Careers ruined by injuries

[Xuhaib]

Any cricketer who has played a substantial amount had to deal with an injury at one point or another but there were some who get effected more.

Reid: Could have reached the levels of Mcgrath and Lillie if he stayed realitvley injury free unfortuantley did not just play enough to be rated a great.

Waqar: Did end up with a substantial and a fullfilling career however those who watched him feel he was the best fast bowler ever during his peak which was quite sustained (90-94).Lost a lot of pace with his 2nd stress fracture and from then onwards it was a steady decline.

Bishop: Same as Reid.

Can't think of many batsman right now Jimmy Adams or even Vermulan might be a good shout.

 

[Perm]

Not really an injury, but I suppose you could consider Archie Jackson.

 

[fredfertang]

Len Hutton - not a career that was ruined of course but one arm two inches shorter than the other must have made batting less easy than it would otherwise have been

Likewise Atherton's back, Thorpe's back and Compo's knee

 

[Xuhaib]

Afridi falling headfirst from 2nd floor as a five year old has also hampered him no doubt.

 

[Perm]

Haha, no doubt about that.

 

[zaremba]

Shoaib Akhtar's genital warts have certainly put the kibosh on his second coming

 

[Howsie]

Richard Sherlock. He had impressive pace for a 18 year old and at the time Dennis Lillee thought he was already good enough to play for New Zealand.

 

[Flem274*]

Richard Sherlock. He had impressive pace for a 18 year old and at the time Dennis Lillee thought he was already good enough to play for New Zealand.

Yeah he's certainly been ruined to date though he's still relatively young. There is a slight chance he'll do a Bond and string together a few relatively unhampered seasons of cricket for whichever domestic side he settles into long term.

I thought Lillee said that about Southee, not Sherlock?

Anyway, going to nominate Shane Bond test wise.

 

[Howsie]

Yeah he's certainly been ruined to date though he's still relatively young. There is a slight chance he'll do a Bond and string together a few relatively unhampered seasons of cricket for whichever domestic side he settles into long term.

I thought Lillee said that about Southee, not Sherlock?

Anyway, going to nominate Shane Bond test wise.

Yea Lillee said Southee was the best 18 year old bowler he had seen since McGrath, but I'm fairly certain he said something about Sherlock playing for New Zealand when he went to Lillee's pace clinic. He said something along the lines of playing with Shane Bond and not being that far of him (pace I assume).

I'll try and find it on the net.

 

[Zinzan]

I thought Lillee said that about Southee, not Sherlock?

.

Lol, truth be known, Lillee's said that about many a young bowler he's mentored in the last 20 years or so.

 

[Perm]

Yeah, Mitchell Johnson is a "once in a generation" fast bowler remember.

 

[Flem274*]

Yeah I see your guys point. Add that to the fact the perception is all we have below the top level is 110kmh pie chuckers and someone firing in at 145 would generate the assumption the player should represent our test side.

Anyway, reckon Malinga will deserve a mention in future. Not that his career will be "ruined", but definitely hampered.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

England fast bowler Alan Ward from the late 60's to mid-70's. Could have formed a formidable opening bowling partnership with John Snow but for injuries.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Hopefully not, but Rob Cassell could end up belonging in this group.

 

[G.I.Joe]

Afridi falling headfirst from 2nd floor as a five year old has also hampered him no doubt.

re the topic, Nawab of Pataudi, Jr.

 

[BoyBrumby]

"Ruined" is a stretch, but Flintoff probably hasn't had quite the career he might've.

 

[Top_Cat]

Troy Corbett always springs to mind for me. Imagine a 6'5" left-arm quickie with the build of a footballer, the swing (almost) of Wasim Akram and the pace of Brett Lee. Was pretty accurate at pace too (trust me, was terrifying). Could have been anything but had horrific back troubles.

From an SA perspective, always had a soft spot for Darren Webber. Was such a great player to watch when he was going but had some weird troubles with his eyes. Think he was good enough to play Tests.

 

[Richard]

Lol, truth be known, Lillee's said that about many a young bowler he's mentored in the last 20 years or so.

Like his good friend Rodney Marsh, Lillee does have something of a propensity to get a little over-excited about some of his young charges. It's understandable to do so, of course, but there's no way you can read too much into any occasion he does so.

 

[wpdavid]

Simon Jones anyone?

 

[Richard]

Can't think of many batsman right now Jimmy Adams or even Vermulan might be a good shout.

The overwhelming majority of players whose careers get ruined by injury tend to be seam bowlers. Seam is just something that puts far, far more strain on the body than either batting or spin, so it's no surprise that the bodies of seamers break with way more regularity than either of the other disciplines.

As for Adams, extremely debateable that the blow on his head in 1995 made much if any impact on his career. It did not do any long-term damage, his form had already taken a downturn from the sensational displays of his 1992-1994/95, and he continued to be a decent-ish Test batsman until 2000. Vermuelen of course never had a hope of being anything much in cricket because his country was falling into ruin even as his head was being damaged beyond repair.

Some England seamers of the last 20 years who always come to my mind are Simon Jones, Dean Headley, Mark Ilott, Alex Tudor (never recovered from being smacked on the helmet by Brett Lee in 2002/03, and had trouble with various body-parts all career anyway) and Richard Johnson. None were ever going to be a Bishop or even a Reid but all could very easily have been good Test bowlers had they had stronger bodies. Jones, Headley and Tudor played enough to demonstrate what might have been; Ilott and Johnson did not and thus those who like to generalise can write them off as "average county bowler who never had it in him at Test level".