Underrated Test Player - Saeed Anwar

[subshakerz]

If he played as long as Inzi, would be rated ahead of Sehwag IMO. Sad that he missed out on the 2000s run scoring bonanza.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Ijaz bowled left arm mediums too early in his career. Seems like a style of bowling you almost never see these days.

Left-arm finger spin is just so effective comparative to how difficult it is to do that most part-timers are just going to do that IMO

Left-arm mediums or wrist-spin are just harder to be as good at

 

[trundler]

If he played as long as Inzi, would be rated ahead of Sehwag IMO. Sad that he missed out on the 2000s run scoring bonanza.

Only struggled against Donald in SA didn't he? Still scored a glorious ton and didn't embarrass himself. Fine player who did well everywhere. Shame he never played more than a series or two in any particular country. Without going full Bond was better than Anderson I'd say I'd rather have him in my team based on ability than most openers who made hay in the 00s. Inzi averaged 42 in the '90s and really took his average up in the next decade. Flower is another who unfortunately missed out.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Only struggled against Donald in SA didn't he? Still scored a glorious ton and didn't embarrass himself. Fine player who did well everywhere. Shame he never played more than a series or two in any particular country. Without going full Bond was better than Anderson I'd say I'd rather have him in my team based on ability than most openers who made hay in the 00s. Inzi averaged 42 in the '90s and really took his average up in the next decade. Flower is another who unfortunately missed out.

Flower could have had a Sangakkara-like average if he played on more into the 00s. Possible even higher, Zimbabwe played a lot of their games against Bangladesh in that time period IIRC

 

[trundler]

Flower could have had a Sangakkara-like average if he played on more into the 00s. Possible even higher, Zimbabwe played a lot of their games against Bangladesh in that time period IIRC

And Anwar would've played on this kind of pitch at home most of the time. Against middling pacers too. https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...tan-vs-england-3rd-test-226351/full-scorecard

How much did Hayden average in the '90s again? According to my numbers Anwar would've averaged 129 in the noughties.

 

[Beamer]

105-110 iirc?

Nah Mayers is more 118 - 130. Slow but a definite yard quicker than Wavell, Brendan Nash, Mark Butcher etc.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

He is like a better Wavell Hinds, isn't he? But I was specifically talking about left arm medium. Not even medum-fast, just medium. Its somehow so rare, lol.

Bryan Strang

 

[Burgey]

Left-arm finger spin is just so effective comparative to how difficult it is to do that most part-timers are just going to do that IMO

Left-arm mediums or wrist-spin are just harder to be as good at

I reverted to left arm finger spin in my later playing years because I genuinely cbf putting any effort into bowling. I knew I was essentially castrating myself by doing so, but it’s just so easy to bowl that I couldn’t help myself

this actually qualifies me to speak with some authority about how **** finger spin is

 

[Burgey]

Or at least about how **** my version of it was.

 

[TheJediBrah]

I reverted to left arm finger spin in my later playing years because I genuinely cbf putting any effort into bowling. I knew I was essentially castrating myself by doing so, but it’s just so easy to bowl that I couldn’t help myself

this actually qualifies me to speak with some authority about how **** finger spin is

Ditto. Decided to bowl finger spin (chucked it btw) as a teenager and within a month was taking 7-for in my club 1st XI. It's a life hack when you realise how easy it is to do, or to trick people into thinking you're good at it

 

[mr_mister]

You need good fielders though. A lot of those wickets were probably cow corner. Offspin is useless in the lower grades with fat beer bellied fielders everywhere

 

[subshakerz]

Only struggled against Donald in SA didn't he? Still scored a glorious ton and didn't embarrass himself. Fine player who did well everywhere. Shame he never played more than a series or two in any particular country. Without going full Bond was better than Anderson I'd say I'd rather have him in my team based on ability than most openers who made hay in the 00s. Inzi averaged 42 in the '90s and really took his average up in the next decade. Flower is another who unfortunately missed out.

Anwar had fine series against Donald-Pollock and McGrath away in the late 90s. Scored against both Warne and Murali fairly easily too. He would be averaging 50 easily in the 2000s.

 

[BazBall21]

If he played as long as Inzi, would be rated ahead of Sehwag IMO. Sad that he missed out on the 2000s run scoring bonanza.

Maybe didn’t have a better career but I reckon he was a better Test bat than Sehwag. Both monsters in Asia, Anwar better outside. Did better than Inzy in the 90s.

 

[smash84]

Yeah, Anwar was probably our best opener after Hanif. I met him in the 00s. Actually got to spend a couple of hours with him and he was a really nice bloke. Inevitably he was asked why he didn't play more test cricket and retired after 2003 WC despite still being a pretty good batsman.

He basically told the whole story. He said that he had only one daughter who he obviously loved to bits. He was a very well off man playing cricket for more than a decade but his daughter fell ill suddenly. He rushed her to the hospital but when he was on a traffic stop, the little girl breathed her last even before getting to the hospital. He said, he cradled her in his arms and looked around while everyone went around about their business and something about that moment just struck him differently. A lot of the meaning went out of his life after that. It was heartbreaking to hear him tell the story. He said he was never the same again and lost interest in cricket.

Hence the shorter career.


Edit: The other sad thing was that his wife had some issues and could not have another child either so they would not be having another child in the future either.

 

[BazBall21]

Only struggled against Donald in SA didn't he? Still scored a glorious ton and didn't embarrass himself. Fine player who did well everywhere. Shame he never played more than a series or two in any particular country. Without going full Bond was better than Anderson I'd say I'd rather have him in my team based on ability than most openers who made hay in the 00s. Inzi averaged 42 in the '90s and really took his average up in the next decade. Flower is another who unfortunately missed out.

Yeah totally agree. Probably didn’t have a better test career than Cook and Sehwag, but he’s better than both of them imo. Ability wise he even has a case against Haydos and Smith imo, and his sample size is small but not dealbreaker level small if that makes sense.
And yeah Thorpe is another one who was early 40s in the 90s and averaged in the 50s in the 2000s.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Removing Shami for Siraj, a guy who bowls mainly scrambled seam, when it's started to reverse is a weird decision.

edit:Spark

 

[BazBall21]

Yeah, Anwar was probably our best opener after Hanif. I met him in the 00s. Actually got to spend a couple of hours with him and he was a really nice bloke. Inevitably he was asked why he didn't play more test cricket and retired after 2003 WC despite still being a pretty good batsman.

He basically told the whole story. He said that he had only one daughter who he obviously loved to bits. He was a very well off man playing cricket for more than a decade but his daughter fell ill suddenly. He rushed her to the hospital but when he was on a traffic stop, the little girl breathed her last even before getting to the hospital. He said, he cradled her in his arms and looked around while everyone went around about their business and something about that moment just struck him differently. A lot of the meaning went out of his life after that. It was heartbreaking to hear him tell the story. He said he was never the same again and lost interest in cricket.

Hence the shorter career.


Edit: The other sad thing was that his wife had some issues and could not have another child either so they would not be having another child in the future either.

Horrendously tragic. That’s why he retired early. Gordon Greenidge lost his daughter in similar circumstances.

 

[GotSpin]

how fast is kyle mayers? i know that he's an allrounder but he's not particularly quick i don't think (@Beamer @GotSpin)

Gets it up to 120. He’s not really a part timer anymore either

 

[TheJediBrah]

Yeah totally agree. Probably didn’t have a better test career than Cook and Sehwag, but he’s better than both of them imo. Ability wise he even has a case against Haydos and Smith imo, and his sample size is small but not dealbreaker level small if that makes sense.
And yeah Thorpe is another one who was early 40s in the 90s and averaged in the 50s in the 2000s.

55 Tests is not a small sample, unless you're English and it's all over 18 months

 

[Flem274*]

Without going full Bond was better than Anderson I'd say I'd rather have him in my team based on ability

Cook and Sehwag, but he’s better than both of them imo. Ability wise he even has a case against Haydos and Smith imo

you might not think you see the light lads, but you're seeing the light right now.