), Harvey (74), Favell (72) and wicket-keeper, Langley (53) coming in at No.10. Fast bowler Tom Dewdney (4/125) was the most successful bowler for the home side, while Atkinson became the most overworked, returning marathon figures of 48-14-108-2, his victims being Favell and centurion Lindwall.
In reply to this massive total, the hosts, predictably, crumbled against the formidable pace-pin attack of the Australians, and were soon on the ropes at 147/6, with the 3 W’s, Holt, Sobers and Smith back in the hutch, and now in danger of being made to follow-on. In comes wicket-keeper, Claremont Depeiza, with hardly any pretensions of being a batsman, even in the 1st-Class scene, and playing in only his 2nd Test, to join Atkinson, who had so far aggregated a measly 60 runs in the 4 innings in this series. Hardly the pair to stage a fight-back against a bowling attack of Lindwall, Miller, Archer, Benaud, Johnson and Hill! Something more than a miracle was needed to extricate the West Indians from the morass they were in, and this unlikely pair performed the unlikely peak, as a drama fit to be in a Boy’s Own annual unfolded in front of a delirious home crowd.
The 7th-wicket pair batted for over a day, putting on a staggering 347 runs, and established a Test and 1st-Class partnership record, while steering the West Indies to a respectable total of 510 runs. The Test record still stands and it took 40 years for the 1st-Class record to be eclipsed by the Indian pair of Bhupinder Singh and P. Dharmani playing for Punjab against Delhi in the Ranji Trophy tournament. Also, this is the only Test partnership record that stands to the credit of the West Indies, a country that spawned many outstanding batsmen from George Headley to the three W’s, Sobers, Kanhai and now Brian Lara.
Skipper Atkinson top-scored with 219 (26 fours and a six), his one and only century in Test cricket, while Depeiza supported him with a stout innings of 122 runs. It was the only 3-figure score the wicket-keeper scored in his entire 1st-Class career.
Going in for the 2nd time with a lead of 158 runs, the tourists were dismissed for 249 runs. Batting hero Atkinson again bore the brunt of the bowling and returned the magnificent figures of 36.2-16-56-5. Scores a double century whilst establishing a Test record and then turns around and captures 5 wickets! Now the home side, on a pitch taking spin, had to make 408 in less than 3 hours and 50 minutes – or survive.
The scene was much the same as in the 1st innings, when the early order West Indian batting caved in yet again, and were precariously placed at 207/6. Atkinson was now joined once again by Depeiza, with a brittle tail comprising Ramadhin, Valentine and Dewdney in the pavilion. With time running out fast, it was now a case of survival. Can this pair carry on without exposing the tail and save the West Indies again? That is exactly what they did. The runs did not matter, it was a question of playing out time as first innings heroes, Atkinson (20*) and Depeiza (11*) associated themselves in an unfinished partnership of 27 runs and successfully parried all the wiles, especially those of the Australian spinners, Benaud, Johnson and Hill, as the match ended in a pulsating draw.
Now look at Atkinson’s feat from a statistical angle, compared with the other players in the game. The West Indian skipper aggregated 239 runs and was dismissed only once. The next best, with an aggregate of 147 runs, was Keith Miller but he was dismissed twice, hence Atkinson had not only outscored the Australian by as much as 62%, but also sports an average of 239, while the Australian all-rounder is lagging in the background with a figure of 73.5. Also remember the fact that Atkinson was chiefly responsible for establishing a Test and a 1st-Class partnership record.
The bowling scene is even more remarkable. Firstly, Atkinson had bowled 84.2 overs in the match. ‘Collie’ Smith was the next most taxed bowler, having bowled 56 overs. This means Atkinson had bowled 50% more overs than the next man. His match-bag of 7/164, including the 2nd innings haul of 5/56, stands heads and shoulders above the performances of all other bowlers in the match. Benaud for Australia and Dewdney for the home side, with match-bags of 4 wickets each, were the two nearest to Atkinson’s bag of 7 wickets. This means he had captured 75% more scalps than his nearest rival. Even more conclusive is the fact that, whereas Atkinson’s cost/wicket was 23.4 runs, the next best was the figure returned by Benaud (27 runs/wicket) which is 15% more dear. Bowled the most number of overs (by 50%), captured the most number of wickets (75% more than the next) at the cheapest cost (by 15%) – need one say more?
The only other instance of a player scoring a double century and capturing 5 wickets in a Test match (201 runs and a match-bag of 7/64 including 5/49 in the 2nd innings) was achieved by Musthaq Mohammad of Pakistan, against New Zealand at Dunedin in the 1972-73 series. But, Musthaq could not dominate the game, in the manner that Atkinson did, though he did top-score in the Pakistani innings. Team-mate Asif Iqbal too contributed a magnificent 175 runs, a mere 26 runs behind Musthaq, to the Pakistani total of 507/6 declared, while skipper Intikhab Alam returned, by far, the better bowling figures when he returned a match-bag of 11/130, including a 1st innings haul of 7/52. The Pakistanis simply crushed the Kiwis by an innings and 166 runs, and was the 1st occasion Pakistan won a Test ‘rubber’ outside their country. (Incidentally, Sri Lanka too, gained her 1st overseas Test win in 32 attempts, after entering Test cricket in 1981-82, when beating New Zealand at Napier in 1994-95.) In other words, Musthaq was playing for a stronger side, unlike Atkinson’s effort, that was not only far better statistically, but also achieved against a stronger opposition – Australia won that series easily at 3-0 – whilst having the cares of captaincy thrust on him as well.
Surely, the most outstanding all-round performance in the history of Test cricket, when a relatively unknown player carried all before him in the face of both a far superior opposition and leading his team which boasted of players who were far more accomplished than himself.