Worst player you've ever seen?

[Doss]

Dan Cullen, Beau Casson and Michael Beer playing for Australia.

Actually add Xavier Doherty as a Test player into that too.

I still struggle to believe they happened.

 

[Gough]

Mid 1980s's was horrible time in Aussie cricket.
Wayne Phillips was the start of a trend of trying batsmen that part time keep doing it in one dayers.
He was actually a wonderful one day batsman in his own right. Probably hit the best half century I seen in a one dayers in later 80's I think. Terrible idea to have him keeping in Test side. I reckon his batting suffered as a result too. When he first started in Tests he was a dashing opener which was very refreshing after watching types like Julien Weiner, Hildtich, Dyson and Wessels bore me to tears waiting for them to move scoring along.

That's what made the 89 Ashes so awesome. You could see a good team coming together as well, as a nation we owe AB so much. He restored pride to our cricket team and a respect that has never really been lost since. He was the man.

 

[King_Steele]

Jon Lewis.

 

[t_94]

Jon Lewis.

Didn't he take wickets for fun in County cricket?

 

[Hellgood]

Didn't he take wickets for fun in County cricket?

Dunno about for fun (849 at 26 are very good stats though), but was the ubiquitous Trent Copeland / Chadd Sayers ultra reliable and consistent seamer for a very long time. Was fairly apparent that at his pace he was going to struggle for impact at international level though he had his moments.

Jon Lewis, a consistent county wicket-taker with his skiddy medium-paced awayswingers, seemed destined to be a no-cap wonder after frequently being called up by England only to be left out at the last minute. It started in South Africa in early in 2005, when Lewis, a late addition to an injury-hit squad, was congratulated by his team-mates ahead of the rain-delayed start of the final Test at Centurion. It seemed a first cap was imminent: but it didn't happen then, or at home during 2005, even though Lewis rocked the Australians with four wickets in the T20 international victory at the Rose Bowl early in that famous tour, ripping out Symonds, Clarke and Ponting for ducks.

His ODI career also started well, with three wickets against Bangladesh, but the Aussies seemed to work him out after that. Suspicions remained that he just wasn't quick enough to be an international force, and although Lewis did finally get a Test cap against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge in 2006 - and again started well, the first of his three wickets coming with his third ball - he was sidelined when Pakistan visited later that summer.

At 31 that might have been it, except as England's one-day attack continued to struggle with injuries and lack of form Lewis was the only quicker bowler to do the basics right. He retained his knack of grabbing early wickets and had become an integral part of England's one-day plans until he suffered an ankle injury during the victorious CB Series campaign in Australia. Even so, he was retained in the World Cup squad though played no part.

With the bat, he was an old-fashioned tailender, capable of the odd mighty blow, and he was named Gloucestershire captain in 2006 but couldn't bring success to the club. He stepped down after three years in charge after the 2008 campaign.

He continued his very successful county career that saw him help Gloucestershire to seven trophies in five seasons between 1999 and 2005 with over 50 wickets in 2009, 2010 and 2011 - which proved to be his final year at Bristol after scoring over 500 runs in a season for the first time.

With growing uncertainty over Gloucestershire's financial future, Lewis took the decision to take a player-coach role with Surrey, ending 17 years in the West Country where he took 771 wickets, placing him 17th on the all-time list of wicket takers for Gloucestershire. A season later, he was on the move again, his county career still flickering at 38, as Sussex took a gamble on his wealth of experience. After one year he brought the curtain on his playing career and took the role as bowling coach at Hove. "I want to stop Sussex having to employ people like me to come and bowl for them," he said.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/16281.html

 

[Damon_3388]

Dan Cullen, Beau Casson and Michael Beer playing for Australia.

Actually add Xavier Doherty as a Test player into that too.

I still struggle to believe they happened.

Doherty and then the unknown Beer over SOK (when they were looking for a left armer specifically) is one of the all-time head-scratchers.

 

[Kyptastic]

Even worse when you consider that he scored a ton in the first of those 61 tests.

Actually I think Rutherford might have scored one on debut as well.

Devon Smith is in that category of being the worst to play for a long time. Sherwin Campbell as well.
But the thing about any player who gets that many tests is that they obviously do what's required either domestically, or every time they're close to being dropped in tests, to stay in the equation. Campbell was a good example of that.

The first full summer of cricket I watched was that 96/97 West Indies tour. Campbell scored a big hundred in the first test and then 80 odd in the second test. He was my favourite West Indies batsman for ages - I wanted him to do well on the 2000/01 tour and he just had an absolute mare up until the Sydney test at the end of the summer. It was only later that I realised just how average he was. It's amazing how much the batting talent dried up in the West Indies in the second half of the 90s - Arthurton, Simmons, Griffith, Marlon's Brother Robert, Jimmy Adams post 95 - they'd all be struggling to get a game for Ireland these days, let alone the West Indies.

I remember back in the mid 2000s a one dayer between Australia and Sri Lanka. Australia scored 300 odd and Sri Lanka lost a wicket second ball. Out walks Michael Vandort on ODI debut who proceeds to play one of the worst innings you'd ever see - 48 off 117 balls when they needed over 6 an over. I remember the commentators were absolutely giving it to him. He never played an ODI again. The good thing for him is that he can now go around talking about how his ODI average is 48, which sounds great until you look into it. Had a semi-decent test career, but I'll always remember him for that terrible innings.

 

[corbies]

.

I remember back in the mid 2000s a one dayer between Australia and Sri Lanka. Australia scored 300 odd and Sri Lanka lost a wicket second ball. Out walks Michael Vandort on ODI debut who proceeds to play one of the worst innings you'd ever see - 48 off 117 balls when they needed over 6 an over. I remember the commentators were absolutely giving it to him. He never played an ODI again. The good thing for him is that he can now go around talking about how his ODI average is 48, which sounds great until you look into it. Had a semi-decent test career, but I'll always remember him for that terrible innings.

I remember that Vandort game (I reckon he came on as the supersub back when that was being trialled in ODIs). I think that game also had the weirdest dismissal I've seen where Symonds was caught at mid-wicket after the ball ballooned off Clarke's pad at the non-strikers end.

 

[Lenny153]

Bancroft.

 

[eth-dog]

Charlie Hemphrey is atrocious

 

[Hellgood]

The first full summer of cricket I watched was that 96/97 West Indies tour. Campbell scored a big hundred in the first test and then 80 odd in the second test. He was my favourite West Indies batsman for ages - I wanted him to do well on the 2000/01 tour and he just had an absolute mare up until the Sydney test at the end of the summer. It was only later that I realised just how average he was. It's amazing how much the batting talent dried up in the West Indies in the second half of the 90s - Arthurton, Simmons, Griffith, Marlon's Brother Robert, Jimmy Adams post 95 - they'd all be struggling to get a game for Ireland these days, let alone the West Indies.

I remember back in the mid 2000s a one dayer between Australia and Sri Lanka. Australia scored 300 odd and Sri Lanka lost a wicket second ball. Out walks Michael Vandort on ODI debut who proceeds to play one of the worst innings you'd ever see - 48 off 117 balls when they needed over 6 an over. I remember the commentators were absolutely giving it to him. He never played an ODI again. The good thing for him is that he can now go around talking about how his ODI average is 48, which sounds great until you look into it. Had a semi-decent test career, but I'll always remember him for that terrible innings.

Yeah that sticks in my memory too.

Vandort ended up being a quite a good test batsman so maybe he saw it as a way to trial for a test spot or something.

 

[Wolfs]

Yeah that sticks in my memory too.

Vandort ended up being a quite a good test batsman so maybe he saw it as a way to trial for a test spot or something.

Great trial it was. He did come as a super sub for Murali. It was the 1st match in that VB series.

 

[scotty13]

Donald George Bradman... only managed a 99.94 ave over 52 tests... that is pathetic! Im sure anyone could smash that record!

 

[SS3840]

Here's an obscure one, but what about the captain of the United Arab Emirates in the 1996 World Cup; Sultan Zarawani , basically got the gig because apparently, he was stupidly rich.
Highlights included averaging a touch over 4 runs in 6 innings with the bat, and taking 5 wickets at 51. Oh, and he decided batting in a sunhat, while facing Allan Donald was a brilliant idea. His career ended after cricitising the Emirates Cricket Board and was subsequently banned for life.

 

[Ronnie Baby]

What exactly does Jordan Silk do?

Picks the higher leaves and fruit for his teammates.


Thread needs more Dom Michael

 

[Ronnie Baby]

Here's an obscure one, but what about the captain of the United Arab Emirates in the 1996 World Cup; Sultan Zarawani , basically got the gig because apparently, he was stupidly rich.
Highlights included averaging a touch over 4 runs in 6 innings with the bat, and taking 5 wickets at 51. Oh, and he decided batting in a sunhat, while facing Allan Donald was a brilliant idea. His career ended after cricitising the Emirates Cricket Board and was subsequently banned for life.

Who were the 5 victims?

 

[Hamingja]

Who were the 5 victims?

Not sure if this was a loaded question.

S R Tendulkar was his first wicket.

Cronje, Cairns, Parore, random Dutch dude were his other wickets.

Maybe could question the legitimacy of a couple of them in hindsight!

 

[Richard Pryor]

Here's an obscure one, but what about the captain of the United Arab Emirates in the 1996 World Cup; Sultan Zarawani , basically got the gig because apparently, he was stupidly rich.
Highlights included averaging a touch over 4 runs in 6 innings with the bat, and taking 5 wickets at 51. Oh, and he decided batting in a sunhat, while facing Allan Donald was a brilliant idea. His career ended after cricitising the Emirates Cricket Board and was subsequently banned for life.

He always has this to hang his sunhat on though:

 

[Cleavy]

Here's an obscure one, but what about the captain of the United Arab Emirates in the 1996 World Cup; Sultan Zarawani , basically got the gig because apparently, he was stupidly rich.
Highlights included averaging a touch over 4 runs in 6 innings with the bat, and taking 5 wickets at 51. Oh, and he decided batting in a sunhat, while facing Allan Donald was a brilliant idea. His career ended after cricitising the Emirates Cricket Board and was subsequently banned for life.

This is all I remember him for.

 

[Hellgood]

This is all I remember him for.

Slightly off topic (and probably only time Adam Gilchrist will get a mention in the worst players thread), but the mention of Donald reminds me of Gilly's account of his debut in ODI cricket in India playing the Proteas in a tri-series. Basically Symcox and Boje were trundling away through the middle overs on a slow pitch, Gilchrist walks out to the middle in a cap to fit in with the rest of the team. Over or two in they change up and bring Donald on to test out the debutant. Gilchrist still not yet comfortable around the side having only just met a number of them a day or two before having been flown over as a last minute replacement and not even sure on the whole process of calling for a helmet etc. So is rooted with a mix of fear and ends up doing nothing. Donald of course is enraged by the lack of respect and sends a couple dangerously close to his right ear before a laughing dressing room puts him out of his misery and runs the much needed lid out.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

Not sure if this was a loaded question.

S R Tendulkar was his first wicket.

Cronje, Cairns, Parore, random Dutch dude were his other wickets.

Maybe could question the legitimacy of a couple of them in hindsight!

It's quite unreal who Sachin Tendulkar has got out to. He's got the best reverse Hall of Shame of any top player I've ever heard of. It's full of garbage part-timers.

 

[ioppolo]

After reading a piece on Jono Dean post BBL07 I'll retract him from my OP. Just an everyday joe blow who happened to be spotted by someone important during a grade match and landed himself a BBL contract (and now a title!)

 

[PhatBoy]

After reading a piece on Jono Dean post BBL07 I'll retract him from my OP. Just an everyday joe blow who happened to be spotted by someone important during a grade match and landed himself a BBL contract (and now a title!)

Just smacked a lazy 200 in ACT first grade yesterday to go with his brother’s 270 at the other end.

 

[imadodgyumpire]

Neil McKenzie.

 

[ioppolo]

Just smacked a lazy 200 in ACT first grade yesterday to go with his brother’s 270 at the other end.

Did his brother play FC or BBL cricket at some point? I could've sworn there was another Dean around before Travis from Victoria popped up.