Who is/was the ultimate, most proficient and masterful medium-paced-dibbly-dobbler?

[NotMcKenzie]

The match Starfighter posted above was what I thought of when it came to medium-paced-dibbly-dobblers (though not necessarily good ones). I mean, this is a brilliant bowling scorecard:



I recall watching highlights of the first test in 1978/79 (IIRC), and Miller, talking about Australia's bowling options, said something like, "... And Cosier, if you regard him as a bowler of any class. I certainly don't."

 

[Starfighter]

That match is a great example of proper dobbling. I don't define a dobbler as someone like Copeland or Chatfield, who are military medium but are accurate, land the ball on the seam and can be expected to take wickets. To me a dobbler is someone who's even slower and would never, ever think about bowling a short ball, is often part time and is the kind of bowler who should never be taking wickets in this era of covered pitches.

A dobbler's someone you should be at least a little bit embarrassed at getting out too. Chatfield, say, was merely not all that quick. But Larsen and Latham, you'd think there should be no way in hell their bowling should have succeeded. They're dobblers.

I'm currently watching highlights of an ODI where Richards and Gomes are bowling medium pace in tandem. That's dobbling.

 

[Blenkinsop]

 

[JBMAC]

Would the following be considered as candidates for here....Carlson, Mackay(K),Walters, Hookes?

 

[Starfighter]

Is there any reason Hookes bowled so little during his career? Just watching him in a McDonalds Cup match in '85, opening the bowling no less. Looks distinctly useful the in Hansie Cronje mould and too swift to be a proper dobbler.

Must say the pace bowling in those matches looks noticeably gentler than today's domestic bowling.

 

[NotMcKenzie]

Would the following be considered as candidates for here....Carlson, Mackay(K),Walters, Hookes?

Carlson certainly was a dobbler, but I wouldn't venture that he was good, certainly not at test level.

Mackay might be a better suggestion.

 

[Starfighter]

On the other hand's Hookes' bowling a year later against NZ is laughably slow. Maybe a case of the dodgy back, looking at that action.

 

[TheJediBrah]

On the other hand's Hookes' bowling a year later against NZ is laughably slow. Maybe a case of the dodgy back, looking at that action.

Not uncommon at all for batsmen that are capable of bowling decent seam-up to pretty quickly give up completely and revert to slow dobblers or (more commonly) finger spin, if they ever feel like bowling for whatever reason. This happens at all levels.

 

[karan_fromthestands]

The Jacob Oram thread got me thinking on dibbly-dobblers (not that big Jake was that...) whose area of excellence really only seems to exist in ODI cricket due to the middle innings strangle or going for a partnership breaker because everyone else is getting smacked about.

Thinking about it, as a team role, even a craft, who was the best? I'm not talking about partially legit seamers like Steve Waugh (at least initially not), seamers who might even be able to crank it up past 135k if they've had their weetbix. No, I want to celebrate what would otherwise be mediocrity or sub-standardness if wheeled out in Tests, or even T20s where I would've thought they'd excel but proved to be more fodder of all the formats.

The likes of Chris Harris, Collingwood, Astle or Ganguly. Do Ian Harvey and Jesse Ryder fall into this, or do they have more tools to be a cut above?

As I'm a young-un I only really know of those in the last 20 years of the game, so would be keen to be enlightened to earlier of the part-timers, with a look to creating a poll to determine who is the king of pedestrian...

Praveen Kumar. I remember his first series in England, swung it a mile with literally no pace. His workload was poorly managed and injuries cut-down his career, but he was doing so well despite of bowling in and around the 125k range.

 

[Starfighter]

Not uncommon at all for batsmen that are capable of bowling decent seam-up to pretty quickly give up completely and revert to slow dobblers or (more commonly) finger spin, if they ever feel like bowling for whatever reason. This happens at all levels.

Well Hookes took up Chinaman of all things which is usually considered the hardest to bowl.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Well Hookes took up Chinaman of all things which is usually considered the hardest to bowl.

Yeah definitely don't see people start trying to bowl wrist-spin out of nowhere often

 

[Weedeater59]

Gavin Larsen is the first name that comes to mind.

Guy whittal, Mark Ealham, Robin Singh, Madan lal (going further back), Derek Underwood, Hansie Cronje....

Modern day dibbly dobblers are more or less part timers. Vijay Shankar comes to mind, terrible bowler.

 

[jayjay]

James Anderson...

 

[cleetus hicks]

Ravindra Jadeja

is he a medium pacer?

 

[honestbharani]

is he a medium pacer?

No, but he is the answer to every thread in CW.

 

[cleetus hicks]

No, but he is the answer to every thread in CW.

ok got ya lol

 

[cleetus hicks]

James Anderson...

anderson can still get around 135-137 mark so i would not class him as a trundler as in the mark ealham or paul collingwood mould!

 

[ParwazHaiJunoon]

M Abbas?

 

[fredfertang]

Mudassar Nazar had his moments, and Geoff Boycott wasn't the worst

 

[NotMcKenzie]

In my view, the term 'dibbly-dobbler' evokes someone of about Derek Shackleton's pace:

2,857 first-class wicket in 657 matches at 18.65 .... and 18 wickets in 7 tests at 42.66.