Elegant tail enders

[PhatBoy]

I’m watching Rabada bat against Pakistan. I remember the very first time I really watched him bat, it was the game he took 5 wickets in Perth and bowled SA to a win but I noticed how capable he looked with the bat and there was talk about how he wanted to turn himself into an all rounder.
A decade or so later and he’s played two beautiful shots in this innings off the spinners, one was a down on one knee slog sweep for 6, one was a perfect lofted straight drive for 4. He looks more ‘textbook’ than just about any batsman from either side but his output hasn’t really improved from that first day of his career.

Who are the best ‘looking’ but still genuine tail-Enders you can think of?

I actually think Hazlewood is a pretty elegant looking batsman. Maybe it’s the whole tall left-hander thing that helps.

 

[PhatBoy]

Southee was quite easy on the eye if he wasn’t backing away.

 

[PhatBoy]

So since I posted this thread he’s played a back foot punch that the commentators drooled over, a high elbowed lofted cover drive, and a high elbowed lofted on drive both off Shaheen for 6 as though he’s read what I said. I feel like I’m watching pr0n

 

[Gough]

Mitch Starc the batsman has consistently given me the shits.

 

[PhatBoy]

Mitch Starc the batsman has consistently given me the shits.

When he moves his feet he definitely fits the bill

 

[dumb]

obviously spent most of my time watching australian tailenders. one of the first that came to mind was damien fleming. remember watching his 71 against england, a few one-footed offside drives.
richie mentions the australian tail... kasprowicz at 8 ahead of fleming

video is unfortunately an hour long but that lets you look at his defence. his 50-odd against zim is also on youtube but a few more hoiks in that.

 

[PhatBoy]

obviously spent most of my time watching australian tailenders. one of the first that came to mind was damien fleming. remember watching his 71 against england, a few one-footed offside drives.
richie mentions the australian tail... kasprowicz at 8 ahead of fleming

video is unfortunately an hour long but that lets you look at his defence. his 50-odd against zim is also on youtube but a few more hoiks in that.

I do remember this knock and his rather extravagant drives through the offside. It was almost like he was taking the piss at times

 

[CURVE]

I’m watching Rabada bat against Pakistan. I remember the very first time I really watched him bat, it was the game he took 5 wickets in Perth and bowled SA to a win but I noticed how capable he looked with the bat and there was talk about how he wanted to turn himself into an all rounder.
A decade or so later and he’s played two beautiful shots in this innings off the spinners, one was a down on one knee slog sweep for 6, one was a perfect lofted straight drive for 4. He looks more ‘textbook’ than just about any batsman from either side but his output hasn’t really improved from that first day of his career.

Who are the best ‘looking’ but still genuine tail-Enders you can think of?

I actually think Hazlewood is a pretty elegant looking batsman. Maybe it’s the whole tall left-hander thing that helps.

All Lefthanders are elegant, it just comes naturally.

I was going to mention another Aussie lefthander, Mitchell Starc is a very elegant batter, when he applies himself.

 

[PhatBoy]

All Lefthanders are elegant, it just comes naturally.

I was going to mention another Aussie lefthander, Mitchell Starc is a very elegant batter, when he applies himself.

Ben Duckett, Graeme Smith and Dean Elgar beg to differ lol

 

[Gethelred]

I’m watching Rabada bat against Pakistan. I remember the very first time I really watched him bat, it was the game he took 5 wickets in Perth and bowled SA to a win but I noticed how capable he looked with the bat and there was talk about how he wanted to turn himself into an all rounder.
A decade or so later and he’s played two beautiful shots in this innings off the spinners, one was a down on one knee slog sweep for 6, one was a perfect lofted straight drive for 4. He looks more ‘textbook’ than just about any batsman from either side but his output hasn’t really improved from that first day of his career.

Who are the best ‘looking’ but still genuine tail-Enders you can think of?

I actually think Hazlewood is a pretty elegant looking batsman. Maybe it’s the whole tall left-hander thing that helps.

Nathan Lyon.

I'll die on the hill that there isn't an alternate reality with the only differences being Steven Smith and Lyon's careers were swapped.

 

[Gethelred]

Ben Duckett, Graeme Smith and Dean Elgar beg to differ lol

Rory Burns would also like a word.

 

[sherb]

Rabada joins a pretty exclusive group.

He sits fifth in terms of highest scores by a #11.

Eleven of the 21 instances of a number 11 scoring a half-century have come in the past 21 years. The previous 127 years saw only 10 instances.

Batting records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

 

[CURVE]

Rory Burns would also like a word.

Rory Burns batting style does not look natural to me, it looks "manufactured" (like Keplar Vessels in the early 1980's) to overcome some sort of batting weakness or deficiency.

Like being English.

Ben Duckett is another one whose batting style doesn't look natural to me.

 

[MisterMarcus]

Ben Duckett, Graeme Smith and Dean Elgar beg to differ lol

I remember watching Elgar's test debut against us, when he scored a pair and looked ugly as hell, and thinking "Why in god's name are South Africa playing this absolute crab?"

 

[PhatBoy]

I remember watching Elgar's test debut against us, when he scored a pair and looked ugly as hell, and thinking "Why in god's name are South Africa playing this absolute crab?"

He had some of the most bizarre metrics of any modern player I can remember. Almost as strange as Rahul who has scored nearly all his hundreds abroad but averages less away than home.

Elgar averages:
16 in Australia… but has a century here
30 in England… but has a century there
30 in India… but has a century there
32 in NZ… but has a century there
22 in SL… but has a century there

So he can obviously ‘bat’ in theory, in all those places once he gets in. But he only managed 11 half century scores total in 69 away innings for his career.

Yet at home, playing on by far the worst decks for an opener to bat on, he averaged 47, hit 9 centuries, 17 50s, and scored at a decent rate of over 50 per hundred balls.

 

[Jim Prideaux]

obviously spent most of my time watching australian tailenders. one of the first that came to mind was damien fleming. remember watching his 71 against england, a few one-footed offside drives.
richie mentions the australian tail... kasprowicz at 8 ahead of fleming

video is unfortunately an hour long but that lets you look at his defence. his 50-odd against zim is also on youtube but a few more hoiks in that.

Had a nice set up. Decent eye too.

 

[Jim Prideaux]

I’m watching Rabada bat against Pakistan. I remember the very first time I really watched him bat, it was the game he took 5 wickets in Perth and bowled SA to a win but I noticed how capable he looked with the bat and there was talk about how he wanted to turn himself into an all rounder.
A decade or so later and he’s played two beautiful shots in this innings off the spinners, one was a down on one knee slog sweep for 6, one was a perfect lofted straight drive for 4. He looks more ‘textbook’ than just about any batsman from either side but his output hasn’t really improved from that first day of his career.

Who are the best ‘looking’ but still genuine tail-Enders you can think of?

I actually think Hazlewood is a pretty elegant looking batsman. Maybe it’s the whole tall left-hander thing that helps.

Courtney Walsh, wasn’t always great, but when it was it was pure poetry.

 

[Gough]

David Frith called Archie Jackson the Keats of cricket.

 

[the_interloper]

Wouldn't call him elegant but Stuart Clark is my favourite number 11 of all time. Unless there was a result impending or someone near a ton, he'd block the first two and then just try and hit sixes, this is how number 11s should bat imo.

 

[PhatBoy]

Nathan Lyon.

I'll die on the hill that there isn't an alternate reality with the only differences being Steven Smith and Lyon's careers were swapped.

Lyon’s pull shot comes straight from the top order txt book

Boy he shits me as someone generally barracking against Australia

 

[PhatBoy]

Courtney Walsh, wasn’t always great, but when it was it was pure poetry.

His little five or six baller at Bridgetown is the greatest supporting knock of all time. Everything he was acted out with Will Ferrell levels of exaggeration

 

[Gethelred]

Lyon’s pull shot comes straight from the top order txt book

Boy he shits me as someone generally barracking against Australia

I've a lot of time for his on drive.

 

[Jim Prideaux]

His little five or six baller at Bridgetown is the greatest supporting knock of all time. Everything he was acted out with Will Ferrell levels of exaggeration

I particularly liked his back foot cover drives. More flourish than drive some might say, but beautiful nonetheless.

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

I do remember this knock and his rather extravagant drives through the offside. It was almost like he was taking the piss at times

He's defence was very solid if you look at his whole innings. Played Gough very well IMO, Mullaly was the one who created issues. He could have been a nightwatchman IMO got behind the ball and valued his wicket.

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

All Lefthanders are elegant, it just comes naturally.

I was going to mention another Aussie lefthander, Mitchell Starc is a very elegant batter, when he applies himself.

Starc these days applies himself, plays a normal test innings with a few lofty shots mixed in there instead of how he used to say with 1 big shot an over. Probably why he's average has dropped a bit. Facing more balls but making less runs.