Obscure Players That You Remember

Hellgood

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Akash Chopra... indian opener whos career started with an aussie tour in like 04 i think

Poor little prick got knocked over by brett lee just about every innings

I don't think you have a great memory. He and Sehwag seemed to frustrate us at every turn that series and Lee dismissed him once...
 

chargers 09

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I don't think you have a great memory. He and Sehwag seemed to frustrate us at every turn that series and Lee dismissed him once...


That was a good series, India were at their zenith with that team around that period IMO. Back when they could still be competitive here and vice versa.


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Scragadder

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Saw this article come up on The Guardian for Duncan Spencer. Had a spasmodic, but very eventful career both for WA and at Kent. Held in high regard by some of the best batsmen the game has seen in terms of his pace with Ricky Ponting and Viv Richards considering him as possibly the fastest and most aggressive they've faced. Looking back on it now, I reckon he has a right to be somewhat bitter with Malcolm Speed and the ACB at the time given the comparitavely lenient suspension handed down to Warne.

But great article and would highly recommend as a read for any cricket fan. As is the famous video of him bowling to Viv in the 50 over final. Anyone get the chance to see him in full flight in person?

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/the-nightwatchman/2016/sep/16/duncan-spencer-cricket-fast-bowler





Love that line "he ducked... almost posthumously".

sorry delayed reaction, but that's a fantastic piece, thanks for sharing.

Always been fascinated by Duncan Spencer's short but explosive career, and his 2005 comeback caught my eye.
 

Teal Plums

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Dennis Hickey - ex Vic and SA fast bowler
Glenn Bishop - SA
Mark Harrity - SA
Andrew Zesers - SA
Wayne Phillips (Victorian version) who played one test from memory
 
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Dennis Hickey - ex Vic and SA fast bowler
Glenn Bishop - SA
Mark Harrity - SA
Andrew Zesers - SA
Wayne Phillips (Victorian version) who played one test from memory

Dennis Hickey was one of the fastest bowlers ever produced in Australia - seriously quick.

Unfortunately he had the classic fast bowlers's big reach back, pause, toe-drag, gather, fling it down action - also known as 'Back problems are coming your way'.
 
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Obscure-ish Vic players from the mid-80s:


Paul Hibbert - usually batted at #4, sometimes opened. left-hander, never in any particular hurry to actually score.
Paul Jackson - would bowl in tandem with Ray Bright, two left arm orthodox bowlers who barely turned it. I did like Jackson's action though.
 
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Peter Toohey "the new Bradman"

Sam Gannon

Richie Robinson

All c. 1978


Peter Toohey could have been great. he averaged 47 after his first 2 series - vs India and the West Indies. Andy Roberts broke his nose, Toohey went off, got patched up and came back out (no helmet), and got bowled off his glove and his hand in the first innings of the first Windies test. He missed a couple of tests. He came back for the last 2 and scored 40, 18, 122 and 97 (stumped!).

He could play - but next year, the poms worked him out with the slow-medium pacers and he couldn't adapt.

Richie Robinson had such a good year with the bat in 1976/77 (and Marsh had had such a bad year with the bat), there was talk about him getting a middle-order test spot and replacing Marsh as keeper for the Centenary test. Then David Hookes had a blinding run (5 centuries in 6 innings), so he got the middle-order spot, and they selectors kept Marsh (who made a hundred in the centenary test) and that was that. Robinson went to England in 1977 as Marsh's understudy, and even played a few tests because he was one of the in-form bats on the tour (nobody except Greg Chappell was any good at all in 1977). He was an average keeper at best. After he left Victoria, he went to Queensland Grade cricket and took up leg-spin bowling and apparently got close to being picked for the Shield team.

Sam Gannon - in the 70s and 80s, if you took a couple of wickets for WA, you probably got a test at the WACA as the 'Local Specialist' who 'Knew how to use the Fremantle Doctor'. Mick Malone, Wayne Clark, Chris Matthews, Jo Angel - there's been a few.
 

sherbrook

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Peter Toohey could have been great. he averaged 47 after his first 2 series - vs India and the West Indies. Andy Roberts broke his nose, Toohey went off, got patched up and came back out (no helmet), and got bowled off his glove and his hand in the first innings of the first Windies test. He missed a couple of tests. He came back for the last 2 and scored 40, 18, 122 and 97 (stumped!).

He could play - but next year, the poms worked him out with the slow-medium pacers and he couldn't adapt.

Richie Robinson had such a good year with the bat in 1976/77 (and Marsh had had such a bad year with the bat), there was talk about him getting a middle-order test spot and replacing Marsh as keeper for the Centenary test. Then David Hookes had a blinding run (5 centuries in 6 innings), so he got the middle-order spot, and they selectors kept Marsh (who made a hundred in the centenary test) and that was that. Robinson went to England in 1977 as Marsh's understudy, and even played a few tests because he was one of the in-form bats on the tour (nobody except Greg Chappell was any good at all in 1977). He was an average keeper at best. After he left Victoria, he went to Queensland Grade cricket and took up leg-spin bowling and apparently got close to being picked for the Shield team.

Sam Gannon - in the 70s and 80s, if you took a couple of wickets for WA, you probably got a test at the WACA as the 'Local Specialist' who 'Knew how to use the Fremantle Doctor'. Mick Malone, Wayne Clark, Chris Matthews, Jo Angel - there's been a few.

I forgot Bruce Yardley David Ogilvie John Dyson John McLean from that era. Here's a couple from 1974/5 - Wally Edwards and Alan Turner. Glen Tremble from the 80s
 

Wolfs

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Wally Edwards is a popular name though.

Watching INdia v. NZ and a name that hit me. Shane Thompson.
 

Bareth Garry

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I don't think you have a great memory. He and Sehwag seemed to frustrate us at every turn that series and Lee dismissed him once...

Aakash Chopra had a strange test career. Very selfless.

Hung on at the crease for ages - good foil for Sehwag - but eventually got dismissed for very little to his name.

Ultimately he did his job to bog the bowlers down but in many ways caused his own downfall by playing to survive rather than score runs.

His team mates valued his contribution as it meant they had it easier to come in with a weary attack but I think if he had his time again he'd have done things differently.
 

Hellgood

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Aakash Chopra had a strange test career. Very selfless.

Hung on at the crease for ages - good foil for Sehwag - but eventually got dismissed for very little to his name.

Ultimately he did his job to bog the bowlers down but in many ways caused his own downfall by playing to survive rather than score runs.

His team mates valued his contribution as it meant they had it easier to come in with a weary attack but I think if he had his time again he'd have done things differently.

True in a sense, but perhaps that was the role he was capable of performing and suited the team perfectly. Trying to play more shots than his ability allowed might detract from strengths that made him useful for the side.
 

Wolfs

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Chopra was the right player that India needed until they found Gambhir even though Sehwag and Dravid have that massive opening stand.
 

Wolfs

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He's not obscure but I forgot that Jimmy Maher played in the 2003 WC.
 

Oraaaaazio

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Alex Tudor - had his face caved in by Brett Lee
Adrian Barath - Made a century vs Aus IIRC?
Parthiv Patel - little round wicket keeper from India, debuted at about 17 back in 02, played a series here and was done by 08 at 25 years old.. still going around in the IPL. Is no good.
Ian Blackwell - mug pom
Sajid Mahmood - another mug pom

could be here all day naming mug english players from 2000-2007ish
 

Hellgood

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Alex Tudor - had his face caved in by Brett Lee
Adrian Barath - Made a century vs Aus IIRC?
Parthiv Patel - little round wicket keeper from India, debuted at about 17 back in 02, played a series here and was done by 08 at 25 years old.. still going around in the IPL. Is no good.
Ian Blackwell - mug pom
Sajid Mahmood - another mug pom

could be here all day naming mug english players from 2000-2007ish

Wrong about Patel. As a young kid he was a pretty ordinary keeper, but since maturing he's turned into a very worthy international cricketer who's performed well in the obviously sporadic chances he's got with Dhoni there. Adapted into an excellent T20 player too.

Barath is such a weird one. Looked amazingly calm with a compact technique in that Brisbane test, I know there was injuries but after seeing the debut I find it pretty unbelievable he looked so far off it after that initial success.

Blackwell was a decent enough slugger at domestic level. Not quite international standard, but one of those relatively handy one day specialists before T20 took off. If he had been in his prime for the growth of T20 could have made a lot bigger name for himself.
 
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