Favourite/least favourite players to watch.

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MJG14

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Sep 29, 2018
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This has probably been discussed before, but I thought that this could create interesting discussion. Who do you enjoy watching, and who can't you stand watching? I will start with batsmen:

Favourite:
Mark Waugh
Damien Martyn
David Gower
Kumar Sangakkara

Least favourite:
Jason Roy (not really sure why)
Peter Handscomb
Travis Head
 

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Docker82

Norm Smith Medallist
Jun 21, 2013
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Favourites:
Adam Gilchrist
Ricky Ponting
Shane Warne
Steve Smith

My three childhood heroes really, plus a guy that puts the middle up to people who preach about the perfect technique all day.

Least Favourites:
Mitch Marsh
Marcus Harris
Ed Cowan
Any keeper that can’t actually keep (Wade, Bancroft, Handscomb etc)
Any of the spinners we tried between Warne and Lyon (except Hoggy)

Tbh I just hate watching **** players play for us.
 
Last edited:
May 5, 2016
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With a bit of a lack of genuine class batsmen around the world beyond the first handful of stars, I’ve actually begun to enjoy watching bowlers a lot more recently than I ever used to.

Steyn, Rabada, Boult, Gabriel, Cummins are all great to watch in form.
De Villiers up until his retirement was easily my favourite batsman to watch since Lara and Martyn.
 
Jul 15, 2008
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Favourites
Kim Hughes
Mark Waugh
Wayne Phillips (sth Australian one )
Adam Gilchrist
Graeme Wood
Rick Darling
Dean Jones
Greg Blewetts swivel pull shot
Jeff Thomson
Shane Warne

Least Favourite
Geoff Boycott
Mike Brearley
Chris Tavare
Larry Gomes
Kepler Wessels
 

Crashy

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Dec 31, 2018
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Agree with most selections made so far, absolutely can not stand watching chuckers
 
Sep 23, 2007
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Aus: The Waugh Boys, Dean Jones, Adam Gil Christ, Shane Warne, Michael Bevan, Andrew Symonds, Ian Harvey, Glenn Maxwell Smart, Tony Dottedmaid
Eng: -
Ind: Kobra Kohli, Sourav Ginganguly, Mohammad Azharrudin (watch him very closely ;) ), MS Dhoni, Javigal Srinath, V.V.V. Laxman, Vinod Kambli
NZ: Sir Richard Hadlee, Chris Cairns, Jacob Oram, Shane O'Connor, Shanes Bond
Pak: Imran Khan, Saeed Anwar, Waqar Youmissihit, Wasim Akram, Mushtaq Ahmed, Shoiab Ackbar, Mohammad Amir, Rana Naved-ul-Husan, Shoiab Mohammad
SA: Kirsten Gary, Shaun Pollock, Alan Donald Trump, Abraham de Villiers
Sri: Muttiah Muralithadhurin, Aravinda de Silva, Charmander Vaas, Sanath Jayasuriya, Dilshan
WI: B.C. Lara, Carl Hoopdreams, Ambrose & Walsh, vote for Pedro Collins
 

Doodlesweaver

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Apr 17, 2010
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For some reason, I hate watching players that are strong square of the wicket.

Langer, Harris, Head are just yuck.

Martyn was strong square of the wicket and he was Mr Elegance.

But I disliked watching Alistair Cook for the same reason. Watching him tentatively drive was a treat though. You could see him thinking hard about how to move his feet rather than just doing it. Hilarious.

Ugliest batsmen I've seen outside Phil Jacques (first 20/30 balls you'd be thinking 'has this guy ever played cricket?) or Graham Smith - lord, both were horrible - is Paul Collingwood but I had so much admiration for his ability to leave a ball, I would always watch the cricket if I could when he was at bat.

Rahul Dravid driving against spin was just divine. And Gower fielding or batting of course.
 

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Barlos Crathwaite

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Sep 22, 2019
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One of my early coaches made us sit round a telly and watch an old school highlights package of Graeme wood running all his teammates out. Once it was over he turned to us and said "that's the opposite of what I want you to do".
 

rippersnipper

What up son, whatever
Jun 22, 2014
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Ponting at his peak was fantastic at leaving the ball. Sangakkara was technically gorgeous, probably my favourite ever batsman. Gilly and Hayden for their attacking prowess. Martyn for his elegance. Also always loved watching Chanderpaul bat; he is/was criminally underrated. Averaged 51 over 22 years of test cricket. Right up there in that echelon of greats comprised of Tendulkar, Dravid, Lara, Ponting, Kallis, Sangakkara, Jayawardene (peaks mostly post-2000).
 

ioppolo

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Ponting at his peak was fantastic at leaving the ball. Sangakkara was technically gorgeous, probably my favourite ever batsman. Gilly and Hayden for their attacking prowess. Martyn for his elegance. Also always loved watching Chanderpaul bat; he is/was criminally underrated. Averaged 51 over 22 years of test cricket. Right up there in that echelon of greats comprised of Tendulkar, Dravid, Lara, Ponting, Kallis, Sangakkara, Jayawardene (peaks mostly post-2000).
What stands out for Chanderpaul (for me anyway) is that he carried a sack of potatoes for the latter part of his career too.
 

Odog

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May 16, 2015
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Bowlers
Copeland
Bollinger
S Clark
Bird

Batsmen
Elliott
Katich
M Waugh

All least favourite

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
May 5, 2016
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Actually a name I did just see from another poster that I’d forgotten was Cairnsy.

ok so he probably graduated from cricket into spot fixing. That aside, he was one player in an era where they were routinely bullied by Australia, who absolutely refused to be bent by them. Fearless whether it was hooking Brett Lee out of the ground or belting Warney.
 

ioppolo

This only ends one way.
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Actually a name I did just see from another poster that I’d forgotten was Cairnsy.

ok so he probably graduated from cricket into spot fixing. That aside, he was one player in an era where they were routinely bullied by Australia, who absolutely refused to be bent by them. Fearless whether it was hooking Brett Lee out of the ground or belting Warney.
Yep, I remember when the black caps used to punch above their weight exclusively for the Chappell-Hadlee trophy, either he or Craig *in McMillan would become gods amongst batsman.
 

The Passenger

The passenger, I am...
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For some reason, I hate watching players that are strong square of the wicket.

Langer, Harris, Head are just yuck.
Interesting observation and I think it's probably guys that try to bludgeon square of the wicket who aren't great to watch (though not necessarily bad batsmen).

Guys like Martyn and M Waugh got up on their toes and just sort of glided it through that point, cover-point region and it was sexy stuff to watch. Deliveries that most batsmen had to play with a horizontal bat, these guys are playing with a near straight bat which would require perfect timing to avoid getting an edge (and boy did Martyn and M Waugh have exquisite timing).

The three you mention, and S Waugh - funnily enough when you compare him to his twin brother - play very different square of the wicket and it would be fair to say it's not the most aesthetic batting to watch. These guys play shots through that part of the field and it almost looks like they are trying to chop wood and get it on the fire as quickly as possible.

But I guess many ways to skin a cat and all that...
 

MC Bad Genius

No, not THAT MC Bad Genius. The other one.
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Batters:

Sangakarra/Laxman/Clarke - absolute class
Gilchrist/McCullum/Stokes (urgh)/De Villiers - inventiveness and brutality

Bowlers:

Malinga - unique action and his yorkers are mesmerising
Archer - just something about young, raw fast bowlers that is appealing

And at the other end of the spectrum...

Batters:

Khawaja - never enjoyable because you just know a lapse in concentration is coming
Renshaw/Burns (Eng) - scratchy and constantly play inside the line to try and avoid an edge, but just never score fluently
Kohli - because if he does well, India are most likely in a winning position

Bowlers:

McGrath - too much of a robot in his action (obviously a fantastic bowler though)
Santner - just a boring, slovenly action
Basically every off spinner ever, but particularly in white ball cricket. Bowling darts to give away singles is when I end up turning off
 

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