The worst selections and non-selections in Test history

[Goughy]

Anyone know the story of this fella? 83 wickets @ 23.72 in the season in question, but hardly played again, only took 88 FC wickets in total. Clearly had ability.

Interesting story

 

[GIMH]

Interesting stuff, did you find that doing a search or remember it?

 

[zaremba]

1982 was thin picking for English bowlers.

With a min of 20 wickets, the leading English bowler in FC cricket was Mike Gatting

Averages dominated by foreign players and little available quality.

Well there was one team displaying a glittering array of talent that year, as the following bowling averages make clear:

Arnold 14.83
Imran 16.85
le Roux 18.61
Jones 25.00
Grieg 25.33
Pigott 27.60
Waller 29.58

 

[Goughy]

Interesting stuff, did you find that doing a search or remember it?

I remembered it given Id thought the exact question about 10 mins before BB asked it and Id looked it up

 

[BoyBrumby]

Interesting story

Cheers. Have to admit I'd never heard of him until now. Must be almost unprecedented for a chap to lose it so completely and never get it back having been so effective, if only for a brief spell.

 

[aussie]

Pretty sure I wrote up a thread on that. Our no-county players policy was the work of retards imo. It ensured we had no Dempster for a start, and he'd walk into an NZ all time XI, especially because he can open.

No doubt he would walk into a Kiwi All-time XI, but as an opener?. Never came across anything about his ability as an opener at all.

 

[Flem274*]

No doubt he would walk into a Kiwi All-time XI, but as an opener?. Never came across anything about his ability as an opener at all.

Dempster often opened for either his county or NZ, can't remember which. Definitely read that he was a highly versatile batsman, much like Bert Sutcliffe, who could play from positions 1-4.

 

[Migara]

Judging from his career numbers, you seem to be a bit loose with the phrase "top class" there.

All his FC mumbers were after he was nfamously left out from Lankan side (even A side). So that will not tell much information. sadly he preferred banking over cricket, and was not motivated after getting a good job at a private bank.

 

[Top_Cat]

All his FC mumbers were after he was nfamously left out from Lankan side (even A side). So that will not tell much information. sadly he preferred banking over cricket, and was not motivated after getting a good job at a private bank.

Man that is depressing. Just confirms peoples' perception of cricket being a boring game when a bloke chooses a career in banking as the more exciting option.

 

[aussie]

Dempster often opened for either his county or NZ, can't remember which. Definitely read that he was a highly versatile batsman, much like Bert Sutcliffe, who could play from positions 1-4.

All true, but i was just questioning why one would chose him to open since in an All-time Kiwi batting line-up he has the #5 spot locked down intially at least.

Turner
Dempster
Sutcliffe
Crowe
Donnelly
Reid
Cairns
McCullum
Hadlee
Taylor
Bond

 

[Migara]

Man that is depressing. Just confirms peoples' perception of cricket being a boring game when a bloke chooses a career in banking as the more exciting option.

He was pushed to that decision. This is one of the things I will never forgive Ranatunga. He virtually killed the next genuine slow bowling allrounder cricket would have seen after many years.

 

[The Masterplan]

What about Salisbury? I like the guy but it was just a jump on the wristspinner bandwagon

No no.. don't slate solly' he's a legend!

 

[Flem274*]

All true, but i was just questioning why one would chose him to open since in an All-time Kiwi batting line-up he has the #5 spot locked down intially at least.

Turner
Dempster
Sutcliffe
Crowe
Donnelly
Reid
Cairns
McCullum
Hadlee
Taylor
Bond

Mainly just going on overall record. Sutcliffe could also do it. Nice side btw, pretty much the one I would pick. My only change would (controversially) be Jack Cowie in for Chris Cairns. Its not as though we'll need the batting with Hadlee or Taylor at 9 and Cowie was one hell of a fast medium bowler, our first world class bowler in fact iirc. Cairns would be the 12th man though.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

McCullum already? Wow. Suppose kiwi's haven't had the greatest array of keepers over the years.

 

[Flem274*]

McCullum already? Wow. Suppose kiwi's haven't had the greatest array of keepers over the years.

Its between him, Parore and Smith imo. All are very good at wicketkeeping, depends how much batting you want from them and how much glovemanship. I'd pick any because its fairly close and I don't know enough about keeping to seperate the three.

 

[Top_Cat]

Its between him, Parore and Smith imo. All are very good at wicketkeeping, depends how much batting you want from them and how much glovemanship. I'd pick any because its fairly close and I don't know enough about keeping to seperate the three.

Smith in my view. Better 'keeper than all of them and could bat well enough, especially with NZ's array of all-rounders over the years.

 

[aussie]

Mainly just going on overall record. Sutcliffe could also do it. Nice side btw, pretty much the one I would pick. My only change would (controversially) be Jack Cowie in for Chris Cairns. Its not as though we'll need the batting with Hadlee or Taylor at 9 and Cowie was one hell of a fast medium bowler, our first world class bowler in fact iirc. Cairns would be the 12th man though.

If you want to pick Cowie i would replace Taylor instead of Cairns. Remembering Cairns at his peak as a test all-rounder when NZ where here in 99 & (plus vs AUS in 2000) is pretty similar to what Freddie did in 05 really makes a must pick in a Kiwi all-time for me along with Hadlee, Crowe, Turner.

 

[fredfertang]

What about Ken Wadsworth? From what I recall he was a very fine keeper who sadly died mid career

 

[aussie]

Yes very unfortunate that based on what i've read of those who saw reckon he could have gone on to be NZ's greatest keeper/bat.

ATM though have high hopes for McCullum.

 

[cnerd123]

Bump

Wonder where Tim Paine's recent callup to the Australia side fits in the all-time list of Worst Selections. Has to be up there. Picking a keeper who doesn't keep in FC cricket anymore and whose last FC Ton came 11 years ago...