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One Team Wonders

SteveNZ

International Coach
Yeah he seemed to find that late inswing against SA a lot more often than he did to other teams. Smith and Kirsten hated it.
My memory suggested he enjoyed that level of success because he was bowling to a shitload of LHers - Kirsten, Smith, Rudolph, but I look at Eden Park and his 11-for, and he got Kirsten/Smith both times, but also McKenzie, Boucher x2 plus Kallis. Then when he shot out SA again with 3 in four balls at Uni Oval in 2012, that was Smith caught cover going away, Kallis nicking 2nd (?) ball with one that held its line, and AB plumb lbw first ball to one that jagged back. Then when he ran through India in 2010, it was Gambhir/Tendular/Dravid/Raina/Dhoni, again with a variety of movement.

His Test record is something to behold. Went 9 calendar years from 2001-2010 without a single year below 30 with the ball, averaged 64 v Australia in 12 Tests and averaged 50 in the fourth innings - guess that shows he really needed a new ball and a bit in the deck to be anywhere near effective. Yet, as you say, seemed to relish bowling to a very strong SA line-up (and also lifted the non-existent roof off Uni Oval with five off a single delivery batting in the same game mentioned above).
 

Flem274*

123/5
Think he’s also unlucky to have played before Stuart Broad made the startling discovery that all left handers suck against around the wicket outswing.
he actually attempted (unsuccessfully) to pioneer this. during vettori's captaincy martin would go around the wicket to left handers a lot. i still remember our commentators ripping into him for wasting the new ball on balls that would never get lbws.

martin just wasn't very good most days, but when he had days where he was attacking the stumps and got the ball hooping he was every bit as destructive as bond or hadlee. that ****ing game in india...
 

Ali TT

International Vice-Captain
Seeing Bopara in the Hundred reminded me he scored 3 centuries in 3 tests v the Windies, top score 44 in the ten tests against others.
 

kevinw

International Debutant
It says a lot about pre-Bayliss white ball that Bopara played 120 one dayers. And Luke Wright played 50 with the most mediocre record you've ever seen.
 

Ali TT

International Vice-Captain
It says a lot about pre-Bayliss white ball that Bopara played 120 one dayers. And Luke Wright played 50 with the most mediocre record you've ever seen.
I remember Luke Wright closing his eyes and swinging in a final over against Malinga ...

He was a talented white ball player, perhaps would've thrived more in the more recent teams.

More indicative of our attitude to one day cricket at the time was that Alastair Cook was ODI captain until just months before the 2015 WC
 

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