20 batsmen whose Test average never dipped below 40: Part 1
An average of 40 is the holy grail for test batsmen across the globe. 40 is the number which defines a batsman's legacy, determines his place amongst the pantheon of greats unless the said batsman happens to be a certain William Gilbert Grace.
To average above 40 at the end of one's test career is a fantastic achievement in itself, and is a hallmark of great consistency. Accentuating on the consistency bit, there are certain batsmen who have maintained an average in excess of 40 throughout the entirety of their test careers, their average never falling below the 40 mark, not for one single inning.
Taking a minimum qualification of 30 test innings, 20 batsmen make the cut. England lead the chart with 5 batsmen whereas Zimbabwe and New Zealand are unrepresented.
Virender Sehwag, Kevin Pietersen, Neil Harvey, Michael Slater, Jimmy Adams, George Headley, Adam Voges and Douglas Jardine are all unfortunate to miss out as their test average dipped below 40 for exactly one inning.
For future reference: Peter Handscomb, Kevin O' Brien, Tom Blundell and Aiden Markram's test average has never been below 40, but they are yet to cross the required threshold of 30 test innings.
It is an elite group to be a part of, one which features a War veteran and some all-time test greats. If the 4 gentlemen mentioned above manage to get there and stay put throughout the rest of their test careers, it would be one heck of an achievement.
For the moment, let us find out who the batsmen on this list are: (20-11).
(20) Herbert Collins (Australia): 1920-1926
Matches: 19, Runs: 1352, Average: 45.07, Highest: 203, 100/50: 4/6.
Lowest Career Average: 45.07 (19th Test)
Herbert Collins' test career ended on a controversial note as allegations of match-fixing surfaced. Though unproven, the incident left a sour taste, more so, as Collins was the captain of the Australian cricket team.
It was a crying shame as Collins was colossal of Australian cricket, and played a major role in its re-building post the First World War.
A War soldier, Herbert Collins made his test debut at the age of 32 in Sydney, 1920. Collins immediately made an impact, scoring 70 and 104 in his debut test. He made 50+ scores in his first four test innings and ended the series as the leading run scorer with 557 runs to his name.
Australia white-washed England for the first time in a 5 test series (a feat not repeated again till the 2006/07 series).
A right-handed opening batsman, Herbert Collins played 19 tests in his career. He scored 1352 runs in those tests at an average of 45.07. It included 4 hundreds and 6 half-centuries, the highest being a masterful 203 against South Africa at the Wanderers in 1921.
Collins is also one of the few cricketers to have never been dismissed for a duck during the course of their entire test career. Collins also captained Australia in 11 tests, winning 5 and losing 2 of them.
Herbert Collins lost the prime of his test career due to the First World War, but he was an incredibly consistent batsman during his six-year tenure as an international cricketer.
Collins averaged above 50 for the major part of his test career, his numbers nosedived only at the very end. In fact, Collins lowest career average of 45.07 was registered after his final test innings.