Chappell tells coaches to follow Bradman’s advice of pitching the ball up

BRISBANE - Former Australian captain and now selector Greg Chappell has urged coaches around the country to follow the advice once dropped by cricketing legend Sir Donald Bradman - that of pitching the ball up, bringing bowled, lbw and slips catches into play when training their wards.

Recalling his chance meeting with “The Don” while both were leaving the Adelaide Oval just over a decade ago, Chappell said he took the chance of asking Bradman what sort of deliveries caused him the most trouble.

“Ones which were pitched right up near the bat,” Bradman replied.

The truth was no ball troubled him much, but one quirky sidelight about Bradman’s stunning record is that he was bowled a remarkably high one-in-three (32.9 per cent) of his Test innings.

Many top batsmen are around half this figure with Chappell himself a standard 15 per cent.

According to The Age, that lesson is never more apt than at the Gabba where so many teams waste helpful conditions by bowling too short.

Australian coach Tim Nielsen said he agreed with Bradman’s message and had already been working on that principle with his bowlers. (ANI)