||丫头条||
2001 IN REVIEW! WHERE EVERY PLAYER STANDS AND WHO SHOULD BE WORRIED!
December 31st 2001
NOTICE
This article is not of the opinion of the newspaper but rather of the journalist writing it, nor has it been edited by anyone affiliated with this respected tabloid. Should there be any content that goes against the interests of the People's Republic of China please report this article to our Chief Editor at [email protected]
For the Chinese Cricket Association things must be going quite well for them following a successful two months of operating the national team following their formal establishment in October. The team has managed across its 8 games to win 6 of them including sweeping Sri Lanka at home before travelling to Japan and managing to finish runner-up to eventual Asian Cup winners India who has given the national team their only two defeats. Despite this it is time to judge just how well this team did on an individual level and while there were some great individual performances across the year there has also been some god awful ones so let's break down each player on how they did in 2001.
Fu Bojing (BJ) - Opener - BTA: 22.50
On the older side of things Fu Bojing is one of the older players in the squad at 34 and was expected to be a solid anchor at the top of the order, however Fu Bojing's 2001 season could be considered to be quite underwhelming. Across his 8 starts the opener only managed to score 180 runs at an average of 22.50 and a high score of 41, making him the only player in China's top order to not score even a half-century in any game he has played. As a result of this Fu Bojing has been highly criticized for his performance on the field
despite the fact that Cao Gang has also been similarly mediocre by many in the Chinese cricketing fanbase and especially by casuals who have only found out that Cricket even existed after China's Asian Cup run in Japan, with some people even claiming that Fu Bojing is the main reason why China couldn't defeat India
even though it was more of a team effort in that regard. Regardless of if Fu Bojing is over-criticized or not the opener's spot in the roster is already under fire and unless he performs decently in the Labour Trophy in March he could find himself dropped from the national team after only a few months as a centrally contracted player.
GRADE: D+
Cao Gang (ZJ) - Opener - BTA: 23.25
Despite Fu Bojing taking the spotlight in terms of criticism Cao Gang
absolutely deserves some criticism as like Fu Bojing he too has been underperforming at the top of the order with the 28 year old only scoring 186 runs, a top score of 50 and an average of 23.25. Despite the two openers sharing very similar stat lines the main difference between the two has been Cao Gang's ability to rotate the strike at a better capacity then Fu Bojing and the rest of the team, being the only player to maintain his strike rate above 80 which does raise his grade compared to Fu Bojing, however Cao Gang like Fu Bojing doesn't have the consistency that I believe is necessary to maintain their spot in the lineup. Considering the fact that he is a Zhejiangren and that he has been one of the brighter spots for Jinhua in the ZSCC First Class tournament this year his spot is likely more secure then Bojing's however a terrible Labour Trophy and People's Shield season could see him done away with.
GRADE: C
Du Wei (SN) - Top Order Batsman - BTA: 51.57
The youngest man in China's current national side Du Wei has had what could be considered a good year for the top order batsman. It was believed that Du Wei was the player that was in the most danger of losing their place in the side before the Sri Lankan tour due to the fact he hails from Shaanxi and considering the OSCC's more hostile attitude to the ZSCC it was believed that if he had underperformed he would of been benched and Fang Ai would of been thrown in at #3.... Thankfully logic prevailed and we didn't have to see that abomination of an idea executed as Du Wei in his first game became China's first ever century and steered China to victory over Sri Lanka which has basically secured his place in the side. Du Wei's 8 games have seem him score 361 runs at an average of 51.57 and having 3 50+ scores with a 112* included which has made him quite the solid piece in the Chinese side however Du Wei has had some more questionable moments with his shot decisions, which has more often then not gotten him out. Du Wei is only 20 however and if he continues to develop he should blossom into a great Cricketer for both his province and for his country.
GRADE: A-
Zhu Yusheng (GD) - Top Order Batsman - BTA: 86.60
Do I really need to write this segment to justify his grade...? Yeah I probably should. The Fisherman from Foshan has been firing on all cylinders having scored 433 runs across 8 games with an average of 86.60 and 4 50+ scores which includes a 104* and has been absolutely
essential to China's success this year. Among China's cricket fanbase the player has become more revered then he already was in his local province of Guangdong with the 30 year old in his prime managing to reinforce some of the mythos that has surrounded the batsman. If there has been anything to criticize about his play he has been rather slow at #4 however considering his ability to not get out and anchor a side I do believe that this is a good quality to have at where he primarily plays. Ultimately I have nothing else to say in regards to his play outside of the fact that he is quite good at Cricket.
GRADE: A+
Lei Shan (ZJ) - Wicketkeeper Middle Order Batsman - BTA: 15.17
There have been many choice words that have been used to describe the 34 year old wicketkeeper over the past two months... such as
useless Manchu,
foreign barbarian, completely incompetent, a waste of a roster spot and my personal favorite...
old knockoff Ye De. Based off of this you can figure that things have not been going well for the wicketkeeper and you would be right with Lei Shan scoring only 91 runs across 8 games with an average of 15.17 and a top score of 30... which is pretty bad ain't it? Now Lei Shan does have somewhat of an excuse as he did pick up a small injury during the Asian Cup, however that only really applies for the two games he was noted hurt for as the batsman has basically struggled for any sort of traction in his time with the team. His best score was against India in the opening game of the Asian Cup however outside of that resilient knock he hasn't really shown much of any promise that could justify his retainment in the national side. Lei Shan's future with the team will likely be dependent on if he can outperform every other wicketkeeper in the Labour Trophy, especially Ye De who people have been comparing him to as a lesser version of if he wants to retain his place in the side.
GRADE: F
Fan Rongyui (ZJ) - Allrounder - BTA: N/A - BWA: N/A
Fan Rongyui has been pretty much invisible considering that he is the backup to Jin Xing and he never underperformed, resulting in Fan Rongyui never getting an opportunity to break into the starting XI. We will probably see him more if the Chinese get a chance to play some Test matches in 2002 however we will have to wait to see if he gets that chance.
GRADE: N/A
Jin Xing (BJ) - Allrounder - BTA: 21.50 - BWA: 28.28
Well he wasn't that bad. Jin Xing at the young age of 21 has been quite solid as the 6th bowling option for the Chinese managing to play in all 8 games that China participated in, averaging 21.50 with the bat and a top score of 47 while with the ball he averages 28.28 and has a best figures of 3/24. Jin Xing has performed decently across his appearances however his economy leaves much to be desired with it being the second highest among players who played at-least three games which is a place for improvement. Jin Xing is 21 however so I believe that he will be given some time to mature into his own and the upcoming Labour Trophy season should be a great chance for him to find some form and get better which should mean that he won't get randomly dropped any time soon... at-least unless Duan Qin has another aneurism and replaces the entire team with Zhejiangren.
GRADE: B-
Fang Ai (ZJ) - Lower Order Batsman - BTA: N/A
The Old Man of Hangzhou hasn't had the best of years as of late. First he gets sidelined by the ZSCC and loses out on the captaincy to the Nepotism pick of Duan Aiguo, then he gets benched right before the first ODI against Sri Lanka for Mao Changming just so he can go run drinks for the next eight games, and now is basically a dead fish walking considering his old age and has very little chance of showing up in a game unless China plays a test, where is essentially guaranteed to start if they do play a test. Thankfully the old man's spirits haven't been diminished in the slightest with him commenting to Yatoutiao that "he is still quite proud to be apart of the squad" and considering his importance for China's domestic scene in the 90s we sincerely hope he does get a chance to at-least represent China before he moves on.
GRADE: N/A
Tang Deming (BJ) - Allrounder - BTA: 38.50 - BWA: 20.31
Well uh... this guy is quite good at Cricket isn't he? The 28 year old has managed to constantly justify his inclusion in the side with his bowling being one of the best in the side having managed to take a staggering 19 wickets at an average of 20.31. This includes a record shattering innings of 7/43 which is not only the first ever fifer China has produced in international cricket, not only is it the best innings by a bowler this year, but it is also the single best innings in the history of international cricket under the WCC. Tang Deming's grade likely would of been on par with Zhu Yusheng's however there are two things that drag down TDM's grade, the first of which being the fact that TDM has the unfortunate tendency to produce a
really bad innings, such as his 0/77 against India in the Asian Cup Final. The other thing is that Tang Deming's economy is pretty bad, being the third highest among players who've played in three games and ultimately is why his grade has been diminished, however he is still quite good at this game and the Beijingren should be secure in his spot for both Tests and ODIs for the 2002 season.
GRADE: A-
Hou Xiaotong (GD) - Allrounder - BTA: 14.00 - BWA: 51.50
Well he was kind of there, and pretty mediocre at that. Hou Xiaotong was brought in after Mao Changming had a miserable debut and the team hasn't looked back since... however I'd argue there should be some sort of look at a switch considering how Hou Xiaotong played. With the bat he was expected to provide some resistance in the lower order however he hasn't really done that with an average of 14 and a top score of 19, nor has been bowling been any impressive with him being primarily used to help keep the overs flowing. The one thing the Guangdongren has going for him is that he has the best economy out of every bowler that has bowled in at-least three innings which is commendable for a guy who only bowls on average 3.34 overs per game. Regardless I do think the Chinese can do a lot better and that Mao Changming deserves another look at on the national level.
GRADE: C
Mao Changming (ZJ) - Allrounder - BTA: N/A - BWA: N/A
Well Mao Changming gave up 59 runs in 6 overs and the coaching staff decided that was enough with him, benching him for Hou Xiaotong and not looking bad. The fact he hasn't been given another chance is a bit sad but I can understand the team's concerns and the fact that practically all of the pacers have been pretty bad. This grade doesn't reflect his potential but rather how he performed... and well when you get benched after one game you can kind of see where this is going.
GRADE: F
Duan Aiguo (ZJ) - Pace Bowler - BWA: 46.00
Ah and now we've reached the Nepotism pick himself, the so called
Patriot of China and arguably the biggest disappointment on this team, and that player's name is Duan Aiguo. For those wondering, yes Duan Aiguo is related to ZSCC Chairman and CCA General Secretary Duan Qin by the fact that the 26 year old bowler is the Chairman's son, which has for the past few months has been an argument of debate considering how well the Chairman's son has been playing... and by god has he been not good. Across 8 games Duan Aiguo has taken 8 wickets for an average of 46 flat and his best figures being 2/35... which is better then the other pacers at-least. The one saving grace for the skipper is that his contemporary's in the pace department has been performing much worse however Duan Aiguo has been hogging all the spotlight like Fu Bojing considering the fact that Duan Aiguo both the captain and the General Secretary's son, which has resulted in accusations of nepotism which aren't actually baseless. Considering the fact Duan Aiguo is never getting dropped so long as the ZSCC continues to have a stranglehold on the CCA we can only hope he improves with time.
GRADE: D+
He Weimin (BJ) - Pace Bowler - BWA: 45.66
Welp He Weimin didn't really distinguish himself from Duan Aiguo or Xu Yun at all... in fact he was arguably the least remarkable bowler trialed during the 2001 season at-least with ODI's as the only sample size. He Weimin managed to take 6 wickets in 6 innings for an average of 45.66 and a best figures showing of 2/67. He was alternated out with Shi Gen for the game against Japan but came back for the semi-final following a drop in production from Xu Yun even though in hindsight that wasn't the smartest move thought out by the coaching staff. His saving grace is the fact he has the best average among the pacers however I'd argue he did worse considering he played fewer games and wasn't able to distinguish himself from those around him, which might cost him his roster spot if he doesn't perform in the Labour Trophy. Hopefully he does find some form as he does show some promise however at the age of 29 time might be running out in that regard.
GRADE: D
Xu Yun (ZJ) - Pace Bowler- BWA: 52.00
Xu Yun is the more expensive yet more prolific counterpart to He Weimin, with him having the worst stats among the three pacers yet is in my opinion slightly more even with He Weimin in terms of production. Among his six games he took 6 wickets at 52 flat with his best figures being 2/46, which also hides the fact that he had the worst economy among every bowler who bowled at-least three innings at 5.57. Xu Yun did however provide some more interesting moments in his starts with his antics on the field, which might be why he is viewed much more kindly then He Weimin is however Xu Yun will need to have a decent Labour Trophy campaign or he the walking clown will likely not be retained on the national side considering how many pacers are set to take part in the Labour Trophy tour this year.
GRADE: D
Shi Gen (BJ) - Wrist Spinner - BWA: 17.80
Shi Gen has been the biggest surprise of the season for China after making his debut in a must win game against Japan, having taken 10 wickets for 17.80 with his best figures being 4/30. Shi Gen would of made his debut against Sri Lanka however following him contracting food poisoning on the morning of the game he was benched and had to wait to make his debut which thank the lord he did so. His impact has been quite noticeable as his performances against Japan and Pakistan aided China in advancing further into the tournament and it could be argued that had he not played China likely doesn't make their miracle run in the Asian Cup. Shi Gen will hopefully be secure in his spot in the side and should be looking to perform well in the Labour Trophy for his native Beijing and his association of the BNCA, who recognized Shi Gen with the 2001 BNCA Player of the Year following the end of their domestic season for his performances across the year. His grade shouldn't be a surprise to anyone but I do think that he will be a very important piece for the Chinese going forward, and his grade should show why.
GRADE: A
Hu Yan, Writer for Yatoutiao
