da blaze casino： Alec Bedser has been knighted in the New Year’s Honour List
Christopher Martin-Jenkins15-Jun-2007Alec Bedser has been fond of repeating Arthur Mailey’s bon mot that “the last bowler to be knighted was Sir Francis Drake”. Not any more because Alec Victor Bedser, now 78 and the 16th man to be knighted for his services to cricket, is also the first specialist bowler. A fierce patriot, his twin brother Eric will share his pride today, as always.The pedant might argue that Gubby, Sir George, Allen was abowler first and foremost but he made 11 first-class hundreds,one in a Test. Bedser, it is true, made a century himself, butin 576 first-class innings he passed 50 on only 12 otheroccasions.With a bat he did his honest best, as he has throughout anindustrious life. But with a new ball he was in his element, aholy terror whenever there was anything in the pitch and aformidable opponent even on a flat one. Sturdy as an oak, he hadthe perfect rocking action and his stock combination offast-medium inswing and leg cut brought him 1,924 wickets at 20runs each: 236 at 24 in his 51 Tests.A pillar of the all-conquering Surrey side of the 1950s, hecarried England’s attack in the years of rebuilding after thewar and made lifelong friends of opponents, especially his mostdemanding one, Don Bradman. He will be visiting Sir Donald inAdelaide shortly, as he does in most winters.Twice he was able to do so as manager of MCC tours, a reminderthat this honour reflects not just his bowling and his exemplarybearing on the field but also his work for English cricket sincehis retirement, including 13 years as chairman of selectors,1969-81, during which England lost only two of their sevenseries for the Ashes.His stern criticism of the current standard of English bowlingis understandable: when Bedser played on the same ground onwhich the second Test in Harare was drawn, his match figuresagainst a Rhodesia side containing three Test players were28-14-36-7.Cricketing KnightsFrancis Lacey (1926), Fred Toone (1929), Pelham Warner (1937),Donald Bradman (1949), Henry Leveson-Gower (1953), Jack Hobbs(1953), Leonard Hutton (1956), Frank Worrell (1964), NevilleCardus (1967), Garfield Sobers (1975), George Allen (1986),Richard Hadlee (1990), Colin Cowdrey (1992), Clyde Walcott(1994), Everton Weekes (1995), Alec Bedser (1996).Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)