View Full Version : Australian Cricket's "Coodabeens"
Damon_3388
1 Jan 2010, 21:45
Australian Cricket's "Coodabeens"
This is a thread to discuss those players in the history of Australia cricket who for whatever reason never quite achieved their potential at International level. Whether it though lack of opportunity and/or selectors ignoring them for too long (eg. Darren Lehmann), bad timing (better players already filling their spots, eg. the ever-present Ashley Noffke), being a "late bloomer" (eg. Colin Miller), getting cruelly axed (can't think of an obvious example off the top of my head), or just not cementing their place while they had the chance and/or succumed to injury at a crucial stage (eg. Matthew Elliot), these players never quite achieved what they could have at International level, despite having great ability.
Anyway, discuss some names that should have been decade-long mainstays for the Australian team (either in Tests or ODIs), but for whatever reason didn't achieve what they could have at test level. If more seasoned posters could discuss some older players, that'd be great too. I only really started watching following cricket properly around 1995, and while I have a good idea of Australia's cricketing history prior to that, there's nothing like actually living through it.
Bomber Bears
1 Jan 2010, 22:05
Bevan in test cricket.
Would've been interesting to see how good Gillespie could've been if he hadnt been an injury wreck in his early career, because he was the second best fast bowler we've had in the last 20 years (at least).
DeadlyAkkuret
1 Jan 2010, 22:10
Jaques
Adelaide Hawk
1 Jan 2010, 22:46
Mark Cosgrove. - captain.
sen entertainment bloke
1 Jan 2010, 22:51
Jamie Siddons 10,000 first class runs. More than Hookes.
Cotchin 9
1 Jan 2010, 23:40
Didn't I already make a thread on this very topic?
Damon_3388
1 Jan 2010, 23:48
Didn't I already make a thread on this very topic?
Apologies if you have. When did you make it?
Didn't I already make a thread on this very topic?
Probably.
Brad Hodge
Matthew Elliot
David Hooks
Dean Jones
Paul Reifeel
Who else?
Adelaide Hawk
2 Jan 2010, 11:32
Didn't I already make a thread on this very topic?
You mean, you don't know?
Zahasouvlakis
2 Jan 2010, 12:34
Probably.
Brad Hodge
Matthew Elliot
David Hooks
Dean Jones
Paul Reifeel
Who else?
VICTORIANS
Darren Berry :o
Howard Littlejohn
2 Jan 2010, 14:36
Cox - Would have played Test cricket in most other eras. Would have played Test cricket if playing for most other states.
MacGill - if he wasn't around at the same time as Warne, he would have been regarded as one of the best ever; who would have thought somone who played for NSW would have a hard luck story?
Kasprowicz - often beat the bat when called upon at Test level, just rarely hit the edge. One of those guys who showed that he could take wickets, but never actually got them in the few chances he had.
Wayne Phillips - just kidding, both of them probably got more Tests than they deserved; maybe if the SA one hadn't been forced to become a keeper, he might have deserved his place for longer and been a better batsman.
Peter Sleep - not overly talented, but if he had not gone on the Rebel tours to South Africa would almost certainly have got a regular gig before he did, given the dearth of spin talent in the country in the 80s.
wce4premiership
2 Jan 2010, 15:47
Damien martin could have been so much more :(
Bomber Bears
2 Jan 2010, 17:15
Damien martin could have been so much more :(
ditto Mark Waugh
I fear that Phil Jaques will be on this list in a year or two. He could've been anything.
Damien Martyn and Dean Jones were both robbed of far better careers than they ended up with.
roostersgal4eva
3 Jan 2010, 05:28
Bevan in test cricket.
Would've been interesting to see how good Gillespie could've been if he hadnt been an injury wreck in his early career, because he was the second best fast bowler we've had in the last 20 years (at least).
It would of made a world of difference if Dizzie didnt have his horror injury run
Also they should of given Boof more of a chance @ test leval earlier
I fear that Phil Jaques will be on this list in a year or two. He could've been anything.
Sadly I agree :( Also if only Taity had his head screwed on straight & his body didnt break down......he's in danger of that too (can we leave the tait bashing for another thread please)
The Reaper
3 Jan 2010, 08:23
It would of made a world of difference if Dizzie didnt have his horror injury run
Also they should of given Boof more of a chance @ test leval earlier
Sadly I agree :( Also if only Taity had his head screwed on straight & his body didnt break down......he's in danger of that too (can we leave the tait bashing for another thread please)
Jaques has a better chance of playing Tests again than Tait
and I'm one of Shaun's biggest fans
Carl Spackler
3 Jan 2010, 08:43
Bruce Reid (injury) - kept breaking down unfortunately but could have been anything.
Martin Love (opportunity) - too many good batsmen around during his era but he looked a class act to me.
Stuart MacGill (opportunity) - still had a very good career but could have been a 500+ wicket taker had Warne not occupied the spinner's seat.
roostersgal4eva
3 Jan 2010, 08:51
Jaques has a better chance of playing Tests again than Tait
and I'm one of Shaun's biggest fans
your comparing bowlers with batsman - unfair comaparason
hoever he has value for our one dayers and 20/20 team i feel
The Reaper
3 Jan 2010, 08:58
your comparing bowlers with batsman - unfair comaparason
hoever he has value for our one dayers and 20/20 team i feel
it's a fair comparison
Tait has dropped to about 12th or 15th in the pecking order for bowling
He will almost certainly never be seriously considered again.
Jaques still has a chance of playing tests if he can sort himself out over this season and the next
He'll proably get some T20 games. But you know. In terms of serious international cricket, he's done.
Chasing the Dream
3 Jan 2010, 10:08
Kasprowicz - often beat the bat when called upon at Test level, just rarely hit the edge. One of those guys who showed that he could take wickets, but never actually got them in the few chances he had.
Could probably add his good mate Andy Bichel in there too. Pretty sure he is right up there, if not top of the list of Aussie 12th men.
Chasing the Dream
3 Jan 2010, 10:11
Damien Martyn and Dean Jones were both robbed of far better careers than they ended up with.
Robbed or thrown away?:cool:
Howard Littlejohn
3 Jan 2010, 10:51
I fear that Phil Jaques will be on this list in a year or two. He could've been anything.
Damien Martyn and Dean Jones were both robbed of far better careers than they ended up with.
Disagree on Jones, at least on the reason.
Jones was a victim of his own success in limited overs cricket. He changed his game for limited overs stuff, which made him one of the greats at that game, but destroyed his Test game. By the time he was dropped from Test cricket he was a shadow of what he had been.
Michael Slater did a similar thing later. He changed his game to make himself a one day player, and wrecked his Test game in the process. The difference, Slater never did become a great limited overs player.
Alpha Male
3 Jan 2010, 12:29
Kasper, Bichel and MacGill could've won us just as many tests as McGrath, Dizzy and Warney did.
Andy Bichel was my fave player as a kid so I'm biased but geez if these three guys were born in just about any other country we would've had some very stiff competition.
Imagine if they were Englishmen!!! The Poms always had the batting under Hussien but they could never get us out. With these three it woulda been some sort of contest!
Always thought Tom Moody deserved to play more tests. Stuart Law as well could have played a few more.
Docker Clint
3 Jan 2010, 15:32
Tim Zoehrer
Jamie Siddons
Howard Littlejohn
3 Jan 2010, 15:42
Always thought Tom Moody deserved to play more tests. Stuart Law as well could have played a few more.
Stuart Law was unlucky, in that he was the one dropped to make way for Ponting's development.
Greg Blewett was another for whom the era he was around in counted against him.
Greg Blewett was another for whom the era he was around in counted against him.:( My favourite.
I remember early days he was constantly compared with Ponting. After his 214 (inc. a then world record partnership with Steve Waugh) in South Africa, he was set to explode.
He was shifted around the order, eventually to opener, and suffered as a result. After years of brilliant form in domestic/Aus A, he still couldn't break back into the side.
Archie Jackson - Killed in WWII, an opening bat who scored at a strike rate near the 80's
John Gregory - Another lost in war time tragedy, fine allrounder who Bradman rated alongisde Keith Miller.
Minka Beaver
4 Jan 2010, 08:21
Archie Jackson - Killed in WWII, an opening bat who scored at a strike rate near the 80's
John Gregory - Another lost in war time tragedy, fine allrounder who Bradman rated alongisde Keith Miller.
Errr...Archie Jackson died of tuberculosis at the age of 23 in 1933. But that aside, he was the player I was going to mention.
Hit 160+ on Test debut and was the equal of Bradman when it came to natural talent (although obviously he'd have been hard-pressed to reach the same career heights had he lived).
Along with Gregory, the cruellest cuts of all.
outabounds
4 Jan 2010, 11:19
Having seen a fair it of him in District cricket. I would nominate Ian Harvey. He truly did not deliver on his potential. At one stage i though he could be anything. His batting looked fantastic but he never really made the runs in first class cricket to match his ability.
nobbyiscool
4 Jan 2010, 11:48
dene hills - interesting that people always mention cox in the 'unlucky' basket... i always rated hills at least as good, if not better than cox
matthew elliot - my memory is sketchy, but if it serves correct is was that knee injury that cost him more than anything.
jason krejza - say what u will about him, he didn't do a lot wrong before being cast away...
andy bichel - after his efforts in the 2003 world cup, he should be a revered figure in australian cricket. obviously he isnt!
of course, the 'coodabeen' label is one that could be thrown at a whole lot of world series players or south africa rebels.
legend166
4 Jan 2010, 11:49
Cosgrove would have been playing for Australia already if he wasn't a fat knob. I mean, all he had to do was lose weight and he would have been in. I guess he's content playing State cricket and continuing to eat whatever.
Howard Littlejohn
4 Jan 2010, 17:34
dene hills - interesting that people always mention cox in the 'unlucky' basket... i always rated hills at least as good, if not better than cox
True enough in some ways, the difference was probably that Cox was top shelf for over a decade, Hills for five or six of the same years.
Gavin Excell
4 Jan 2010, 20:05
Richard Chee Quee. When all his NSW teammates were getting national caps he was scandoulsly overlooked.
Sure he only averaged 28 with the bat but thats enough these days for a NSW player to get the nod for a test spot. But why not for Rich?
A travesty.
outabounds
4 Jan 2010, 20:13
Richard Chee Quee. When all his NSW teammates were getting national caps he was scandoulsly overlooked.
Sure he only averaged 28 with the bat but thats enough these days for a NSW player to get the nod for a test spot. But why not for Rich?
A travesty.
lets hope that the same fate does not fall on Moises Henriques.
Barwick17
4 Jan 2010, 20:13
Kasper, Bichel and MacGill could've won us just as many tests as McGrath, Dizzy and Warney did.
LOL - Quote of the century! You, sir, .... i wont even bother!
Damon_3388
4 Jan 2010, 21:33
Richard Chee Quee. When all his NSW teammates were getting national caps he was scandoulsly overlooked.
Sure he only averaged 28 with the bat but thats enough these days for a NSW player to get the nod for a test spot. But why not for Rich?
A travesty.
If we're naming New South Welshmen like Richard Chee Quee, we have to mention his contemporaries in Kevin 'Kiss Me' Roberts and Corey 'Michael Clarke V.1' Richards as well :p