Fast Bowler Survival - 2020 edition

[stephen]

Interesting that Bond got into the next round; this means he'll be far ahead of Wagner, Cowie, and Boult in the rankings.

He'll be a few places ahead of them, yes. But remember he was ranked very highly (top 20) in the last exercise as well. People rate him very highly because he almost a guarantee for the AT NZ side and his career was relatively recent.

I'm more surprised that Bishop isn't rated more highly tbh.

 

[stephen]

Round of 64 Results - Group V and VI

These players progress to the round of 32:

Group V

Joel Garner
Waqar Younis
Alec Bedser
Neil Adcock

Group VI

Sydney Barnes
Michael Holding
Frederick Spofforth
Pat Cummins

Here are the full results:

Group V

Joel Garner	1.166666667
Waqar Younis	1.916666667
Alec Bedser	3.583333333
Neil Adcock	4
Peter Pollock	4.833333333
Bruce Reid	6.166666667
Stuart Broad	6.666666667
Trent Boult	7.666666667

Group VI

Sydney Barnes	1.083333333
Michael Holding	2.083333333
Frederick Spofforth	3.666666667
Pat Cummins	3.916666667
Jason Gillespie	5.166666667
Fazal Mahmood	5.75
Terry Alderman	6.75
Manny Martindale	7.583333333

 

[stephen]

I can't say I'm shocked at the results, except maybe Bedser who is Jimmy Anderson mk I. Totally overrated medium pacer who exploited English conditions.

I'm glad to see a current player squeak through (Cummins).

 

[ataraxia]

Group VI was weak, wow.

 

[stephen]

Group VI was weak, wow.

I don't know. Many people consider Barnes to be the GOAT, Spoffoth is held in high esteem, Holding is a bone fide ATG and Cummins seems destined to be regarded as the GOAT first change bowler.

 

[ataraxia]

I don't know. Many people consider Barnes to be the GOAT, Spoffoth is held in high esteem, Holding is a bone fide ATG and Cummins seems destined to be regarded as the GOAT first change bowler.

Just that outside the top 3/4 there's a big drop; those ones are lucky to make the R64.

 

[stephen]

Just that outside the top 3/4 there's a big drop; those ones are lucky to make the R64.

Yeah, you'll have to take that up with the voters

 

[trundler]

Gillespie ahead Fazal is a travesty. Only one of those guys successfully led their country's attack..

 

[morgieb]

Gillespie ahead Fazal is a travesty. Only one of those guys successfully led their country's attack..

A stretch to call that Pakistani 50's side successful.........

 

[trundler]

A stretch to call that Pakistani 50's side successful.........

True but hey, Fazal actually stepped up. Probably wouldn't be much chop on modern roads but you can't fault a player for the era they played in.

 

[stephen]

I actually agree. I almost put Gillespie below Alderman because Alderman had a couple of series where he was much better than Gillespie ever was. But Fazal was ahead of Dizzy on my list.

 

[stephen]

Round of 64 Results - Group VII and VIII

These players progress to the round of 32:

Group VII

Wasim Akram
Dennis Lillee
Brian Statham
????

Group VIII

Fred Trueman
Imran Khan
John Snow
Mike Procter

Group VII has posted an extraordinary result. Bob Willis and Shoaib Akhtar tied in the rankings for fourth place. With 48 ranking points each over ten voters, both bowlers tied for 4th place. I need to separate them. So I'll open up a special head to head vote just for these two. One will progress to the round of 16. One will be eliminated. Who will it be? Only more voting will decide.

Here are the full results:

Group VII:

Wasim Akram	1.4
Dennis Lillee	1.7
Brian Statham	3.4
Bob Willis	4.8
Shoaib Akhtar	4.8
Bill Johnston	5.7
Kagiso Rabada	6.3
Jack Gregory	7.9

Group VIII:

Fred Trueman	1.5
Imran Khan	1.6
John Snow	3.9
Mike Procter	4.4
Keith Miller	4.5
Charlie Turner	5.3
Mitchell Starc	6.9
Morné Morkel	7.9

 

[ataraxia]

Miller not in the top 32 is a travesty, but Procter not in there would be worse. Two very close decisions at 4 and 5.

 

[stephen]

Miller not in the top 32 is a travesty, but Procter not in there would be worse. Two very close decisions at 4 and 5.

Honestly I felt everyone in that top 6 deserved to progress.

 

[stephen]

The winner of the lightning round is Shoaib Ahktar, who sneaks through to the final 32 by the skin of his teeth (1 vote head to head with Willis).

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Gillespie ahead Fazal is a travesty. Only one of those guys successfully led their country's attack..

i have a soft spot for third-best bowlers in excellent teams. you can't win much with one bowler.

 

[honestbharani]

But its a bit of a chicken-egg, MG. Do the 1 and 2 bowlers make the 3rd one as good or is it the excellence of 3, that enables 1 and 2 get better results? Sometimes its just easier to quantify the impact of the leader than the soldier.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

But its a bit of a chicken-egg, MG. Do the 1 and 2 bowlers make the 3rd one as good or is it the excellence of 3, that enables 1 and 2 get better results? Sometimes its just easier to quantify the impact of the leader than the soldier.

which is why we vote, for different perspectives

("Caesar beat the gauls? He alone? Was there not even a cook in his army?")

 

[honestbharani]

Oh yeah, I get that, I am just pointing out why traditionally the leaders are rated higher, its just sometimes easier to quantify (maybe even wrongly) their impact in our heads, typically. FWIW, I have a lot of time for the 3rd seamer. There are many tests where India could have won in the Srinath/Prasad period if we had an actually decent 3rd seamer. And its no accident that the greatest sides of all time also had some of the best 3rd seamers of all time. The Aussie great side had Gillespie and a for a short while where they had unprecedented success in the SC, it was in no small part due to the efforts of Kasper.

 

[stephen]

Here are the full rankings from 33-105 (based on average ranking when the player was eliminated):

105 Trevor Goddard
104 Bob Woolmer
103 Eddie Barlow
102 Michael Kasprowicz
101 Arthur Fielder
100 Graham Dilley
99 Ben Hilfenhaus
98 Mohammad Abbas
97 Tony Gray
96 Peter Lever
95 Amar Singh
94 Richard Collinge
93 Richard Motz
92 Patrick Patterson
91 Peter Siddle
90 Bill Voce
89 Geoff Arnold
88 Jasprit Bumrah
87 Frank Foster
86 John Lever
85 Peter Loader
84 Javagal Srinath
83 Ernie Toshack
82 Geoff Lawson
81 Chris Old
80 Bruce Taylor
79 Mohammad Nissar
78 Rodney Hogg
77 Kemar Roach
76 Mohammed Shami
75 Makhaya Ntini
74 Andrew Flintoff
73 Craig McDermott
72 Charlie Griffith
71 Peter Heine
70 Paul Reiffel
69 Gubby Allen
68 Billy Barnes
67 Josh Hazlewood
66 Tom Richardson
65 Ryan Harris
64 Jack Gregory
63 Morné Morkel
62 Ken Farnes
61 Merv Hughes
60 Ted McDonald
59 Trent Boult
58 Manny Martindale
57 Wayne Daniel
56 Mitchell Starc
55 Terry Alderman
54 Mitchell Johnson
53 Stuart Broad
52 Jack Cowie
51 Neil Wagner
50 Graham McKenzie
49 Kagiso Rabada
48 Bruce Reid
47 Vernon Philander
46 Fazal Mahmood
45 Bill Johnston
44 Colin Croft
43 Jeff Thompson
42 Ian Botham
41 Kapil Dev
40 Charlie Turner
39 Jason Gillespie
38 Ian Bishop
37 Frank Tyson
36 Peter Pollock
35 Bob Willis
34 James Anderson
33 Keith Miller