Otherwise mediocre players who were aesthetic af

[Zinzan]

Almost forgot, Mark Ramprakash at Test level.

Dude was phenomenal at FC level, but garbage in Tests overall. Even out-hicked Graeme Hick in this respect.

 

[Chin Music]

Almost forgot, Mark Ramprakash at Test level.

Dude was phenomenal at FC level, but garbage in Tests overall. Even out-hicked Graeme Hick in this respect.

Yes, he was. The ironic exception was that he averaged 42 against the Aussies (from 12 tests) but failed almost universally against everyone else.

 

[Zinzan]

Yes, he was. The ironic exception was that he averaged 42 against the Aussies (from 12 tests) but failed almost universally against everyone else.

Correct, famously got up for The Ashes, I remember that strange fact.

 

[Nintendo]

Correct, famously got up for The Ashes, I remember that strange fact.

Mitch marsh type beat.

 

[andruid]

Again not mediocre.

My memory is skewed by how much he got pilloried by pundits and posters alike back in the day

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

Me

 

[The Sean]

Carl Hooper

Yep, this was my first thought. He invariably seemed to make fewer runs than you thought he should have, but my God he looked good making them.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Yep, this was my first thought. He invariably seemed to make fewer runs than you thought he should have, but my God he looked good making them.

When he held a bat in his hands, you felt as if you were safe. He got you.

 

[The Sean]

It speaks volumes for Hooper's underachievement, given the immense talent he had, that his Test average of 36 is actually higher than I thought it was.

And if he had scored just one additional run in any of his 227 50-over internationals, his career Test and ODI run aggregates would be identical.

 

[Ali TT]

It speaks volumes for Hooper's underachievement, given the immense talent he had, that his Test average of 36 is actually higher than I thought it was.

And if he had scored just one additional run in any of his 227 50-over internationals, his career Test and ODI run aggregates would be identical.

The guy averaged about 53 and 31 in first class cricket. Not quite Hick or Ramps level underachievement, but he never translated his FC dominance to the international sphere.

 

[Migara]

The guy averaged about 53 and 31 in first class cricket. Not quite Hick or Ramps level underachievement, but he never translated his FC dominance to the international sphere.

Much similar to our understanding of Aravinda de Silva. Aravinda however later matured and played some ridiculously good knocks in tight situations. Till about 1984 - 1989, and then 1991 - 1995 he was very much Hooper like.

 

[Chin Music]

Much similar to our understanding of Aravinda de Silva. Aravinda however later matured and played some ridiculously good knocks in tight situations. Till about 1984 - 1989, and then 1991 - 1995 he was very much Hooper like.

I think the issue for him would have been that in his first few years of test cricket, he didn't really have the team around him to bat bit and bat long, It was only in the early 90s that Sri Lanka improved. I remember they beat England for the first time in 1993 after England got pulverised in India. So he may have been in a situation where he had to hit out before the team got out on a few occasions. Certainly remember he looked a class bat for Kent in around 93/94?

 

[Burgey]

Yep, this was my first thought. He invariably seemed to make fewer runs than you thought he should have, but my God he looked good making them.

I saw so much of Hooper over the years and aside from everything else, I don’t think I ever saw him drop a catch. Not one. Guy was an incredible slipper. He made Mark Waugh look bog average

 

[OverratedSanity]

I saw so much of Hooper over the years and aside from everything else, I don’t think I ever saw him drop a catch. Not one. Guy was an incredible slipper. He made Mark Waugh look bog average

Yeah and it wasn't just how safe he was, it was unreal how casually he'd take catches. Looked like he was half asleep, never once seemed like he was surprised by the pace of the ball, the ball would just find the middle of his palms like a magnet.

 

[Kenneth Viljoen]

Jerome Taylor bowled some jaffas in his time

 

[Chin Music]

Jerome Taylor bowled some jaffas in his time

I would regard him more as a bit of an underachiever rather than mediocre. The likes of Ramprakash and Hick definitely qualify, but with a bowling average of 34, that is more ordinary than mediocre. Well for me, anyway.

 

[Migara]

I think the issue for him would have been that in his first few years of test cricket, he didn't really have the team around him to bat bit and bat long, It was only in the early 90s that Sri Lanka improved. I remember they beat England for the first time in 1993 after England got pulverised in India. So he may have been in a situation where he had to hit out before the team got out on a few occasions. Certainly remember he looked a class bat for Kent in around 93/94?

He had a major technical weakness against spin. He got it sorted out around 93-94. He was a self taught genius. (You can see the backlift changing from late 80s clips to mid 90s clips). He had the technique to dominate express and extra express bowling with ease, but he tried to do it against spin and got out very easily.

 

[Kenneth Viljoen]

I would regard him more as a bit of an underachiever rather than mediocre. The likes of Ramprakash and Hick definitely qualify, but with a bowling average of 34, that is more ordinary than mediocre. Well for me, anyway.

Only going by some of the examples mentioned..There's not much difference between Wahab Riaz and Jerome Taylor for example

 

[Chin Music]

Only going by some of the examples mentioned..There's not much difference between Wahab Riaz and Jerome Taylor for example

Fair enough, it is a fairly subjective classification. I remember Wahab from 2010 tour of England. A fairly ordinary fast medium bowler, but fast forward to 2015 and onwards a far more dangerous beast. I remember him rolling over England in UAE and then taking crucial wickets at the Oval the next summer as Pakistan drew that series. He isn't close to being among the best bowlers Pakistan ever produced but overall he was a decent if hardly outstanding bowler in the final reckoning.

 

[kyear2]

I saw so much of Hooper over the years and aside from everything else, I don’t think I ever saw him drop a catch. Not one. Guy was an incredible slipper. He made Mark Waugh look bog average

Hooper, Richardson, Ponting, Kallis, Waugh. May be missing someone but think those are the 5 best I've ever seen.
Guys like Simpson, Sobers, Chappell equally amazing I'm sure, but just saw those guys on older film .