The PlanetCricket View: One short of a legend

Joined
Jan 13, 2010
Article by Fenil -

We sometimes think ourselves to be lucky to have been born in an era where we got the chance to witness so many cricketing legends. From Steve Waugh to Brian Lara, Warne to Murali but there are people who consider themselves ill-fated for this very reason. No, they are not their rivals; in fact they are their teammates! These people are none other than the talented players who are either reduced to playing a second fiddle role to their legendary teammates or worse they don’t get much opportunity due to the side being heavily packed by the big names.Cricket has always produced legends and also such tough lucked players for whom one should feel for. Their performance or feat often remains unnoticed. Its unfortunate for such cricketers who are otherwise brilliant but their performances gets overshadowed by their legendary teammates more often than not. For the most part of their career, they have to wait for long periods to get a chance to showcase their talent at the highest level and if they do get such an opportunity, only some are able to make their own name and not get outranked by the players whom they have to fill the big shoes of.​

There are also some players who have been consistent in whatever opportunities they had got but were sidelined just because their team was either too good or the preferences of the team were different. However, the contribution of such cricketers to the game is immense. They are the cricketers who, at times, have to warm the bench despite being in good form. They are the players who end up getting their careers ended for the reasons they are not responsible for. Some of them even fail to make it to the highest level no matter how good they perform.​

It is disheartening to see such immensely talented players not getting the chances he deserves just because he is born in a legend’s era. It is neither their fault nor that of the legend(s) in the national team. Cricket, as they say, can be cruel a times and such players whose talent goes as a waste or are not given due credit more often than not are perfect examples of it.​

Let us have a look at some of the many such talented cricketers who never got what they deserved:​

Stuart MacGill:?Probably the unluckiest cricketer in the past decade. On his day, MacGill could play a pivotal role in deciding the outcome of a test.Australia isn’t known for producing many great spinners but it was the misfortune for MacGill andAustralia to have both Macgill and Warne in the same period. As a result, this leg spinner with a lethal wrong’un only got to don the baggy green when either Warne was injured or if a track demanded a second spinner. His chance to become the main spinner finally arose on the back of Shane Warne’s retirement but MacGill struggled in the post Warne era. Soon,?he decided to call it a day. He ended his career with over 200 wickets from 44 test matches with a strike rate better than the great Shane Warne leaving many wondering what could have been had he played more test matches. Stuart now gives his services as a commentator.​

Taslim Arif: Born in an era where a wicket-keeper?s skills behind the stumps were given much more importance than their batting ability, Arif made his debut as an opener forPakistan in 1980. In his very first match, a test against arch rivals India, he showed good signs and went on to score 90 in the first innings and 46 in the second. The best from Arif came in his third test when he scored an unbeaten 210 against Australia in which each Aussie player including their wicket-keeper Rod Marsh rolled their arms over. This remained as the highest score for a wicket-keeper in tests for around 20 years. The score was surpassed by Zimbabwe?s Andy Flower in 2000-01 againstIndia. Taslim had 510 runs to his name at an average of over 62 in the10 innings of 6 test matches he represented his country. Despite a good record in his short stint in the national team, he was dropped in favor of Wasim Bari who was a better gloveman. Taslim?s career ended in the same year he appeared to the international scene. Later, he served as an ICC match referee. Arif breathed his last in 2008.​

Darren Lehmann:?The sturdy Australian known for his free scoring batting style and useful left arm spin, was one of the best players of his time. Darren who had a whopping first class average of a shade under 58 with as many as 80 centuries to his name was equally good in domestic one dayers too in which he had scored over 13000 runs at a fabulous average of 46.86 with 19 hundreds and 94 half centuries to his credit, was expected to turn the world wild with his brilliant show for Australia. However, it was not to be. For the most part of his career, he played as a stop gap player when someone was needed to up the ante in the lower middle order. Boof, as he is fondly known, was yet another Aussie not to be able to get ample opportunities in the star studded line-up. He had to fight for a place with the likes of Ponting, Taylor, Waugh brothers, Martyn, Bevan and Hayden in the ?invincible? line-up of the then Australian team. It is in fact Australia’s poor luck that such a supremely talented cricketer played a mere 27?test matches in which he scored at an average of a shade under 45 runs and 3078 ODI runs with his average reading almost 39 in a touch over 100 games that he represented the Kangaroos. The high in his career came when he was the part of a world cup winning side. He last represented his nation in an ODI againstPakistan on Feb 6, 2005. He bid adieu to all forms of the game in 2008.​

Dheeraj Jadhav:?An average of 47 in One dayers and that of 56 in first class matches would be good enough for any batsman to break into the national side, but Dheeraj Jadhav. Jadhav started his domestic career as a middle order batsman only to turn into an opener later in his career. Dheeraj who is known more as a stroke player has the ability to bat for long hours has been very consistent for both his domestic teams, Maharashtra andAssam. He has been scoring tons of runs but it was his misfortune that the Indian team was full of legendary batsmen. With the likes of Tendulkar, Ganguly, VVS and Dravid in the team, he didn’t get any chance to play for the country. Jadhav still plays domestic cricket in all three formats of the game and has been doing fantastic work, especially in the longer formats scoring tons of runs which shows his determination and skill. He was by far the top run getter for this year?s Ranji season in plate division scoring 704 runs at a whopping average of 176 with 1 fifty and 5 big ones. Dheeraj remains as one of many ill-starred domestic stars who never got the honor of representing the country at the International level.​

Misbah-ul-Haq: Today, Misbah is celebrated as one of the best players of currentPakistan team. However, the journey wasn?t as smooth as it looks. He was first picked in the national side in 2001 but failed to impress one and all. Having a great domestic record to his name, it was only after the retirement of iconic Inzamam-ul-Haq that he a got regular chance to play for the country. He made the opportunity count, cemented his place in the team and in the process got the supporters in former cricketers including the legendary Imran Khan. Selectors showed faith in him and he was picked for the inaugural T20I worldcup. Misbah repaid the trust put on him and almost single handedly won the world cup for his side but he played a rash shot in the final against arch rivalsIndia and paid the price. He not only lost his wicket but also lost a chance to pick up the glittering trophy. Misbah’s scoop over the fine leg fielder caught the imagination of many and he became a star overnight for his brilliant show in the tournament. He has been very consistent since then and has scored runs at an average of 42.5 in ODIs and with that of 45.27 in the game’s longest format.? Unfortunately, he is already over 38 years now and is not expected to serve the country for long.​

Dinuka Hettiarachchi:?Standing 5ft 4 inches tall, the left arm orthodox spinner from Srilanka is considered one of the most lethal bowlers in the island nation and the star?crossed one too. Dinuka, was always superbly talented and had wickets to his name more often than not. The high for Dinuka, who has picked up 743 wickets in 185 first class matches which includes as many as 49 five wicket hauls and 178 scalps to his name in 111 games at a frugal average of 18,?came when he was called for the national duty in 2001 to play a test against the England. Hettiarachchi impressed one and all with his accurate bowling. He bowled tightly and was rewarded with two wickets marking a memorable debut where he shared the ball with the likes Vaas and Murali. He was so hard to put away that the experienced Englishmen could score at a paltry rate of 1.5 runs per over off his bowlingwhich reflects how dominant Dinuka was. However, this remains his only appearance for Srilanka. With his age over 35 years now, he is not expected to return to international cricket and his entire focus is now limited to the domestic cricket itself.​

One can think of several aspects about these cricketers but the biggest question would be that if they had been given more chances very early in their career and/or if they had born in some other era, with the talent and consistency they have had, would they have gone on to become legends?​



More...
 
Sunil Joshi is one among them as well. With the likes of Anil Kumble, he struggled a lot to get a nod ahead of Kumble. First Karnataka, then South Zone, then India and finally, even in Royal Challengers Bangalore- Kumble has been given more precedence.

He has been lucky enough to play 15 tests and around 70 ODI's;).
 
Sunil Joshi is one among them as well. With the likes of Anil Kumble, he struggled a lot to get a nod ahead of Kumble. First Karnataka, then South Zone, then India and finally, even in Royal Challengers Bangalore- Kumble has been given more precedence.

He has been lucky enough to play 15 tests and around 70 ODI's;).

Sunil Joshi was highly over-rated. A decent left-arm spinner, he had a couple of good seasons and one or two memorable performances in international cricket but that's about it. Not really a world beater by any stretch of the imagination.

I wouldn't even begin to start comparing him with Anil Kumble. Anil Kumble is a legend. Like the saying goes, he missed a century just by 99 runs. Sunil Joshi misses legend status in a similar way. 6/5 was a special performance though, but it was still a one-off.
 
Last edited:
I really think Badrinath could have been a legend(didn't tell it because I'm from TN)
He does really well in domestic level, his average is 60! :eek:
Indian batting, very tough to be a part of.
He didn't establish himself in the chances he got. He didn't get more chances too.(Just played 2 tests and 7 ODIs)

Another guy is C Pujara. He also does well in domestic level. (His avg is around 50)
I wonder how Raina and others are given chance underperforming. :spy

A nice article from you again Fenil. Good finds. :cheers
 
Very well written Fenil.Its informative and fun to read as well,like your articles always are ;).KIU :thumbs.
BTW some more players who could have done wonders in Tests if they played more: Mike Procter and Barry Richards whose careers were cut short due to SA's isolation from Tests.But they became true FC legends and impressed in the few Tests they played
smiley-music010.gif
 
Well written Fenil.The gentleman's game much depends on luck.It was the luck of these cricketers which came between their journey.There are many more who have been ignored like Asim Kamal from Pakistan.Many survive in the team due to some strong background like Imran Farhat is still there despite of his poor performance in the domestic seasons.Cricket has forced many people to attempt suicide just because they got overlooked after some good domestic performance.
 
Wow. Now thats a good read. Did not know a lot. Specially about Misbah, thanks Fenil
 
Glad you mentioned Darren Lehmann and not Brad Hodge :thumbs Not a huge amount in it I guess, but for me, Lehmann was the greater talent, and had tougher competition than Hodge.

Good stuff Fenil :yes
 
Glad you mentioned Darren Lehmann and not Brad Hodge :thumbs Not a huge amount in it I guess, but for me, Lehmann was the greater talent, and had tougher competition than Hodge.

Good stuff Fenil :yes

I have always felt Darren Lehmann was the unluckiest Aussie player in a past decade. I honestly, don't think Hodge was even expected to be a regular part of the side. He was no doubt good at domestic level but not good enough to find a place amongst the greats while Lehmann was more than capable to turn the match in his team's favor. His left arm spin was a added bonus too. During his playing days, I rated him more than the likes of Symonds and Katich to be honest.

Well written Fenil.The gentleman's game much depends on luck.It was the luck of these cricketers which came between their journey.There are many more who have been ignored like Asim Kamal from Pakistan.Many survive in the team due to some strong background like Imran Farhat is still there despite of his poor performance in the domestic seasons.Cricket has forced many people to attempt suicide just because they got overlooked after some good domestic performance.

I had Asim Kamal's name at the back of my mind but then thought Arif deserves a mention more than him. Also, I find Farhat somewhat like Imran Nazir. Both are talented. Can be dangerous for the opponents and at the same time for their own team. Much like Afridi is as a batsman.

Cricket has forced many people to attempt suicide just because they got overlooked after some good domestic performance.

Are you posting that due to any experience? :eek:
 
Sunil Joshi is one among them as well. With the likes of Anil Kumble, he struggled a lot to get a nod ahead of Kumble. First Karnataka, then South Zone, then India and finally, even in Royal Challengers Bangalore- Kumble has been given more precedence.

He has been lucky enough to play 15 tests and around 70 ODI's;).

Sunil Joshi, for me for just another bowler. I'd rate Ramesh Powar as a better bowler than him. Powar was more like a old conventional spinners who like to give the ball air and deceive the batsmen with the flight and spin unlike many of today's bowlers who fire the ball in or bowl defensively rather than looking to pick up wickets. Powar, I think, used to bowl somewhat like Pragyan Ojha. I hope Ojha doesn't have the same fate as Powar.

I really think Badrinath could have been a legend(didn't tell it because I'm from TN)
He does really well in domestic level, his average is 60! :eek:
Indian batting, very tough to be a part of.
He didn't establish himself in the chances he got. He didn't get more chances too.(Just played 2 tests and 7 ODIs)

Another guy is C Pujara. He also does well in domestic level. (His avg is around 50)
I wonder how Raina and others are given chance underperforming. :spy

A nice article from you again Fenil. Good finds. :cheers

Badrinath is a run machine at domestic level but he couldn't convert whatever limited his chances he got at the highest level. I don't he will be given a chance again. As far as Pujara is concerned, I expected him to take over Dravid's place in the test side. With Sachin and VVS who are expected to retire in a couple of years at the most (ideally), I can see Pujara in the test team. He has all the talent, ability and skill to succeed in international cricket. Rohit Sharma can be a nice inclusion to the team as well. Raina was given the chances in tests only because of his show in ODIs but he has been failing in the format he is good at (ODIs) too. If at all Yuvraj comes back fit and fine, he too has a chance to make it into the tests in my opinion.
 
Shaharyar said:
Many survive in the team due to some strong background like Imran Farhat is still there despite of his poor performance in the domestic seasons.
He HAD a strong background. But I think there is nothing to say about his domestic performances. He has performed well. Even though I also not like him but his last SIX domestic matches, he has scored 341 runs @ 56.83 with 2 HUNDREDS which is impressive. But I still believe he doesn't deserve to play for Pakistan, performing consistently for PAKISTAN. :p
 
Fawad Alam, anyone? Averages around 57 in first class, easily the highest in Pakistan, but never gets picked.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top