Undervalued Cricketers

[Gough]

I suspect in future Damien Martyn will be underrated by those who didn't see him play.

 

[JackOutback]

I suspect in future Damien Martyn will be underrated by those who didn't see him play.

His ability to just walk away from the game and be happy in his life (I assume, hope) will accelerate that process as well. Viewers don't get the constant reminders of his achievements.

 

[Plugger35]

I played junior district cricket against Damien Martyn, he had a pretty big reputation even back then and was being talked about as a future Australian player, similar to other batting prodigies like Kim Hughes and Ricky Ponting who also stood out above everyone else even at a young age.

 

[Gough]

I played junior district cricket against Damien Martyn, he had a pretty big reputation even back then and was being talked about as a future Australian player, similar to other batting prodigies like Kim Hughes and Ricky Ponting who also stood out above everyone else even at a young age.

I played with a lot of guys who played against Blewett at school and they all said he was that much better than anyone else.

 

[tobsdad]

I played junior district cricket against Damien Martyn, he had a pretty big reputation even back then and was being talked about as a future Australian player, similar to other batting prodigies like Kim Hughes and Ricky Ponting who also stood out above everyone else even at a young age.

I did also. Had him dropped in the slips three times before 20....then peeled off about 130 not out . Made runs for fun. Well over a thousand for the year I think which was just mind blowing as a 14 year old.

 

[Plugger35]

I played with a lot of guys who played against Blewett at school and they all said he was that much better than anyone else.

I was a very dour opener back then in the mould of Boycott or Tavare that could stay out there for a long time but scored at a snail's pace so there was no talk about me being a future WA or Australian player.

Kim Hughes played for our club Subi-Floreat and he used to come down early to our training to give us some batting tips back when he was on his ban for the South African tours and could only play club cricket, he didn't take much interest in me as I batted the opposite to the way he did which was to take on the bowlers and score quickly.

 

[Plugger35]

I did also. Had him dropped in the slips three times before 20....then peeled off about 130 not out . Made runs for fun. Well over a thousand for the year I think which was just mind blowing as a 14 year old.

He scored a ton against us too when we played against him. I can't recall us dropping him, I had a chance to run him out though on 99 when he tried to push a single to mid wicket where I was fielding and I swooped on the ball and fired it at the stumps but just missed. Running him out was about the only way we could get him out, he was a freak.

 

[STFU Donnie]

I was a very dour opener back then in the mould of Boycott or Tavare that could stay out there for a long time but scored at a snail's pace so there was no talk about me being a future WA or Australian player.

Kim Hughes played for our club Subi-Floreat and he used to come down early to our training to give us some batting tips back when he was on his ban for the South African tours and could only play club cricket, he didn't take much interest in me as I batted the opposite to the way he did which was to take on the bowlers and score quickly.

I was a very dour opener back then in the mould of Boycott or Tavare that could stay out there for a long time but scored at a snail's pace so there was no talk about me being a future SA or Australian player.

 

[Freezin]

Probably already mentioned, but Paul Reiffel scored a few runs and took a few wickets during his test career with a minimum of fanfare.

 

[CliffMcTainshaw]

Roy Park.

1 test in 1921
1 innings, 0 runs
1 over 0/9

Famous for other reasons as well. As he was about to face his first ball in the Test cricket his wife dropped her knitting and as she bent down to pick it up he was dismissed and she missed his entire career as a Test player. He was also a prominent footballer with University and Melbourne in the VFL where he kicked 146 goals in 57 games. He was described as a will of the wisp goal sneak, who was able to thread through packs like smoke through a keyhole. His goal kicking in his 44 games with University was remarkable considering that they never won a game during his entire playing career with them.

 

[Burtonsgottago]

Heath Streak. He fronted a one man attack for Zimbabwe and took over 200 wickets @28.
Also Jason Holder for WI is probably undervalued by the Australian audience as he has rarely played live here.

 

[Gethelred]

England failed to get the best out of Cook in the second half of career. Spent all that time trying to find someone as good and the lack of consistency put stress on him as a player and also as a captain. I'd argue it contributed to him retiring early despite not having the same injury problems of other young retirees like Clarke and G Smith.

Bit ironic that I'm about to undervalue one of England's best in a thread about undervalued players.

I'd argue very, very much that Cook was flattered by the amount of time he spent batting in front of Trott, KP, Bell, Prior and beside Strauss, and he retired in the opposite way to Matthew Hayden/Gilchrist: in order to protect his career reputation before it went into nosedive. He also had the good luck to play in an era where the dominant side was SA and they only played 19 tests against them, compared to 20 against Pakistan and the WI, and 30 against India and 35 against Australia. He also averaged 35 in the tests he played against SA, with his best averages being against WI, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The Australia he played against was also an Australia in transition, with a batting order that was flimzy and a bowling attack that could be very pedestrian; the India he played against was also in transition, and he left just as they began to build their pace bowling stocks to dangerous levels.

If he had played 10 years earlier, he'd be thought of the same way any number of those English cricketers before him were thought of. If he'd played more tests against McGrath, he'd have averaged significantly less than the 40 he does against Australia, and if he played against Bumrah/Siraj he'd have averaged less than the 47.67 against India too.

He is fortunate he played in the precise epoch he did, instead of sitting either side and having to rescue England every time he walked out to bat as Root does.

 

[CliffMcTainshaw]

Adam Voges, played 20 tests, with a highest score of 269 no. He sits above every other Test batsmen in the averages (no matter which country) who has played at least 20 matches, except for Bradman.
Of players who have played 20 Tests or more, he is one of a total of 8 players that have scored more centuries than half centuries.

 

[the_interloper]

I played with a lot of guys who played against Blewett at school and they all said he was that much better than anyone else.

He got ****ed over by the selectors making him open after Elliott dobbed on everyone, he started ok but ended up ******* up. Natural strokemaker, should never have been opening in the test side in my opinion. He also bowled decent mediums too, very good cricketer.

 

[t_94]

He got f’ed over by the selectors making him open after Elliott dobbed on everyone, he started ok but ended up ******* up. Natural strokemaker, should never have been opening in the test side in my opinion. He also bowled decent mediums too, very good cricketer.

They picked him for 46 tests when he ended up with a career test average of 34 in an era when many blokes were absolutely dominating at shield level. Don’t think you can say the selectors screwed him regardless of batting position.

 

[CliffMcTainshaw]

He got f’ed over by the selectors making him open after Elliott dobbed on everyone, he started ok but ended up ******* up. Natural strokemaker, should never have been opening in the test side in my opinion. He also bowled decent mediums too, very good cricketer.

His real problem was he just couldn't play spin very well, that's why he was pushed up the order. When Hayden replaced him that was the end of his Test career. He was given a lot of chances but couldn't repeat his early career form. He made 3 2 of his 4 Test centuries in his first 3 2 games.

 

[DaRick]

I suspect in future Damien Martyn will be underrated by those who didn't see him play.

His centuries in Sri Lanka and India in 2004 are some of the best an Australian has ever played in the subcontinent, and some of the best in the past 30 years considering the context (last won in SL in 1992, was behind by 150+ and almost 100 runs in 1st and 2nd SL Tests respectively; last win in IND was in 1969, was behind by around 150 runs in the 2nd test in IND, scored a game and series-securing century in Nagpur when Kumble was causing problems).

Whenever Kumble/Harbhajan (both world-class at home at the time) pitched short he always punished them, his extremely quick hands and feet allowed him to adjust to sharp turn/bounce quickly while executing that sumptuous late cut, and repeatedly he effectively repaid India for what Sidhu did to Warne years earlier (hit Kumble over his head for six repeatedly). He laid more than a few demons to rest from prior tours, particularly ones involving collapsing middle orders.

 

[DaRick]

They picked him for 46 tests when he ended up with a career test average of 34 in an era when many blokes were absolutely dominating at shield level. Don’t think you can say the selectors screwed him regardless of batting position.

His real problem was he just couldn't play spin very well, that's why he was pushed up the order. When Hayden replaced him that was the end of his Test career. He was given a lot of chances but couldn't repeat his early career form. He made 3 of his 4 Test centuries in his first 3 games.

He got f’ed over by the selectors making him open after Elliott dobbed on everyone, he started ok but ended up ******* up. Natural strokemaker, should never have been opening in the test side in my opinion. He also bowled decent mediums too, very good cricketer.

If anyone was stiffed, it was his South Australian compatriot, Darren Lehmann. He was a better batsman, and a much better player of spin. Plus Blewett also had a tendency to leave a gap between bat and pad, even against the quicks. IMO he played 25 Tests too many, and Lehmann should have played 20 more Tests. Blewett's mediums were nowhere near good enough for him to justify selection over Lehmann on that basis alone.

Speaking of Elliott, now there was a lost talent. Looked top-class in ENG in 1997, but was ultimately a confidence player who was prone to massive form slumps, and that knee injury he sustained when colliding with Mark Waugh apparently messed with his head.

 

[The Passenger]

Having a bit of a gander back through our opening batsmen in the 1990's and discovered two things that I just can not find in my memory bank.

Five years after his main foray into test cricket, Matthew Elliot played a single test in 2004 against Sri Lanka as a replacement for Ricky Ponting but scored 1 and 0 and that was the end of that.

India having a bowler by the name of David Johnson. Played 2 tests. Got Michael Slater out and he was dropped after this match with Elliot to making his debut in the next test at the Gabba in 96/97.

 

[DaRick]

Having a bit of a gander back through our opening batsmen in the 1990's and discovered two things that I just can not find in my memory bank.

Five years after his main foray into test cricket, Matthew Elliot played a single test in 2004 against Sri Lanka as a replacement for Ricky Ponting but scored 1 and 0 and that was the end of that.

India having a bowler by the name of David Johnson. Played 2 tests. Got Michael Slater out and he was dropped after this match with Elliot to making his debut in the next test at the Gabba in 96/97.

The first one I actually do recall - the Test was played in Darwin, on an absolute shitheap of a wicket. Vaas/McGrath/Kaspr were getting appreciable new ball and old ball movement, and the bounce was unpredictable. It was also Malinga's debut, and the AUS batsmen found dealing with his line and pace a real challenge on that pitch.

The second one is on YouTube - I jokingly thought that David Johnson must have been Mitch's long-lost, much crappier cousin. One Indian fan wrote that "he bowled fast and furious...the faster he bowled, the more furious the fans got." An artful one-liner.

EDIT: So many typos have crept into my posts as of late. It's really bothering me!

 

[The Passenger]

The first one I actually do recall - the Test was played in Darwin, on an absolute shitheap of a wicket. Vaas/McGrath/Kaspr were getting appreciate new ball and old ball movement, and the bounce was unpredictable. It was also Malinga's debut, and the AUS batsmen found dealing with his line and pace a real challenge on that pitch.

Was just watching Vaas five-for on YouTube. I remember Langer not walking when he hit it to first slip.

Still can't recall Elliott's one off recall even after re-watching it.

 

[PhatBoy]

His real problem was he just couldn't play spin very well, that's why he was pushed up the order. When Hayden replaced him that was the end of his Test career. He was given a lot of chances but couldn't repeat his early career form. He made 3 of his 4 Test centuries in his first 3 games.

Not quite
He hit back to back hundreds in the 94-95 ashes to start his career.

His third hundred came 12 tests later when he batted through an entire day with Steve Waugh in SA

 

[DaRick]

Was just watching Vaas five-for on YouTube. I remember Langer not walking when he hit it to first slip.

Still can't recall Elliott's one off recall even after re-watching it.

He edged a couple of deliveries, and that was all she wrote.

 

[western royboy]

His centuries in Sri Lanka and India in 2004 are some of the best an Australian has ever played in the subcontinent, and some of the best in the past 30 years considering the context (last won in SL in 1992, was behind by 150+ and almost 100 runs in 1st and 2nd SL Tests respectively; last win in IND was in 1969, was behind by around 150 runs in the 2nd test in IND, scored a game and series-securing century in Nagpur when Kumble was causing problems).

Whenever Kumble/Harbhajan (both world-class at home at the time) pitched short he always punished them, his extremely quick hands and feet allowed him to adjust to sharp turn/bounce quickly while executing that sumptuous late cut, and repeatedly he effectively repaid India for what Sidhu did to Warne years earlier (hit Kumble over his head for six repeatedly). He laid more than a few demons to rest from prior tours, particularly ones involving collapsing middle orders.

I saw him get a ton in Wellington on a really difficult pitch, happened to run into him in the lift after and waited one floor before gushing and got the wet fish handshake - a very different cat then, but has apparently mellowed a bit now - majestic to watch in full flight - just timed it better than anyone else

 

[Bareth Garry]

I've been reading about Ken Barrington who played for England between 1955 and 1968. His stats are amazing but rarely ever hear his name mentioned. He died at only 50 years of age in 1981 but even in English cricket he doesn't get talked about that much.

82 Test Matches
6806 runs
58.67 batting average
20 centuries
35 half centuries

His average abroad was touching 70. From the sounds of it he was a sort of Kallis-esque batsman. A run scoring machine whose stats are phenomenal but not at any point considered the best batsman of his day because he wasn't very inspiring to watch. And that he had a very defensive style by choice rather than lacking the ability to be a more flamboyant batsman because there were instances when all of a sudden he did start scoring quickly and attacking bowlers. I remember watching Kallis in the IPL smacking bowlers around and being surprised because I didn't think he had that in him. Not slogging but just good clean hitting around the ground. Clearly he did have more gears to his game but chose to play safe most of the time.

Barrington took his time walking out to the crease and once there he would inspect the pitch and subject it to "incessant prodding", and would hold up play if the captain changed the field so that he could inspect it. A nervous starter he would make 20–30 runs quickly enough, but gave chances to the bowlers, who tried to take advantage of this. Once settled he would slow down and would sink into lethargy until he neared his century, which four times in Tests he brought it up with a massive pull for six. Yet there was method even in this, fielding captains tended to add close-fielders in the 'nervous nineties', so Barrington just hit the ball over their heads into the outfield.

After his initial failure as a Test batsman in 1955 Barrington "set out to eliminate fun from his game and replace it with something very near impregnability". Ian Chappell wrote with feeling "Every so often you encounter a player whose bat seems about a yard wide. It's not, of course. It just seems that way. England's Ken Barrington was one. Our own Bill Lawry was another. Gee, they were hard to dislodge". This was not always appreciated by the selectors, spectators and the press. This lack of appreciation may have been affected by the fact that he scored most of his centuries overseas and that he could play entertaining strokes, but chose not to do so.

He was controversially dropped from the England team after 57 Tests for taking over seven hours to make 137 against a weak New Zealand attack in 1965. But when quick runs were needed in the Fifth Test at Melbourne in 1965–66 he surprised everyone by smashing a hundred off 122 balls and bringing up the century with a six into the stands