Best utility players??

[karan316]

I dunno, NMac is clearly the best non-Vettori limited overs spinner NZ has. He'd probably still get selected if was Trent Boult-standard with the bat.

He even plays when Vettori is around, and that too, on pitches which don't offer much for spinners, so he's not there for his bowling alone.

 

[morgieb]

Simon O'Donnell a good name for this thread IMO.

 

[kyear2]

Exactly, guys like Jayasuriya, Dilshan, Symonds, Waugh, Hooper, Miller and Johnson are surprising examples, they are just too good at their primary skills to be termed as utility players.

We are talking about cricketers who can't make it to the team with their primary skill alone. People who are selected for the overall contribution they can make in the team and fill in certain areas where the team is lacking. For e.g. Nathan McCullum, gives a decent spin bowling option along with lower order hitting. Obviously he cannot be termed a "proper allrounder" nor can he make it to the team with any primary skill alone and he doesn't have a set/regular role unlike the other guys in the team. But if you take all the aspects of his game into consideration, he fits in well and creates a good balance.

There were times when Hooper batting was struggling and his bowling and especially slip catching (along with his unfilled potential) kept him on the team.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I suppose we're talking about the old bob-each-way, bits-and-pieces kinda chaps then.

England had them in spades during Adam Hollioake's brief tenure as the ODI captain. Including, but probably not limited to Mathew Fleming, Ian Austin, Mark Ealham, Craig White and, obviously, skipper Skippy himself and his (sadly late) younger brother.

For my money tho, the archetype forever remains Roger "Rubbish"* Binny. Could hold the right end of a bat, bowled military medium dobbers and was probably India's player of the tournament in their maiden WC win.

*copyright The 12th Man.

 

[fredfertang]

That Indian team was stuffed full of them - Madan Lal, Bal Singh and Kirti Azad cut from the same cloth

 

[Athlai]

Chris Cairns was a bit of a triple threat, batted, bowled and had one of the strongest arms in the outfield I've ever seen.

That said he was probably just useful enough in all areas to be rated as a genuine Test AR great.

 

[paulted]

Karachi 1989, a young man playing in his first test gets hit for 10 in his first over. A canny little bowler-ends up with 46 test wickets. Sachin?? something or other..........

 

[fredfertang]

Using brumbers definition I'd nominate Eknath Solkar as the archetype - he was a fair batsman who usually batted in the lower middle order but occasionally went in first, and he also bowled medium pace in the days India used to have him and Abid Ali to bowl a few overs of seam to get the shine off the ball for Bedi et al - but I think he fits the description particularly well given that one of the main reasons he was picked for as many Tests as he was was because of his incredible fielding at short leg - certainly the best I ever saw and he looked all the more remarkable because some of his teammates had a tendency to be a bit off the pace in the field - he was a cracker was Ekkie

 

[karan316]

Robin Singh seems to fit the category aswell.

 

[wpdavid]

Mark Ealham wasn't the worst.

Going back to Brumby's post about Hollioake's side, I think Dougie Brown also played and certainly fits this particular bill.

 

[nightprowler10]

Abdul Razzaq fits the bill, surely. At his best he was very dangerous with the ball (brisk pace, accurate, would reverse the ball) and on more than a few occasions won matches with his batting.

 

[Stace]

Ravi Bopara has to get a mention here

 

[the big bambino]

Abdul Razzaq fits the bill, surely. At his best he was very dangerous with the ball (brisk pace, accurate, would reverse the ball) and on more than a few occasions won matches with his batting.

I'm getting the feeling that utility player is defined as bit and pieces cricketer for the purpose of this thread. If so then Razzaq was a good deal better than that. Good call though and while I haven't gone back over the thread looks to be the best player mentioned so far.

 

[Dan]

Can do everything on a cricket field. Way too good a batsman to be classified 'utility' though, obvs.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Yeah, Smith easily gets into a test XI as a pure bat, so his bowling is just an (increasingly rarely used) addendum, IMHO.

 

[Dan]

Plus he's one of the best fielders in the world - either under the lid, at point or in the deep - and a more-than-competent captain.

Could probably take the gloves too, if need be. WAFG

 

[Dan]

ABdV in a similar league IMO. Such a valuable utility player to have in that he's one of the best batsmen in the world, but can also keep wickets to a Test standard, field better than almost anyone and lead a side.

Plus he'd dominate team golf days.

 

[Muloghonto]

Best Utiility player I've personally seen is Shahid Afridi. He is one guy, who wouldn't get into the Pakistan team for most of his career. Except for that short gap between Kaneria's demise and Ajmal's rise, I dont think afridi ever competed for primary spinner role in the team. Those belonged to, in order of Mushtaq Ahmed, Saqqi & Kaneria, in that order and the overlap between the three (especially the first two) means that till 2002 or so, Afridi is not even in contest for the 2nd spinner role in any format.
Purely as a batsman, he does not make the grade either, in either ODI or Test cricket for Pakistani side, in vast majority of his career.
He is one of their best fielders ever and overall, a cracker of a fielder. He isnt overly athletic in the 'diving stop' sense of the word but Lala has tonnes of stamina and can chase ball forever, is a very safe pair of hands and comes with good reflex stops of the non-diving variety. Ie, in positions like cover, point, etc. Lala is not quite ATG category but definitely in the 'well above average/very competent' group.

But take it in whole: Afridi's excellent fielding, his ability to produce a randomly destructive innings against any bowling on any surface from any position, at a rate that only 4-5 other players in the last 20 years can even compete at and a very efficient containing bowling, with the occasional bursts of wickets makes him virtually indispensible for most teams and there is a role for him even in most test sides. For eg, except the West Indies side of the 80s, Pakistan for a brief period in the 90s, the Proteas in the late 90s and Aussie team of the mid 90s to mid 2000s, I can see Afridi justifying his selection in virtually every test side of the last 30 years as well.

He is by far, the greatest of the utility players i've seen.

 

[BeeGee]

John R Reid.

The ultimate utility. Bat in any position, bowled fast-medium or offies depending on the situation, could keep wicket, top fielder and was a great captain.

Selector, coach, match referee. Did it all.

 

[Flem274*]

I can see Afridi justifying his selection in virtually every test side of the last 30 years as well.

lol