War
Chairman of Selectors
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2010
- Online Cricket Games Owned
Basically list & describe the cricketers since you have been watching cricket that surprised you by their careers performances, in which they either exceeded your expectations or shocked you by their struggles/failures.
Abur Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood & Shaid Afridi:
I'm going to group these three together, because essentially their struggles to live up to their earlier performances is pretty similar.
I saw all three of them in their formative years & i thought Pakistan had found 3 gems of all-rounders. I recall Mahmood's batting efforts in South Africa 97/98 & Razzaq in the 99 cricket-world cup. But as the 2000s era came they slowly fell away - Mahmood much faster of course.
Razzaq of course still was very useful with the bat in ODIs for a long while, but his bowling became average & never became that quality test all-rounder i really thought he would be.
Afridi has the talent have become one the greatest spin-bowling all-rounders alongside richie benaud, aubrey faulkner, vinoo mankad, wilfred rhodes - but damn his over-aggressive batting instinct just messed him up.
Craig White
Before Flintoff fully became the adequate all-rounder since botham that england fans were seeking for 20 years, Craig White was the next best thing amongst the plethora of joke country all-rounders that were tried and failed in tests.
His career peak was a big surprise to me. See him bowling 90 mph reverse swing in the famous 2000 series win vs windies (first time in 31 years @ the time); and then his heroic all-round efforts during england's famous wins in pakistan in sri lanka that winter came totally out of the blue.
Mike Kasprowicz
His two year success with the australia team circa 2004-2006 surprised me. I recall seeing him in the 90s & always found him average. Then when he was strangely picked for the 2001 test tour to india as brett lee's replacement instead of Andy Bichel, then struggled in the famous 2001 kolkotta test i had hope he would never be picked again.
Then circa 2004 he was picked again & i wasn't convinced even though he was bowling well in domestic cricket. But he surprised me & forced a superb bowling quarter alongside McGrath/Dizzy/Warne for about a year, which i would say was the strongest aus 4-man attack during the 95-2006/07 glory days.
Nantie Hayward
Thought he was the immediate successor to Allan Donald when i first saw him in during the england tour to s africa in 99/00. He had everything really - the right height & was very quick. Similar attributes to Morne Morkel. But then he just fell away shockingly.
Andrew Symonds
We all know the story. Ponting fought for his selection in world-cup 2003 based on feeling & he rewarded the faith with that great hundred vs pakistan.
Don't think anyone after seeing Symonds before ever thought highly of him, so his career rise was a big big surprise.
Steve Harmison
After his superb "7 test of 2004" highlight by his 7/12 in kingston vs windies i reckon (and i presume most other england fans too) england had found a world-class bowler for another 5-10 years. But he became a weird frustration after that, until he eventually faded away after 2009.
This is all for now, will list some others later...everyone else can make their list
Abur Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood & Shaid Afridi:
I'm going to group these three together, because essentially their struggles to live up to their earlier performances is pretty similar.
I saw all three of them in their formative years & i thought Pakistan had found 3 gems of all-rounders. I recall Mahmood's batting efforts in South Africa 97/98 & Razzaq in the 99 cricket-world cup. But as the 2000s era came they slowly fell away - Mahmood much faster of course.
Razzaq of course still was very useful with the bat in ODIs for a long while, but his bowling became average & never became that quality test all-rounder i really thought he would be.
Afridi has the talent have become one the greatest spin-bowling all-rounders alongside richie benaud, aubrey faulkner, vinoo mankad, wilfred rhodes - but damn his over-aggressive batting instinct just messed him up.
Craig White
Before Flintoff fully became the adequate all-rounder since botham that england fans were seeking for 20 years, Craig White was the next best thing amongst the plethora of joke country all-rounders that were tried and failed in tests.
His career peak was a big surprise to me. See him bowling 90 mph reverse swing in the famous 2000 series win vs windies (first time in 31 years @ the time); and then his heroic all-round efforts during england's famous wins in pakistan in sri lanka that winter came totally out of the blue.
Mike Kasprowicz
His two year success with the australia team circa 2004-2006 surprised me. I recall seeing him in the 90s & always found him average. Then when he was strangely picked for the 2001 test tour to india as brett lee's replacement instead of Andy Bichel, then struggled in the famous 2001 kolkotta test i had hope he would never be picked again.
Then circa 2004 he was picked again & i wasn't convinced even though he was bowling well in domestic cricket. But he surprised me & forced a superb bowling quarter alongside McGrath/Dizzy/Warne for about a year, which i would say was the strongest aus 4-man attack during the 95-2006/07 glory days.
Nantie Hayward
Thought he was the immediate successor to Allan Donald when i first saw him in during the england tour to s africa in 99/00. He had everything really - the right height & was very quick. Similar attributes to Morne Morkel. But then he just fell away shockingly.
Andrew Symonds
We all know the story. Ponting fought for his selection in world-cup 2003 based on feeling & he rewarded the faith with that great hundred vs pakistan.
Don't think anyone after seeing Symonds before ever thought highly of him, so his career rise was a big big surprise.
Steve Harmison
After his superb "7 test of 2004" highlight by his 7/12 in kingston vs windies i reckon (and i presume most other england fans too) england had found a world-class bowler for another 5-10 years. But he became a weird frustration after that, until he eventually faded away after 2009.
This is all for now, will list some others later...everyone else can make their list
