Things Cricket Needs

[PhatBoy]

- A batsman - just one - to come out with a helmet with only ear guards. It may be against international rules now, I’m not sure. I really hope it isn’t. But cricket needs a hero and anyone with the Robin Smith/Jimmy Adams/Allan Border configuration can be that person

 

[STFU Donnie]

I'm not sure I get your drift? Do you mean like the helmets they wore in the 80s? Or something really radical like a pair of earmuffs with kevlar (or something similar) over the ears? That would look awesome.

 

[Richard Pryor]

How about this bad boy?

 

[PhatBoy]

I'm not sure I get your drift? Do you mean like the helmets they wore in the 80s? Or something really radical like a pair of earmuffs with kevlar (or something similar) over the ears? That would look awesome.

The helmets without the grille, with just the Perspex protector down the side like AB used to wear

 

[Gough]

The helmets without the grille, with just the Perspex protector down the side like AB used to wear

Even AB donned the Hilditch Grill when facing Ambrose, Marshall, Walsh and Bishop in 88/89.

 

[PhatBoy]

Even AB donned the Hilditch Grill when facing Ambrose, Marshall, Walsh and Bishop in 88/89.

Wow did he really?!?

My respect for him has dipped immeasurably

 

[PhatBoy]

There was a good article on cricinfo recently about Robin Smith which is what prompted the drunken thread.

What a player of raw pace bowling he was. And genuinely England’s only world class top tier batsman between Gooch’s peak and probably Graham Thorpe

 

[Gough]

There was a good article on cricinfo recently about Robin Smith which is what prompted the drunken thread.

What a player of raw pace bowling he was. And genuinely England’s only world class top tier batsman between Gooch’s peak and probably Graham Thorpe

If you want a good read on English 90's cricket, Emma John's Following On, A Memoir of Teenage Obsession and Terrible Cricket is terrific.

 

[PhatBoy]

If you want a good read on English 90's cricket, Emma John's Following On, A Memoir of Teenage Obsession and Terrible Cricket is terrific.

I like the title. 90s England cricket does fascinate me, their willingness to just pick anyone and everyone that once hit a score or took a bag in county cricket, the succession of great white hope players like McCague or Illot etc, the bits and pieces players like Lewis, De Freitas, the headcases like Hick and Ramps, the stalwarts like Stewart and Athers, the firebrands like Hussain (who can basically take the credit IMO for England becoming a top 4 fixture in test cricket for the last 17 years or so), and the terribly mismanaged like Fraser, Caddick, Smith etc

 

[Gough]

I like the title. 90s England cricket does fascinate me, their willingness to just pick anyone and everyone that once hit a score or took a bag in county cricket, the succession of great white hope players like McCague or Illot etc, the bits and pieces players like Lewis, De Freitas, the headcases like Hick and Ramps, the stalwarts like Stewart and Athers, the firebrands like Hussain (who can basically take the credit IMO for England becoming a top 4 fixture in test cricket for the last 17 years or so), and the terribly mismanaged like Fraser, Caddick, Smith etc

I loved Ramps.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

I loved Ramps.

So did I, the great big con artist. Such a beautiful player to watch.

 

[STFU Donnie]

I like the title. 90s England cricket does fascinate me, their willingness to just pick anyone and everyone that once hit a score or took a bag in county cricket, the succession of great white hope players like McCague or Illot etc, the bits and pieces players like Lewis, De Freitas, the headcases like Hick and Ramps, the stalwarts like Stewart and Athers, the firebrands like Hussain (who can basically take the credit IMO for England becoming a top 4 fixture in test cricket for the last 17 years or so), and the terribly mismanaged like Fraser, Caddick, Smith etc

I think you should add Hick to the list of terribly mismanaged. It's what lead to his headcase issues IMO. And Atherton's declaration is in retrospect one of the more despicable acts of English cricket in the period. Hick was apparently too slow with his 98* (off 166 balls only) and yet Atherton faced exactly the same number of deliveries and scored 31 runs fewer! Complete w***er! And his writing has an annoying, smug, pomposity to it too.

 

[PhatBoy]

I think you should add Hick to the list of terribly mismanaged. It's what lead to his headcase issues IMO. And Atherton's declaration is in retrospect one of the more despicable acts of English cricket in the period. Hick was apparently too slow with his 98* (off 166 balls only) and yet Atherton faced exactly the same number of deliveries and scored 31 runs fewer! Complete w***er! And his writing has an annoying, smug, pomposity to it too.

I like athers but that was a ridiculous act.

 

[Ishikawa]

There was a good article on cricinfo recently about Robin Smith which is what prompted the drunken thread.

What a player of raw pace bowling he was. And genuinely England’s only world class top tier batsman between Gooch’s peak and probably Graham Thorpe

Ended up in Perth, don't know how he's doing at the moment but never heard anyone speak a bad word of him. So hopefully he's doing well!

Robin Smith: ‘I drank vodka from the bottle. There were no half measures’

Fearless against the West Indies pace attack, the former England cricketer tells Donald McRae how retirement left him drinking heavily and close to taking his own life

www.theguardian.com

Agreed that Athers is one of the best commentators going and a fantastic writer, but was a weird decision that failed to recognise personal context.

 

[footyfan1978]

How about this bad boy?

Who is that batting ?

 

[PhatBoy]

Ended up in Perth, don't know how he's doing at the moment but never heard anyone speak a bad word of him. So hopefully he's doing well!

Robin Smith: ‘I drank vodka from the bottle. There were no half measures’

Fearless against the West Indies pace attack, the former England cricketer tells Donald McRae how retirement left him drinking heavily and close to taking his own life

www.theguardian.com

Agreed that Athers is one of the best commentators going and a fantastic writer, but was a weird decision that failed to recognise personal context.

That guardian article - wow! That was bloody interesting.

Does anyone else remember that one day innings in the 1993 Ashes tour where he smacked 167 and just went absolutely berserk? That was one of my most vivid memories of cricket in England as a kid

 

[STFU Donnie]

Who is that batting ?

Graham Yallop.

 

[STFU Donnie]

I loved Ramps.

So did I, the great big con artist. Such a beautiful player to watch.

Someone once said that if batting were a beauty contest, then Carl Hooper would be Miss World. You could say the same about Ramprakash. Unfortunately he had the mental strength to match.

 

[footyfan1978]

Graham Yallop.

Are you sure ? Do not remember him wearing helmet like that. Looks really 1979ish, World Series Cricket stuff which Yallop was not part of .

 

[STFU Donnie]

Are you sure ? Do not remember him wearing helmet like that. Looks really 1979ish, World Series Cricket stuff which Yallop was not part of .

In early 1978 the Aussies toured the West Indies and Yallop had his jaw broken early on by Colin Croft. He returned and wore the full crash helmet used in the early days by people such as Dennis Amiss.

 

[footyfan1978]

In early 1978 the Aussies toured the West Indies and Yallop had his jaw broken early on by Colin Croft. He returned and wore the full crash helmet used in the early days by people such as Dennis Amiss.

This looks the second version of helmets.
I was not even aware anyone outside of WSC cricket was even wearing helmets in 1978.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

Less 20/20

 

[footyfan1978]

boundaries to the pickets....

 

[STFU Donnie]

This looks the second version of helmets.
I was not even aware anyone outside of WSC cricket was even wearing helmets in 1978.

 

[footyfan1978]

View attachment 720663

The original image shows up as him in a search. Think it is not 1978 though. More likely to be around 1981 I reckon.