Part time spinners and tail ender game savers

[sosos]

Last night's game reminded me of some of my fondest cricket memories - when these two cohorts perform amazingly well, often leading to unlikely victories.

I thought Travis Head's first over changed that game last night, Australia's way. And Maxwell's bowling was also excellent, although he is a geunine all-rounder, so not really classified as a part-timer.

I haven't seen the replay yet, but then it sounds like a very mature performance from Starc and Cummings with the bat to bring it home.

Michael Bevan as a part-time spinner stands out for me - really thought he should have been backed in to be a permanent mainstay of the test side, because he had that killer spin, and an amazing googly that baffled batsmen. Yeah, acknowledge he was not great against the short ball, but I reckon they could have perservered a bit more, considering his all rounder potential.

I loved Alan Border's 7 for.

Border and Thommo getting so close to saving a test - heartbreaking not to get that one home.

Steve Waugh ushering the tail home so many times, saving Australia's bacon. Merv Hughes was the stand out for me out of the tail enders, and of course Gillespie's 200. McGrath, one of the worst no.11s in history even became a capable ally.

Australia's really dominant era was awesome, but I do think that quite often, they were saved by incredible tail end batting perfomances mostly in combination with a batter - Gilchrist and Martyn are the two top order batsmen who stick in my mind as ones who did this.

Recently, Nathan Lyon's batting has made a difference...he was another average no.11, but he really improved a lot.

 

[Gough]

Boy George and Peter McIntyre holding out against WA for ten overs to get a draw and the Shield in 95/96 was incredible.

 

[sosos]

Boy George and Peter McIntyre holding out against WA for ten overs to get a draw and the Shield in 95/96 was incredible.

Looks like McIntyre needed to make a contribution after 0/127 from 31 overs over the two innings!

 

[Gough]

Looks like McIntyre needed to make a contribution after 0/127 from 31 overs over the two innings!

When you look at that WA team we did well to even get close to them.

 

[ioppolo]

Michael Clarke 3/5.

Barely bowled after that.

 

[corbies]

Michael Clarke 3/5.

Barely bowled after that.

He bowled nearly 150 overs in the 7 Tests immediately after that.

It wasn't until a couple of years later when his back started really going that he barely bowled.

 

[dumb]

Katich was underbowled. A 6-fer against Zimbabwe but he was better than just someone cashing in.

 

[PhatBoy]

Obviously given my…. Leanings…. My memories are of other sides so:

Nehemiah Perry and Vasbert Drakes bringing home the mighty Windies for what remains our last win over Australia for the world record chase 20 years ago after Sarwan and Chanderpaul’s centuries earlier in the innings.

Kyle Mayers can occasionally play like a bit of a no-rounder such is his perplexing lack of form when he wants to disappear but his five-for against England last year was just superb. It was like Vernon Philander had grown dreadlocks.

It didn’t alter the result at all and he remains along with Yasir Shah probably the worst batsman in history to boast a test hundred but Jerome Taylor clobbering NZ to all corners of the Pacific Ocean was pretty f***en hilarious

Harbhajan Singh during his peak antagonist days from memory produced two match changing half-centuries in a home series - may have been either 2001 or 2004 - that really f**ked Australia right off.


The peak one of course to me having wanted to see someone finally come here and win for 15 years will always remain, with an honorary mention to the Washington Sundar effort for India, Dale Steyn and JP Duminy in Melbourne.

It’s probably fair to say, and I don’t hide from the fact that Steyn is along with Lara and Tripod Gayle, my favourite ever cricketer, Steyn’s performance in that match is the best visiting effort in Australia in my lifetime. His figures alone - back to back five fors against a side unbeaten in 15 years, Boxing Day test, and 72 batting at 10, make it so, but the context only enhance it: 8-140, batting with a kid in his second test, and with a potential generational series win at stake.

 

[ioppolo]

Obviously given my…. Leanings…. My memories are of other sides so:

Nehemiah Perry and Vasbert Drakes bringing home the mighty Windies for what remains our last win over Australia for the world record chase 20 years ago after Sarwan and Chanderpaul’s centuries earlier in the innings.

Kyle Mayers can occasionally play like a bit of a no-rounder such is his perplexing lack of form when he wants to disappear but his five-for against England last year was just superb. It was like Vernon Philander had grown dreadlocks.

It didn’t alter the result at all and he remains along with Yasir Shah probably the worst batsman in history to boast a test hundred but Jerome Taylor clobbering NZ to all corners of the Pacific Ocean was pretty f***en hilarious

Harbhajan Singh during his peak antagonist days from memory produced two match changing half-centuries in a home series - may have been either 2001 or 2004 - that really f**ked Australia right off.


The peak one of course to me having wanted to see someone finally come here and win for 15 years will always remain, with an honorary mention to the Washington Sundar effort for India, Dale Steyn and JP Duminy in Melbourne.

It’s probably fair to say, and I don’t hide from the fact that Steyn is along with Lara and Tripod Gayle, my favourite ever cricketer, Steyn’s performance in that match is the best visiting effort in Australia in my lifetime. His figures alone - back to back five fors against a side unbeaten in 15 years, Boxing Day test, and 72 batting at 10, make it so, but the context only enhance it: 8-140, batting with a kid in his second test, and with a potential generational series win at stake.

Tino Best hit 95 against England once upon a time from memory?

Also the 2004 champions trophy final. A weird batting order saw a WK at 9 and decent bowling all rounder at 10 guide you guys home with a 70 odd run stand.

 

[PhatBoy]

Tino Best hit 95 against England once upon a time from memory?

Also the 2004 champions trophy final. A weird batting order saw a WK at 9 and decent bowling all rounder at 10 guide you guys home with a 70 odd run stand.

Great pick-ups, the Browne-Bradshaw stand was the standard bearer of oddball rearguards for a long time in limited overs cricket especially in a major tournament final. Browne was a bizarre figure in Windies cricket because he sort of came along when Junior Murray was on the way out and Ridley Jacobs was around and he was inferior to both with the bat and didn’t seem particularly good with the gloves either but periodically they’d go back to him. He will always have that moment though!!!

Bradshaw was a bit of a prototype for players like Praveen Kumar and Nathan Bracken bowling as inoffensively as possible

That Tino Best innings was hilarious, the unbridled joy in his eyes because even HE knew what a joke it was, is something I will always remember about that knock

 

[sosos]

Katich was underbowled. A 6-fer against Zimbabwe but he was better than just someone cashing in.

Good call on the Kat. Talking of under bowled, I reckon Steve Smith is definitely in that category as well.

 

[PhatBoy]

Good call on the Kat. Talking of under bowled, I reckon Steve Smith is definitely in that category as well.

Agree re. Katich but man I couldn’t agree less re. smith.

Literally all he has going for him IMO is the whole ‘if you bowl leg spin sooner or later you will bowl something really unplayable’ factor. He stinks!

 

[Jamurp]

Yasir Shah hitting a ton against Australia at the Adelaide Oval comes to mind too, was so heartwarming to see.

 

[sosos]

Agree re. Katich but man I couldn’t agree less re. smith.

Literally all he has going for him IMO is the whole ‘if you bowl leg spin sooner or later you will bowl something really unplayable’ factor. He stinks!

You may be right, I never saw enough to know. Spin bowling, you have to have confidence to land them. I thought he had potential, but maybe just never gave himself a chance. Speaking of stink, I'll say that Warner's part time spin really stank

 

[Hamingja]

Recently, Nathan Lyon's batting has made a difference...he was another average no.11, but he really improved a lot.

Lyon was a handy tail ender when he started out and was used as a nightwatchman. Once he secured his spot as a bowler he just didn't GAF and just started swinging at everything like a genuine tailender from the pre Steve Waugh captaincy era.