What makes Stuart Clark so good ATM?

[Craig]

What is that that he is having so much success currently? Is it his line and length and ability to get some movement or the batsmen not being attacking enough against him. I mean in that when batsmen start to look to score off him they do have a lot of success against him (ie get quite a few runs).

Again I'm risking my life and all creditibility with this thread so go ahead

 

[Dravid]

Yes it is his line and length and ability to get movement off the seam.

 

[silentstriker]

It's the one thing which is constantly underrated by most people, and the thing that will always get you wickets while your 'faster and ***ier' brethern poop out on flat roads, and the same thing that made Glenn McGrath the best ever: accuracy.

 

[vic_orthdox]

What is interesting is that he hasn't been outrageously successful in FC cricket in Australia. He always seems to be getting some sort of wobble when watching him on TV with the red ball.

 

[honestbharani]

What is interesting is that he hasn't been outrageously successful in FC cricket in Australia. He always seems to be getting some sort of wobble when watching him on TV with the red ball.

I think the presence of McGrath is a big factor. I often reckon that because of bowling with McGrath and Warne, some of the other bowlers tend do better than what their ability would allow them to.

But from whatever I have seen of him, he seems to be able to bowl at medium to fastish medium pace on a good line and length and that more often than not is a tough combination for most batting sides, esp. when they are also faced with McGrath/Warne from the other end.

 

[nightprowler10]

Simply because Clark is a poor man's McGrath, and that's quite a compliment.

 

[Nate]

Clark doesn`t average anything spectacular domestically, but he`s in the form of his life at the moment. Amazing accuracy and bounce at a good speed. For all this medium-pace rubbish, he bowled a few in the 140`s today.

 

[PhoenixFire]

His accuracy and lively pace for me. He consistently bowls that just-fuller-than-half-volley length just on or just outside off-stump, and gets edges very often.

 

[Ikki]

Simply because Clark is a poor man's McGrath, and that's quite a compliment.

I'd find that offensively correct - except that I'm a McGrath fan .

 

[shortpitched713]

Simply because Clark is a poor man's McGrath, and that's quite a compliment.

If anything Clark probably is bowling with more control now than McGrath is. It seems pretty obvious to me that Australian fast bowling will be in good hands after McGrath's retirement.

 

[Matt79]

I think the presence of McGrath is a big factor. I often reckon that because of bowling with McGrath and Warne, some of the other bowlers tend do better than what their ability would allow them to.

But from whatever I have seen of him, he seems to be able to bowl at medium to fastish medium pace on a good line and length and that more often than not is a tough combination for most batting sides, esp. when they are also faced with McGrath/Warne from the other end.

Except Clark's initial success came with McGrath out of the team.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I'd say Clark is currently the superior bowler. Has that bit of extra nip that McGrath at his peak did. Generally operates between 80-83mph, but can go up to the high 80s to keep the batters honest.

 

[aussie]

He's the bowling version of Hussey, all that FC cricket has helped the bloke a lot.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

He's helped by the fact that he's bowling to substandard under prepared batsmen with poor technique.

 

[PhoenixFire]

Pietersen has one of the best techniques in world cricket at the moment, apart from that, you're right.

 

[Eclipse]

Tall man bangs the ball into the pitch on a good length and gets seam movment and bounce.

 

[Josh]

Simply because Clark is a poor man's McGrath, and that's quite a compliment.

lol you've put that well in my opinion.

 

[Son Of Coco]

Because he's accurate, moves it around, and is quick enough to cause problems - a bit like McGrath when he was younger.

 

[Manee]

***BUMP***

A few interesting responses. Several note that his ability to up the pace, when necessary, is a main cause for his success but he managed to completely demolish the West Indies bowling 78-82mph swingers (not seamers, as was his assumed only trade). I'm unsure whether it is intelligence or just natural talent, but he hit the right full lengths for West Indian pitches, and bowled the ball on the stumps, another necessity on slow tracks. This contrasts to Brett Lee who bowled good line and length for an Australian surface (good length outside off) but not a West Indian one.

 

[Richard]

It was fascinating to watch Clark bowl in the just-concluded Test against West Indies. Admittedly, the deck was pretty helpful, but he was getting the ball to do all sorts, in both directions. So unfortunate only to get 8 wickets - he could easily have had 14 or 15 and it wouldn't have flattered him at all.

Obviously there's 16-month-old posts here, but I'll say nonetheless: Clark's domestic record is nowhere near as "middling" as it looks, really. His first two seasons in 1997/98 and 1998/99 were shockers - he took 6 wickets at 124.67. But from 2000/01 onwards he averages 26.13 for NSW, in addition to two successful short spells with Hampshire and Middlesex, which in 13 games combined he took 49 wickets at 25.

Obviously for Australia he's done even better. But he's merely turned good to exceptional, not gone from poor to good.