Worst Player To...

[tooextracool]

I don't really see why 50 Tests is remotely relevant, so here is a list of non-flybynight batsmen (the only ones that can be compared - bowlers are utterly irrelevant) who appeared for England around about the same time Butcher did and are worse...
John Crawley, Nick Knight, Marcus Trescothick, Graeme Hick, Mark Ramprakash, Paul Collingwood.

Only Strauss and Cook of recent established batsmen can be said to be better than him IMO.

Strauss having such a fantastic record in recent times of course. And for someone whos being accusing others of ignorance, you have to be out of your mind if you think Hick was a worse batsman than Butcher. When Butcher hammers Ambrose, Walsh, Donald, Pollock, Devilliers and kumble in their primes for 3 years in a row then we'll even think about having this argument again.

Strauss surely has to be the worst england player at the moment in both forms of the game and to put him ahead of Bell, Collingwood and Pietersen is a joke of the highest order.

 

[Richard]

Not really - for starters I certainly didn't put him ahead of Pietersen, but to date he's still achieved a bit more AFAIC than Bell and certainly Collingwood. I'd expect Bell to end his career a much, much more accomplished player, of course. Collingwood, not so sure.

As for Hick, he may have scored runs against said bowlers but he also failed against them - a good deal. Yes, in the 1993-1995 period he was better than Butcher has ever been, no doubts (Butcher has rarely faced bowling of that class, other than in the very early days of his career) but you'd do well not to forget that he did manage to score runs against the likes of Donald, Pollock, McGrath, Fleming, Gillespie, heck even MacGill for the purposes of this.

And for all the problems Hick had in the mind, don't forget Butcher's life has hardly been a picture of serenity.

 

[Poker Boy]

Ken Rutherford deserves a mention IMO, 56 Tests average 27, with just three centuaries and remember when he came into the team NZ were an established Test nation enjoying their best peroid (the Hadlee-Wright-Martin Crowe era) so cannot be put in the category of an early NZ player mentioned earlier in the thread.

 

[Richard]

Haha, I'd clean forgotten him TBH.

Certainly up there.

Says a fair bit that he often slips under the radar.

 

[Perm]

Ken Rutherford deserves a mention IMO, 56 Tests average 27, with just three centuaries and remember when he came into the team NZ were an established Test nation enjoying their best peroid (the Hadlee-Wright-Martin Crowe era) so cannot be put in the category of an early NZ player mentioned earlier in the thread.

He is held in fairly high regard over here, obviously a case of statistics not reflecting well on a player.

 

[GIMH]

Fierce competition between Hooper and Atherton for worst player with 100 caps. I'd say Hooper tbh with honourable mentions to Boucher, Fleming, Kumble and Thorpe.

Gilo the worst to play 50 tests it seems although I'm sure there's many terrible cricketers who have played that much who we just forget.

Thorpe was class, doesn't deserve to be mentioned tbh

 

[Richard]

As Crampton said - I don't really think anyone deserves to be mentioned as "worst" anything once they've played 100 Tests.

It's a pretty stupid debate really.

 

[Benny2k1]

Yes, I'd be ashamed to get out to him

I was there that day and missed that ball due to being in the beer tent :'(

Atherton Was a very good player in a day when pitches did a bit and he had to face some fantastic bowlers!!!

Mcgrath, Warne, Ambrose, Walch, Donald, Pollock, Murali at there very best!!

His inns to save the game vs South Africa = very underated and he actually was up for any challange!

 

[Xuhaib]

Sarwan will end up as being the worse player to play over 100 tests, the lack of depth in WI cricket means he may end up playing around 120-130 matches considering he is just 26 currently.

 

[PhoenixFire]

As Crampton said - I don't really think anyone deserves to be mentioned as "worst" anything once they've played 100 Tests.

It's a pretty stupid debate really.

Mm yeah, have to agree with that.

 

[Sanz]

Current India Coach Ravi Shastri is one of worst players who played 50+ tests and 100+ odis for his country.

 

[Richard]

Kapil Dev too is one of the worst to take 400 Test wickets.

 

[Langeveldt]

Strauss surely has to be the worst england player at the moment in both forms of the game.

Woaah wooahh woaahh, lets hold on here...

 

[PhoenixFire]

Strauss surely has to be the worst england player at the moment in both forms of the game and to put him ahead of Bell, Collingwood and Pietersen is a joke of the highest order.

Haha worst post.

 

[Langeveldt]

Haha worst post.

I could pick an XI of England players who couldn't even rub Strauss's boots during the last couple of years.. But they'd all be Mahmood

 

[Richard]

It's tec, can hardly expect complete orthodoxy.

He's never been completely convinced about Strauss.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Graeme Wood's got to be worth a mention for 50 Tests.

Habibul Bashar's getting close, too. If Bangladesh ever start playing Tests, that is.

And Ken Rutherford. 56 Tests as specialist batsman: 3 hundreds, average of 27...

 

[Richard]

Forgot about Wood, actually. Quite a bastion of stability for such a low-scorer.

Soon To Be Posted by Shane Warne \ BingLeeElectric
Wood was better than any batsman ever produced by England

 

[Spitfires_Fan]

How about Phil Edmonds (51 tests) and John Emburey (64)?

Add to that Ramiz Raja - an average of 31.83 in 57 tests with only 2 centuries...

 

[Smudge]

He is held in fairly high regard over here, obviously a case of statistics not reflecting well on a player.

Ken Rutherford deserves a mention IMO, 56 Tests average 27, with just three centuaries and remember when he came into the team NZ were an established Test nation enjoying their best peroid (the Hadlee-Wright-Martin Crowe era) so cannot be put in the category of an early NZ player mentioned earlier in the thread.

Poor old Rudders had a baptism of fire against the Windies in 1984/85 and never really recovered in terms of confidence. And by the time he was settled in the team, he found a way to regularly get himself out - playing the late cut to almost any ball on or outside offstump.