Never heard of him, well illustrates your pointFranklyn Stephenson, frighteningly quick, a strong bat and the inventor of the off-break slower ball, a skill he would pass on to Chris Cairns. Quite possibly the best fast bowler never to play test cricket.
I remember going along as a 10-year-old to one of the Hadlee testimonial matches (the one in Hamilton) in 1989 (I think) and I got Stephenson's signature - problem was I'd never heard of him! But upon further reading, he was quite the talent.Franklyn Stephenson, frighteningly quick, a strong bat and the inventor of the off-break slower ball, a skill he would pass on to Chris Cairns. Quite possibly the best fast bowler never to play test cricket.
Franklyn Stephenson, frighteningly quick, a strong bat and the inventor of the off-break slower ball, a skill he would pass on to Chris Cairns. Quite possibly the best fast bowler never to play test cricket.
Not sure he invented the Off-Break slower delivery, any more than Saqlain or Harbhajan invented the Doosra. What Stephenson specialised in was the slower-ball Yorker, and particularly the looping slower-ball Yorker. The former can be bowled by anyone with a decent aim, but getting loop on a delivery at 75mph or so takes quite something.Franklyn Stephenson, frighteningly quick, a strong bat and the inventor of the off-break slower ball, a skill he would pass on to Chris Cairns. Quite possibly the best fast bowler never to play test cricket.
Not really. Hirwani had 4 sensationally good Tests to start his career but did nothing else thereafter.Oh, and Narenda Hirwani is another one.
Hirwani was just, for a long time, out of time. He couldn't adapt too well to a changing cricket scene.Not really. Hirwani had 4 sensationally good Tests to start his career but did nothing else thereafter.
Kumble was patently the better bowler. Whether Hirwani would've made a useful home second spinner is open to question, but the likes of Sunil Joshi etc. did a decent enough job to make it pretty academic.
Tony Gray and Sylvester Clarke spring to mind - many others probably tooWhat about all the west indian fast bowlers in the 80s. Poor Blokes would love to be around now.
Gray and Clarke; Daniel has already been mentioned; Stephenson too; Colin Croft had only a short career; to an extent there was Winston Davis, though he wasn't as good as any of the aforementioned.Tony Gray and Sylvester Clarke spring to mind - many others probably too
I think he was worth a go as a second spinner in India.Not really. Hirwani had 4 sensationally good Tests to start his career but did nothing else thereafter.
Kumble was patently the better bowler. Whether Hirwani would've made a useful home second spinner is open to question, but the likes of Sunil Joshi etc. did a decent enough job to make it pretty academic.
He wasn't dropped, he only played that Test at all because Stephen Waugh was injured. Had Waugh played that game, Law would've been the same as Cox - a no-Test wonder.And Law scored 56* in the only test that he played. Great work to drop him and never recall him.