What a Difference Some Faith Makes........

[Top_Cat]

As most people know, I'm a bit of a Greg Blewett fan. I thought he should have played more Test cricket for Australia and with a little faith could have been one of the greats, so excuse my indulgence.

Just perusing his profile at Cricinfo, I had the idea of comparing his career as at his last Test with that of Steve Waugh. They were at similar corssroads in the career at the time and thought it'd make an interesting comparison. Little did I know how close it was.

Steve Waugh's Test record at the same point in his career as Blewwy is at now:

Steve Waugh

Matches: 46
Innings: 70
Not Outs: 11
Runs: 2165
Highest Score: 177*
Average: 36.69
Hundreds: 3
Fifties: 13

And now Greg:

Greg Blewett

Matches: 46
Innings: 79
Not Outs: 4
Runs: 2552
Highest Score: 214
Average: 34.02
Hundreds: 4
Fifties: 15

Now, to me that's quite striking. Very similar stats at the same point in their careers. Steve Waugh has gone onto being one of the all-time greats and lifted his average to 50 where it's hovered for a while, whereas Blewwy is out of the team.

As I said, what a difference some faith makes. Who knows where Blewwy could have been if he had been given another chance to reinvent himself, as Steve Waugh was given?

 

[Kiwi]

I agree with you Top_cat. I think that if he was in any other country then he would still be playing test cricket. Australia have so much depth that he is probably no loss to them. He is one of my favourite cricketers and I would love to see him play more. Interesting Stats comparing him to Steve Waugh when u think of the chances that Waugh has had compared to Blewett.

 

[anzac]

no arguements from me

i thought greg should have been in the test side ahead of Ponting, Langer & Martyn.

Tubby & Slats had so many chances b4 going yet the likes of Blewett, Elliott & Jones were ousted pdq.

some pundits will say that the likes of Hayden, Langer & Martyn all came back from the cold to restart their careers, and that Greg wasn't good enoughto do so - bollocks. For my money he has been the one to enable Lehman to resurrect his career. Maybe it has something to do with State Politics? - has someone from SA pissed anyone off in the selectors wholesale - any of the Chappells?

 

[Top_Cat]

Maybe it has something to do with State Politics? - has someone from SA pissed anyone off in the selectors wholesale - any of the Chappells?

Nah, who knows? Greg is one of the most quiet and affable blokes I've met in my life so it wasn't his mouth, like Jonesie, which got him in trouble. Most in SA will tell you all about the NSW bias in selection and there's a strong case for that but who knows?

Speaking of Greg, how's this for some quick scoring:

http://www-aus.cricket.org/link_to_...N_AUS/SCORECARDS/ENG_AUS-XI_19-22DEC1998.html

Check Corey Richards and Greg Blewwet's partnership in the second innings.

[Edited on 9/15/02 by Top_Cat]

 

[anzac]

hells teeth !!!!! :O

what ever happened to Richards??????

now I don't feel so bad about the NZ bowling figures from yesterdays match

 

[Blewy]

As many would understand u would Get NOOOOO arguments from me....

BLEWY IS GOD!!!!!!


And he's been victimised...

 

[Top_Cat]

what ever happened to Richards??????

He developed DVT on his way back from England just like Steve Waugh but his was much worse. As far as I know, he was injured for most of last season.

 

[Simon]

As many would understand u would Get NOOOOO arguments from me....

BLEWY IS GOD!!!!!!


And he's been victimised...

Some would say he was victimised....
Others (the more sensible of us) would say he has just not been good enough, he aint no steve waugh either.

 

[R_Powell_fan]

Excuse my laziness to go a research thus one out but...how old is he now,greg blewett, that is ? IMO he is a better player than Justin Langer.
One Question on my mind is : Will Micheal Slater ever win yet another test recall ?

 

[Blewy]

Slater will never be recalled, As for Blewy He is 30yo, as Broncoman pointed out to me the other day exactly the same age as Matty Hayden(To the day)...

A Hayden and Blewy opening stand would give us one of the best opening combos in recent years....

 

[Simon]

Oh come on leave Langer alone, hes doing well, all i can say is there are a few other in front of Blewett. Hussey and Maher will both get called up before him.

 

[R_Powell_fan]

*broncoman, I didn't say Langer should be dropped nor did i mean it, you just misread me...
*What about Simon Katich, won't he get in before Hussey?
*There was also a youngster whose first name i forgot but his surname is 'Love', Steve Waugh for one rated him very highly, Isn't he in contention?
*Why isn't Slater going to be recalled...My word Australia are such a good side that a man with a test avg. of 43(is it?) after 50+ tests isn't even in the running for a test place ?!!! :I

 

[Simon]

*broncoman, I didn't say Langer should be dropped nor did i mean it, you just misread me...

Yeh...... Sorry mate

*What about Simon Katich, won't he get in before Hussey?

Katich isnt an opener and Hussey is.

*There was also a youngster whose first name i forgot but his surname is 'Love', Steve Waugh for one rated him very highly, Isn't he in contention?

I'd Hardly call martin Love a youngster, hes been around a while.

*Why isn't Slater going to be recalled...My word Australia are such a good side that a man with a test avg. of 43(is it?) after 50+ tests isn't even in the running for a test place ?!!!

Slater isnt in the good books, hes a bit like Warne, goes from one controvesay to another.

Hope that cleared a few things up.

 

[Top_Cat]

Others (the more sensible of us) would say he has just not been good enough, he aint no steve waugh either.

Neither was Steve Waugh before around 1993. I still say his hundred against SA in Adelaide was what started his turnaround. If Blewwy had been given the chances Waugh had, who knows what he might have done. As far as raw skills, they are at least on par so who's to say that Blewwy couldn't have made it?

 

[Simon]

I have no doubt Blewett could have been a very good test cricketer over a long period of time, but i dont think hes coming back.
There is just too many good young players, but you never know, while hes playing hes a chance.

 

[Anoop]

One question:

Why was he dropped??

I thought he was a nice batsman and could bowl too, couldn't he?

He should be given another chance...

look at Hayden, look at Martyn... they all got a 2nd chance and were are they now!!
(ironically, that might very well be the reason why GB isn't getting a chance!)

 

[Simon]

Why was he dropped??

A little thing called form.
He got a century in the first test of that summmer, after that he couldnt get a run in a stocking. Got dropped around the tour of NZ. that was it.

 

[Top_Cat]

He got a century in the first test of that summmer, after that he couldnt get a run in a stocking.

Actually he didn't. He scored 89 and Slater scored the ton. He scored 82 in Adelaide too. Other than that, whilst scoring a consistent run of 30's and 40's, just couldn't get away.

I thought he was a nice batsman and could bowl too, couldn't he?

Form was the big issue apparently but the problem was that when he was paired with Mike Slater to open the batting, he was told the Slats is the 'attacking one' and that he should curb his aggressive game to support Slats. Blewwy, being as accomodating as he is, did his best but in the end he's a very aggressive player himself and for him to muzzle himself like that, well it was too difficult for him to do and quite frankly, was really unfair.

I swear I barely saw a pull-shot from him all summer yet we're talking about one of the most adept players of the pull and hook shots in world cricket even now. That says a lot for how his approach changed in that summer and I know it wasn't because he decided to change.

 

[full_length]

Whoah! If that's the case, it's most unfortunate. That's pretty much the worst you could do to a player.

If Blewett was basically playing to a script like you suggest, then he did a bloody good job! He had excellent technique, and since all most of us can see is players' performance in the international arena, it looked like he simply one of those blockers. The only criticism I had of Blewett was that while he could stay at the crease for a long time and look good, he simply couldnt make it pay- I've seen him get out for a low score after playing LOTS of deliveries so often.
*Even* so, he was definitely a good batsman. err.. I make these wierd comparisons between players. I compare Blewett to Atherton.

Come to think of it, SS Das is a bit like Blewett.. he also looks good when playing, but can't get the ball to the fence, and gets out at a technically good 30 (usually in 80 + balls) so often..

**
Another comparison: Steve Waugh and Moin Khan. Don't let stats bog you down. Just think about the image of those two players playing and tell me if you see any similarities
**

I thought he was a nice batsman and could bowl too, couldn't he?

I dont remember when, but one series he often got deliveries faster than McGrath and we had a good laugh about it. That happened as I was watching a match with my friends, and we'd just been talking about how crazy it was to have Srinath labeled "Medium pace" and McGrath "Fast" (and there's a division in between).
In the World cup '99, the medium fast defition for Srinath changed pretty fast to "fast" after the 90 + miles per hour deliveries

 

[Simon]

I dont think opening is really his position anyway, he would have been a great number 4 had M Waugh not been there.