Averaging 35 will be accepted again

[Starfighter]

He’s up there. South Africa would have been insane during that apartheid period.

They lost once and drew once to the Rebel WI team, so maybe not 'insane'.

 

[Coronis]

They lost once and drew once to the Rebel WI team, so maybe not 'insane'.

Mhm, a lot of their best players were a bit past it by then. I was thinking mainly of mid-late 70’s, I’m convinced they would’ve been the dominant team at that point.

 

[Shady Slim]

Good stuff, buy the dip imo. Stocks in seemingly ordinary batsmen e.g. Rory Burns and Travis Head about to skyrocket.

with trav though a look at the underlying numbers does show he sucks regardless of an average that isn’t terrible for the era… underlying numbers and the all powerful eyetest

 

[Nintendo]

with trav though a look at the underlying numbers does show he sucks regardless of an average that isn’t terrible for the era… underlying numbers and the all powerful eyetest

Travis head is the best player of spin since lara

 

[GoodAreasShane]

with trav though a look at the underlying numbers does show he sucks regardless of an average that isn’t terrible for the era… underlying numbers and the all powerful eyetest

What numbers?

Not going to agrue on aesthetics, but the idea that Head has clearly failed at test level is not one at all based in reality, no matter how much TJB flops and flails around trying to say otherwise

 

[Shady Slim]

What numbers?

Not going to agrue on aesthetics, but the idea that Head has clearly failed at test level is not one at all based in reality, no matter how much TJB flops and flails around trying to say otherwise

 

[GoodAreasShane]

View attachment 29367

Ehh Head really wasn't that bad in England compared to most of the rest of the batting lineup, did better than Wade in the tests they played together, but Wade (wrongly imo) kept his place and got to pad his stats with a junk time century at the Oval once the game was well and truly gone. Similar story on dayboo in the UAE, he did a perfectly respectable job in difficult conditions.

I get some of the criticisms, yeah his technique looks pretty ropey at times, and the tendency to waste starts is a problem that needs to be improved upon, but the idea that he has been shown up at test level is absolutely a steaming pile of BS. In a stronger era for domestic batting things might be different but the depth simply isn't there

 

[Nintendo]

Ehh Head really wasn't that bad in England compared to most of the rest of the batting lineup, did better than Wade in the tests they played together, but Wade (wrongly imo) kept his place and got to pad his stats with a junk time century at the Oval once the game was well and truly gone. Similar story on dayboo in the UAE, he did a perfectly respectable job in difficult conditions.

I get some of the criticisms, yeah his technique looks pretty ropey at times, and the tendency to waste starts is a problem that needs to be improved upon, but the idea that he has been shown up at test level is absolutely a steaming pile of BS. In a stronger era for domestic batting things might be different but the depth simply isn't there

Head was dogturd in england, got starts consistently and threw them away before they become anything meaningful. The only time he made 50 he got dropped 3 times AFAIR

 

[honestbharani]

Who was that one man England selection committee that selected players who were most likely to make 30s consistently?

 

[morgieb]

Who was that one man England selection committee that selected players who were most likely to make 30s consistently?

Ed Smith I think.

Justin Langer said similar things too

 

[GoodAreasShane]

Head was dogturd in england, got starts consistently and threw them away before they become anything meaningful. The only time he made 50 he got dropped 3 times AFAIR

The fact that he WAS getting starts in the first place makes the series better than "dogturd" in of itself. The fact that none of said starts became an innings of substance is of course disappointing, but it isn't at all true to think he was out of his depth there

 

[Nintendo]

Ed Smith I think.

Justin Langer said similar things too

wasn't langer's whole thing about big scores OVER 30's consistently? Remember him using that to validate marsh over maxwell when maxwell had a better conversion and tons/innings rate then m.marsh.

 

[TheJediBrah]

with trav though a look at the underlying numbers does show he sucks regardless of an average that isn’t terrible for the era… underlying numbers and the all powerful eyetest

Travis Head isn't half as good as Rory Burns

 

[GoodAreasShane]

Now Maxwell is a whole different case entirely. Agree he was definitely shafted by being omitted from that UAE tour, but I have always suspected (admittedly without any evidence beyond Langer just seeming like that type of character) that only a small part of that at most was down to on field considerations

Not sure I really want to open that can of worms, but it's a boring Thursday afternoon and I have nothing better to do whatsoever

 

[Prince EWS]

Now Maxwell is a whole different case entirely. Agree he was definitely shafted by being omitted from that UAE tour, but I have always suspected (admittedly without any evidence beyond Langer just seeming like that type of character) that only a small part of that at most was down to on field considerations

Not sure I really want to open that can of worms, but it's a boring Thursday afternoon and I have nothing better to do whatsoever

It's Friday mate.

 

[GoodAreasShane]

It's Friday mate.

Oh scheiße

In my defense I was watching something live stateside this morning when it was still Thursday night there. Still feel like a bit of a spanner though

 

[_00_deathscar]

Who was that one man England selection committee that selected players who were most likely to make 30s consistently?

Sounds very Moneyball.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Now Maxwell is a whole different case entirely. Agree he was definitely shafted by being omitted from that UAE tour, but I have always suspected (admittedly without any evidence beyond Langer just seeming like that type of character) that only a small part of that at most was down to on field considerations

Not sure I really want to open that can of worms, but it's a boring Thursday afternoon and I have nothing better to do whatsoever

I think Smith as captain played a big part in it too. Get the feeling he was never a fan of Maxwell. There was also that 12-18 month period there when Maxwell was in the ODI side and barely bowled a ball, with Smith using Head as nearly a frontline spinner the whole time. Now I'm not saying that Head is a definitively worse bowler than Maxy, but it was a very noticeable and strange shift in roles at the time.

 

[Prince EWS]

I think Smith as captain played a big part in it too. Get the feeling he was never a fan of Maxwell. There was also that 12-18 month period there when Maxwell was in the ODI side and barely bowled a ball, with Smith using Head as nearly a frontline spinner the whole time. Now I'm not saying that Head is a definitively worse bowler than Maxy, but it was a very noticeable and strange shift in roles at the time.

Daily reminder that Head > Maxwell as a bowler.

 

[Prince EWS]

All jokes aside, I do think Maxwell should've been persisted with as a Test bat after that India tour, and I'd support recalling him for Head.