 Wisden 's obituary described Hammond as one of the top four batsmen who had ever played , calling him " a most exciting cricketer . ... The instant he walked out of a pavilion , white @-@ spotted blue handkerchief showing from his right pocket , bat tucked underarm , cap at a hint of an angle , he was identifiable as a thoroughbred . " Throughout the 1930s , the public and critics regarded Hammond as England 's best batsman , succeeding Jack Hobbs , and next to Bradman , the best in the world ( although George Headley also had a claim ) . Among English batsmen , only Herbert Sutcliffe , with a higher Test average , was similarly successful . According to Alan Gibson , however , although Sutcliffe was dependable in a crisis , " his batting never gave quite the same sense of majesty and excitement that Hammond 's did " . More recently , Hammond was one of the inaugural inductees into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame , launched in January 2009 , and was selected by a jury of cricket journalists as a member of England 's all @-@ time XI in August 2009 . 
