• Welcome to the Cricket Web forums, one of the biggest forums in the world dedicated to cricket.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join the Cricket Web community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.

Ian Butler

dhillon28

U19 Debutant
I saw this guy against england in t20 today and was just awesome. Also saw him in 2009 against India and at times was unplayable there. He length is impeccable, with a nagging off stump line in the Mcgrath mould. I also heard before injuries that he was a very fast bowler (not that he needs the extra pace with such good lenght and seam movement). It is a real shame this guy could not overcome injuries otherwise couldd have been a major test prospect. I feel he is one of the major players of our time not to fulfill his potential- hopefully now he will enjoy a mid career resurgenece.
 

Blain

U19 Captain
He's solid, nice action etc, but really he is nothing too special. After demolishing his back he lost pace which would have made him deadly, but is still a solid 135k bowler.
 

jcas0167

International Debutant
He's solid, nice action etc, but really he is nothing too special. After demolishing his back he lost pace which would have made him deadly, but is still a solid 135k bowler.
It's pretty good he's managed to get his pace back up to the mid to late 130's. I remember when he was making a comeback for ND very much as a batting allrounder. Apparently before the back injuries he was clocked at 150kph. NZ could have had quite a potent opening combination with Shane Bond the other opening bowler at the time.
 

Flem274*

123/5
When Ian Butler was young and in the Black Caps he wasn't very fast and he wasn't very good. He's a better bowler now than he ever was imo. I don't remember him clocking much higher than 145kph either, so his 150kph-ness may have been ocassional.
 

jcas0167

International Debutant
When Ian Butler was young and in the Black Caps he wasn't very fast and he wasn't very good. He's a better bowler now than he ever was imo. I don't remember him clocking much higher than 145kph either, so his 150kph-ness may have been ocassional.
Yeah, he pretty much started first class cricket and was straight into the Black Caps. I briefly saw him playing under 19's, but was overseas when he debuted and can't remember seeing him bowl on tv pre-injury.

Do you think he would be near test selection now? He wouldn't get past Boult, Bracewell or Southee, but maybe if they wanted to play 4 seamers?
 

Kippax

Cricketer Of The Year
If Butler did play, how would you order Dougeh, Southee and him in a batting order I wonder. That is probably his angle tbh, averaging 36 in an admittedly farcical lusty lower-order summer.
 
Last edited:

thierry henry

International Coach
I find it funny how media are running the "inspirational return from injury" story- that was the case when he made his way back into the team 4 years ago. Since then he hasn't been in the team because he just isn't very good. His injury troubles were all 2004-2008ish.

Also, they're pushing the "he used to be quick but has reinvented himself" angle. No. His run-up, action and speeds are all pretty much identical now to when he was first in the team. I don't recall him ever bowling above low 140s.
 

Blain

U19 Captain
I remember him hitting 151ks a long time ago. I remember because he was only the second NZer to be clocked over 150, with Bond. Then he broke down not long after.
 

Top_Cat

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Thought he was quite talented, myself. On the occasions I saw him bowl, always seemed to be feeling his way back after injury. Didn't move the ball a lot but was quick and hit the seam, heavy ball, etc.

On the gun, I never saw him bowl higher than mid-140's but I assumed, due to aforementioned injury history, that he was bowling within himself a bit anyway. And, of course, that's well quick enough anyway.
 

Flem274*

123/5
Definitely. I'm pretty sure at one stage I saw on the news he was planning to come back as a batsman that bowled some off spin of all things, but then he reemerged a couple of years later still a seamer but able to hit the ball a long way too.
 

Kippax

Cricketer Of The Year
That's a whole lot of bowleds and lbws - something causing the batsman to misread the line slightly? Didn't see any real outswing in the clips though.
Jagging it off the pitch and through the gate is the archetypal Butler dismissal, you'd say, as in that 2003 v 2013 video.

I remember him hitting 151ks a long time ago. I remember because he was only the second NZer to be clocked over 150, with Bond. Then he broke down not long after.
Yeah I think that's right, then Richard Sherlock in a 2004 A tour one-dayer in SA. One day, a South African Robelinda will emerge and give us that sweet viewing.
 

straw man

Hall of Fame Member
That's a whole lot of bowleds and lbws - something causing the batsman to misread the line slightly? Didn't see any real outswing in the clips though.

Despite having a nice strong action and once bowling pretty quickly I don't think Butler would be in my top 10 NZ disappointments of the last decade. Deserves recognition for the way he's fought back from injury though.
Speaking of which, was wondering what that list would be. Off the top of my head:

Bond
Sinclair
Franklin
Ryder
H Marshall
Tuffey
.
.
.
.

Some other names: Fulton, How, Cumming, Cairns, Vincent, Oram
 

Top