Line and Length
Cricketer Of The Year
This is a ridiculous comment that fails to look at all the facts, of which his average is an important component.
Barrington's batting improved with the quality of the opposition; he averaged 39.87 in the County Championship, 45.63 in first-class-cricket, 58.67 in Test cricket and 63.96 against Australia. Of players with a completed career, only Don Bradman with his average of 99.94 made more than Barrington's 6,806 Test runs at a higher average.
Barrington twice made centuries in four successive Tests, and was the first England batsmen to make hundreds on all six traditional Test grounds in England: Old Trafford, Edgbaston, Headingly. Lords, Trent Bridge and The Oval.
As this poll is based on batting in Tests, these facts cannot be ignored.
As for "not being rated in his own era", where did you get that idea from?
Respected cricket writer, E.M. Wellings, wrote that he was the best young batting prospect since Denis Compton, adding "He is a brilliant strokemaker and now has such a sound defence that he is as convincing on the wet wickets as on the dry".
He was voted "Young Cricketer of the Year" by the Cricket Writers Club in 1955.
In 1959 he was named one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year.
After the 61/62 tour of India he was named the Indian Cricket Cricketer of the Year 1962.
The biggest criticism of Barrington was that he was, at times, too defensive but this trait won the admiration of his opponents with one describing him as "coming to the crease like a bulldog with a Union Jack around his shoulders". Despite this, Barrington shares the record of most Test centuries brought up with a six with Tendulkar.
