Scores quick in a test; a dick in the rest

[BoyBrumby]

I'm thinking primarily of Matt Prior and Stuart Broad here but I'm sure there are other examples. Both are players who exemplify the swashbuckling lower middle order dasher when clad in white, but who seem to forget how to put willow to leather in the limited overs formats.

Why is this? Prior's test SR of 66+ stands comparison to some of the cream of ODI dashers. He scores his test runs more rapidly than Pietersen, Symonds, Flintoff, de Villiers, Haddin & Ponting to name but half a dozen. Put him in pyjamas though and it's a sorry tale of woe. His MO does perhaps rely on a few productive shots (very strong on the cut and off his pads), but opposing captains never manage to stymie his scoring in tests by blocking those areas so there must be more to it than that.

 

[Cevno]

Sehwag is pretty much better in tests than he is ODI's for a aggresive player too, though obviously isn't a complete dud by any means. Struggled a lot in the ODI's for a period and even got dropped from the test team as a result.

 

[Howe_zat]

With Prior it's definitely the ODI fields. You can pack the offside boundary, aim at the stumps because you've no slip cordon, and Prior's technical limitations take care of the rest.

Broad, nine times out of ten, takes a very long time to get in before his shots come out in force. In ODIs he doesn't get a chance until #9 or #10 thanks to this so it's usually that he can't play himself in properly. And it becomes a self-fulfilling thing, as his ODI batting failures keep him back in the order.

 

[Jarquis]

Prior's not actually the worst T20 batsman IMO. Admittedly his T20I record is pretty pooey but 26 @ 140 is decent in domestic terms

 

[Prince EWS]

Yeah, it's usually the fields. Scoring at a good clip in ODIs usually requires good placement, ability to rotate the strike and general minimisation of dot balls. In Tests, scoring quickly is usually about hitting a lot of boundaries and playing a lot of shots. In this way, Tests are actually a lot similar to T20 cricket than ODIs - the middle format has its own special requirements when it comes to building an innings at a good pace.

 

[smash84]

Yeah, it's usually the fields. Scoring at a good clip in ODIs usually requires good placement, ability to rotate the strike and general minimisation of dot balls. In Tests, scoring quickly is usually about hitting a lot of boundaries and playing a lot of shots. In this way, Tests are actually a lot similar to T20 cricket than ODIs - the middle format has its own special requirements when it comes to building an innings at a good pace.

I think rotating the strike would help in any format of the game

 

[Prince EWS]

I think rotating the strike would help in any format of the game

Yeah, but in ODIs you need it to score quickly unless you're just biffing. Just being a strokemaker usually won't work. In Tests you can get away without it a lot of the time as long as you have a few go-to shots and your defense is good.

 

[zaremba]

Michael Slater very much in the Prior mould

 

[Flem274*]

Craig McMillan. He wasn't terrible in ODIs, but he did average less than thirty. Daniel Vettori likewise. Scores pretty quickly in tests these days.

 

[Debris]

Michael Slater very much in the Prior mould

First person I thought of when I saw the title. Strangely, he was actually better as a middle order batsman in the ODIs.

 

[Uppercut]

With Prior it's definitely the ODI fields. You can pack the offside boundary, aim at the stumps because you've no slip cordon, and Prior's technical limitations take care of the rest.

Mainly this. Teams don't give much width in ODIs.

The roles in ODIs are also very defined and Prior's skillset doesn't fit nicely into any of those he's played. He's neither an opener nor a finisher.

 

[Arjun]

VVS Laxman. A player who's got a wide array of shots and loves to keep the scoreboard ticking. It's a pity he couldn't take that elegance and genius to ODI cricket, often sidelined for the slower scorers like Dinesh Mongia and Mohammed Kaif, and the erratic Yuvraj Singh.

 

[cpr]

One thing about Prior is he's helped by having a good batting line up in front of him in tests, and a fair chunk of the time he's coming in to score quick against wearied bowlers and tired fielders. Its a lot easier to dominate those already beaten down.

ODI's its a different story, as sometimes he opens, so is facing prime bowlers and a fresh field, and if he's not, he's not far off due to our inability to bat in ODI's, so were a few down for jack all, and the bowlers are smelling blood.

For someone like Prior, the mentality of the opposition at his point of bat is in my eyes a telling factor

 

[Burgey]

Michael Slater very much in the Prior mould

Michael Slater pretty much defines the thread tbh.

 

[Himannv]

The entire England team.

 

[Howe_zat]

One thing about Prior is he's helped by having a good batting line up in front of him in tests, and a fair chunk of the time he's coming in to score quick against wearied bowlers and tired fielders. Its a lot easier to dominate those already beaten down.

ODI's its a different story, as sometimes he opens, so is facing prime bowlers and a fresh field, and if he's not, he's not far off due to our inability to bat in ODI's, so were a few down for jack all, and the bowlers are smelling blood.

For someone like Prior, the mentality of the opposition at his point of bat is in my eyes a telling factor

Except he's now twice come in after the 5th wicket with less than a hundred on the board, and his counter-attacking centuries.

 

[MW1304]

The entire England team.

Not like we just beat you 3-2 or anything.

 

[Days of Grace]

What was wrong with Slater in ODIs?

Couldn't rotate the strike?