Average players suddenly becoming very good

[Bonnie Prince C]

Daniel Vettori the batsman. To the end of 2002, in his first 44 tests (a pretty decent sample size), he only scored 878 runs at an average of 16.25. Since then he has played another 63 (or 64 tests if you include Aus-World XI game) and scored just over 3500 runs at almost 40.

I would definitely say that is a good shout.

 

[wpdavid]

One from years ago was Dennis Amiss, circa 1973. He'd played occasional tests from the mid 1960s without ever looking the part and only came into the 1972/73 tour of India because Boycott & Edrich opted out. Whereupon he did brilliantly for a couple of years or so - to the extent of being one of the best opening bats playing test cricket. Given the loss of Boycott & Barry Richards, Amiss would probably have opened a combined test side with Gavaskar by the Autumn of 1974. His average and sheer volume of runs scored from winter 1972/3 to summer of 1974 was up there with the greats.

Then he ran into Lillee & Thomson, was slaughtered, along with everyone else who faced them around that time, and was barely seen for 18 months or so. Whereupon the selectors wondered whether it really was such a disgrace to struggle against L&T, brought him back to score 200 against WI and win a test match or two in India the following winter.

 

[four_or_six]

Agree with the Flintoff comment - I'm sure I remember there was ages where everyone was 'wtf is the point of playing this guy, he can't bat or bowl and he looks like he spends most of his time eating pies'.

 

[Noble One]

Sanath Jayasuriya. Very average batsman for the first five or six years of his career in both Tests and ODI's. Came good in 1995 and his career kicked on from that point:

 

[Furball]

Daniel Vettori the batsman. To the end of 2002, in his first 44 tests (a pretty decent sample size), he only scored 878 runs at an average of 16.25. Since then he has played another 63 (or 64 tests if you include Aus-World XI game) and scored just over 3500 runs at almost 40.

Vettori the bowler in ODIs as well. His record up until the 2003 World Cup isn't much to shout about, yet almost immediately after it he became brilliant.

 

[Andre]

Colin Miller a great example from Australia. Average first class cricketer for over a decade then became an absolute world beater when he took up off spin.

 

[uvelocity]

haha

 

[weldone]

Daniel Vettori the batsman. To the end of 2002, in his first 44 tests (a pretty decent sample size), he only scored 878 runs at an average of 16.25. Since then he has played another 63 (or 64 tests if you include Aus-World XI game) and scored just over 3500 runs at almost 40.

Sanath Jayasuriya. Very average batsman for the first five or six years of his career in both Tests and ODI's. Came good in 1995 and his career kicked on from that point:

both good shouts..

I wonder though, what led to Vettori becoming a better batsman suddenly? Has he improved his batting technique in any way? Asking because I don't remember much about his batting when he was useless...

For Jayasuriya I think it has more to do with apprach, mindset and confidence. The fielding restrictions in first 15 overs in ODIs helped him to change his aproach towards batting, and he carried his confidence from ODIs to test cricket.

 

[subshakerz]

Steve Waugh

Saeed Anwar

 

[benchmark00]

Definitely Yousuf Youhana.

 

[weldone]

...don't remember Anwar being useless...I don't remember much of Anwar before the '96 WC though...

 

[Cricketismylife]

Samaraweera.

Mediocre player until 2008, average of 40 was based on cashing in on some real flat tracks. Was clueless in England and I was happy to see him dropped after that tour, and disappointed when he was recalled for West Indies tour in 2008 aged 31/32. I remember him making a 0 in his first innings back on that tour, making me even more annoyed about his recall.

I got it completely wrong obviously, as since then he has gone on a crazy run spree and pulled his average up to nearly 54, and added 9 more centuries including some classy ones on the subcontinent and a pair of centuries in South Africa. He's managed this while being shot on tour, and being unfairly dropped, and the media always viewing Sangakkara, Jayawardene and Dilshan as "the big 3", without recognising his skills.

 

[Agent Nationaux]

AWTA. Never rate Sam, but has really proved me and everyone else wrong.

 

[Flametree]

Muralitharan? Not sure but his stats after his first 2-3 years didn't suggest someone about to break most records in the book.

As well as the other Sri Lankan batsmen mentioned, Hashan Tillakaratne had a real late-career surge.

VVS Laxman? Again, I think maybe folk thought his early years were a case of talent not being fulfilled rather than that he was just an average player...

From an NZ perspective..
Hadlee just about fits the bill statistically though I think there were a few observers who always thought he'd be something special.

John Wright averaged barely 30 for the first several years of his career, then went through about three years of averaging 50+.

Jeremy Coney did something similar though over a shorter timespan.

 

[Migara]

Muralitharan? Not sure but his stats after his first 2-3 years didn't suggest someone about to break most records in the book.

Probably yes. In 1998 Dharmasena demonstrated him how Saqlain bowls the doosra, and by 1999 he has developed that straighter delivery. from then onwards his career took off.

 

[weldone]

VVS Laxman? Again, I think maybe folk thought his early years were a case of talent not being fulfilled rather than that he was just an average player...

It's half-true.

Laxman's story was a combination of improvement and team management realising his correct spot in the lineup. He was never going to be a good opener.

 

[Maximas]

My boi Herath going from fringe international player pre-2009 to leader of the attack in 2011 would qualify him for this thread methinks

 

[Daemon]

Harris wins I think? Couldn't even make his state side regularly until '06-'08 or something.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Steve Smith imo. Didn't look much to me as a test player despite playing a couple of nice knocks 3-4 years back. His knock at Mohali in the 4-0 was a gem and after that, he's improved out of sight.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Harris wins I think? Couldn't even make his state side regularly until '06-'08 or something.

Yeah, overall, it's got to be either Harris or Amla. Hashim looked just awful in his first couple of series in 2004. Went back, changed his technique and then suddenly became impossible to get out.