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Australia's best-ever finger spinner

Who was Australia's best semi-chucker?

  • Ian Johnson

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Greg Matthews

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Jack Iverson

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    17

LongHopCassidy

International Captain
Too many of these threads already, but until the England/NZ series starts you can all gagf and take what you can get.

We have a proud history of wristies (including the oft-unsung Chuck Fleetwood-Smith) but in the epochs between O'Reilly/Grimmett, Benaud and Warnie we've leaned on our more impotent brethren to keep it tight while the quicks blasted away from the other end.

Who did the best job?
 

Dan

Hall of Fame Member
Mallett, perhaps? Very few highly successful Australian offies or orthodox spinners, tbh.

George Giffen in with a shot as well, IMO.
 

the big bambino

International Captain
All depends how the old time medium pace bowlers before and during the golden age are categorised. If you consider them spin bowlers then I'd pick Hugh Trumble. He didn't just keep it quiet either. Reads as someone very special.

Chuck is our most under rated wristie. Played his part in winning an ashes and retaining them at the next opportunity. His figures are distorted by the blow out at the oval when he should have had Hutton at 40. Good sense of humour he was once asked how he pulled up after that slaughter. Woke up in the middle of the night and my arm was still going around he said.
 

Red

The normal awards that everyone else has
Trumble seems to have been very very good. Iverson was brilliant but very short term. Chappelli rated Mallet pretty highly.
 

watson

Banned
Must admit I don't really get Ian Johnson. His overall figures during his 45 Tests aren't bad (Ave = 29.19, SR = 80.5), but his numbers against England are less than inspiring (Ave = 37.85, SR = 109.3).

So how did Johnson last a full decade in the Australian side when there must have been more talented/effective spin bowlers available due to the culture of spin bowling in Sheffield Shield cricket? Sure he was Captain, but Australian selectors have a tradition of picking the Captain from the best XI selected.

Or am I being a bit harsh on the man? Maybe an historian could help?
 
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Red

The normal awards that everyone else has
Must admit I don't really get Ian Johnson. His overall figures during his 45 Tests aren't bad (Ave = 29.19, SR = 80.5), but his numbers against England are less than inspiring (Ave = 37.85, SR = 109.3).

So how did Johnson last a full decade in the Australian side when there must have been more talented/effective spin bowlers available due to the culture of spin bowling in Sheffield Shield cricket? Sure he was Captain, but Australian selectors have a tradition of picking the Captain from the best XI selected.

Or am I being a bit harsh on the man? Maybe an historian could help?
I'm no historian, but I do know that Johnson was strongly encourgaged to persist with cricket (when he wasn't be selected by his state) in order to get back in to the Australian team and assume the captaincy vacancy. Bradman had his fingerprints all over Johnson's career, largely because Bradman didn't want to see Miller captain Australia (when he should have).

Benaud has commented on this, saying that Johnson's "speech making" got him the gig. Probably the one instance in Australian cricket where the captain was selected not on merit.
 

fredfertang

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
His figures were boosted by his successes against the relatively weak South African/West Indies sides of the period but Dainty Ironmonger would still be my call
 

Lillian Thomson

Hall of Fame Member
Peter Taylor is worthy of a mention. Not a great bowler and probably one of the most ridiculous selections in Test history. He lingers in the memory because he ruined an otherwise perfect MCC tour of Australia in 86/87 with his batting and bowling in the final Test at Sydney.
 

Coronis

Cricketer Of The Year
His figures were boosted by his successes against the relatively weak South African/West Indies sides of the period but Dainty Ironmonger would still be my call
Jeez forgot about him... played tests til he was 51 too.. they just don't make 'em like they used to..
 

the big bambino

International Captain
What he might have done to England in 1930. Grimmett made his name on that tour but Ironmonger could have founded a legend if Hendren was quoted correctly. He thought Eng would have lost 5 blot if Ironmonger toured.
 

Coronis

Cricketer Of The Year
What he might have done to England in 1930. Grimmett made his name on that tour but Ironmonger could have founded a legend if Hendren was quoted correctly. He thought Eng would have lost 5 blot if Ironmonger toured.
Then again, his record against England is fairly poor. Averaged 33 or something.
 

Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
Best? Perhaps not but Tim May turned the **** square. A white Rajesh Chauhan if you please
 

the big bambino

International Captain
Then again, his record against England is fairly poor. Averaged 33 or something.
Not bad against that battalion of batting though. Better than Pollock and Waqar's record v Australia's similarly strong batting in their era.

Played all his tests in Australia on roads where his job was to keep down runs and build pressure. If he toured England he'd have become legend as Hendren infers.
 

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