Cricket Web chooses the worst test pace bowler ever

[GoodAreasShane]

Definitely a Sayers fan but I can't see him really thriving in the UAE, the best I would really hope for is him to keep things tight at one end, something along the lines of Trent Copeland in Sri Lanka a few years back.

 

[a massive zebra]

The thing about Rubel is that most of the other contenders were at least mediocre players at first class level and simply found Test cricket to be out of their depth. Rubel averages a horrific 58 in first class cricket, so he's never really merited a place in a Bangladeshi first class side, never mind Tests. God knows why they keep selecting someone who gets battered in their own domestic competition... Probably because they want to add pace to their attack and he can actually bowl genuinely quickly.

 

[TheJediBrah]

The thing about Rubel is that most of the other contenders were at least mediocre players at first class level and simply found Test cricket to be out of their depth. Rubel averages a horrific 58 in first class cricket, so he's never really merited a place in a Bangladeshi first class side, never mind Tests. God knows why they keep selecting someone who gets battered in their own domestic competition... Probably because they want to add pace to their attack and he can actually bowl genuinely quickly.

tbf a big part of that is because more than half of his First-class games have actually been Tests.

He's played 50 FC games, 26 of which were Tests. If you take the Tests away his FC average is about 40, which is still not great, but I'm not sure what the standard FC averages for Bangla seamers are

 

[trundler]

Worst finger spinner ever would be a far better thread as bad pacers are quickly forgotten.

 

[Starfighter]

Worst finger spinner ever would be a far better thread as bad pacers are quickly forgotten.

The trouble is that the answer to 'worst finger spinner' is 'all of them'.

 

[trundler]

The trouble is that the answer to 'worst finger spinner' is 'all of them'.

Yes but it gives us a wider pool of selection. This is hands down Rubel.

 

[Jack1]

Yes but it gives us a wider pool of selection. This is hands down Rubel.

A minute ago you were calling Salisbury a seamer mate. Haha.

 

[Starfighter]

Speaking of Salisbury

 

[trundler]

A minute ago you were calling Salisbury a seamer mate. Haha.

My mistake.

Surely there are more bad finger spinners than leggies. Just think who's the best offie of the last decade or 2. Lyon? Harbhajan? How horrid!

 

[Jack1]

My mistake.

Surely there are more bad finger spinners than leggies. Just think who's the best offie of the last decade or 2. Lyon? Harbhajan? How horrid!

Ashwin.

 

[Starfighter]

My mistake.

Surely there are more bad finger spinners than leggies. Just think who's the best offie of the last decade or 2. Lyon? Harbhajan? How horrid!

I think finger spinners tend to just be mundanely ineffective, while leg spinners can **** the bed spectacularly like Bryce McGain. There was a leggie called John Watkins who played one test for Australia in '73. Apparently he struggled to land it on the pitch. I know the big bambino saw at least part of that test, he might be able to say more.

 

[trundler]

I think finger spinners tend to just be mundanely ineffective, while leg spinners can **** the bed spectacularly like Bryce McGain. There was a leggie called John Watkins who played one test for Australia in '72. Apparently he struggled to land it on the pitch. I know the big bambino saw at least part of that test, he might be able to say more.

I suppose that is because leg spin is harder to bowl than off spin. Off spin is for part timers that can't really be arsed to put any actual effort in. That time Atherton tried to bowl leg spin was spectacularly bad too.

 

[Jack1]

I suppose that is because leg spin is harder to bowl than off spin. Off spin is for part timers that can't really be arsed to put any actual effort in. That time Atherton tried to bowl leg spin was spectacularly bad too.

Leg spin is certainly a lot harder to bowl. That's why they need to be trusted by their captain and given a long spell. Nothing worse than a captain that can't trust his leg spinner in any way shape or form.

 

[the big bambino]

I didn't see all of that Sydney test. I can't recall if the coverage was for the whole day or just some sessions. I recall Ross Edwards blinder catching Sadiq as the standout incident. But nothing of Watkins' bowling. Looking at the scoreboard most of the bowling was done by pacemen which squares with my recollection of it being a good wicket for seamers. Watkins bowled 6 overs in the game so he hadn't made his "reputation" in that game. I remember nervously listening to the Massie Watkins partnership in our 2nd innings on radio which gave us something to defend which we did. So my memories of Watkins are fond ones, even if only for his batting as he greatly contributed to an Australian win when we were close to beaten.

 

[Starfighter]

Well I've generally heard that his reputation came from those six overs, though the scorecard isn't very untoward.

 

[the big bambino]

Well I've generally heard that his reputation came from those six overs, though the scorecard isn't very untoward.

No wides or no balls in his stats in that game. I don't recall any adverse press about his bowling, but criticisms may have been subsequently muted because of his batting. Looking at his cricinfo bio it says he was a good grade bowler in Newcastle but Stackpole thought him the luckiest man to play for Australia and his fc stats seem to suggest he was pretty lucky. Reading on it seems he lost it in the West Indies and Stacky again says he bowled the widest full toss he'd ever seen almost cleaning up the ump at square leg. Mention is made of his fragile confidence and I can imagine he wouldn't have got much love from Chappelli.

 

[Starfighter]

No wides or no balls in his stats in that game.

Eh, in all the scorecards I've seen from then (guessing you're looking on cricinfo) the wides and no balls aren't attributed correctly. I've certainly heard that things got worse in the West Indies.
I'd love to see more of that match but getting freely available footage from era is like finding hen's teeth.

 

[the big bambino]

Eh, in all the scorecards I've seen from then (guessing you're looking on cricinfo) the wides and no balls aren't attributed correctly. I've certainly heard that things got worse in the West Indies.
I'd love to see more of that match but getting freely available footage from era is like finding hen's teeth.

I am and you're right. Sundries are attributed at the bottom of batting innings but not against the individual bowlers. There were 6 wides in the Pakistan 1st innings and its possible Watkins would have bowled a good portion, if not all of them.

 

[TheJediBrah]

I suppose that is because leg spin is harder to bowl than off spin. Off spin is for part timers that can't really be arsed to put any actual effort in. That time Atherton tried to bowl leg spin was spectacularly bad too.

Atherton had periods in country cricket where he bowled a lot of overs and took wickets too. But then that was county cricket soooooo . . .

 

[Starfighter]

Atherton had periods in country cricket where he bowled a lot of overs and took wickets too. But then that was county cricket soooooo . . .

He did once bowl a full spell in one of their one day comps too. Granted it was because someone was injured. He went for 80 and Lancs lost.