It's time Usman

[Bunk Moreland]

Batting position	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	Balls	SR	100s	50s
1	33	5	1540	232	55.00	3134	49.13	4	6
2	47	4	1872	180	43.53	4200	44.57	4	9
3	66	3	2343	174	37.19	4573	51.23	6	12
4	4	0	124	82	31.00	184	67.39	0	1
5	3	1	267	137	133.50	450	59.33	2	0
6	4	1	60	26	20.00	160	37.50	0	0
Opening	80	9	3412	232	48.06	7334	46.52	8	15
3 to 6	77	5	2794	174	38.81	5367	52.06	8	13​

Thrived at the top of the order, his record as an opener is significantly better than it is down the order. Perhaps the move coincided with his best form, but you'd have to say on evidence he was a genuine opener.

Below is the Top 10 Australian openers by average (opening stats only, min 30 innings). Simpson and Ponsford were obviously freaks, after that it is pretty close and Usman stacks up pretty well.

Rank	Player	Inn	NO	Runs	100s	Ave
1	R B Simpson	70	4	3664	8	55.52
2	W H Ponsford	31	3	1517	5	54.18
3	W M Woodfull	44	4	2036	7	50.90
4	M L Hayden	184	14	8625	30	50.74
5	S M Katich	61	3	2928	8	50.48
6	J L Langer	115	9	5112	16	48.23
7	U T Khawaja	80	9	3412	8	48.06
8	W M Lawry	123	12	5234	13	47.15
9	A R Morris	76	2	3381	11	45.69
10	D A Warner	202	8	8747	26	45.09

 

[hawkman]

Boys club

It is a worry when McDonald was trying to keep him going until after the India series in 2027

 

[DaRick]

He's had a very good career, no question. In my own personal Top 50 of Test players post-WSC (I can't actually find the thread right now), I'd place him just below Mitchell Johnson and Jason Gillespie - someone with a long, distinguished but not ATG career. So basically around 25th - not on par with the 100 Test club (or Hussey, for that matter), but among the best of the rest.

Did he fare as well as people expected when he first made his debut? Maybe, maybe not - big things were always expected of him. But you'd always take an 88 Test career averaging 43+ at the outset.

He's very unusual, in that he only really fulfilled his potential at the highest level after turning 35. I think this was caused by a variety of things:

• Opening consistently, so he'd face the newer ball instead of an older one (thus facing spin less)
• Working hard on his play against spin bowling beyond that - during most of his career, he was frankly quite hopeless against it, but he helped us secure multiple wins against SL, IND and PAK on the subcontinent, which is no mean feat
• Probably feeling more secure under McDonald than he ever did under Langer (whom he clashed with) and Lehmann (who doesn't really impress me as Usman's type, and vice versa) made him more comfortable playing his natural game, whatever that was

Will say that at Usman's best, his late cuts were delightful, and his pull shots were always pretty graceful.

Whatever you think of his recent behaviour, he is a role model for aspiring Muslim and minority cricketers, and he deserves a decent sendoff with our thanks.

 

[BStaff17]

I remember when he was in his early days, I wanted him to get selected, to me he was like Symonds, you wanted them to get that break-through score. Usman had a very solid career, he was what we needed, but I feel in my guts that he hung on too long. It's kind of irony in a way, they took forever to select him in his youth, and then took forever to move him on.

Interesting you mentioned Symonds

I dont recall skin colour ever being a topic of debate or racial undertones being used or mention about or by Roy for or against him as a cricketer or any issues he had.

Symonds was one of most loved cricketers in his generation.

When he called out the Indians for racist remarks the Australian public backed him in.

Its a shame his employer CA were too gutless to follow through not wanting to upset the BCCI.

 

[kickazz]

I dont recall skin colour ever being a topic of debate or racial undertones being used or mention about or by Roy for or against him as a cricketer or any issues he had.

I mean this in the nicest way, but I think being a proper yobbo who got suspended by the team once for drinking too much piss made him "a proper Aussie" in the eyes of the unwashed masses.

Compare a guy who doesn't drink: I mean that's an insult to Boonie, Doug Walters and all the rest. Un Australian.

 

[DaRick]

Interesting you mentioned Symonds

I dont recall skin colour ever being a topic of debate or racial undertones being used or mention about or by Roy for or against him as a cricketer or any issues he had.

Symonds was one of most loved cricketers in his generation.

When he called out the Indians for racist remarks the Australian public backed him in.

Its a shame his employer CA were too gutless to follow through not wanting to upset the BCCI.

Not all of them did, that was the problem.

Most on BigFooty did, but not everyone.

 

[kickazz]

When he called out the Indians for racist remarks the Australian public backed him in.

Its a shame his employer CA were too gutless to follow through not wanting to upset the BCCI.

That was a disgrace. No time for Harbijan.

 

[Topkent]

Um.. he's record is better than those guys. 87 tests is a fair career

Um.. no it's not.
They both would have played 150 tests in this era and he would have played **** all in theirs

 

[Electronic_Renaissance]

It should have been a celebration of his career and what he has achieved. Which is pretty bloody good. The whole speech was, to a point.

It was derailed somewhat. I think he only has himself to blame for that.

 

[ZEV]

I think he's labelled that because he speaks his mind on a lot of issues outside of cricket and generally speaks well

He gave himself that name…

 

[Some Idiot]

That is the worst speech I've ever seen from a retiring sportsmen.. race card.. really..

Don't mind him sharing his perspective. Some things he's blaming on racism like being percieved as a lazy fielder are incorrect but some of his remarks are accurate.

 

[MagpieArmyChronicles]

Don't mind him sharing his perspective. Some things he's blaming on racism like being percieved as a lazy fielder are incorrect but some of his remarks

He is living in paradise compared to where he came from where you get jailed for speaking your mind. You come to a free country dont sook that the dominant culture doesnt lay out the red carpet for you. We accept people here when they dont even assimilate what more does he want.

 

[revo333]

That is the worst speech I've ever seen from a retiring sportsmen.. race card.. really..

After playing 88 tests..

 

[Topkent]

That is the worst speech I've ever seen from a retiring sportsmen.. race card.. really..

Someone else said this but I completely agree. He called himself a Pakistani Muslim who plays for Australia, then in the same breath complained about the media treating him differently meanwhile he played more tests than 99.9% of Australia.
Bit of a w***er

 

[revo333]

From all reports was a bit of a w***er, didn't fit in

There was also a lot of great batsmen around that era

I heard the main story was he told a very important person where to go.

It was Dean Jones all over again but Jones had to play because the team was that bad at the time.

 

[Jack Mundy]

Um.. no it's not.
They both would have played 150 tests in this era and he would have played **** all in theirs

Katich played in an era where more players had high average. Rogers just wasn't on same class as Usman.

 

[Topkent]

Katich played in an era where more players had high average. Rogers just wasn't on same class as Usman.

Usman averaged 28 in England and 24 in SA.
Rogers averaged nearly 50 in England, didn't have to pad his career out against Pakistan away.

Katich averaged over 35 in every country he played.
Khawaja at best is at the same table with them

 

[Kram]

Katich played in an era where more players had high average. Rogers just wasn't on same class as Usman.

Thos guys had to try and break into far better teams.

 

[Jack Mundy]

Usman averaged 28 in England and 24 in SA.
Rogers averaged nearly 50 in England, didn't have to pad his career out against Pakistan away.

Katich averaged over 35 in every country he played.
Khawaja at best is at the same table with them

Katich played in lollipop era where everybody in the team averaged in the 40's. Scoring runs has become harder. Rogers had a cup of coffee and average is worse.

 

[Jack Mundy]

Thos guys had to try and break into far better teams.

Warner never had a consistent opening partner. If Rogers was better..

 

[Topkent]

Katich played in lollipop era where everybody in the team averaged in the 40's. Scoring runs has become harder. Rogers had a cup of coffee and average is worse.

So you don't actually have good reasons then just false assertions about the past?

Oh yeah, that big century Khawaja scored against Sri Lankan farmers was the pinnacle of test cricket batting

Katich gritted and played well everywhere in every condition. He was clear of your boy.

 

[Jack Mundy]

So you don't actually have good reasons then just false assertions about the past?

Oh yeah, that big century Khawaja scored against Sri Lankan farmers was the pinnacle of test cricket batting

Katich gritted and played well everywhere in every condition. He was clear of your boy.

Between 2000 and 2011 (katich's entire career I think) 16 test batsmen had 4000+ runs at average higher than 50. The decades either side only 5 batsmen did.
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/...for-batting-in-test-cricket-s-history-1378695

Usman would have higher average in Katich's era..

 

[Bedi]

So you don't actually have good reasons then just false assertions about the past?

Oh yeah, that big century Khawaja scored against Sri Lankan farmers was the pinnacle of test cricket batting

Katich gritted and played well everywhere in every condition. He was clear of your boy.

A farmer who just broke the record for the quickest spinner to reach 50 wickets in test history -- and one wicket shy on the all time list. Most of which were taken in Galle.

 

[Jack Mundy]

Katich played in best era for batting averages

 

[Topkent]

A farmer who just broke the record for the quickest spinner to reach 50 wickets in test history -- and one wicket shy on the all time list. Most of which were taken in Galle.

So one bloke whos career bowling average is 31. What a stacked lineup