Best bottom four batsmen?

[Craig]

And if he gets an extended run in the team I will back him to get a Test ton.

 

[SJS]

I am sure there could be others but the England numbers 8 to 11 in THIS TEST MATCH had Walter Robins, Gubby Allen, Hedley Verity and Bill Voce. They have pretty impressive test and first class records - at least the first three.

8. Walter Robins :

• Test Matches : 1 century and 4 fifties in just 19 test matches with a top score of 108 and a batting average of 26.6
• FC Cricket : 11 centuries and 73 fifties - top score 140 and average of 26.4

9. Gubby Allen :

• Test Matches : 1 century (122) and 3 fifties and an average of 24.2
• FC Cricket : 11 centuries and 47 fifties. A top score of 180 ! and an average of 28.8

10. Hedley Verity

• Test Matches : 3 fifties and an average of 20.9
• FC Cricket : 1 century and 13 fifties

11. Bill Voce

• Test Matches : 1 fifty (66) an average of 13.4
• FC Cricket : 4 centuries and 26 fifties. Top score of 129 and an average of 19.2

Between them these five have 27 first class hundreds (2 in tests) and 159 FC fifties(11 in tests). Thats pretty good.

 

[Craig]

Only you would know that SJS

 

[shortpitched713]

If a batsman is playing in the bottom four, hes probably not all that good with to begin with itbt.

 

[silentstriker]

I am sure there could be others but the England numbers 8 to 11 in THIS TEST MATCH had Walter Robins, Gubby Allen, Hedley Verity and Bill Voce. They have pretty impressive test and first class records - at least the first three.

8. Walter Robins :

• Test Matches : 1 century and 4 fifties in just 19 test matches with a top score of 108 and a batting average of 26.6
• FC Cricket : 11 centuries and 73 fifties - top score 140 and average of 26.4

9. Gubby Allen :

• Test Matches : 1 century (122) and 3 fifties and an average of 24.2
• FC Cricket : 11 centuries and 47 fifties. A top score of 180 ! and an average of 28.8

10. Hedley Verity

• Test Matches : 3 fifties and an average of 20.9
• FC Cricket : 1 century and 13 fifties

11. Bill Voce

• Test Matches : 1 fifty (66) an average of 13.4
• FC Cricket : 4 centuries and 26 fifties. Top score of 129 and an average of 19.2

Between them these five have 27 first class hundreds (2 in tests) and 159 FC fifties(11 in tests). Thats pretty good.

Yea, that'd be hard to beat for sure.

 

[Prince EWS]

8. Heath Streak
1990 runs in 65 test matches @ 22.35; 1 century, 5 half centuries
5684 runs in 175 FC matches @ 26.31; 6 centuries, 27 half centuries

9. Sean Ervine
261 runs in 5 test matches @ 32.62; 3 half centuries
3075 runs in 70 FC matches @ 31.37; 5 centuries, 17 half centuries

10. Andy Blignaut
886 runs in 19 test matches @ 26.84; 6 half centuries
2303 runs in 56 FC matches @ 27.41; 2 centuries, 14 half centuries

11. Ray Price
224 runs in 18 test matches @ 9.73
1644 runs in 82 FC matches @ 15.50; 1 century, 7 half centuries


Price lets it down just a tad on his figures alone, but his value with the bat exceeded the runs he scored as he was very good at hanging around and blunting the bowling. He was even decent against the new ball if one should come about - he opened the batting for part of his first class career and has a century to his name doing it. Ervine's career developed into that of a batsman who bowled a bit rather than the bowler he was selected as, and we all know Streak's batting was better than those stats showed as well at the time this lineup played (v Australia in Australia) as it was basically peaking just before his test ton.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

If a batsman is playing in the bottom four, hes probably not all that good with to begin with itbt.

Nah. He might just be South African.

 

[pup11]

Streak
Ervine
Blignaut
Price

That was truly gun.

Yeah it was a classical case of the bottom four being better than the top 4!

 

[Beleg]

that south african one is amazing.

 

[silentstriker]

Is this cheating?

They have 51 FC centuries and 129 FC fifties between them.

8. Stan McCabe
Tests: 39 matches @ 48.21, 6 centuries, 13 fifties, HS of 232
FC: 262 matches @ 49.39, 29 centuries, 68 fifties, HS of 240

9. Len Darling
Tests: 12 matches @ 27.88, 0 centuries, 3 fifties, HS of 85
FC: 100 matches @ 42.50, 16 centuries, 26 fifties, HS of 188

10. Morris Sievers
Tests: 3 matches @ 13.40, 0 centuries, 0 fifties, HS of 25
FC: 58 matches @ 29.64, 0 centuries, 14 fifties, HS of 76

11. Bert Oldfield
Tests: 54 matches @ 22.65, 0 centuries, 4 fifties, HS of 65
FC: 245 matches @ 22.37, 6 centuries, 21 fifties, HS of 137

 

[Evermind]

Is this cheating?

They have 51 FC centuries and 129 FC fifties between them.

8. Stan McCabe
Tests: 39 matches @ 48.21, 6 centuries, 13 fifties, HS of 232
FC: 262 matches @ 49.39, 29 centuries, 68 fifties, HS of 240

9. Len Darling
Tests: 12 matches @ 27.88, 0 centuries, 3 fifties, HS of 85
FC: 100 matches @ 42.50, 16 centuries, 26 fifties, HS of 188

10. Morris Sievers
Tests: 3 matches @ 13.40, 0 centuries, 0 fifties, HS of 25
FC: 58 matches @ 29.64, 0 centuries, 14 fifties, HS of 76

11. Bert Oldfield
Tests: 54 matches @ 22.65, 0 centuries, 4 fifties, HS of 65
FC: 245 matches @ 22.37, 6 centuries, 21 fifties, HS of 137

If only Bradman had batted one spot lower in the second innings - that'd be the best bottom 4 hands down!

Man they should bring back the timeless tests. I see an India-SL affair going on for about a month, with Dravid 670* and Sanga 900* and the Indian public boycotting test cricket altogether.

 

[Migara]

It only lasted for one innings

 

[Migara]

Is this cheating?

They have 51 FC centuries and 129 FC fifties between them.

8. Stan McCabe
Tests: 39 matches @ 48.21, 6 centuries, 13 fifties, HS of 232
FC: 262 matches @ 49.39, 29 centuries, 68 fifties, HS of 240

9. Len Darling
Tests: 12 matches @ 27.88, 0 centuries, 3 fifties, HS of 85
FC: 100 matches @ 42.50, 16 centuries, 26 fifties, HS of 188

10. Morris Sievers
Tests: 3 matches @ 13.40, 0 centuries, 0 fifties, HS of 25
FC: 58 matches @ 29.64, 0 centuries, 14 fifties, HS of 76

11. Bert Oldfield
Tests: 54 matches @ 22.65, 0 centuries, 4 fifties, HS of 65
FC: 245 matches @ 22.37, 6 centuries, 21 fifties, HS of 137

That only lasted one innings.

 

[SJS]

Here is what must be the best line up for lower order batting and this line up is not as it is because there was a night watchman or because for some strategic reason batsmen were saved for later or an injury of ritness issues. This is the genuine order of the side. Here is India's batting order against West Indies in the 4th test at Trinidad in April 1962.

1. Sardesai
2. Mehra
3. Surti
4. Manjrekar
5. Jaisimha
6. Umrigar
7. *Pataudi
8. Borde
9. Durani
10. Nadkarni
11. Kunderan

No. 8 : Chandu Borde
Superb middle order batsman and future captain

• He scored over 3000 test runs with 5 centuries and a highest score of 177 not out. and a batting average of 35.6 !
• In FC Cricket Borde 12805 runs at 40.9 with 30 centuries which is HUGE in India's small domestic season. He had a highest score of 205 not out !

No 9 : Salim Durrani
Superb left handed all rounder

• 1200 test runs at 25.04 with a century and 7 fifties
• 14 FC centuries and 45 fifties.

No. 10 : Bapu Nadkarni
Genuine all rounder

• 1414 test runs at 25.7 each with 1 century and 7 fifties.
• Nearly 9000 FC runs at 40.4 ! 14 FC centuries and 46 fifties with a top score of 283 not out !!

No 11 : Buddhi Kunderan
Dashing right handed batsman and wicket keeper

• Two test centuries and 3 fiftiess in just 18 tests. Although a keeper he actually played for India against England as a pure batsman, opening the innings and scoring a fabulous 192 in a match where Engineer was played as wicket keeper but Kunderan prefered as opener to Engineer and other specialist openers !
• He also scored 12 FC centuries besides 19 fifties in a short FC career

Amazing lower order. I was very surprised when I suddenly came across it.

Everyone in this side had a FC century, in fact everyone had several
PLUS
everyone from numbers three to number 11 had at leat one test century !!

 

[TT Boy]

BM McMillan
SM Pollock
L Klusener
PL Symcox

Here the match

Winner, that's an insane lower order. And aside from Symcox, all three men could stake a decent claim to be better batsman than RSA’s opener in that game, Adam 'I'm not here because of my uncle' Bacher.

 

[SJS]

Here is a complete list of test matches where every single batsman in the playing XI has at least one first class century. Maybe someone will go through it and find a stronger last four.

[B]Match	Season	Ground[/B]
England v Australia	1886	Kennington Oval
Australia v England	1893	Kennington Oval
Australia v England	1893	Old Trafford, Manchester
England v Australia	1902	Edgbaston, Birmingham
England v Australia	1902	Lord's Cricket Ground, St John's Wood
England v Australia	1902	Kennington Oval
England v Australia	1903/04	Sydney Cricket Ground
England v Australia	1903/04	Sydney Cricket Ground
England v Australia	1903/04	Melbourne Cricket Ground
England v Australia	1905	Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Australia v England	1905	Lord's Cricket Ground, St John's Wood
England v Australia	1905	Lord's Cricket Ground, St John's Wood
Australia v England	1905	Headingley, Leeds
South Africa v England	1907	Headingley, Leeds
England v Australia	1909	Lord's Cricket Ground, St John's Wood
England v South Africa	1922/23	Newlands, Cape Town
England v South Africa	1922/23	Kingsmead, Durban
England v South Africa	1922/23	Old Wanderers, Johannesburg
England v South Africa	1922/23	Kingsmead, Durban
England v South Africa	1924	Lord's Cricket Ground, St John's Wood
England v South Africa	1924	Headingley, Leeds
England v Australia	1936/37	Brisbane Cricket Ground, Woolloongabba, Brisbane
England v Australia	1936/37	Sydney Cricket Ground
England v Australia	1936/37	Melbourne Cricket Ground
India v England  	1946	Old Trafford, Manchester
India v England  	 1946	Kennington Oval
India v Australia	1947/48	Melbourne Cricket Ground
Australia v England	1956	Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Australia v England	1956	Headingley, Leeds
Australia v England	1956	Old Trafford, Manchester
Australia v England	1956	Kennington Oval
Australia v Pakistan	1956/57	National Stadium, Karachi
Australia v Pakistan	1959/60	National Stadium, Karachi
India v West Indies	1961/62	Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain
India v Pakistan	1983/84	Gandhi Stadium, Jalandhar
India v West Indies	1983/84	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
India v England  	   1984/85	Modi Stadium, Kanpur
Pakistan v India	1989/90	Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
England v West Indies	1991	Edgbaston, Birmingham
England v Pakistan	1992	Edgbaston, Birmingham
India v Zimbabwe	1992/93	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
New Zealand v Pakistan	1996/97	Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
New Zealand v Pakistan	1996/97	Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
South Africa v Australia1997/98	Adelaide Oval
New Zealand v England	1999	Old Trafford, Manchester
Zimbabwe v Australia	2003/04	Western Australia Cricket Association Ground, Perth