Wastemen etc

[ch00baka]

1st Test: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Dunedin, Mar 7-10, 1997 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[Dan]

What a spell from Heath Davis in the first dig!

 

[ch00baka]

What a spell from Heath Davis in the first dig!

6 maidens and 0 no balls, unbelievable.

 

[The Hutt Rec]

What a spell from Heath Davis in the first dig!

Heath was really starting to overcome the no ball thing I reckon, then Rixon came in as coach and he was never seen again, such a shame.

Bizarre bowling attack in that test, Matt Horne first change in both innings?!

Edit: ahh, just saw Cairns was playing and must've gone down with an injury.

 

[jonbrooks]

How good was he back in the day, he had all the shots in the book and had a flash of arrogance when putting bowler under the pump.

I wouldn't say he had all the shots. He had a really good back foot drive which he used effectively at times. Otherwise I thought he was a relatively ordinary player. He had his moments though with a big ton against SL and a ton chasing a big 4th innings total in a win against Wasim and Waqar.

 

[jonbrooks]

Heath was really starting to overcome the no ball thing I reckon, then Rixon came in as coach and he was never seen again, such a shame.

Bizarre bowling attack in that test, Matt Horne first change in both innings?!

Edit: ahh, just saw Cairns was playing and must've gone down with an injury.

Heath's no-balling was his downfall. Have a look at the last test he played for NZ before he was dropped:

1st Test: Zimbabwe v New Zealand at Harare, Sep 18-22, 1997 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

3/57 and 2/45 for a match total of 5/102. I remember he bowled a couple of the Zimbabweans off no-balls.

 

[The Hutt Rec]

No doubt he had shocker for no balls there (but still had good figures), but if you look at the three tests he played before that in 1997 he only bowled 7 no balls in six innings, which is fine.

 

[karan316]

How good was he back in the day, he had all the shots in the book and had a flash of arrogance when putting bowler under the pump.

He was good, but Darren Young is better. He has maintained his fitness really well.

 

[Howe_zat]

BRYAN YOUNG FACT

No one has a better high score and worse average than Bryan Young.

END OF BRYAN YOUNG FACTS

 

[ch00baka]

No doubt he had shocker for no balls there (but still had good figures), but if you look at the three tests he played before that in 1997 he only bowled 7 no balls in six innings, which is fine.

Still hard to believe

 

[vandem]

Think Young may also have the most ODIs for a NZ player without playing in a World Cup, 74 games. Chris Pringle had 64 games but no World Cup.

 

[SteveNZ]

Also known as Barry Young, due to his propensity to tell tall tails and therefore no one trusting his name is really Bryan.

 

[jcas0167]

I wouldn't say he had all the shots. He had a really good back foot drive which he used effectively at times. Otherwise I thought he was a relatively ordinary player. He had his moments though with a big ton against SL and a ton chasing a big 4th innings total in a win against Wasim and Waqar.

His 94 at Lords was another highlight. My first memory of him batting is in that legendary ODI in Hobart where Pringle bowled a maiden in the final over. He hit a six which just cleared Dean Jones & proved crucial. He was filling in for the injured Ian Smith and did so well he replaced Smith for the finals series. Was an excellent slip catcher & wicket-keeper too - very athletic.

Heath was really starting to overcome the no ball thing I reckon, then Rixon came in as coach and he was never seen again, such a shame...

Yes, I remember reading he worked on the no-ball problem with Dayle Hadlee - apparently running in with his eyes closed? Anyway, it seemed to work as he improved considerably. Rixon was coach in 96/97 when Davis was recalled against England, before the Sri Lankan series. I thought he bowled well in the tests and ODI's and was quite surprised he didn't really feature after that season. I think they picked David Sewell for the Zimbabwean tour instead of Davis.

 

[Dick Rockett]

I wouldn't say he had all the shots. He had a really good back foot drive which he used effectively at times. Otherwise I thought he was a relatively ordinary player. He had his moments though with a big ton against SL and a ton chasing a big 4th innings total in a win against Wasim and Waqar.

That test against Pakistan has a big match fixing question mark over it. I say this as someone who was a massive Bryan Young fan back in the day (absolutely hated Adam Parore, who I considered a usurper).

 

[Flametree]

In an alternate universe Young might have been remembered as one of NZ's very best keeper-batsman rather than just another in a very long line of sub-standard kiwi opening batsmen...

 

[Immenso]

I liked Young.

Was attractive to watch, being a back foot player back when NZ produced predominantly frond foot shufflers. Good v pace. Great cut and back foot drive.

Wasn't sub-standard, good but not great opener in an age of great fast bowling.

 

[Bahnz]

That test against Pakistan has a big match fixing question mark over it. I say this as someone who was a massive Bryan Young fan back in the day (absolutely hated Adam Parore, who I considered a usurper).

Is there any actual evidence to support this? It's one of those things that I've heard about for years, but as far as I can find their aren't even any unsubstantiated rumours around the Pakistani's throwing the game. It just seems to be that it's assumed the match was fixed because a) it's Pakistan; and b) they managed to lose the game from a winning position.

 

[jonbrooks]

That test against Pakistan has a big match fixing question mark over it. I say this as someone who was a massive Bryan Young fan back in the day (absolutely hated Adam Parore, who I considered a usurper).

Given that Pakistan absolutely murdered us in the first two tests it was pretty surprising we won the third.

 

[Zinzan]

Is there any actual evidence to support this? It's one of those things that I've heard about for years, but as far as I can find their aren't even any unsubstantiated rumours around the Pakistani's throwing the game. It just seems to be that it's assumed the match was fixed because a) it's Pakistan; and b) they managed to lose the game from a winning position.

Having seen that chase, I do recall wondering at the time how it was possibly for Waqar and Wasim to bowl so badly to allow Young and Thomson to manage to chase 330 batting last, it seemed bizarre to me at the time and this was before I even knew what match-fixing was.

Remember those two had absolutely destroyed NZ in the first two test of that series, so it wasn't a case of poor form either.

Here's an interesting article from 2010 posing that question Cricket: Match-fixing whispers anger Young

 

[Binkley]

I think I lost most of my finger-nails watching that run chase. I don't remember W&W bowling badly, but I do remember feeling amazed (and relieved) and how much less spicy the wicket seemed in the 4th innings. My own view is that good batting in good batting conditiond had more to do with victory than corruption.

I was a Young fan, from his ODI debut as a keeper batting down the order (20 odd NO against Oz in Oz), but he always seemed to have an amazing ability to miss and be bowled by straight balls. Much like me really.