The "Players Who Wish They Were Born In Another Era/Country" Thread

[Almost_Austwick]

I agree with what you're saying Hoops, was just trying to make the point that due to the strength in depth this thread will be mostly Australian based.

Thinking a little outside the box and you could include many of the South African cricketers who were denied test careers due to the ban for apartheid. The likes of Barry Richards, Mike Proctor and the Pollock boys would surely have been shoe ins for 75 plus tests.

 

[Hooper]

Yeah, I agree with what your saying, and no doubt that the great South African players that missed out during all them years would have definably been great players. The things that I have read of Barry Richards and Graeme Pollock are amazing. Shame that issues meant they couldn't become Test legends.

I have also read highly about some of the great West Indies players in the early 1990's. well not early, but 1930's I think. I think "Someone Headly? The Black Bradman? Yeah, well he only played 22 Tests, and his stats are mind-blowing!

 

[Griffo]

There was a brilliant South African bowler... I cant remember his name but I dont think he ever played a test

 

[Almost_Austwick]

Yeah, I agree with what your saying, and no doubt that the great South African players that missed out during all them years would have definably been great players. The things that I have read of Barry Richards and Graeme Pollock are amazing. Shame that issues meant they couldn't become Test legends.

I have also read highly about some of the great West Indies players in the early 1990's. well not early, but 1930's I think. I think "Someone Headly? The Black Bradman? Yeah, well he only played 22 Tests, and his stats are mind-blowing!

George Headly is the chap your thinking of - Dean Headly's granddad. He was known as the black Bradman and rated by the great man (or so I believe).

As for the South African boys, well, they certainly had the Aussies number in that final series . If they hadn't been banned they would have been up there with the Windies during the 70's.

There was a brilliant South African bowler... I cant remember his name but I dont think he ever played a test

There have been quite a few over the years .

 

[Hooper]

Yeah, thats the one George!

I think Brian Lara wishes he was born about 10 years eariler Imagine the great West Indies team with a Brian Lara in his prime! Mouth Watering!

 

[Griffo]

Batting at 7... lol

The south african bowler averaged 20

 

[Sureshot]

Yeah, thats the one George!

I think Brian Lara wishes he was born about 10 years eariler Imagine the great West Indies team with a Brian Lara in his prime! Mouth Watering!

Yeh, they really needed another start player...

 

[angryangy]

You can say Stuart MacGill, but in a roll of the dice, he'd probably get thrown into a bad era any way. Grimmett in the 20s and 30s, O'Reilly in the 30s and 40s. Benaud in the 50s and 60s, plus the MacGill of the 40s and 50s, Colin McCool, was a pretty handy all-rounder and leggie. Mallet in the 70s, the first offie that comes to mind, pushed out astute leggies Terry Jenner and Kerry O'Keefe, so although MacGill would probably be the superior bowler, there was competition. Get to the 80s and we finally find an era when he would have been king of the roost from start to finish.

The other thing is, in this era people say he's unlucky to only have played 40 Tests, yet Richie, the 3rd most successful leg spinner ever, only played 63. Grimmett took his 216 wickets in only 37 Tests. O'Reilly played only 27 Tests even though he played every Aussie Test from his call-up in 1932 to his last game in 1946, at the age of 40. World War II; now that's an unlucky thing to be up against.

MacGill could quite easily get to 50 in 2008. He may be unfortunate to be understudy to Warne, but this has been a very, very good time to be an understudy.

 

[legspinner@fred]

Heres one, Murray Goodwin.
Could of been one of been a prolfic test batsman, one problem, he was Zimbabwean.

http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/55456.html

Why, oh why wasn't he born in England..
FC high of 332*, average of 48.28, 1 20twenty hundred, a one day high of 167.

 

[harishankar]

I think VVS Laxman would have been a lot more comfortable had he been an 80s player. His class and style of cricket is reminiscent of an earlier era of cricket when the game was slower and played by less athletic folk.

 

[Vcassano]

I have also read highly about some of the great West Indies players in the early 1990's. well not early, but 1930's I think. I think "Someone Headly? The Black Bradman? Yeah, well he only played 22 Tests, and his stats are mind-blowing!

Less tests were played back then and it is well known he carried a poor West Indian team very well, in other eras he may have won more but would he have been so iconic? Doubt it.

For me: Ramprakash, with central contracts and our semi-recent policy of loyalty in selection I think he would have been a big success. Such a fantastic domestic player, reminds me alot of Bell, not necessarily iron-willed but extremely gifted.

 

[Almost_Austwick]

With the mention of Ramprakash I suppose you could also bring Hick into that equation.

A reasonable player but very badly handled by the management, I feel that Hick would have improved upon his record if he played under the Fletcher regime.

 

[evertonfan]

Hick, Ramps, Keedy, Loye...there are plenty of class county players who Fletch cast a blind eye to.

 

[Kev]

Anthony Ireland (Zimbabwe)- Probably wishes he was born in Ireland, I mean how good would that look on the scorecard!

and

Leslie Gay (England 1894/95) - He would most certainly be glad not to have been born in the modern era!

 

[Animator!]

Matt Roberts - Sadly this country has already filled the All rounders role, or this fiesty young pace bowler who hits it a mile would be a shoe-in.