What is X-Factor?

[Doodlesweaver]

Can someone define it for me?

I think it is someone who can give your team a massive edge.

Like Sehwag.

But could it actually be someone who is a partnership breaker?

Or a player like Johnson who can occasionally slog his heart out and boost your total significantly?

 

[mattymac]

steve smith has "X-factor". in the column next to "steve smith is a stand out talent in the following disciplines:" there is an X

 

[Cleavy]

by definition it is "a circumstance, quality, or person that has a strong but unpredictable influence." (and a crap tv show)

 

[Bucking Beads]

Someone who can change the game in an instant. Someone who can take the game away from another. Someone who creates something out of nothing.

 

[WeetBixKid]

It's a lot of things. It's style, it's confidence, it's knowledge, presentation, appearance, charisma. It's coolness under pressure.

 

[mattymac]

its a load of bollocks

 

[Cousin Jed]

It's a lot of things. It's style, it's confidence, it's knowledge, presentation, appearance, charisma. It's coolness under pressure.

It's all of those things that I've been trying to nurture in all of you.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

its a load of bollocks

Anytime it's used for Steve Smith, I agree, but it is used a lot and I can never quite work out wtf it is supposed to point out about a player unless it is a player like Sehwag who can scare the shit out of the opposition.

 

[OzBomber]

Someone who can change a game in the space of a few balls of half an hour with the bat.

Adam Gilchrist had X-Factor.
Shane Warne had X-Factor (you could also argue McGrath had X-Factor).
Dale Steyn has X-Factor.
And yes, so does Sehwag.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

It's a lot of things. It's style, it's confidence, it's knowledge, presentation, appearance, charisma. It's coolness under pressure.

So that's every cricketer ever apart from Michael Holding out of the equation then.

And apart from Imran Khan. Anybody who can threaten his team with prison if they underperform is the dude.

 

[mattymac]

Anytime it's used for Steve Smith, I agree, but it is used a lot and I can never quite work out wtf it is supposed to point out about a player unless it is a player like Sehwag who can scare the shit out of the opposition.

its a weak phrase used by dimwit media whores with limited vocabularies to "describe" something they either a) can't describe adequately with real words; or b) want to avoid describing with real words for fear that their position/opinion will be undermined.

it is especially popular when someone can't justify something adequately (eg the hype around steve smith eminating from the sydney press) in which case it becomes a kind of one-size-fits-all remedy to avoid factual evidence in favour of an emotional want. they "want" him in the side but they can't justify his inclusion based on fact so they paper over that minor inconvenience by crying from the hilltops that he's got "x-factor", which conveniently, having the property of "x", cannot be defined and is therefore immune to criticism.

 

[Simple Jack]

Someone who can change the game in an instant. Someone who can take the game away from another. Someone who creates something out of nothing.

Well Steve Smith clearly has X-factor. He nearly always does nothing, but then every now and then, does something.
Ergo, creates something out of nothing.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

 

[The Passenger]

the best types of x-factor players are those who are still consistent and do a job when they're not match winning - warne, mcgrath, ambrose etc,.

it's pretty hard for a batsmen to fall into that above category because when he's scoring runs he's got the x factor, and when he's not scoring runs he's not being consistent...

there are also the wildly inconsistent x-factor guys - mitch johnson, stuart broad, sean tait

when it comes to batsmen they usually score runs quickly and in a hurry - sehwag, gayle, gilchrist, hayden, sir viv, ian botham... typically when they get going go at a S/R of about 75 and above.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

it's pretty hard for a batsmen to fall into that above category because when he's scoring runs he's got the x factor, and when he's not scoring runs he's not being consistent...

When he's not scoring runs, he's still got X-factor.

That's the thing about X-Factor, it is unpredictable, commonly found in players who only succeed 10% of the time, but when they do succeed it is sensational to watch.

Afridi and Pollard are easily the 2 best examples with the bat.

Tait the best example with the ball.

 

[The Passenger]

yeah but the first category of x-factor players i mentioned where those who are still doing a job when not winning matches... afridi and pollard definately don't fit in that one.