One of the main factors contributing to the run soaked 2000s has been the lack of top quality Test pace bowlers. The decline has been so marked that since the recent retirement of Glenn McGrath it is hard to name one great quick bowler currently plying his trade. Shaun Pollock comes the closest, but his form has not been brilliant of late and he has a poor record against the best team of his era, Australia.
There are plenty of good seam and swing bowlers and even a few genuine fast bowlers, but none of them can be considered great, let alone all-time greats. It is a serious dearth, which threatens to make life even easier for Test batsmen, who continue to plunder runs and bolster their averages on batsman friendly surfaces.
The fast men
Of the current crop of pace bowlers only a handful can be considered fast. The best of these at the moment is, without doubt, Makhaya Ntini. His determination and enthusiasm, allied to ferocious pace, make him a fearsome prospect for most Test batsmen. Coming in from wide of the crease his deliveries often seem to spear into the batsman, forcing evasive action or uprooting stumps. Unfortunately, Ntini has a great achilles heel - his home bias. On his familiar South African pitches he averages a majestic 22.53, putting him up there with the greats, but take him away from home and the average plummetts to 38.08. For this reason, very good bowler that he is, Ntini cannot be considered great.
If his body was able to bear the strain of Test matches, Shane Bond might have achieved greatness. He has all the attributes and has used them in the 16 Tests he has played to claim 74 wickets @ 22.10. But such a short career (in terms of matches) does not yield enough evidence to know how good he really is.
Another injury plagued bowler is Shoaib Akhtar, though he has managed to take the field for Pakistan in 43 Tests. In this time he has amassed 169 victims, but has rarely been consistent through a series, let alone a season. When he is on form he can be devastating, but against the two best batting line-ups of his era, Australia and India, he has rarely found his best.
Brett Lee, who came to Test cricket in a blaze of glory, fell away badly and was dropped for over a year and a half. Since his return he has shown some good form, though mainly against the West Indies, who must now be considered one of the weaker Test nations. Despite his improvement, Lee still averages 31.60 and has a poor economy rate. He has also struggled against the old enemy, England, as well as Pakistan.
With 83 wickets to his name @ 30.73 Lasith Malinga is emerging as a quick bowler with real talent. His unusual, slinging action was used to much effect in the recent ODI World Cup. Yet he has not shown this devastating form consistently in Tests. There is surely much more to come from the young Sri Lankan, but he is still very much a work in progress.
The England duo Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff often bowl in the early nineties, but usually average in the late eighties. They fall somewhere between the genuinely quick bowlers mentioned above and the numerous fast medium and medium fast bowlers that ply their trade in Test cricket. Both hit the pitch hard and can extract lethal bounce, yet neither can be considered more than very good, occasionally brilliant. Harmison is too inconsistent and his average is creeping up, whereas Flintoff is wonderfully consistent, but rarely rips through a side.
The rest
There are a number of good swing bowlers in Test cricket, though most rely on conditions to help them and some can be cannon fodder when the ball fails to swing. Amongst the best is the veteran Sri Lankan, Chaminda Vaas. So often underrated this hard working left armer is always ready to give his captain another over. Vaas usually bowls with miserly accuracy, achieving the astonishing economy rate of 2.66, despite playing so many of his matches in unhelpful conditions. The only things mitigating against him are his average, just 29.21 and his relatively poor record against India, Pakistan and South Africa.
England's Matthew Hoggard is the form swing bowler in Tests. He has consistently broken opening partnerships and is particularly unforgiving against left handers. His dogged attitude and ability to bowl well even when there is little swing around has made him England's best pace bowler in recent series. But for an injury this summer he would surely have added to his tally against the West Indies and India. Only his average of 30.03 and his poor form against Australia and Pakistan can be held against him.
A couple of high class newcomers, Mohammad Asif and Stuart Clark, have the potential to stake their claim to be regarded amongst the best. Both have excellent records in the short time they have been playing Test cricket, but will need to test themselves against all opponents in all conditions before a verdict can be reached.
Of the remaining Test bowlers currently playing there are plenty of other newcomers, as well as some more seasoned campaigners, but none with track records that suggest they will be great or are more than fleetingly brilliant. When you consider how many of the best pace bowlers of all-time were playing in the 70s, 80s, and 90s it is hard to see how we have reached such a famine in the 2000s. Pitches can be blamed for some of it, but I remember those greats often taking wickets on flat surfaces. Whatever the reasons for it the sad truth is that there are few quick bowlers currently playing Test cricket who can strike fear into opposing batsmen and the game is all the poorer for it.
Showing posts with label Shaun Pollock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shaun Pollock. Show all posts
Thursday, 2 August 2007
Sunday, 17 June 2007
The Best of the Rest
The 56-man shortlist for the greatest Test XI of the last hundred years will, inevitably, contain many notable omissions. Here is a ‘best of the rest’ XI selected form those who didn’t quite make the grade.
Bill Ponsford
Ponsford averaged 48 in Tests in the decade between 1924 and '34, while his first-class average is an outstanding 65. He is the only batsman in history to have hit two first-class 400s, and was a fine player of spin, yet there is a feeling he could have been even better. As Cricinfo comments, "In his first and last series, those of 1924-25 and 1934 against England, he made nearly half of his total of Test runs for an average of 64.81, whereas in his other six series he made his runs at under 40." Ultimately, it was this that counted against him.
Graham Gooch
Only averaged 42 in Tests but played his best Test cricket after the age of 35, and succeeded against some of the best pace attacks of all time. A courageous batsman who could counter-attack to great effect, his brilliant 154* against the West Indies at Headingley in 1991 is officially rated the finest Test innings of all time, while he holds the record for most runs ever in a Test match (456 against India in 1990).
Peter May (captain)
May was a hugely graceful stroke-player, and an outstanding captain, winning 20 of his 41 Tests in charge, who symbolised ideals of both elegant batsmanship and sportsmanship. However, his terrible record in his sole series in South Africa (average 15) prevented his selection for the final shortlist.
Rohan Kanhai
An unorthodox and exhilarating batsman, Sunil Gavaskar once wrote “To say that he is the greatest batsman I have ever seen so far is to put it mildly.” Kanhai scored 15 Test hundreds and, after a slow start (he took 13 Tests to register his first century) established himself as a formidable batsman. He was selected in the original list but was edged out by the plethora of terrific middle-order batsmen.
Stan McCabe
Like Kanhai, McCabe was selected in the original shortlist and missed out by the narrowest of margins. He averaged 48 for Australia – although remember this was during the Ashes run gluts of the 1930s – but his fearlessness and thrilling strokeplay was best highlighted by a pulsating 187* at Sydney in 1932. It was, by far, the finest innings played against Bodyline – and one of the best of all time – and it was a great shame that his last Test cricket was played at just 28.
Kumar Sangakkara (wicket-keeper)
Sangakkara is a tremendously elegant batsman who, at 29, still has time to force his way up the pantheon of greats. He has struck 12 Test hundreds, each of them compiled in thrilling style, and shown his qualities as a wicket-keeper through keeping successfully to Muralitharan over an extended period of time.
Andrew Flintoff
Like Ian Botham, only even more so, Flintoff’s spell at the top looks like it will prove disappointingly short. But, over a 30-Test spell period from the start of 2004 to the start of the summer of 2006, Flintoff was perhaps the world’s finest player, averaging 41 with the bat and 25 with the ball; his exploits in the 2005 Ashes, against easily the best side of his generation, were phenomenal. When his confidence was high, Flintoff was a very fine batsman capable of both mature and counter-attackings knocks; and, as anyone who saw that over to Messrs Langer and Ponting at Edgbaston would testify, his consistency, pace, aggression and bounce made him a superb quick.
Shaun Pollock
Pollock’s record over more than 100 Tests, averaging 32 with the bat and 23 with the ball, is phenomenal. Incredibly, he averages less than 24 against all Test opposition, bar one – but against Australia he fares much worse, averaging 37. His sustained excellence is undoubted and few can rival his ability to extract help from a seaming wicket, and Pollock, included in the original list, misses out by the narrowest of margins.
Wes Hall
Hall was a tall, muscular fast bowler who, aged just 21, showed sufficient adaptability and willpower to take 46 wickets at 17 in eight sub-continental Tests. However, it was his terrific exploits against England and Australia during the memorable contests of the early 1960s that secured his reputation, including 9/203 during the unforgettable tied Test. Though his decline began earlier than he’d have wished, he was the first truly great West Indian fast bowler.
Jeff Thomson
For a few years, Thomson, along with Dennis Lillee, was the world’s fiercest and most deadly fast bowler. On quick, bouncy surfaces, he was a partisan home crowd’s dream – but, in the era just before helmets, a truly terrifying sight for batsmen. Injuries took their toll, and Thomson had to adapt, nullifying his effectiveness – but one only had to look at the West Indies’ fearsome pace quartets for proof of his impact.
Bishan Bedi
Bedi was a masterful exponent of the classical art of left-arm spin and watching a duel between him and a fine batsman was invariably intriguing, made all the more so by Bedi’s habit of clapping 4s; it was as if that, in doing so, the opposition were merely being sucked further into the Indian’s web. However, a strike rate of 80 – and an average of almost 40 in 12 Tests in England – is higher than one would wish.
Twelfth man: Jacques Kallis
On raw statistics – an average of 55 with the bat and 31 with the ball – Kallis rivals Gary Sobers as the finest all-rounder of all time. Yet, like Matthew Hayden, amongst others, he is the beneficiary of serial gorging against the world’s weakest attacks, averaging 114 in 26 Tests against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and West Indies, and only 44 against other nations. Nonetheless, he is a fine, albeit largely colourless, batsman and a fast-medium seamer whose quality was illustrated by a match-winning 6-54 in England in 2003.
Bill Ponsford
Ponsford averaged 48 in Tests in the decade between 1924 and '34, while his first-class average is an outstanding 65. He is the only batsman in history to have hit two first-class 400s, and was a fine player of spin, yet there is a feeling he could have been even better. As Cricinfo comments, "In his first and last series, those of 1924-25 and 1934 against England, he made nearly half of his total of Test runs for an average of 64.81, whereas in his other six series he made his runs at under 40." Ultimately, it was this that counted against him.
Graham Gooch
Only averaged 42 in Tests but played his best Test cricket after the age of 35, and succeeded against some of the best pace attacks of all time. A courageous batsman who could counter-attack to great effect, his brilliant 154* against the West Indies at Headingley in 1991 is officially rated the finest Test innings of all time, while he holds the record for most runs ever in a Test match (456 against India in 1990).
Peter May (captain)
May was a hugely graceful stroke-player, and an outstanding captain, winning 20 of his 41 Tests in charge, who symbolised ideals of both elegant batsmanship and sportsmanship. However, his terrible record in his sole series in South Africa (average 15) prevented his selection for the final shortlist.
Rohan Kanhai
An unorthodox and exhilarating batsman, Sunil Gavaskar once wrote “To say that he is the greatest batsman I have ever seen so far is to put it mildly.” Kanhai scored 15 Test hundreds and, after a slow start (he took 13 Tests to register his first century) established himself as a formidable batsman. He was selected in the original list but was edged out by the plethora of terrific middle-order batsmen.
Stan McCabe
Like Kanhai, McCabe was selected in the original shortlist and missed out by the narrowest of margins. He averaged 48 for Australia – although remember this was during the Ashes run gluts of the 1930s – but his fearlessness and thrilling strokeplay was best highlighted by a pulsating 187* at Sydney in 1932. It was, by far, the finest innings played against Bodyline – and one of the best of all time – and it was a great shame that his last Test cricket was played at just 28.
Kumar Sangakkara (wicket-keeper)
Sangakkara is a tremendously elegant batsman who, at 29, still has time to force his way up the pantheon of greats. He has struck 12 Test hundreds, each of them compiled in thrilling style, and shown his qualities as a wicket-keeper through keeping successfully to Muralitharan over an extended period of time.
Andrew Flintoff
Like Ian Botham, only even more so, Flintoff’s spell at the top looks like it will prove disappointingly short. But, over a 30-Test spell period from the start of 2004 to the start of the summer of 2006, Flintoff was perhaps the world’s finest player, averaging 41 with the bat and 25 with the ball; his exploits in the 2005 Ashes, against easily the best side of his generation, were phenomenal. When his confidence was high, Flintoff was a very fine batsman capable of both mature and counter-attackings knocks; and, as anyone who saw that over to Messrs Langer and Ponting at Edgbaston would testify, his consistency, pace, aggression and bounce made him a superb quick.
Shaun Pollock
Pollock’s record over more than 100 Tests, averaging 32 with the bat and 23 with the ball, is phenomenal. Incredibly, he averages less than 24 against all Test opposition, bar one – but against Australia he fares much worse, averaging 37. His sustained excellence is undoubted and few can rival his ability to extract help from a seaming wicket, and Pollock, included in the original list, misses out by the narrowest of margins.
Wes Hall
Hall was a tall, muscular fast bowler who, aged just 21, showed sufficient adaptability and willpower to take 46 wickets at 17 in eight sub-continental Tests. However, it was his terrific exploits against England and Australia during the memorable contests of the early 1960s that secured his reputation, including 9/203 during the unforgettable tied Test. Though his decline began earlier than he’d have wished, he was the first truly great West Indian fast bowler.
Jeff Thomson
For a few years, Thomson, along with Dennis Lillee, was the world’s fiercest and most deadly fast bowler. On quick, bouncy surfaces, he was a partisan home crowd’s dream – but, in the era just before helmets, a truly terrifying sight for batsmen. Injuries took their toll, and Thomson had to adapt, nullifying his effectiveness – but one only had to look at the West Indies’ fearsome pace quartets for proof of his impact.
Bishan Bedi
Bedi was a masterful exponent of the classical art of left-arm spin and watching a duel between him and a fine batsman was invariably intriguing, made all the more so by Bedi’s habit of clapping 4s; it was as if that, in doing so, the opposition were merely being sucked further into the Indian’s web. However, a strike rate of 80 – and an average of almost 40 in 12 Tests in England – is higher than one would wish.
Twelfth man: Jacques Kallis
On raw statistics – an average of 55 with the bat and 31 with the ball – Kallis rivals Gary Sobers as the finest all-rounder of all time. Yet, like Matthew Hayden, amongst others, he is the beneficiary of serial gorging against the world’s weakest attacks, averaging 114 in 26 Tests against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and West Indies, and only 44 against other nations. Nonetheless, he is a fine, albeit largely colourless, batsman and a fast-medium seamer whose quality was illustrated by a match-winning 6-54 in England in 2003.
Monday, 9 April 2007
Preview: West Indies vs South Africa
With Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka fairly certain of qualification for the semi-finals, only one spot is left up for grabs. It will be a fight til the death between South Africa, England, the West Indies and even Bangladesh. The first crunch match sees the West Indies look to reinvigorate their campaign against a dumbfounded South African side who lost to Bangladesh last week. The West Indies have won both of their last two World Cup encounters with South Africa and also the last two games in the Champions Trophy.
West Indies will need stella perfromances from their best batsman, especially Chris Gayle, who has so far failed to get the Windies off to characteristicly fast starts. Daren Powell will meanwhile need support with the ball and South Africa will be hoping that the offspin of Gayle and Marlon Samuels and legspin of Ramnaresh Sarwan will not prove to be as perilous as that of Bangladesh's triumvate spin attack. With the pitch at Grenada likely to favour bowling first though, it could be a seamers game, which will suit both sides, South Africa more so.
Herschelle Gibbs will miss the game with the injury which restricted him to batting at seven in the previous match. Loots Bosman is likely to open with Graeme Smith, while AB de Villiers, so far unsuccessful, should drop into a more comfortable position in the middle order. Andre Nel should maintain his place, having been one of the few positives against Bangladesh, while Andrew Hall, mysteriously absent against Bangladesh, should also return at the expense of either the disappointing Justin Kemp or Charle Langevelt.
Prediction: Whoever wins the toss and bowls should win. The tournament and of course England need the Windies to enact the Great Escape. Can South Africa react? Past history says no.
Players to watch: Brian Lara and Shaun Pollock.
West Indies will need stella perfromances from their best batsman, especially Chris Gayle, who has so far failed to get the Windies off to characteristicly fast starts. Daren Powell will meanwhile need support with the ball and South Africa will be hoping that the offspin of Gayle and Marlon Samuels and legspin of Ramnaresh Sarwan will not prove to be as perilous as that of Bangladesh's triumvate spin attack. With the pitch at Grenada likely to favour bowling first though, it could be a seamers game, which will suit both sides, South Africa more so.
Herschelle Gibbs will miss the game with the injury which restricted him to batting at seven in the previous match. Loots Bosman is likely to open with Graeme Smith, while AB de Villiers, so far unsuccessful, should drop into a more comfortable position in the middle order. Andre Nel should maintain his place, having been one of the few positives against Bangladesh, while Andrew Hall, mysteriously absent against Bangladesh, should also return at the expense of either the disappointing Justin Kemp or Charle Langevelt.
Prediction: Whoever wins the toss and bowls should win. The tournament and of course England need the Windies to enact the Great Escape. Can South Africa react? Past history says no.
Players to watch: Brian Lara and Shaun Pollock.
Friday, 9 March 2007
Shaun Pollock
As the World Cup approaches, Third Umpire will be selecting a ODI World 11, with one player featuring every day. We continue with our number nine, South Africa's Shaun Pollock.
It is amazing to think that Shaun Pollock has been operating at the top level of international cricket for over a decade now. In that time he has consistently been one of the best bowlers in both Tests and one-dayers. His current ODI form is outstanding, averaging 17.63 with the ball in the last year or so and 29.50 with the bat. He has been one of the key reasons for South Africa's wonderful recent run, culminating in them claiming the number one spot from Australia.
What makes Pollock such a great bowling allrounder is his incredible control of line and length, which gets him plenty of wickets as well as an astonishingly miserly economy rate - just 3.71 runs per over in 274 ODIs. He is a superb bowler with the new ball, extracting a great deal of seam movement on almost any surface. Add to this his accuracy and you have an almost perfect bowling machine.
Though he has been criticised for not making the most of his batting talent, Pollock has still managed to maintain a healthy average over the years and has made some telling contributions to South Africa's cause. His aggressive, fast-scoring style makes him an ideal number eight or nine, destroying the opposition's tiring attacks in the later overs.
His intelligence ensures that he is an astute judge of any match situation and he will be crucial to South Africa's chances in the forthcoming World Cup.
It is amazing to think that Shaun Pollock has been operating at the top level of international cricket for over a decade now. In that time he has consistently been one of the best bowlers in both Tests and one-dayers. His current ODI form is outstanding, averaging 17.63 with the ball in the last year or so and 29.50 with the bat. He has been one of the key reasons for South Africa's wonderful recent run, culminating in them claiming the number one spot from Australia.
What makes Pollock such a great bowling allrounder is his incredible control of line and length, which gets him plenty of wickets as well as an astonishingly miserly economy rate - just 3.71 runs per over in 274 ODIs. He is a superb bowler with the new ball, extracting a great deal of seam movement on almost any surface. Add to this his accuracy and you have an almost perfect bowling machine.
Though he has been criticised for not making the most of his batting talent, Pollock has still managed to maintain a healthy average over the years and has made some telling contributions to South Africa's cause. His aggressive, fast-scoring style makes him an ideal number eight or nine, destroying the opposition's tiring attacks in the later overs.
His intelligence ensures that he is an astute judge of any match situation and he will be crucial to South Africa's chances in the forthcoming World Cup.
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