Best Part-Time Bowlers

[savill]

Who do you rate as the best part-time bowlers at the moment?

 

[Tom Halsey]

At the moment, I feel Bell is underrated, tbh. A while ago Bevan wasn't the worst but due to his shoulder doesn't bowl anymore.

 

[Gangster]

Chris Gayle for me.

 

[Jono]

Currently I think Gayle is the best, but I feel Jayasuriya back a few years ago was very good. Annoyingly good actually.

 

[Rich2001]

Yeah agree on Gayle.

Lehmann is always handy and Collingwood has bowled well in the current South Africa series.

Vaughan underbowls himself alot and I hear KP is a pretty useful bowler but has yet to be called upon this series.

 

[twctopcat]

Bell seemed quite handy from what i saw of him for warwickshire last year. Obviously no one told Vaughan who insists with Tres, who to be fair isn't the worst ever. Gayle though is good for me, though Kallis also has the good day occasionally.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Well Gayle took a bit of a battering in the triangular with Pakistan and Australia (he does brilliantly well when I don't pick him in my fantasy side, so this time I did pick him and he was atrocious), so it depends on how much you go with recent form.

 

[cric_manic]

N astle has 95 odi wickets and is a very good part time bowler

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Well Gayle took a bit of a battering in the triangular with Pakistan and Australia (he does brilliantly well when I don't pick him in my fantasy side, so this time I did pick him and he was atrocious), so it depends on how much you go with recent form.

That's what happens when you try to bowl right-arm off breaks with an injured right shoulder.

 

[marc71178]

Yeah agree on Gayle.

He tends to bowl 10 a game, how is that a part-timer?

 

[marc71178]

N astle has 95 odi wickets and is a very good part time bowler

He was maybe once upon a time.

 

[cric_manic]

still is

 

[Richard]

If Nathan Astle's knees ever allow him to bowl regularly again I'll be gobsmacked.
I never, ever understood why the hell he didn't bowl more, and more at the right times, in ODIs, though, myself. Nor why his Test-record is so average.
Guess it can be difficult to fit Larsen, Harris and Astle into the right time all the time.

 

[Richard]

Currently I think Gayle is the best, but I feel Jayasuriya back a few years ago was very good. Annoyingly good actually.

Yeah agree on Gayle.

Lehmann is always handy

Personally I don't feel Gayle is a part-timer at all, more a batting-all-rounder.
Jayasuriya is still pretty reasonable if the ball is turning or "sticking" in the pitch, and he's not the worst death-bowler either, but I suppose he just about qualifies as part-time.
Lehmann takes it for me, even though he's been horrible recently (bit like his batting).
A few I feel are overrated: Vaughan (at least as far as ODIs are concerned), Russel Arnold, Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Tendulkar, McMillan (of the Craig variety), Symonds, Clarke.
Collingwood has been surprisingly good in the ODI-series so far - second to Gough, and I'd never, ever have predicted that. Even so he hasn't been fantastic, but he's certainly a hell of a lot more accurate than he was last time I saw him.
What I'd like to know is (if this is a perminent change - and we'll have to wait and see for that) what the hell took so long?

 

[Richard]

That's what happens when you try to bowl right-arm off breaks with an injured right shoulder.

I was quite flabbergasted when I heard he was still trying to bowl after what he did.
Amazing, he just always seems to be injured or ill, Gayle.

 

[Jono]

He tends to bowl 10 a game, how is that a part-timer?

Yeah fair call.

 

[BoyBrumby]

It's a pretty difficult category to be the best in, for the simple reason that if, like Gayle (who I would contend is still primarily a batter), you show aptitude you quickly cease to be a part-timer! I guess Lehmann & Symonds in ODIs both fall into the same category too.

Of recent history Carl Hooper was useful (especially in ODIs), as were both the Waughs. Graeme Hick's gentle off spin topped our test bowling averages on an Indian tour (1992/93?). I also seem to remember Alan Border (whose spin at test level may not have quite been a load of tripe, but was pretty close to it, say a cart of cabbages!) bowling out The Windies once!

Again he's a borderline case, but I like Scott Styris as a bowler. Considering his physique & run-up he's surprisingly sharp.

 

[Zinzan]

He was maybe once upon a time.

I can assure you he still is. He's just coming back after a break from bowling from the last 18 months or so after his knee injury.

 

[Smudge]

If Nathan Astle's knees ever allow him to bowl regularly again I'll be gobsmacked.
I never, ever understood why the hell he didn't bowl more, and more at the right times, in ODIs, though, myself. Nor why his Test-record is so average.
Guess it can be difficult to fit Larsen, Harris and Astle into the right time all the time.

He's been bowling a lot for Canterbury this season - in fact, he has had some very successful spells.

Keep up, would ya.

 

[Richard]

I have noted that - with interest.
I just hope he's up to it.