From Hero to Zero

[G.I.Joe]

There was always a run there. Donald was the deer in the headlights. Klusener did nothing wrong there except to perhaps not instruct Donald earlier to trust his judgement and run for everything.

 

[G.I.Joe]

Andrew Symonds in that Deccan Chargers vs Rajasthan Royals game.

 

[Richard]

Lance Klusener. In the course of a single match.

In the course of 3 deliveries, you could say.

 

[Shri]

Ajit Agarkar.

 

[krkode]

Ajit Agarkar.

Unfortunately.

He looked like he was going to be pure gold for India when he started. Fastest to 50 wickets, and there was that one amazing late-innings knock he played against Sri Lanka...

Still, his over all record in ODIs isn't half bad... surprisingly, his ODI strike rate is better than Wasim Akram! Although he exceeds about 1.3 more RPO than Akram...

 

[fredfertang]

I thought Id posted in this thread already. Anyway...

Larwood is an obvious candidate.

Tamed Don Bradman and brought glory to his country as a one-man wrecking crew.

Then banned from playing for England for life because he will not apologise for doing his captains bidding.

From hero to cricketing pariah

Nah - Lol went out at the pinnacle of his career - he may have upset the stuffed shirts in the committee room at Lords but he was always one of the great working class heroes and respected by everyone who played with or against him

 

[Goughy]

Nah - Lol went out at the pinnacle of his career - he may have upset the stuffed shirts in the committee room at Lords but he was always one of the great working class heroes and respected by everyone who played with or against him

All true but importantly he didnt go out on his own terms and went from hero to being ignored and blamed.

Despite the injury, Im sure he would have happily swapped being a working class hero for a few more Test caps and would have done if his mother hadnt insisted he didnt apologise.

It cost him a fair bit of cash and would have made owning the sweet shop a little easier.

 

[fredfertang]

All true but importantly he didnt go out on his own terms and went from hero to being ignored and blamed.

Despite the injury, Im sure he would have happily swapped being a working class hero for a few more Test caps and would have done if his mother hadnt insisted he didnt apologise.

It cost him a fair bit of cash and would have made owning the sweet shop a little easier.

I think Larwood would have been in no doubt that in '34 without either leg theory or his full pace that Bradman would have hammered him - he made a good few quid out of his book Bodyline? which effectively burnt his bridges

Anyway just as we thought Frith had had the last word a book titled "The Bodyline Hypocrisy: Conversations with Harold Larwood" is due out next April - happen we'll learn more then

 

[Precambrian]

Pietersen the Super captain to Peitersen the dud captain.

(Hope he proves me wrong in the test seires, which is all that matters now.)

 

[Richard]

Anyone calling Pietersen a super or dud captain at this moment in time would be acting hastily.

And yeah, plenty of people acted hastily at the end of last summer, 'twas ridiculous.

 

[Burgey]

Jimmy Adams.

 

[Uppercut]

Anyone calling Pietersen a super or dud captain at this moment in time would be acting hastily.

And yeah, plenty of people acted hastily at the end of last summer, 'twas ridiculous.

Don't think ODI or dead rubber cricket is relevant to the real stuff, so in actual fact he hasn't had a game we can judge his test-captaincy skills on.

 

[Langeveldt]

That seemed really more Donald's misgiving, though.

Not that I have anything against Donald... he has done a great deal for SA. In the grand scheme of things, the difference between winning and not winning that WC isn't a big deal. Donald was worth more than one World Cup to SA, IMO.

Don't think they went to zero though, it was a majestically tragic event, but a one-off.. It wasn't like they ruined their careers through it

 

[krkode]

Don't think they went to zero though, it was a majestically tragic event, but a one-off.. It wasn't like they ruined their careers through it

Naa, I agree with you. Donald and Klusener both have done more than enough for South African cricket... Not least of which was in that very same match - Donald took a 4-wicket haul and Klusener scored 31 off 16 (not to mention all the heroic things he did to get South Africa to the semis in the first place).

 

[Richard]

Jimmy Adams.

Yeah he's pretty close, though he like Botham was a three-stager: superlative early on (though not for anywhere near as long as Botham was); pretty decent in the middle (this formed the majority of his career); and utterly shocking in his last 8 or 9 Tests (can't remember which it was and CBA looking).

Always thought Adams got one hell of a raw deal mind, he was patently worth another go after 2000/01. Far better than the likes of Sarwan and Samuels, and later some others. But it just seemed that when he was stripped of the captaincy that was it.

 

[Xuhaib]

Asif defo.

I remember us (Pakistani fans) being delighted that we have finally found someone better then arrogant, showpony Shoaib and we will not have to rely only on Shoaib for match winning performances but unfortunatley he turned out to be a an even bigger rotten egg then Shoaib.

 

[NZTailender]

Stuart MacGill, in a way.

Jesse Ryder as well, sort of. Got picked and there was talk he had changed his attitude, turned it around etc. Then punched a window after metamorphising into New Zealand Cricket.

Mick Lewis. Basically won a ODI for Aus vs NZ with a superb death over. Then, well, 400+ was always safe with him in the team...

Matthew Bell. After a century in his first Test match back from the wilderness, goes on to be a false dawn.

Shaun Tait vs India.

 

[Richard]

Jesse Ryder as well, sort of. Got picked and there was talk he had changed his attitude, turned it around etc. Then punched a window after metamorphising into New Zealand Cricket.

Ryder is basically the same as Shoaib Akhtar. There's talk of him changing his attitude all the time, people are disappointed every time. Whether Ryder ends-up actually pulling it off waits to be seen as he's still much younger than Shoaib, but I myself always doubt it. I've seen too many lost-causes to ever bet on which few are going to buck the trend.

Mick Lewis. Basically won a ODI for Aus vs NZ with a superb death over. Then, well, 400+ was always safe with him in the team...

Quicker even than that, ITBT. Lewis was smashed in that game which he ended-up bowling 1 good over at the end, then got smashed again the next game a couple of days later (along with Johnson and all the rest) as NZ this time chased down an even bigger total.

Was MacGill ever a hero really? Thought he was oft-disliked in Aus?

 

[masterblaster]

Matthew Sinclair

Yeah, I remember him getting off to the most wonderful start to his test career. Double century on debut against the West Indies if I remember correctly.

 

[NZTailender]

Was MacGill ever a hero really? Thought he was oft-disliked in Aus?

Not in the sense some of the others were heroes.

MacGill was the second best spinner in Australia after Warne, and when they played together he outbowled him from time to time, so when Warnie retired I think quite a few people thought we'd still be safe with MacGill taking over for perhaps a couple of years at least.