da dobrowin： SYDNEY – Test captains from three countries, along with survivors of DonBradman’s greatest team, gathered in Sydney tonight to honour worldcricket’s oldest living skipper, former Invincible Bill Brown.
Doug Conway05-Dec-2002SYDNEY – Test captains from three countries, along with survivors of DonBradman’s greatest team, gathered in Sydney tonight to honour worldcricket’s oldest living skipper, former Invincible Bill Brown.The Brisbane 90-year-old was feted at a testimonial dinner chaired byformer England captain Tony Greig with guests including ex-Australianskippers Brian Booth, Bob Simpson and Ian Craig, and New Zealand greatWalter Hadlee.Hadlee’s son, cricketing knight Sir Richard, also joined the tribute,along with former Australian paceman Geoff Lawson.Completing the line-up were members of Bradman’s 1948 Invincibles BillJohnston, Sam Loxton, Neil Harvey and Arthur Morris.Brown, who played in the first two Tests of the 1948 Ashes series,captained Australia in 1946 in the inaugural Test against New Zealand.He scored two centuries at Lord’s and averaged over 46in a 22-Test career either side of WWII.Cricket’s elder statesman has declared the modern game to be in “a goodstate of health” despite sledging which he can’t stand and the ’90smatch-fixing scandals which he calls “completely beyond the pale,they’ve got to be stopped”.Brown is the sixth Australian Test player to live into his nineties.Australia’s oldest Test cricketer was Ken Burn, who died in 1956 aged 93years and 307 days.Items auctioned at tonight’s dinner included a 1948 Ashes bat signed byboth teams.Funds raised will help the Lord’s Taverners Australia assistdisadvantaged children.