One hit wonders

[pup11]

I'm going to put David Warner down as a one hit wonder, some how I think that is all he will ever be. Not his fault though, he has fine knock to begin with and now he has bull**** expectations of him (look some n00bs calling for his Test selection when Matt Hayden retired, even though he probably isn't fit to knock in Phillip Hughes's bat).

There I said it.

I don't think he would end up as a one-hit wonder, it just wasn't fair to push him into international cricket this early, and that has contributed in him looking this mediocre after his debut T20 knock.

He has got some ability there and age too is on his side, and in a few years time, he might work out his game by then and that would certainly help him revive his international career.

 

[Richard]

Did he? In what International match?

Durham v Lancashire.

 

[Richard]

Hopefuly now he's learnt line and length he can build on that.

I thought back injuries had forced him into retirement 3 years ago or summat.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Gary Pratt
One direct hit wonder.

You know, I actually saw Pratt affect another run-out via direct-hit, back in 2003.

Did he? In what International match?

Durham v Lancashire.

Best exchange of posts ever.

 

[Prince EWS]

I thought back injuries had forced him into retirement 3 years ago or summat.

It forced him into specialist-batsmandome for a little while (in club cricket only, obv), then he started bowling some medium pace again before gradually working his pace back up and getting back into First Class cricket. He's played the last few Twenty20 games for New Zealand and he's now actually back in the ODI squad.

 

[Richard]

Well I never. I presumed that this Butler fellow that I thought I'd seen in some Twenty20 squad which I stumbled upon by chance was a totally different one. Never realised it was Ian back from the dead.

Nonetheless I never rated him much so I'll not be surprised if he doesn't do anything much even despite a remarkable conquest of injury.

 

[BoyBrumby]

The magnificently named Xenophon Constantine Balaskas must be close. In 9 tests he scored 174 runs, but 122 of them were in one innings versus NZ at Wellington. Not out to boot.

 

[Richard]

Being an all-rounder, though, he had two strings to his bow, and utilised the other to give South Africa their first Test - and series as the other games were all draws - win in England in 1935, taking 9-103.

 

[Richard]

An all-rounder similar to Balaskas, in having one great innings with the bat and one with the ball, is Garry Sobers' cousin David Holford.

In his 2nd Test he made 105* in the second-innings, after coming in with his side 29 ahead with 5 wickets (3 of whom were Hall, Griffith and Gibbs, none of whom were much of a batsman and the latter of whom was completely hopeless) standing. He and his cousin put-on an unbroken stand of 274 to take West Indies to safety and enable them to hold-on to their 1-0 lead. In his other 38 knocks he made 25 scores of 18 or less and just 2 more than 50 (both of which were 80).

And in his 22nd Test he took a first-innings 5-23 to help hustle India out for 177 and set West Indies on their way to a thumping victory in a match which funnily enough turned-out to be the start of a near-invincible spell for the team in Test cricket. Doubly ironic that Holford's spell was the start, as he was a spinner (wrist variety) and the decade of dominance which started in that '76 spring was based pretty much exclusively on seam bowling.

 

[Arjun]

Chris Pringle was a one-hit wonder in Test cricket, and the secret behind the 'hit' is anybody's guess.

 

[Richard]

Nah, everyone knows - he's talked about it. Everyone in the NZ team knew the Pakistan fielders were bottletop-ing the ball, helping Wasim and Waqar use their exceptional reverse-swing skills. So they tested it out themselves in the nets, found it worked really well, and Pringle did it that once in that game in question. And it worked a treat there as well.

Pringle was a very moderate bowler overall though, unlike Wasim and Waqar, so that was the summit of his reverse-swing achievements.

 

[Richard]

The most remarkable two-hit wonder of all-time, however, is almost certainly Bob Holland. Took 10-fors in his 3rd and 9th Tests (and these were no gimmes against fellow weak opposition - West Indies and New Zealand, the #1 and either #2 or #3 team), both at The SCG. Also got a five-for in his 4th, and in his other 8 managed just 9 wickets.

And he debuted at 38 as well.

 

[subshakerz]

Ali Naqvi...made 115 on debut against South Africa and was dropped four matches later.

 

[Jamee999]

Rob Key's 222 must be a fair fit (*insert Rob Key is overweight joke*) in this thread.

 

[Richard]

Key played a better knock than that 2 weeks later.

 

[wpdavid]

Has anyone mentioned Richard Ellison's contribution in the last 2 ashes tests of 1985?

 

[fredfertang]

It came out that summer that Ellison's nickname was plank (derivation being the phrase "thick as two short planks") - we had a bloke on the team I played for called Ellison who never did understand why he suddenly acquired the nickname "log"

 

[Richard]

Has anyone mentioned Richard Ellison's contribution in the last 2 ashes tests of 1985?

For that matter, has anyone ever explained why Ellison only played 11 Tests?

Not like he never once had good figures in a Test those 2 aside. Took 5-94 on debut, 4-84 at The FSK that winter, and 5-78 at Sabina in the '86 Blackwash spring.

You'd have thought that, with bowlers like those around at the time, he'd have gotten some more opportunities.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Ellison was fodder on a good wicket with the ball not swinging and against quality batsman.

 

[Richard]

That's as maybe. So who else among that lot of bowlers who played in the 8 years '81/82-'89 wasn't?