Not many of them left now

I, of course, never got to see him play, but that is no reason not to do Bill Brown, that doughty Invincible, the honour of mentioning his passing

Clichéd as it may sound, Brown was always regarded as a true gentleman of the game, a self-effacing character more inclined to praise illustrious colleagues like The Don, McCabe and Keith Miller than brag about his own achievements with the bat, but it was he more often than not, in partnership with Bradman's near bête noire Jack Fingleton, that provided the platform for those player's unsurpassable achievements. Not one to throw the bat, he did what openeners are supposed to do: blunt the attack and stay at the crease until at least lunchtime on the 1st day

Finishing his Test career with nigh-on 1600 runs from 22 matches at an average of over 46, Australia won 14 of the Tests he played in and he himself was voted Wisden cricketer of the year in 1939 after scoring over 500 runs at an average of over 70 during the Ashes tour of '38, a tour which saw him post 133 at Trent Bridge and 206 at Lord's. Put it this way: only Bradman, of the tourists, outdid him in that series

Rest in peace, good sir