By Decentric - 6 Sep 2019 10:06 AM
I'm starting this thread to highlight many players who had, or have, the talent, but over their career have failed to live up to their talent and early promise.
Tim Paine - as a batter many who have played against him in the FC scenario and appraise his talent as a technician from the commentary box think he should have scored far more runs. Many think he is currently one of the best technicians in the current Aussie team and should be batting higher up the order. Only has one FC century - a double century. He has scored a Test 92. At times early in his career he played as a specialist batter, opening for Tasmania.
Alex Doolan - has played 4 Tests. From when I've seen him play in many Shield games live, he looks like Mark Waugh, displaying great elegance and stylish shots all around the wicket. When he gets going he takes attacks apart. Struggles to concentrate for long periods if pinned down and is poor at scoring singles and rotating the strike.
James Faulkner - from former Shield payers in the members, all say he has all lot of time to play his shots as a batter. He has also scored very few FC centuries. He is finished as a FC bowler with his body struggling to cope with injury.
Callum Ferguson - I've always thought he looks very composed at the wicket, then he inexplicably gets out!
Kumbli - the Indian batter who emerged at the same time as Tendulkar. Looked like he was going to be a great, but international bowlers worked him out.
Stuart Saunders - Tassie leg spinner of the past. Looked like a Test bowler for a season or two, then lost his ability with the ball and scored late order runs instead.
Matthew Elliot - looked like a classy Test opener for a season or two then inexplicably faded to become a modest Shield player.
Jofra Archer- he has been inconsistent so far. Test cricket is a huge test of sustained performance at a much higher level than anything the has experienced in FC cricket and all his limited over international cricket. He looks to be bothered by factors like wind, colder weather, etc, whereas seasoned pros like Broad and Anderson, bowl well in many different conditions on a range of pitches.
Mark Waugh - even though he had a Test average of something like 43, many thought he had the talent to have a much higher average. Some claim he had concentration issues.
Will Pucovski - is a fabulous player to watch. Currently, he is arguably the best technician we have as a batter. Unfortunatetly, none of the cricket experts have been around when I've seen him bat live, apart from one who said he looked awful against a sustained short pitched barrage from the genuine Sri Lankan quick, whose name escapes me, but bowls over 140 kph. I missed it.
Puck is very young and could develop yet.
Sanga - he has rave reviews, but I've never seen him make any runs live. He has always failed to deliver. Sanga is still very young though.
Which other underachievers are there?
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By Paddles - 6 Oct 2019 8:29 PM
Cricinfo writer has produced a fairly accurate list of the underrated test cricketers, globally.
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/27770297/dean-elgar-bj-watling-ten-seriously-underrated-test-cricketers
I find it hard to disagree with most spots. But I do have some comments.
They are - in no particular order:
SA - Dean Elgar and Maharaj
NZ - Watling and Wagner
WI - Holder and Roach
Pak - Azar Ali and Shafiq
SL - Karunartne and D Perera (the spinner, not the batsman or seam allrounder)
The first thing you will notice is an absense of Rich 3 cricketers. That is to be expected, because Rich 3 cricketers are already hyped up endlessly by the global media that make news to be consumed by their fans. Even for cricketers like Hardik Pandya, who really has never contributed significantly to a win (or defiant draw) in any big match I can think of.
Maharaj is going nicely, but his recent test in India is going to take some serious correction to shake to further lay any claim. Elgar, though, has been great in recent bowler freindly times and has reenhanced his credibility this past test.
Watling, not really known outside NZ fans, as most would say Pant (who is a terrible keeper and now dropped), Bairstow (dropped) and De Kock are the test cricket stars. But in NZ we know. Watling averages 40 as a keeper, but this overlooks one thing that Kiwi's now, he fails and gets out quickly every time the innings slog is due to start. Every time. Slogging is not his game. And with CdG batting behind him, with the highest SR in test cricket history, this is not an issue. But what is his game, is batting time and runs. He crucially and regularly makes 80+ and 100's that don't just save the games from losses, but actually turn them into wins - by giving the bowlers the runs required. Wagner, well he gets forgotten by his own selectors a lot. Always the first to be dropped, despite having the superior numbers between him Boult and Southee, despite not being given the new ball. His own selectors need to take some blame here.
Roach's problem is that he has been like Jimmy Anderson a bit. He averages 22 at home, this is Hadlee and McGrath contender material, but 37 away thanks mainly to being punished in Australia - Smith can ruin averages quite swiftly. Holder - well he has been superman at home, average over 40 with the bat and 22 with the ball. This is leave Stokes and Shakib in your wake material, but again, he has not performed well away until more recent times in India and UAE. He is a young man, with plenty more opportunities to do so. The counter will be that Anderson does the same, to which the reply is, yes, but he plays for a Rich 3. He will get noticed and talked up regardless. There is no doubt that these two are immensely talented cricketers, who regularly get overlooked globally, but Holder recent tours aside, they have not shone when given the chance too.
Azar Ali and Shafiq - well Shafiq just isn't good enough to be rated. And Azar Ali is no YK or Misbah. With all the talk of Pujara, Kohli, Williamson and Smith, its pretty hard to crack into a rated conversation with their middle order numbers. They're doing well enough to keep Harris Sohail out of their own team but not all that much more. Azar Ali deserves to be in the conversations with Faf, Nicholls and Rahane, and not much more.
Karunaratne made the ICC team last year fairly. In an era with a dearth of opening batsman, he continues to shine. He doesn't get his recognition for recent form, given he has taken so long to get good and still averages mid 30s. But Perera, I don't think necessarily deserves to be rated just yet. He is middling at best. I think Bangladesh's Hasan and Islam are possibly being ignored more.
So the currently ridiculously underrated, through no fault of their own or their selectors, is Elgar and Watling. I can injust imagine being at a quiz show, and watching foreginers remember Smith, Parore, McCullum, and not have any idea who Watling is, despite him having beaten all their wicket keeping, and batting with gloves, total records. I think Tim Murtagh barely gets any recognition - despite being a high quality cricketer for Ireland. But given 1 test match a year, that will not change any time soon.
I would add one name to this list. Colin de Grandhomme. He has become one of the versatile and successful test cricketers, and noone has noticed him. His own medis and commentators, talk him down. They doubt his value. His usefulness. But this doesn't match the facts. Want quick quick runs for a declaration? CdG has a batting average of 39 striking AT OVER 90! The highest ever in the history of cricket. A filthy slogger? Need a match against England saved, he will block most of the day. Fails with the bat? Let him take a match winning 7 for. Need an opening bowler? He averages under 24 opening the bowling. But he rarely gets the new ball. He averages over 60 as 4th bowler, at just 2 runs an over. 39 with the bat, 30.57 with the ball, and can do every possible role anyone could ask a player to do. Hit out, block, stock bowl, new ball bowl. His numbers make Ben Stokes - well less htna ordinary. But noone has really heard of him. And at 33, he won't be around much longer.
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