Page "Wally Hammond" Paragraph 43

During 1946, the first full season after the war, Hammond played only 26 innings but scored 1, 783 runs at an average of 84. 90, topping the first-class averages for the eighth time in succession — still an English record as of July 2010.

At times, he began to show technical weaknesses.

Captaining England to a 1 – 0 victory in a three-Test series against India, he scored one fifty, making 119 runs at an average of 39. 66.

He batted fifth in the order in the final match, as he would in four of his five remaining Tests.

Gloucestershire fell to fifth in the County Championship, and Hammond, after enthusiastically making the team very competitive at the start of the season, became increasingly affected by pain, particularly in damp weather.

As captain, he could be irritable and consciously created remoteness and division.