Yeah I'm a stats guy at heart but I think wicket keeping stats of that nature are basically useless. Flower's keeping was awful whenever I saw it -- not in the Dravid class of awful as TBJ said, but in I guess the Kamran Akmal class of awful keepers who regularly kept. The posters on the Zimbabwe cricket forum I visit largely agree to the point where they think the existence of players like Streak, Friend, Blignaut etc during Flower's career and some of the dire middle order batsmen who were selected along with this poor keeping meant the decision to ever select him as a keeper a pretty poor one tactically. He may have been servicable for a period but you'd definitely want better if you could get it, and when you're selectng an ATG team you certainly have better available.The stuff I remember about flower's keeping (which isn't a lot) wasn't good. Always thought he was pretty crap and most people who rely on their memory on the subjefty have the same opinion I do so it's become factual in my mind that he wasn't a good keeper. As stupid as that might sound, I think it's a more reliable indicator of what his keeping was like than any dismissal statistics can capture.
If you don't miss chances or give away byes, does it really matter how you look doing it? ABDV looked utterly incompetent as a test keeper. But except for his first few games in the role, I can barely remember him making a mistake that cost anything, and he took some screamers that the atg keepers would have been hit or miss on.There was a time when watching an untidy wicket keeper (like Flower) was a bit frustrating. It's just a fact that wicket keeping is no longer an art in itself. As long as they make runs and don't drop catches everyone is happy in the modern game. Poor keepers are just accepted and not noticed as much.
Agreed, except for his first few tests, when he was merely competent.I thought AB de Villiers's keeping was excellent. They had such a great balance to their team in that 2012-13 period.
I don't think this is true. Don't people consider Jack Russell a good keeper, and his keeping was as awkward looking as his batting at times.Like I said, keepers lose more points for looking ungainly even if they're effective. Bairstow's keeping to pace is an example of this.
I agree with this. Taller keepers are never going to look as "natural" as the shortarses. I'm sure there are plenty of Australian fans who'd rate Healy's keeping as miles better than Gilchrist's mainly based on aesthetics, though there was hardly anything in it.Like I said, keepers lose more points for looking ungainly even if they're effective. Bairstow's keeping to pace is an example of this.
A little true for bats as well perhaps? And perhaps, in reverse, true for bowlers?I agree with this. Taller keepers are never going to look as "natural" as the shortarses. I'm sure there are plenty of Australian fans who'd rate Healy's keeping as miles better than Gilchrist's mainly based on aesthetics, though there was hardly anything in it.
From the article:Tracking the misses | The Cricket Monthly | ESPN Cricinfo
chances %miss
Mark Boucher 364 10%
BJ Walting 119 11%
Tatenda Taibu 57 11%
AB de Villiers 94 11%
Adam Gilchrist 357 12%
Kamran Akmal 203 20%
Sarfraz Ahmed 63 21%
Dinesh Karthik 50 22%
Adnan Akmal 77 20%
Mushfiqur Rahim 86 32%
Yeah but I presume Bairstow has been a keeper all his life, and he looks atrocious because he seems to do the crocodile claw style catching. Yet he’s certainly competent enough behind the sticks despite looking like he will drop everythingAgreed, except for his first few tests, when he was merely competent.
But he always looked like a crap keeper to me. Kinda like watching Dravid keep. Guys that didn't spend their lives training to be keepers and just didn't look the part... knowing how to stand etc. Not an issue for AB because he was such an athlete, and made it work... just wondering if the perception of a keeper looking the part is impacting assessment of how good a keeper they actually are.
Hahaha. What a guy. Hope it is fixed now. CheersYou can stand by whatever you want, it's a free country. Sorry if I came across as emotional, but everything you said was just so dumb, it broke my brain for a bit
Seems to be fixed now, well, as fixed as it ever wasHahaha. What a guy. Hope it is fixed now. Cheers
PS:I was right. Live with it.