Undervalued Cricketers

Aug 1, 2006
26,531
26,925
Melbourne
AFL Club
Richmond
His first Test was the Katich/Clarke dust up Test and when someone apologised to him for it he said that being Victorian seeing this sort of behaviour in the sheds wasn't all that unusual to him.

Yes I've heard a few mention that and how it broke the ice and eased the tension. I feel like he'd have a good effect on a group, seems a pretty good bloke. Not surprised he's probably going to coach the Test side, I reckon being a good bloke and the players liking you is the majority of the battle.
 
Feb 6, 2013
12,443
17,236
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Yes I've heard a few mention that and how it broke the ice and eased the tension. I feel like he'd have a good effect on a group, seems a pretty good bloke. Not surprised he's probably going to coach the Test side, I reckon being a good bloke and the players liking you is the majority of the battle.
The only thing I remember about his debut is he was constantly grinning and smiling away when walking to his runup like he was just thrilled to be playing in a Test match. Comes across as a great guy.
 

t_94

Premiership Player
May 6, 2014
4,431
7,473
AFL Club
St Kilda
Yes I've heard a few mention that and how it broke the ice and eased the tension. I feel like he'd have a good effect on a group, seems a pretty good bloke. Not surprised he's probably going to coach the Test side, I reckon being a good bloke and the players liking you is the majority of the battle.

Hear that line a lot these days. If that’s the main point of a coach is there any point to having one? I find it odd how most of them talk about ‘relationships’ and ‘staying out of the way of the players’, yet we have this extended coaching staff who stand around in track suits not doing very much. Surely there is a better use for that money.
 
Aug 1, 2006
26,531
26,925
Melbourne
AFL Club
Richmond
Hear that line a lot these days. If that’s the main point of a coach is there any point to having one? I find it odd how most of them talk about ‘relationships’ and ‘staying out of the way of the players’, yet we have this extended coaching staff who stand around in track suits not doing very much. Surely there is a better use for that money.

Well in cricket the captain is more important than the coach, the coach is sort of a media figure and mentor in my mind. They have batting coaches etc so they’re really sort of a leader off field I guess.

As for better use of the money I don’t know how much they get paid, I reckon it would be a good gig to get though.
 

big_e

Existential crisis management consultant
Apr 28, 2008
12,558
38,503
Back Pocket
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Wycombe Wanderers
Andrew McDonald, I'm not sure if he played in a loss, we were average then as well. He didn't do that well with the bat from memory but his bowling was always tidy and he could hold up an end. Was rapt when he played Test cricket, he's a Victorian...
Made a 68 in his last test, and took a wicket. Unfortunately that was the McGain match, so his wicket came at 7/590+.

Got a CA contract, went on the Ashes tour that followed but missed out to Marcus North, who made 125*. Given our quicks all took 20+ wickets for the series, and the selectors never had much faith in Nathan Hauritz, they preferred the better batting of North plus the back-up spin.

Such is life.
 
May 5, 2006
62,726
70,017
AFL Club
West Coast
Andrew McDonald was alright but really another James Faulkner. Was he a batsman, bowler, batting all rounder or bowling all rounder?

Nearly 5,000 runs @ 39 and 200 wickets @ 28 in FC cricket is nothing to be sneezed at, but if it wasn't enough to get him selected in the top 6 (he batted at 6 in one of this 4 tests) then it was never going to keep him in the side. McDonald was only 28 when he was picked so could've been persisted with for years if the selectors saw something in him. IMO at the time we were light on for quality bowling options so they gave him a run because he can bat. Which is poor selection policy and doesn't really give him much of a chance. If you are the 4th seamer for your state you are never going to last in tests outside the top 6.

If McDonald was around right now and we had Starc/Haze/Cummins available + Richo, Steketee etc. knocking on the door he wouldn't be anywhere near an 8-11 spot. He would either be looked at as a number 6 (Cam Green is the current CA favourite) or not at all.

Mitch Marsh for all his faults has 4,000 runs @ 35 in FC cricket if you take out his awful test record and that was rising when he was fast tracked into tests at 23 (and because he's a Marsh and because he can bowl at 140+). Watto has 9,500 @ 42. He is a bit of a meme as a test player but used to dominate the Shield as a youngster. These guys were given extended runs because the selectors thought they could bat in the top 6 and average 40-50 and provide a 4th pace option. They were right with Watson for a couple of years and right with Marsh for a couple of tests.
 
Sep 30, 2008
14,335
17,807
Western Victoria
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Other Teams
Chelsea
Yes I've heard a few mention that and how it broke the ice and eased the tension. I feel like he'd have a good effect on a group, seems a pretty good bloke. Not surprised he's probably going to coach the Test side, I reckon being a good bloke and the players liking you is the majority of the battle.
Absolute ripping bloke and very astute cricket brain
 
Andrew McDonald
Adam Voges
Marcus North

all seriously good players who could have played more Test cricket if the cards had fallen differently
Those guy were the were the second and last generation of (mostly) batsmen who ended up like that, we had a batting line up carved in stone for the most part of our glory years. Stuart Law and di Venuto have the same story.
 
Those guy were the were the second and last generation of (mostly) batsmen who ended up like that, we had a batting line up carved in stone for the most part of our glory years. Stuart Law and di Venuto have the same story.

That other dude from Tassie, name escapes me.
Lehman...on the same pathway until he finally got a crack.
Siddons.....IMO was better than all of them & would have been dynamite in ODI's at 5.
 
Sep 30, 2008
14,335
17,807
Western Victoria
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Other Teams
Chelsea
Those guy were the were the second and last generation of (mostly) batsmen who ended up like that, we had a batting line up carved in stone for the most part of our glory years. Stuart Law and di Venuto have the same story.
When I was a young bloke there were some regional XXXX games were Vic Squad players came down and played in a 50 over game with locals. I was invited to the coaching session held earlier in the day and was embedded with them for the day. Siddons was an absolute freak. He was throwing balls from the far outfield of Reid Oval Warrnambool at about 2m flat and landing them in the keepers gloves for fun then hit a straight six thru the goals at the Southern end. Had he not got crook in Pakistan things could have been very different
 
Not for more than half a decade.


It’s not like he’d been a rank failure before that either. In a career almost entirely spent facing the West Indies and South Africa, plus a lone test against NZ in NZ, he’d scored 3 half centuries in 7 tests, and passed 30 in five of his 10 innings. I can’t see a circumstance - fill-in or not - in which he wouldn’t have been part of the middle order rotation that took place for the next six years involving Langer, Hayden, Ponting, Law, Lehmann, Ponting, Blewett, Elliott, and Bevan, if it weren’t for the ‘line through his name.’
Later in his career he replaced Brad Hodge despite Hodge out performing him at Test and first class level. Perhaps these things have a tendency to even out over time.
 
May 5, 2016
43,464
48,498
AFL Club
Geelong
Later in his career he replaced Brad Hodge despite Hodge out performing him at Test and first class level. Perhaps these things have a tendency to even out over time.


Not sure it Was Martyn keeping hodge out of the team mate. From the moment he was recalled his yearly averages were:

80
65
41
42
56
37

He was rightfully dropped in 2006 when he averaged 31.
 
Sep 30, 2008
14,335
17,807
Western Victoria
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Other Teams
Chelsea
Not sure it Was Martyn keeping hodge out of the team mate. From the moment he was recalled his yearly averages were:

80
65
41
42
56
37

He was rightfully dropped in 2006 when he averaged 31.
Martyn was preferred for the return Test Series in SA after Hodge looked ordinary against the short ball after his double ton. After that like Elliot he was just a back up player but never part of the fabric - fwiw Martyn and M Waugh technically and aesthetically were the best I’ve seen
 
Andrew McDonald
Adam Voges
Marcus North

all seriously good players who could have played more Test cricket if the cards had fallen differently

McDonald was in ripping form prior to the 2010/11 Ashes and got injured just before the first test. Had scored three shield centuries and may have even replaced Hussey if Hussey didn't ton up in his last shield game before the tests.
 
Not sure it Was Martyn keeping hodge out of the team mate. From the moment he was recalled his yearly averages were:

80
65
41
42
56
37

He was rightfully dropped in 2006 when he averaged 31.
I'm not talking about Hodge being kept out of the side over time.

I'm talking about when Hodge was dropped for Martyn. Martyn was dropped for Hodge after the 2005 Ashes. Martyn was then recalled for Hodge after 5 tests despite Hodge outperforming him at both levels.
 
Sep 30, 2008
14,335
17,807
Western Victoria
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Other Teams
Chelsea
I'm not talking about Hodge being kept out of the side over time.

I'm talking about when Hodge was dropped for Martyn. Martyn was dropped for Hodge after the 2005 Ashes. Martyn was then recalled for Hodge after 5 tests despite Hodge outperforming him at both levels.
Refer to my post above - it is fact
 
Refer to my post above - it is fact
My main point was really more that the selectors decided to put faith in Martyn when he was underperforming, as people have suggested they did the opposite when he was younger. Things evened themselves out, so to speak.
 
Back