View Full Version : What do people think of Craig McDermott?
wagstaff
30 Oct 2002, 23:16
I was watching highlights recently of the 1991 Test series when Australia went over to the West Indies and failed to take the Frank Worrell Trophy and become 'world champions'.
For the Australian bowlers, McDermott stood out like a beacon as a genuine class act. He was clearly Australia's number one strike bowler in that series and the only one who was a genuine consistent threat to the Windies.as he shook them up with pace and vigour.
While Merv Hughes tried hard, the other bowlers such as Reid, Whitney and (heaven forbid) Greg Matthews were usually smashed around the park by the great Windies batting lineup.
But then there was the downside to McDermott in that series - batting against the Windies paceman.
Put simply, he looked vastly intimidated whenever he faced up to them - scared even - and didn't want to be out there. Apparently he got hit by a Courtney Walsh bouncer early in the tour and the Windies pacemen never let him forget it.
I think this series highlighted the contradictions in Craig McDermott's career and help explain why he isn't remembered as fondly as Merv Hughes who took far less wickets.
At his best, McDermott was an outstanding bowler who had pace, movement, swing... the lot. His record of almost 300 Test wickets is testament to his power as a strike bowler.
Yet, I always got the impression that McDermott was a soft player. The amount of times he collapsed on the field in severe pain when he actually wasn't seriously injured was extraordinary. He always seemed to have a low pain threshold. He missed a Test match in Pakistan with an 'ingrown toenail', I dare say a few other bowlers would've played with such an impediment.
I don't see any of these flaws in his successor McGrath. In 1995, when he replaced McDermott as the spearhead, he immediately attacked the West Indian pacemen with bouncers, knowing that he would get his fair share in return. I could never imagine McDermott doing the same thing.
In my opinion, McDermott was an outstanding strike bowler for Australia, especially in the early to mid 1990s, yet in many ways he lacked the toughness that makes a truly great player and was open to intimidation from the opposition.
What are other people's opinions on McDermott?
Jim Boy
30 Oct 2002, 23:56
Originally posted by wagstaff
I don't see any of these flaws in his successor McGrath. In 1995, when he replaced McDermott as the spearhead, he immediately attacked the West Indian pacemen with bouncers, knowing that he would get his fair share in return. I could never imagine McDermott doing the same thing. That was back in the days when you just didn't bowl like that at the bunnies. And anyway, I dare say the West Indian bowlers that McGrath was bowling at were not of the same fierce calibre that McDermott had to bowl at.
Also remebering the McDermott bowled through a lean period, often with little quality back-up. I just don't like to compare them.
McDermott is one of Australia's more underrated cricketers. I wouldn't hold his poor run with injuries against him (he did pretty well to get 291 test wickets considering). Do you rate Reid and Gillespie as soft? If I was naming an all time Australian side I'd probably McDermott in my 3rd XI, or maybe even squeze him into the 2nd XI.
I wouldn't put him in the same class as McGrath - Australia's greatest ever fast bowler. His record speaks for itself.
dr nick
31 Oct 2002, 07:46
Bruce Reid was one of those bowlers in his prime where you were expecting a wicket every ball.
I loved watching McDermott though, esp bowling to Desmond Haynes that series (i think it was 91) and the tail. he didnt care that they were the likes of patterson, ambrose, walsh etc
bluechampion
31 Oct 2002, 09:54
He suffers in comparison to the great fast bolwlers around him like Lillee and McGrath. Those two are record breaking strike bowlers, and then our major spearhead between them is Craig. This makes him easier to overlook.
He was an excellent bowler and terrible batsman. Maybe ever worse than McGrath (he was certainly jumpier).
I seem to recall McDermott was a more composed batsman in the early-mid 90s. His partnership with May so very nearly won that 4th Test against the Windies in 1992/3.
I had the idea that McDermott's career average was very similar to Merv's in the end. Yet thinking about it, I would have said McDermott was a much better bowler.
He did carry the attack through some pretty lean years.
He could be intimidated when batting, yet I also remember him being sent in as a pinch hitter in some one-day games. (Possibly even the 1987 world cup final).
The great West Indies era really did thrive on initmidating their opposition. Sledging, arrogance they did it all.
GoEagles
31 Oct 2002, 11:33
Red haired Banana Bender who wore a lot of zinc cream.
He was a terrific bowler in the 90s, opened the attack and normally got the breakthroughs we needed. The downside was that he seemed very intimidated against short pitched bowling (especially vs West Indies). Maybe this started in the 1991 series and never left him, but he never looked comfortable at the crease
A shame that injury ended his career. I remember he broke down in the 1996 World Cup vs Kenya.
McAlmanac
31 Oct 2002, 11:43
Originally posted by DaveW
I seem to recall McDermott was a more composed batsman in the early-mid 90s. His partnership with May so very nearly won that 4th Test against the Windies in 1992/3.
Caught behind off his helmet.
EagleBlue
31 Oct 2002, 12:53
As a bowler he was outstanding but as a batsman (particularly in the latter half of his career) he just didnt want to seem to know how to get behind the ball but lets not forget he nearly won 2 test matches for us with the bat. The one against the Windies in Adelaide (where he wasnt out) and the one in Sydney vs SAF. He nearly belted us home to victory coming in at about 8/70 chasing 120 odd. Seemed to take a lot longer to get over what appeared (at times) to be minor injuries than our bowlers do these days, (apart from maybe Gillespie)
dr nick
31 Oct 2002, 13:21
Originally posted by DaveW
I seem to recall McDermott was a more composed batsman in the early-mid 90s. His partnership with May so very nearly won that 4th Test against the Windies in 1992/3.
i had the last hour of that test match on tape, every ball. gripping stuff, but about 3 years ago our old video recorder started chewing up the tape whilst it was playing :(
i have very fond memories of mcdermott, and if i recall correctly, he once toured the windies ('95) and twisted his ankle after a night out and had to be flown back home. he didnt play a game the whole series.
but the person who said he is often overlooked is right. we always talk about lillee, thommo and now mcgrath and warne etc, there seems to be a period of 10 years no-one talks about much, and thats when mcdermott was spearheading the attack, and a lot of the time with little support (though i am also very big fan of one terry alderman, as a kid i copied his bowling action, so my action still stightly resembles his, ripper outswingers and a mean off cutter :D)
dr nick
31 Oct 2002, 13:27
by the way, back when we won the sir frank worrell trophy in the west indies, on the back of that mighty 200 by steve waugh after giving it to rubber-lips ambrose :p and under mark taylor. i used to think it was laughable how we were now considered the world champions.
i mean the windies had won every series for the last umpteen years on their home soil, and beat us every time they toured out here, and suddenly on the back of a single series victory we were world champs..
does anyone else think that it was a bit rich to be calling ourselves the world champions? or do you think we were deserving of it at that time?
Originally posted by wagstaff
But then there was the downside to McDermott in that series - batting against the Windies paceman.
Put simply, he looked vastly intimidated whenever he faced up to them - scared even - and didn't want to be out there. Apparently he got hit by a Courtney Walsh bouncer early in the tour and the Windies pacemen never let him forget it.
It's interesting that you point this out, I wasn't aware of it until I read Viv Richards' biography not long ago & he saves his most venomous bile for Craig mcDermott, he really bags him severely & obviously has no respect for him.
He really hammers home how little respect he has for a bloke who when he's bowling is mouthing it off, full of aggression & swagger & then turns into a frightened child 'backing away to leg' & looking terrified when facing the West Indies quicks.
wagstaff
31 Oct 2002, 23:09
Originally posted by DIPPER
It's interesting that you point this out, I wasn't aware of it until I read Viv Richards' biography not long ago & he saves his most venomous bile for Craig mcDermott, he really bags him severely & obviously has no respect for him.
He really hammers home how little respect he has for a bloke who when he's bowling is mouthing it off, full of aggression & swagger & then turns into a frightened child 'backing away to leg' & looking terrified when facing the West Indies quicks.
I must admit I got that impression at times from McDermott during his career. He was prepared to mouth off at certain opponents but was completely intimidated against opponents like the Windies.
I would disagree with Jim Boy's comment that bowlers didn't bowl bouncers at tailenders a decade or so ago. Once helmets became commonplace, so did bouncers to tailenders and they have been fairly commonplace for 15 or so years at least.
The classic example was when Ambrose broke Geoff Lawson's jaw at the WACA in 1988. Even Lawson admitted afterwards that he was partly to blame for facing the Windies quicks with a helmet without a grill.
wagstaff
31 Oct 2002, 23:22
Originally posted by EagleBlue
As a bowler he was outstanding but as a batsman (particularly in the latter half of his career) he just didnt want to seem to know how to get behind the ball but lets not forget he nearly won 2 test matches for us with the bat. The one against the Windies in Adelaide (where he wasnt out) and the one in Sydney vs SAF. He nearly belted us home to victory coming in at about 8/70 chasing 120 odd. Seemed to take a lot longer to get over what appeared (at times) to be minor injuries than our bowlers do these days, (apart from maybe Gillespie)
McDermott's career as a batsman was an interesting one. In his early years he was considered a quite promising lower order batsman and during the mid-1980, Allan Border made the comment along the lines that McDermott had the potential to become an allrounder. Probably a comment AB regretted in later years.
However McDermott made some valuable contributions for Australia. Apart from the Windies 1992/93 and South Africa 1993/94 efforts already mentioned, he partnered Mike Whitney for the final 4.5 overs of the 1987/88 MCG test to see off Richard Hadlee and ensure that Australia won the series.
He was involved in a valuable partnership with Mark Taylor in 1994/95 at the SCG against England which helped Australia get over the follow-on mark just..... and probably saved the match.
But there were low points as well. So intimidated had McDermott become after the 1991 Windies series that in the next bout in 1992/93, his tactic was to back away from the stumps and just attempt to whack it. It was more successful then the previous series but it didn't look impressive and he was made to look very foolish with some of his dismissals. However, he didn't bat like this with Tim May in Adelaide.
Another negative batting display was when Australia were defeated by Pakistan at the SCG in 1995/96. In the final innings with Australia less then 100 runs from victory, McDermott was widely criticised for backing away from the stumps and making no real effort to try and keep out Waqar Younis' fast full tosses. It was noted that Glenn McGrath showed much more fortitude in facing Waqar and managed to see off an over or two.
As I said, McDermott was a mixed bag, but I think his contribution to cricket has been overlooked somewhat.
Richie Benaud
1 Nov 2002, 22:40
Craig McDermott was a marvellous competitor for Australia who gave his all during a time when Australia weren't all that great.
Who could forget the yorker he bowled to the great West Indian batsman Richie Richardson in the mid 1980's. It was a super piece of bowling that and was the start of many fine battles the pair would have over the years.
Bulldog1954
1 Nov 2002, 23:06
Great cricketer, but a ****head. At one stage I had the autograp of every player in the test side, except for him. He just wouldn't sign the tightarse prick. I mean I got Salim Malik's for christs sake, but not Craig
Following the Hong Kong Sixes today, I think his best might be behind him!
sandeano
3 Nov 2002, 19:37
Just an observation....
...why do the majority of the comments on this thread pertain to Billy's batting ability?
Sure, he was jumpier than a jack rabbit on PCP when it was his turn at the crease, but honestly, who cares? He was a number 10/11 batsman.
But on that point, I think if his batting average was halved, but he showed a little more ticker, he would have been respected somewhat more as a bowler. Yes, he did look like the sort who could ish it, but seldom take it. As someone once said of Tom Moody's batting - "He looks like Tarzan and bats like Jane".
Otherwise a fine bowler who worked tireslessly during a pretty lean time, but as so many have said he was a little too highly strung and injury prone. Sadly he'll b remembered for being there at crucial moments when Australia lost, rather than for his excellent ontributions when they won.
wagstaff
3 Nov 2002, 20:04
Originally posted by sandeano
Just an observation....
...why do the majority of the comments on this thread pertain to Billy's batting ability?
Sure, he was jumpier than a jack rabbit on PCP when it was his turn at the crease, but honestly, who cares? He was a number 10/11 batsman.
True, but I think that there were occasions when his batting weaknesses affected his bowling. He never had the same obvious confidence (or for that matter, success) against the West Indies as he did against the English, with one possible reason being he was easily intimidated by aggressive and short-pitched bowling.
And no prizes for guessing which country was better able to deliver that during McDermott's career.
Who remembers the delivery McDermott was working on just prior to bowing out of international cricket. From memory it was a slower ball delivered as a full-toss, and it dropped just prior to reaching the batsman, hitting them mid-shin.
I think it was called something like the spider, or the slider, and was based on baseball pitches.
Does anyone remember it, think it was worthwhile, and possibly worth attempting again? I remember him taking a few wickets with this delivery, but he didn't use it enough to be deemed effective in my eyes.
Originally posted by Fwoy
Who remembers the delivery McDermott was working on just prior to bowing out of international cricket. From memory it was a slower ball delivered as a full-toss, and it dropped just prior to reaching the batsman, hitting them mid-shin.
I think it was called something like the spider, or the slider, and was based on baseball pitches.
Does anyone remember it, think it was worthwhile, and possibly worth attempting again? I remember him taking a few wickets with this delivery, but he didn't use it enough to be deemed effective in my eyes.
yep, i remember it, he split his two fingers far apart so he couldnt push the ball when he bowled, thus resulting in a slower ball.
not being ****y, but i have a mean slower ball. it is by far my best delivery. at the last moment i turn my wrist sideways so the ball comes out musch slower. it looks like its going straight for the head only to dip at the last minute. i have cleaned up a certain Jon Moss many a time with this delivery in the nets whilst he was still playing for manly (i take credit, he has since copied that slower ball :D:D)