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CW Worst 15 Cricketers of All Time - The Results

Hurricane

Hall of Fame Member
It is not at all excusable. Identical twins don't have identical experiences or skills. If there were identical triplets and the third had never played cricket, you wouldn't have advocated his selection (though I wouldn't have put it past Bracers to do so)
They are identical twins FFS they are not just brothers. Who cares if they don't have identical experiences. I am willing to wager they had close to identical experiences, same teams same coaching etc and most importantly the same thought processes. Most twins think the same and given 90% of batting is what decisions you make out in the middle it is fair call to select James just because Hamish is going well.

The only reason you wouldn't select a third triplet if the other two brothers were test cricketers would be if that triplet simply wasn't a first class cricketer.

And the only way the third triplet wouldn't be a First Class cricketer would be if he chose not to play at all or train seriously (which he wouldn't do as he would have the same personality pretty much)
 

HeathDavisSpeed

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Identical twins are not identikit clones. Cricket is such a mental game as well that even if they had enjoyed similar training, they wouldn't necessarily approach the game in the same mental way. I think it has been proven through results that James Marshall was noticeably worse than Hamish and his susceptibilities and foibles were not identical.
 

Hurricane

Hall of Fame Member
I am standing down in this debate because I was hoping their FC and List A averages would be close but there is a difference. So you have a point.
 

Bahnz

Hall of Fame Member
I am standing down in this debate because I was hoping their FC and List A averages would be close but there is a difference. So you have a point.
The interesting thing is that during the brief 18 month period when Hamish was gunning it, his First Class numbers were notably inferior to James'. I also remember most of their coaches and cricketing know-it-alls rating James as the one with international potential during the early 00's. That extended purple patch of Hamish's will always remain a real mystery - it certainly had me fooled back in 2005.
 

Hurricane

Hall of Fame Member
The interesting thing is that during the brief 18 month period when Hamish was gunning it, his First Class numbers were notably inferior to James'. I also remember most of their coaches and cricketing know-it-alls rating James as the one with international potential during the early 00's. That extended purple patch of Hamish's will always remain a real mystery - it certainly had me fooled back in 2005.
Good comment. One thing I noted is that James appeared to be more a List A player and Hamish vice versa at provincial level
 

cnerd123

likes this
What if they both are just equally mediocre and decided to bat as James when out of form and as Hamish when in form?
 

Bahnz

Hall of Fame Member
Yeah, and on the days when they were playing together, Jamish would just rope in the first bloke he could find who was his height, and give him a paper cutout mask and a frizzy wig. Which, tbf, makes the 29 against McGrath and Gillespie all the more impressive.
 
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cnerd123

likes this
My theory was that they were twins who just swapped tshirts and batted as each other...but I like your Jamish theory better tbh.

1 man, two careers. What a legend.
 

HeathDavisSpeed

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
There does seem to be a much higher proportion of people with such hair in New Zealand than any other country I've been to. I wonder what the genetics are behind it.
 

AndyZaltzHair

Hall of Fame Member
Number 15= Imrul Kayes



Highest Ranking 2
Total Points 10
Number of Votes Received 2/13


Imrul Kayes, the Bangladeshi opening batsman first ""burst"" onto the Test scene in 2008 with an incredible tour of South Africa.

However, before we get to that incredible tour, let us step back a little and analyse Kayes contribution to Bangladeshi cricket a little more. Born in Meherpur in 1987, by 2006, Kayes was playing first class cricket for Khulna Division. He played 10 first class games for them in 2007 and averaged a seemingly respectable 33.33 with the bat - 600 runs from 18 completed innings. However, this only put him in the 20s in the list of that season's batting averages, behind players like Ehsanul Haque and Nazimuddin who have never received the same number of opportunities as Kayes.

Worse was to follow as in advance of his Test debut touring South Africa he could only score 203 runs in 8 completed innings (25.38) in the next Bangladeshi first class season. On the back of such wonderful batting form, Kayes was drafted into the Bangladesh Test squad to tour one of the World's batting graveyards - South Africa on the back of some reasonable games for the Bangladeshi academy and some pretty atrocious ODIs against New Zealand and South Africa.

Armed with this secret recipe to success (so secret that very few people actually try what the Bangladeshis did and chuck a young unproven opener with a pretty unflattering record into Test cricket) Kayes took to the field in Bloemfontein with his new teammates. He stood and watched as Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla added 200+ for the 2nd wicket and then came out to bat on the 2nd day between lunch and tea.

Kayes fought for a while - heroically seeing off Steyn, Ntini and Morkel before being caught by Amla off the 'destructive' Harris bat-pad shortly before tea. After tea, Kayes found him like many Bangladeshi opening batsmen before and since, padding up again as the Bangladeshi's followed on before the close. This time Steyn cleaned him up off the inside edge as he found himself dismissed twice in less than half a day.

Things didn't get better for Kayes in the 2nd Test in Centurion as he was dismissed twice ct. Smith b. Ntini with tentative prods outside the offstump to be pouched in the slips cordon.

Ah well, a learning experience for the lad. Not good enough at this stage to face the South Africans in their own back yard, send him back to first class cricket and get some confidence back.

Nope, even better than that - let's take play him against the touring Sri Lankas and ensure that we completely **** up his International career. Maybe he'll do better on familiar wickets? Great thinking there, Bangladesh.

A reasonable 33 in the first innings at Mirpur was followed by a lazy run out in the 2nd innings and another pair of single digit scores at Chittagong.

Still, you have to appreciate the Bangladeshi's tenacity. Despite only occasionally showing the temperament required for Test cricket (most notably in two fighting innings at Lord's whilst touring England in 2010), Kayes still gets selected.

His current record of 16 test, 579 runs at 17.15 really does put him amongst the exalted company of this countdown.

Career Highlight

vs. India at Mirpur, Kayes was dismissed 1st ball in the first innings caught down the leg side wafting at an Ishant Sharma loosener, and followed this up in the 2nd innings by being intimidated by Zaheer Khan's express pace and being caught in the covers.

What they said about him
kayes finally decided to take the matter himself
 

Lillian Thomson

Hall of Fame Member
This thread has no mention of Derek Pringle or Ian Salisbury who not only should not have played Test Cricket but there's a strong argument that says their parents should have spent time in prison.
 

Hurricane

Hall of Fame Member
Check back in 2023. There's still time.
LOL. PEWS should bring this thread up to counter needle Heef when lack of simmage is raised. Still I am enjoying getting my yearly update and havn't been dissapointed yet. Patel in particular was gold.
 

HeathDavisSpeed

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
LOL. PEWS should bring this thread up to counter needle Heef when lack of simmage is raised. Still I am enjoying getting my yearly update and havn't been dissapointed yet. Patel in particular was gold.
I've just been finding short, sarcastic & snippy comments are worth more 'likes' than thought out and reasoned posts about **** players.

Still, I'll get there eventually. When was the last update?

EDIT: December 2014. Hrmmmph.
 
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