Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
Just been having my usual look at Australia 1984-1988/89 (it's a period that fascinates me) and I spotted something I'd never noticed before.
Mike Whitney, who played 2 Tests in 1981, represented Australia just twice more between the time which encompassed the loss of several fine bowlers (the retirement of Lillee, the defection of Hogg [Rebel tours and retirement], and the temporary loss Alderman [Rebel tours] and Lawson [injury]) and things looking-up again in 1989. He did get recalled again in 1991 (from whence onwards he made 8 Test appearances over the course of the next year), but by this time Australia's bowling stocks were generally pretty strong again.
Now, for some of this '84-'88/89 time bowlers like McDermott, Reid and Hughes, who would all go on from 1989 onwards to be excellent Test bowlers, played, and that was fair enough. Even so, none particularly distinguished themselves '84-'88/89, and McDermott and Reid were injured often.
But then you look at the list of poor performers who also appeared in that time: seamers John Maguire, Jeff Thomson (yes, he was useless by that time and should never have played), Simon O'Donnell, David Gilbert, Steve Davis, Chris Matthews, Tony Dodemaide, and also spinners Tom Hogan, Greg Matthews, Bob Holland, Murray Bennett, Ray Bright, Peter Sleep, Peter Taylor, Tim May and Trevor Hohns. It seems incredible that Whitney got just 2 games out of 46. I mean, he wasn't an outstanding bowler, but he sure as seems to have been a damn sight better than most if not all the above.
If there's any Aussies of the right age (Sean, Burgey, Sean, JBMAC, etc.) around, I wonder, could you tell me - why on Earth didn't Whitney play more? Looking at CricketArchive he seems to have had big injury problems '83/84-'85/86 (didn't play at all '84/85), but then onwards is a mystery. Was it just bad selection, or something more sinister?
Mike Whitney, who played 2 Tests in 1981, represented Australia just twice more between the time which encompassed the loss of several fine bowlers (the retirement of Lillee, the defection of Hogg [Rebel tours and retirement], and the temporary loss Alderman [Rebel tours] and Lawson [injury]) and things looking-up again in 1989. He did get recalled again in 1991 (from whence onwards he made 8 Test appearances over the course of the next year), but by this time Australia's bowling stocks were generally pretty strong again.
Now, for some of this '84-'88/89 time bowlers like McDermott, Reid and Hughes, who would all go on from 1989 onwards to be excellent Test bowlers, played, and that was fair enough. Even so, none particularly distinguished themselves '84-'88/89, and McDermott and Reid were injured often.
But then you look at the list of poor performers who also appeared in that time: seamers John Maguire, Jeff Thomson (yes, he was useless by that time and should never have played), Simon O'Donnell, David Gilbert, Steve Davis, Chris Matthews, Tony Dodemaide, and also spinners Tom Hogan, Greg Matthews, Bob Holland, Murray Bennett, Ray Bright, Peter Sleep, Peter Taylor, Tim May and Trevor Hohns. It seems incredible that Whitney got just 2 games out of 46. I mean, he wasn't an outstanding bowler, but he sure as seems to have been a damn sight better than most if not all the above.
If there's any Aussies of the right age (Sean, Burgey, Sean, JBMAC, etc.) around, I wonder, could you tell me - why on Earth didn't Whitney play more? Looking at CricketArchive he seems to have had big injury problems '83/84-'85/86 (didn't play at all '84/85), but then onwards is a mystery. Was it just bad selection, or something more sinister?