Is Jimmy Adams the only player to ever complete this rare treble of achievements?

[RossTaylorsBox]

Wicket-keeping is just a luck factor here, any international cricketer would be holding on to the easier chances if you put him there for a couple of innings - people who stood a lot in the slips can probably even do a half decent job.

Wicketkeeper dismissals shouldn't even be a statistic.

 

[honestbharani]

It's just a comparison of two batsman who bowl occasional meds, from all I've seen Martyn's bowling just simply looked more penetrative. Just a random thought that I believed was kinda sorta relevant, no need to get all worked up about it

Who said I was worked up? No need to go all TJB over this, I am simply pointing out something that is relevant to the thread too.

And honestly, Ponting got the ball to hoop around a couple of times I have seen him bowl too, and whie I do remember Martyn being selected as the #7 batsman for Australia a few times and therefore did bowl a fair bit but his bowling was just lame. I really don't remember him swinging the ball much either. I do remember Ponting getting the ball to move even in the 2001 Eden test.

Is it really that impressive though - Tendulkar could hoop the ball around once it had some work done on it. He just did it at 110 clicks.

Yeah Sachin definitely had the versatility as a bowler but fielding and keeping puts him below AB for me, just like Dilshan.


And yeah being a good keeper definitely matters. Saying all slip fielders can keep is just laughably absurd.

 

[GoodAreasShane]

From all I have seen, both international and domestic, Martyn was a better bowler than Ponting. And Greg Blewett was better than either of them.

 

[TheJediBrah]

From all I have seen, both international and domestic, Martyn was a better bowler than Ponting. And Greg Blewett was better than either of them.

Yep spot on

 

[mr_mister]

Ponting snared some decent batsman though

His 8 international wickets were Gurusinha, Jimmy Adams, Moin Khan, Jacobs, Vaughan, Ranatunga, Lara, Streak


All batsman, no tailenders

 

[mr_mister]

An old school 'versatile' player is Jack Gregory

opened the bowling in all his tests with effective pace so he ticks that box

and his batting record is just plain weird. In only 24 tests he managed to bat at least 3 innings in every spot from opener down to number 9.

His two test tons came at 4 and 9. His 7 fifties came as an opener, 4, 5, 7 and 8. He got 2 each at 5 and 8.

Was shuffled all around the order and seemed to succeed in any role they put him in, from a top, middle or a late order batsman.

Even though 18/34 of his test innings came at 7/8/9(so I think it's fair to say he was meant to be a lower order batsman in theory), he was promoted so often and with so much success his average as a top 5 batsman was a tick over 50 from 12 knocks.

And funnily enough the one spot where he 'flopped' i guess was number 6, where he averaged 7.5 from 4 knocks. Coincidentally you'd think 6 would have been the perfect spot for him to be slotted full-time and he'd almost certainly bat there in a modern side as an all-rounder(with the keeper at 7, naturally)

 

[Line and Length]

and AB is a better batsman, keeper and fielder and captain than Martyn ever was.

The batting performances suggest little between them in this department. Both have FC averages a shade under 50.

 

[cnerd123]

Wilfred Rhodes (a CW Podcast favourite) is right up there in terms of versatile cricketers. Played every role from pure bowler to opening batsman.

Sachin was pretty versatile in his yourth, as HB mentions. He was actually a pretty good fielder by the standard of India's ODI team in the 1990s, which tbf isn't saying much, and bowled a mix of mediums, offbreaks and leggies.

It's hard to think of any modern-day cricketers who bowl different styles at international cricket regularly. Even if only as a part-timer.

Most versatile cricketers tend to be see as quite bits-and-pieces. Like, they might be able to do a job as a makeshift opener/middle order bat/5th bowler, but you're usually better off picking a specialist instead. They only are really valuable if they can be exceptional in one particular skill, or if you're playing some sort of long tournament and need a guy who can help balance the side in case of sudden injuries. Even now you usually can just fly in a substitute within a day. Even for guys who can don the keeping gloves - usually they need to be a good enough batsman to justify a spot in the side on that alone in order for their keeping to suddenly be considered useful.

 

[cnerd123]

that reminds me - Andrew Hall opened the batting, bowling, and even kept wicket once during his SA career right? Versatile player right there.

 

[srbhkshk]

Symonds also bowled mediums and offies iirc.

 

[honestbharani]

From all I have seen, both international and domestic, Martyn was a better bowler than Ponting. And Greg Blewett was better than either of them.

Blewett definitely a cut above as a bowler. I agree Martyn had better bowling performances but I won't rule out Ponting having had more ability as a bowler but maybe gave it up to concentrate on his batting. But again, in a discussion about versatility rather than utility, I don't see the point in figuring who was a better bowler. Sachin a better bowler than all of them, for example and so was Sourav.

 

[cnerd123]

Dada's medium pacers severely underrated. As are Viru's offies.

Sachin/Saurav/Sehwag would often outbowl whatever spud quick bowler our side was picking for a long period of time.

 

[trundler]

The 3 never played a game from HK. Try again.

 

[AndrewB]

An old school 'versatile' player is Jack Gregory

opened the bowling in all his tests with effective pace so he ticks that box

and his batting record is just plain weird. In only 24 tests he managed to bat at least 3 innings in every spot from opener down to number 9.

His two test tons came at 4 and 9. His 7 fifties came as an opener, 4, 5, 7 and 8. He got 2 each at 5 and 8.

Was shuffled all around the order and seemed to succeed in any role they put him in, from a top, middle or a late order batsman.

Even though 18/34 of his test innings came at 7/8/9(so I think it's fair to say he was meant to be a lower order batsman in theory), he was promoted so often and with so much success his average as a top 5 batsman was a tick over 50 from 12 knocks.

And funnily enough the one spot where he 'flopped' i guess was number 6, where he averaged 7.5 from 4 knocks. Coincidentally you'd think 6 would have been the perfect spot for him to be slotted full-time and he'd almost certainly bat there in a modern side as an all-rounder(with the keeper at 7, naturally)

Australia really didn't seem to believe in fixed batting orders in the 20s; in the 12 Tests where Gregory batted in both innings, he moved to a different spot in 10 of them - often quite radically different: his batting positions were: 6-9, 9, 7-8, 5-4, 5, 6, 7, 6-8, 8, 8, 2-4, 4, 5, 9-9, 9-9, 3-9, 9-3, 3-1, 6-2, 7, 8, 8-7.

Very much a career of two halves:
- in his first 12 Tests he had a batting average of 49, took 57 wickets @23.71 and held 29 catches
- in his last 12, his batting average was 25, he took 28 wickets @46.28 and held 8 catches.

 

[Engle]

Honorable mention for Majid Khan.
He debuted as a medium pacer, good enough to get Lawry's wicket twice. Then switched to off-breaks.
Moved up the batting order from # 8 on debut to opening batsman.
Took over the gloves from injured Wasim Bari during the 76 series in the W.Indies and caught 4 victims.
Plus captaincy, match referee

 

[mr_mister]

Australia really didn't seem to believe in fixed batting orders in the 20s; in the 12 Tests where Gregory batted in both innings, he moved to a different spot in 10 of them - often quite radically different: his batting positions were: 6-9, 9, 7-8, 5-4, 5, 6, 7, 6-8, 8, 8, 2-4, 4, 5, 9-9, 9-9, 3-9, 9-3, 3-1, 6-2, 7, 8, 8-7.

Very much a career of two halves:
- in his first 12 Tests he had a batting average of 49, took 57 wickets @23.71 and held 29 catches
- in his last 12, his batting average was 25, he took 28 wickets @46.28 and held 8 catches.

oh wow, after 12 tests he had some ATG AR stats

injuries lead to him breaking down and fading away right?

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Check out John Reid. Only cricketer to have scored test centuries (6), taken test fivers (1) and affected test stumpings (1).

PS. It seems Jimmy Adams never kept wickets in tests, only in ODIs.

Why are we still ignoring Mahmudullah in this discussion?

He's scored more than one test century, taken a five-fer, and affected a stumping.

 

[Bijed]

Wicketkeeper dismissals shouldn't even be a statistic.

Why not? Statistics don't all have to be super-meaningful, being a point of trivia for fans to discuss is fine

 

[AndrewB]

oh wow, after 12 tests he had some ATG AR stats

injuries lead to him breaking down and fading away right?

He was certainly very highly regarded in his time... I remember reading an old (pre 80s) article in which someone (EW Swanton?) reckoned the four best all-rounders of all time were Sobers, Miller, Gregory and Woolley (with a distinct gap between Sobers and the rest).

 

[TheJediBrah]

Blewett definitely a cut above as a bowler. I agree Martyn had better bowling performances but I won't rule out Ponting having had more ability as a bowler but maybe gave it up to concentrate on his batting. But again, in a discussion about versatility rather than utility, I don't see the point in figuring who was a better bowler. Sachin a better bowler than all of them, for example and so was Sourav.

once again sometimes people do discuss things that aren't directly related to what you want to talk about. Not everything revolves around you and you don't have to ask people why they are posting about things every time it isn't about you or things you are saying.