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Best ever English spinner?

The best ever English spinner is...

  • Total voters
    65
stumpski

stumpski

International Captain
Days of Grace said:
Penny for anyone's thoughts of Wardle, who has one of the best averages of any post-Great War bowler. This is mainly due to his economy-rate, however.
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One very good tour of South Africa, when both Lock and Laker were not quite at their best, but otherwise unfortunate to be a contemporary of the Surrey pair. Switching between orthodox left-arm spin and 'chinamen' also gave the impression that he didn't take his bowling sufficiently seriously.

I note that Freeman is the only leggie on the list, but didn't others like Wright and Hollies have superior Test records?
 
stumpski

stumpski

International Captain
That's a good point actually, but I have heard that Yorkshire discouraged him from bowling the 'funny stuff.' And Sobers of course didn't depend on his bowling for his place in the side.
 
fredfertang

fredfertang

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
They didn't like wrist spinners in Yorkshire in those days and he seldom bowled it for them but he took a lot of wickets with it in S Africa in 56/57

He was difficult to manage by all accounts but he and Lock were in and out of the England side throughout the 50's so I dont think that held him back

Mind you for all his Yorkshire cussidness he was renowned for his sense of humour - he would be tickled pink to be compared with Sobers I am sure
 
zaremba

zaremba

Cricketer Of The Year
You're awfully crabby today Fertang. You're not still sore that your team (Berkshire? Lancashire? I forget) got bowled out for 32 yesterday are you?
 
fredfertang

fredfertang

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Well I suppose I should be pleased to see you are taking an interest in the affairs of the Mighty Red Rose and have managed to correctly memorise at least one part of the scorecard .............................................

but I'm feeling crabby so I'm not
 
archie mac

archie mac

International Coach
Wardle when seemingly at the top of his Test career wrote (or ghosted) an article which seem him thrown out of Test cricket

Gubby the Aussie was to blame for the crap pitches in 56 (excepting Lords):ph34r:
 
fredfertang

fredfertang

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Interesting. Do you have any details?
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A series of (for 1958) sensational articles appeared under his name in the Daily Mail - he had a go at a number of aspects of the way Yorkshire cricket was run but his main crime was to lambast the county for appointing Ron Burnet, who had never played first class cricket, as captain for the season - Wardle lost the sympathy of the Yorkshire public, was sacked by the county, which led to his invitation to tour Australia in 58/59 being withdrawn and to rub salt in his wounds Burnet, after bringing Yorkshire their worst ever finish in his first year (when Wardle was in the dressing room) went on to bring back the glory days in his second and final season (without Wardle) by bringing Surrey's 7 year reign as champions to an end
 
archie mac

archie mac

International Coach
Days of Grace said:
Interesting. Do you have any details?
Click to expand...
fredfertang said:
A series of (for 1958) sensational articles appeared under his name in the Daily Mail - he had a go at a number of aspects of the way Yorkshire cricket was run but his main crime was to lambast the county for appointing Ron Burnet, who had never played first class cricket, as captain for the season - Wardle lost the sympathy of the Yorkshire public, was sacked by the county, which led to his invitation to tour Australia in 58/59 being withdrawn and to rub salt in his wounds Burnet, after bringing Yorkshire their worst ever finish in his first year (when Wardle was in the dressing room) went on to bring back the glory days in his second and final season (without Wardle) by bringing Surrey's 7 year reign as champions to an end
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Thanks for saving me the trouble FF:happy:

I remember reading in a book (a tribute to Hutton I think) and some of the support staff at yorkshire were no fans of Wardle, very rude and uncouth it seems:)
 
Richard

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
About all I've ever read of Wardle besides that excerpt posted by Martin is a few bits in Dicke Bird's book. And even just from that, it's clear why he could be thought of as a difficult character. A shame, as he was clearly a magnificent bowler and I've always thought it's good when exceptions can be made for exceptional players. Similar to the case of SF Barnes.

What's interesting is that had he not been from Yorkshire, or indeed had he been born 30 years later than he was, he could conceivably have been a pretty damn decent wristspinner. But in his day, and at his county, there was simply no need for wristspin when fingerspin when bowled well in those days could do just as good as at worst and much better at best a job.
 
The Masterplan

The Masterplan

U19 Debutant
archie mac said:
Wardle when seemingly at the top of his Test career wrote (or ghosted) an article which seem him thrown out of Test cricket

Gubby the Aussie was to blame for the crap pitches in 56 (excepting Lords):ph34r:
Click to expand...
It's quite clearly Ashley Giles, with the amount of turn he got it comes as no surprise he took more test wickets than this Wardle chap...
 
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