***Official*** Australia in England (The Ashes)

[Neil Pickup]

I know I woulda been! Always thought it was a little amiss of Thorpey not to give Tudor the strike a bit more so he coulda made three figures, IIRC we won by 7 wickets so it wasn't exactly a close run thing.

Prob never get the chance for one now either.

Mercifully keeping the "worst Test centurion" debate as an open shop (is that the opposite of a closed shop)?

 

[BoyBrumby]

Mercifully keeping the "worst Test centurion" debate as an open shop (is that the opposite of a closed shop)?

Works for me! Less awkward than non-closed shop, anyway!

I think the test player with the lowest average to score a ton is Saqlain Mushtaq (14.48), so Alex has competiton at least!

 

[tooextracool]

Mercifully keeping the "worst Test centurion" debate as an open shop (is that the opposite of a closed shop)?

surely AA takes the cake now?

 

[wpdavid]

Goughie certainly was, although I can't really remember Tudor being called "Another next-next-Botham".

Think at the time Goughie emerged a lot of our lower order (Tuffers, Gus, Mullally) was that poor anyone who could vaguely hold a bat was deemed all-rounder material!

I read somewhere that when Goughie flew home from the 1994/5 Aus tour, his batting average was around 35. Admittedly he hadn't played many tests by then, but you can see why people were getting carried away.

I must admit I don't remember many from Neil's list being seriously compared to ITB. Maybe Daffy after his first test, but that's about all. If anything, the press generally stressed that any new allrounders should not be tagged the new Botham, so I think the BBC article shouldn't be taken literally.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Works for me! Less awkward than non-closed shop, anyway!

I think the test player with the lowest average to score a ton is Saqlain Mushtaq (14.48), so Alex has competiton at least!

Yep. (bah, thought I'd be able to correct you) However, a further ten players have Test centuries and yet an average lower than Tudor's:

Saqlain Mushtaq, Pak 927 runs @ 14.48
Xenophon Balaskas, SA 174 runs @ 14.50 (including 122 not out)
Clayvel Badcock, Aus 160 runs @ 14.55 (including 118)
Frank Hayes, Eng 244 runs @ 15.25
Ajit Agarkar, Ind 479 runs @ 15.45
Ivan Barrow, WI 276 runs @ 16.24
Nasim-ul-Ghani, Pak 747 runs @ 16.60
George Bonnor, Aus 512 runs @ 17.07
John Briggs, Eng 815 runs @ 18.11
Ajay Ratra, Ind 163 runs @ 18.11 (including 115 not out)
Thomas Horan, Aus 471 runs @ 18.84
Alex Tudor 229 runs @ 19.08

I particularly like the name of the guy who's 0.02 of a point off beating Saqlain...

 

[wpdavid]

Works for me! Less awkward than non-closed shop, anyway!

I think the test player with the lowest average to score a ton is Saqlain Mushtaq (14.48), so Alex has competiton at least!

Maybe Jack Richards? I couldn't quote you his averages, but I remember being astounded when he reached 3 figures even against a truly dire 1986/7 Aus attack on the flattest of tracks.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Yep. (bah, thought I'd be able to correct you) However, a further ten players have Test centuries and yet an average lower than Tudor's:

Saqlain Mushtaq, Pak 927 runs @ 14.48
Xenophon Balaskas, SA 174 runs @ 14.50 (including 122 not out)
Clayvel Badcock, Aus 160 runs @ 14.55 (including 118)
Frank Hayes, Eng 244 runs @ 15.25
Ajit Agarkar, Ind 479 runs @ 15.45
Ivan Barrow, WI 276 runs @ 16.24
Nasim-ul-Ghani, Pak 747 runs @ 16.60
George Bonnor, Aus 512 runs @ 17.07
John Briggs, Eng 815 runs @ 18.11
Ajay Ratra, Ind 163 runs @ 18.11 (including 115 not out)
Thomas Horan, Aus 471 runs @ 18.84
Alex Tudor 229 runs @ 19.08

I particularly like the name of the guy who's 0.02 of a point off beating Saqlain...

It's mad, isn't it?! His surname sounds vaguely Greek, so maybe Xenophon is a popular Hellanic name?!

 

[Magrat Garlick]

It's mad, isn't it?! His surname sounds vaguely Greek, so maybe Xenophon is a popular Hellanic name?!

Apparently he was an Athenian scholar

 

[BoyBrumby]

Apparently he was an Athenian scholar

I thought you meant Mr Balaskas until I clicked on the link! D'oh!

Well, we've gone from Alex Tudor to ancient Greece in about 4 steps! Only on CW, folks!!!

 

[marc71178]

examples

The username Shane Warne.

 

[marc71178]

Mercifully keeping the "worst Test centurion" debate as an open shop (is that the opposite of a closed shop)?

Nobody will ever challenge AA.

 

[Shane Warne]

Who's AA?

 

[Tom Halsey]

Pikey-land

 

[wpdavid]

Who's AA?

Agit Agarkar

 

[Neil Pickup]

It's mad, isn't it?! His surname sounds vaguely Greek, so maybe Xenophon is a popular Hellanic name?!

Balaskas was the legspinner who bowled South Africa to their first victory in England, at Lord's in 1935. It was his only Test of the tour and the only one that produced a result. The pitch, ravaged by leather-jackets, turned from an early stage; Bruce Mitchell and Jock Cameron batted far better than anyone on the England team and Balaskas, bowling tirelessly and with great accuracy from the Pavilion End, had figures of 32-8-49-5 in England's first innings and 27-8-54-4 in the second. Balaskas was not merely one of the most improbably-named of all Test players, he had one of the most improbable backgrounds. His parents were Greek migrants who owned the first restaurant in the diamond town of Kimberley

Cricinfo - Xen Balaskas

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Balaskas was the legspinner who bowled South Africa to their first victory in England, at Lord's in 1935. It was his only Test of the tour and the only one that produced a result. The pitch, ravaged by leather-jackets, turned from an early stage; Bruce Mitchell and Jock Cameron batted far better than anyone on the England team and Balaskas, bowling tirelessly and with great accuracy from the Pavilion End, had figures of 32-8-49-5 in England's first innings and 27-8-54-4 in the second. Balaskas was not merely one of the most improbably-named of all Test players, he had one of the most improbable backgrounds. His parents were Greek migrants who owned the first restaurant in the diamond town of Kimberley

Cricinfo - Xen Balaskas

Also known as Bally <--- understandable!

Looks Greek too, that bloke...

 

[Neil Pickup]

Maybe Jack Richards? I couldn't quote you his averages, but I remember being astounded when he reached 3 figures even against a truly dire 1986/7 Aus attack on the flattest of tracks.

Tests 21.92 and FC 28.21 - think he's avoided this one.

 

[Mister Wright]

But i believe that clark is the first australian to be said to be in the "mcgrath mould". And seeing as he is a NSwelshman just like Mcgrath might help as well. Clark is very much a line and length bowler.

He's not the first. Noffke was said to be another McGrath after he took a 5-fer against Victoria in a Pura Cup final, and while he does have McGrath like attributes, he is completely useless.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Don't understand why - after getting a CA contract - they wouldn't call on Mick Lewis first. He's hardly a guy who leaks runs, especially over the last couple of years.

I'd say that (without bothering to look at his stats) that his economy rate in FC cricket wouldn't be all that crash hot as a result of his first few years, when he was bowling inswingers and the better batsmen hit him around for fun.

Last couple of seasons have been exemplary however.

 

[Mister Wright]

Don't understand why - after getting a CA contract - they wouldn't call on Mick Lewis first. He's hardly a guy who leaks runs, especially over the last couple of years.

I'd say that (without bothering to look at his stats) that his economy rate in FC cricket wouldn't be all that crash hot as a result of his first few years, when he was bowling inswingers and the better batsmen hit him around for fun.

Last couple of seasons have been exemplary however.

Perhaps it was just a token contract because he had a good season and they had no real intention of picking him. It really makes a mockery of the contract system if they don't call up players with contracts.