Worst Specialist Batsmen currently?

[NZTailender]

I only just noticed you listed Aaron Redmond as 'Andrew Redmond'.

 

[Richard]

Probably because the list has only just been added.

Anyway my poll-vote went Mubarak but as I say, there isn't anything between him and Morton and if this was a multiple-choice I'd have picked both.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

I'd pick Daren Ganga personally. A terrible disappointment as soon as he dons the West Indies shirt. I've seen Morton play a couple of decent innings in New Zealand, whereas I've never seen Ganga look comfortable in an international.

 

[Richard]

Ganga scored centuries in consecutive Tests against Australia in 2003. I didn't watch either of them but I don't doubt they were fine innings'. That and he's got a damn good domestic record, whereas Morton's is moderate at best. Ganga clearly has all the technical tools to be a good Test batsman, he just hasn't had the right temperament - and he's not been helped by batting out of position for the vast majority of his Test career.

I'd never remotely consider Ganga being worse than Morton or Mubarak TBH. He's been a collossal disappointment but that merely emphasises how good in one way he is. Morton and Mubarak are simply woeful in the respect Ganga is and in others as well.

 

[Perm]

Mubarak, by a mile.

 

[anoop4real]

Jehan Mubrack is the worst one

 

[Precambrian]

FFS Get atleast the spellings right (to poll creator)

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Ganga scored centuries in consecutive Tests against Australia in 2003. I didn't watch either of them but I don't doubt they were fine innings'. That and he's got a damn good domestic record, whereas Morton's is moderate at best. Ganga clearly has all the technical tools to be a good Test batsman, he just hasn't had the right temperament - and he's not been helped by batting out of position for the vast majority of his Test career.

Whilst I don't dispute your analysis here, Richard, I was commenting on the times I have seen Ganga and Morton in the flesh. Morton has outperformed Ganga on each occasion (that they haven't both played poorly, that is)

Mubarak on the other hand, I don't think I've seen him bat either on TV or live! It sounds like I've been lucky to miss out!

 

[BoyBrumby]

Ganga is an odd case, really. He's a player who looks very composed at the crease and actually has the kind of cover drive that gets the purists purring, but his record from very nearly 50 tests is just awful. In fact I seem to remember him being mentioned as a shoo in for the most mediocre player to have played 50 tests should he get over that barrier.

I suspect (& obviously playing pop psychologist to the Windies selectors isn't an exact science) that because (rather like Ramprakash) he looks like a test player when at the crease (coupled with what I understand is a decent record as a domestic captain) he's been given far more latitude than other players with similarly ropey records would.

 

[Migara]

Tharanga has done way more at international level than Mubarak will ever do.

Mubarak has saved our asses more times than Tharanga, even his average is lesser.

 

[Precambrian]

Mubarak has saved our asses more times than Tharanga, even his average is lesser.

Ha Ha really? I thought Tharanga was a better batsman with all those centuries, in ODIs of course.

Edit :

Looked up his stats : Not terrible as compared to Mubarak, and Upul's only 23 as compared to Mubarak's 27.

 

[Richard]

Tharanga has been extremely poor in ODIs and Tests, but I'd have to say I can't recall Mubarak playing so much as 1 innings of any great significance.

 

[Uppercut]

In fact I seem to remember him being mentioned as a shoo in for the most mediocre player to have played 50 tests should he get over that barrier..

You're just doing it to piss me off now

 

[Precambrian]

Tharanga has been extremely poor in ODIs and Tests, but I'd have to say I can't recall Mubarak playing so much as 1 innings of any great significance.

Don't think he was "extremely" poor. He was mediocre though.

 

[Richard]

Tharanga has played 12 Tests against Test-class teams and averages 19.23. He's made 2 half-centuries and 13 scores of less than 20 in 21 innings'. That is pretty awful, for my money. In ODIs he has been marginally better, averaging 28.22 in 54 games (50 innings'). However, the effect of the series against England in 2006 - when England's bowling really was simply diabolical almost beyond belief (and let's add, full credit to Tharanga, Jayasuriya, Jayawardene and, on the odd occasion they were needed, the rest of the Lankan batting, for punishing it to such a severe degree) - is considerable. In the 49 matches (45 innings') aside from this, he averages just 23.64.

 

[Migara]

Tharanga has been extremely poor in ODIs and Tests, but I'd have to say I can't recall Mubarak playing so much as 1 innings of any great significance.

Loking at basuc technique, Tharanga is a very limited player. Almost absent onside shots. Mubarak is much complete with his technique, and has all the shots in the book, a better fielder and can turn his arm over when needed.

Here are some places where he saved our asses.

at brisbane, vs SAF
At Harare,vs ZIM
At Colombo vs IND

 

[indian_legend]

Rohit Sharma is the worst batsman to be playing international cricket these days. He has a average of only 24 in ODIs and his strike-rate isnt anything special as well. And people say he has talent, but he never shows it up. Rohit just keeps hitting some classy looking 15s and 20s and then gets out and after the CB series, he averages only about 20 in ODIs and is also yet to play a significant innings. Its baffling that Rohit Sharma isnt even among 1 of the options in this poll

 

[Jigga988]

Rohit Sharma is the worst batsman to be playing international cricket these days. He has a average of only 24 in ODIs and his strike-rate isnt anything special as well. And people say he has talent, but he never shows it up. Rohit just keeps hitting some classy looking 15s and 20s and then gets out and after the CB series, he averages only about 20 in ODIs and is also yet to play a significant innings. Its baffling that Rohit Sharma isnt even among 1 of the options in this poll

You are really putting Rohit Sharma in the league of Mubarak??

by the way Ganga is ten times better than Morton and Morton has never ever played an innings where he looked like he was going to get a score. He has never looked settled. At least Ganga had a good run and has good technique, just struggles with a swinging ball, hence his demise in England as an opener.

 

[indian_legend]

You are really putting Rohit Sharma in the league of Mubarak??

IMO Mubarak > Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma happens to be in a league below Mubarak even. Rohit Sharma & Mubarak have the same average - 24 in ODIs and both are specialist batsmen. In this year, Mubarak averages 72 & Rohit Sharma only 25. And out of these 2, Mubarak played a match-winning innings in the 5th ODI against India recently. Rohit Sharma is yet to play even a single match-winning innings in ODIs.

 

[Richard]

Rohit Sharma has performed rather better in Indian domestic cricket - both forms - than Mubarak has in Lankan stuff though. Even allowing for the huge disparity that exists between bowler-friendliness in the typical pitches of the two countries.

Right now, Rohit Sharma has indeed been pretty poor so far in his career but if he doesn't end-up better than Mubarak, to at least some degree, I'll eat my computer.