Archie Jackson- A batsman better than Bradman

Archie Jackson- A batsman better than Bradman: If you’re well acquainted with literature and poetry, I could tell you about Archie Jackson in one line. David Firth, one of the greatest critics of cricket describes him as “The Keats of Cricket”. But if you don’t know Keats or find this definition of Archie insufficient, let me tell you a story.

On a bright sunny day in February 1929, English paceman Harold Larwood had set Adelaide ablaze. It was the fourth Test of the Ashes 1928-29, and after having lost the series 3-0 already, Australia was making up its mind for defeat number four. After the early departure of Bill Woodfull and Alan Kippax, there was no hope left. But a 19-year old lad who had just taken his first guard in international cricket held the fort and saved the day for Australia leading the team to a total of 286. Facing the sharp arsenal of Larwood, he celebrated his maiden century with a debut score of 164. His name was Archibald Jackson. There was another player who had made his debut for Australia in international cricket in this very series but was overshadowed by Archie. This other player was Sir Donald Bradman.

Born on September 5, 1909 in Scotland, Archie moved to Australia with his family circa 1911. The Jacksons settled in New South Wales and from that point onwards it was inevitable that cricket would always be all around and all about young Archibald. A very artistic batsman since the very beginning, Archie began playing for the Balmain Cricket Club at 15. It was during this ripe age that his batting attracted the greats like Arthur Mailey and HV ‘DOC’ Evatt. Mailey even wrote “Young Jackson is going to wreck averages of a some bowlers.”

In the 1926-27 season of the Sheffield Shield Archie was already playing for New South Wales and his 879 runs at a staggering average of 87.9 that season made it very obvious that he would soon book his berth in the Australian cricket team.

His opportunity came a couple of years later and he became the youngest Australian to score a ton in his debut innings in international cricket. Unlike Bradman with whom he was always compared, Jackson had a more elegant approach towards the game and he played his strokes with a very accurate timing and minimum effort. Bradman on the other hand was a walking calculator who went on adding runs to his account in a monstrous fashion.

Many believed that Jackson would perform way better than Bradman in the Australian tour of England in 1930. But the lad was never on good health and his chest pains forced him to sit on the bench for most of the series and watch Bradman amass runs. In the fifth test however he got a place in the playing eleven and scored 73 runs.

Beaten black and blue by the red cherry, Jackson didn’t lose his calm and without whining a bit, famously said go Larwood, “Well Harold, it’s only a game but what a grand one we’re having today! I hope you’re enjoying our battle as much as those spectators seem to be, you know you’ve hit me almost as many times as I’ve hit you! I wish you’d drop a little off line occasionally!” Jackson’s grace was highlighted when his 73-runs innings was declared the best innings of the series in spite of Bradman scoring runs in every innings like a monster.

Archie Jackson’s health however, kept pestering him and became a stumbling block in his game time and again. In the 1931-32 season of Sheffield Shield, Jackson coughed out blood and collapsed prior to the match against Queensland. His health began declining and during the Ashes of 1933-34, when everyone was waiting for their favorite Archie to recover and join hands with Bradman against the English attack, his health hit a new low.

When the fourth test at Brian was about to begin, Archie Jackson breathed for the last time in his life. 23 is not the age for a promising batsman to die but Archie was always quick with everything and his early death only reflected that bitterly. Many critics and experts believe that had he lived, he’d have been a greater and a better batsman than Sir Don Bradman. Harold Larwood sums up the lad’s greatness by comparing him with the God of cricket in these words: “Archie Jackson, like his hero Victor Trumper, was born to be great.”