Boucher vs. McCullum ...

[TazzX]

Who would you pick for your team?

http://stats.cricinfo.com/guru?sdb=...1;.cgifields=cplayerid;.cgifields=comparetype

 

[Richard]

Brendon Barrie McCullum: 21 Tests (35 innings) against Test-standard teams, average 26.12. Manufactured wicketkeeper, AFAIK only started keeping wicket three or four years ago.

Mark Verdon Boucher: 92 Tests (136 innings) against and for Test-standard teams, average 30.01. Has been keeping wicket since he was 19 or 20.

I know who I'd prefer, and it's not by a small margin.

 

[Natman20]

McCullum

 

[adharcric]

Easily Boucher. Both are overrated IMO.

 

[Richard]

McCullum

Spot the Kiwi.

 

[_Ed_]

Brendon Barrie McCullum: 21 Tests (35 innings) against Test-standard teams, average 26.12. Manufactured wicketkeeper, AFAIK only started keeping wicket three or four years ago.

Haven't watched his keeping lately, have you?

As reliable behind the stumps as Parore was now IMO.

Having said that, I'd go for Boucher. But McCullum will be better in the long run I believe.

 

[_Ed_]

Spot the Kiwi.

That's a bit harsh, it's a fair comparison and he's entitled to his opinion.

 

[Richard]

Haven't watched his keeping lately, have you?

As reliable behind the stumps as Parore was now IMO.

Oh, yes I have, and he's a very, very competant 'keeper indeed.

What I said was he's not a natural, and if that counted against Alec Stewart (which it did in the minds of most - not me, though, IMO he was a better wicketkeeper by the end than Jack Russell ever was - standing back, at least), then it counts against McCullum.

Often, manufactured wicketkeepers make the safest standing-back catchers, while never pleasing the wicketkeeping purists, who'll tell you (with some justification) that 'keeping is about standing up, not back.

 

[Richard]

That's a bit harsh, it's a fair comparison and he's entitled to his opinion.

I wasn't being harsh, I was pointing-out that a Kiwi might just prefer a Kiwi in his Kiwi side...

 

[Natman20]

My last post was biased . I think overall their stats will be very very similar at the ends of both careers. McCullum is very athletic behind the stumps and I havnt seen muh of boucher before. Sangakkara is better than both though IMO especially with his batting abilities.

 

[Richard]

Easily Boucher. Both are overrated IMO.

McCullum's certainly overrated (in ODIs more than ever), and some do seem to think of Boucher as a wicketkeeper-batsman of the top drawer, which would be wrong.

It does disappoint me a bit that he's not managed to do more with the bat in his career to date, though.

I can quite see McCullum ending-up with a early-30s Test average in the long-run, he certainly seems to have the talent - just not for ODIs. Or, much, it seems, for domestic NZ cricket (in common with Hamish Marshall, both of whom cashed-in massively on the flatter English pitches).

 

[Richard]

My last post was biased . I think overall their stats will be very very similar at the ends of both careers. McCullum is very athletic behind the stumps and I havnt seen muh of boucher before. Sangakkara is better than both though IMO especially with his batting abilities.

Well, Sangakkara's mostly been relieved of the wicketkeeping duties the last 3 years.

Good thing, too, IMO, even though Prasanna isn't exactly The World's greatest batsman, Sangakkara will have a much longer and more profitable career IMO if he doesn't have to keep wicket.

 

[Turbinator]

That's a bit harsh, it's a fair comparison and he's entitled to his opinion.

Spot the other Kiwi... .

 

[Natman20]

McCullum's certainly overrated (in ODIs more than ever), and some do seem to think of Boucher as a wicketkeeper-batsman of the top drawer, which would be wrong.

It does disappoint me a bit that he's not managed to do more with the bat in his career to date, though.

I can quite see McCullum ending-up with a early-30s Test average in the long-run, he certainly seems to have the talent - just not for ODIs. Or, much, it seems, for domestic NZ cricket (in common with Hamish Marshall, both of whom cashed-in massively on the flatter English pitches).

I think he has potential as an attacking batsman in the ODI format and he will score the runs required. He has shown in the last series that he can get NZ off to a quick start at the beginning (which often wouldn't be capitilised on). If he can get the right balance between attacking and defense he has the potential to become a great NZ batsman/wicket-keeper. Gilchrist like except probably not as good.

 

[Stumped]

boucher for sure

 

[Richard]

I think he has potential as an attacking batsman in the ODI format and he will score the runs required. He has shown in the last series that he can get NZ off to a quick start at the beginning (which often wouldn't be capitilised on). If he can get the right balance between attacking and defense he has the potential to become a great NZ batsman/wicket-keeper. Gilchrist like except probably not as good.

That's one hell of an "if"...

He's been playing intl. cricket for, what, 5 years now... if he hasn't got it by now I can't really see that he's likely to.

 

[Bahnz]

Oh, yes I have, and he's a very, very competant 'keeper indeed.

What I said was he's not a natural, and if that counted against Alec Stewart (which it did in the minds of most - not me, though, IMO he was a better wicketkeeper by the end than Jack Russell ever was - standing back, at least), then it counts against McCullum.

Often, manufactured wicketkeepers make the safest standing-back catchers, while never pleasing the wicketkeeping purists, who'll tell you (with some justification) that 'keeping is about standing up, not back.

You do realise McCullum has been wicket keeping since he was an under 19's player?

 

[Richard]

Nope, otherwise I'd not have said as far as I know only started keeping 3 or 4 years ago.

So he's been trying his hand at it for a while?

 

[Bahnz]

Nope, otherwise I'd not have said as far as I know only started keeping 3 or 4 years ago.

So he's been trying his hand at it for a while?

Yeah, he started playing ODI cricket as a specialist batsman because in his first season he had a back niggle that kept him from keeping. Then because of poor batting form he was dropped, and didn't make it back into the side as a keeper until a year or so later.

 

[Natman20]

Nope, otherwise I'd not have said as far as I know only started keeping 3 or 4 years ago.

So he's been trying his hand at it for a while?

As far as I remember he was always a keeper but was just selected as a batsman only when he was first selected.