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Monk's Favourite XI
- Thread starter Red
- Start date
Red
The normal awards that everyone else has
Ok, it's time for my next player. It's only been 15 months, and I know a lot of people have been waiting for this.
My next selection is a gritty little bloke who constantly saved Australia in the 1980s, who took the heat, who led from the front, and who had a mo.
It's not the real AB, it's Boonie. The long standing avatar of Nufan. The cult figure. Drinking a thousand cans on a flight between Tassie and Melbourne.
Boonie cropped up in test cricket in 1984. The same year that saw the retirement of Chappell, Lillee and Marsh. Three legends gone. Boon debuted at the GABBA, against the West Indies, in 84. Talk about easing a bloke into the big time. This is a long way from facing India's current attack. Or Zimbabwe. Boon contends with Marshall, Garner, Holding and Walsh. At least three of them are in the top ten quicks of all time. Boonie got out cheaply in the first inning, but the plucky Taswegian dug in for a 50 in the second inning. And a career was born. Boon would go on to form a great opening partnership with Swampy Marsh, before the emergence of Mark Taylor as an opening partner for Marsh saw Boon settle in the number 3 position, where he took all the heat from the opposition quicks and protected his middle order. As an Australian number 3 should, Watto....
Boon had an easy, compact technique. He could score all around the wicket, but was particularly good square of the wicket, either pulling or hooking. Mostly, he was a tough little bastard, at the time when Australian cricket needed them. He fielded at silly mid, unflappable. With Border he went through the terrible years, maintaining a required standard, and he was there to usher in a new era of Australian dominance as he finished up. It was fitting that in Boon's last test, a young Ricky Ponting was in the team at #6, a man who a few years later would guide Australia's greatest team from #3. Let's all drink a pint or ten to Boonie, he was cut from old school Australian cloth.
My next selection is a gritty little bloke who constantly saved Australia in the 1980s, who took the heat, who led from the front, and who had a mo.
It's not the real AB, it's Boonie. The long standing avatar of Nufan. The cult figure. Drinking a thousand cans on a flight between Tassie and Melbourne.
Boonie cropped up in test cricket in 1984. The same year that saw the retirement of Chappell, Lillee and Marsh. Three legends gone. Boon debuted at the GABBA, against the West Indies, in 84. Talk about easing a bloke into the big time. This is a long way from facing India's current attack. Or Zimbabwe. Boon contends with Marshall, Garner, Holding and Walsh. At least three of them are in the top ten quicks of all time. Boonie got out cheaply in the first inning, but the plucky Taswegian dug in for a 50 in the second inning. And a career was born. Boon would go on to form a great opening partnership with Swampy Marsh, before the emergence of Mark Taylor as an opening partner for Marsh saw Boon settle in the number 3 position, where he took all the heat from the opposition quicks and protected his middle order. As an Australian number 3 should, Watto....
Boon had an easy, compact technique. He could score all around the wicket, but was particularly good square of the wicket, either pulling or hooking. Mostly, he was a tough little bastard, at the time when Australian cricket needed them. He fielded at silly mid, unflappable. With Border he went through the terrible years, maintaining a required standard, and he was there to usher in a new era of Australian dominance as he finished up. It was fitting that in Boon's last test, a young Ricky Ponting was in the team at #6, a man who a few years later would guide Australia's greatest team from #3. Let's all drink a pint or ten to Boonie, he was cut from old school Australian cloth.
honestbharani
Whatever it takes!!!
David Boon.. I had the pleasure of talking to him once... Man of few words but a lot of great deeds on the cricket field 
longranger
U19 Cricketer
Why is Monk now Red Hill? Lost a bet?
Red
The normal awards that everyone else has
My next selection is one who played only 21 tests, mostly as an opener, and averaged only 33. It was said that he was too withdrawn to cope with long tours, and he also managed to wreck his knee when he collided with his batting partner, Mark Waugh. For many reasons we never saw his long-term best at test level, and his FC figures show the ability that he had, 17,000 runs at 47. As an unabashed disliker of Matt Hayden, both watching him bat and his hypocritical religious persona, I wished Matt Elliott had had the length of Hayden's career. Alas, not to be.
This video shows the best of Elliott. His highest test score, looking completely lordly, pulling imperiously over the top of the quicks, driving with decisiveness and precision, clipping confidently off his legs, and generally looking exactly as a traditional opener should, IMO.
This video shows the best of Elliott. His highest test score, looking completely lordly, pulling imperiously over the top of the quicks, driving with decisiveness and precision, clipping confidently off his legs, and generally looking exactly as a traditional opener should, IMO.
the big bambino
International Captain
Always thought Elliot a whiny little snot. Much prefer Hayden's muscular Christianity. Especially over mid wicket.
Unlucky?
OverratedSanity
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Missed a chunk of his athletic peak due to SA being in isolation.
He got enough in to judge. Bags of wickets. Missed some of his peak, but was also in his peak by the time he debuted, so his stats are probably about right. Looking at him as a 450 wicket bowler is probably fair.
Donald made his debut @ 26. A young, fiery Allan Donald would have been similar to Lillee, Waqar and Rabada. He would have probably picked around 100 wickets more who were better in the early stages of his career.
More than the stats, it would have been such a delight to watch a young Allan Donald bowl. Watching him consistently bowl @ 90+mph with that fantastic action would have been so amazing.
More than the stats, it would have been such a delight to watch a young Allan Donald bowl. Watching him consistently bowl @ 90+mph with that fantastic action would have been so amazing.
Not sure if donald was quicker in his early 20s. No Speedos. He was flat out his entire career though, just started to lose his zip around 31. If he was quicker in his early 20s of would have been not by much, although he lost endurance in his late 20s. I saw a couple of guys live who were a nose quicker eg tait but just a nose. They were all slingly in some way. Donald was classical and it would be a surprise if he was as quick.
He was wild. Most quicks start off that way, but he's the only great I can think of who was completely disinterested in developing some control. His record is really amazing when you think about how much junk he could bowl. Truly a complete fast bowler if you overlook the fact that he is missing the (normally) most important tool of all. Only really Marshall and Akram are comparable in this regard, if a little different.
It's a bit sad when quicks learn to bowl within themselves, even if it's the right thing to do. The 150s versions of Steyn, Starc, rabada and Cummins just had an extra piece of magic.
Donald appreciation rediscovered. I usually say he's anywhere from about 6-15 on my list and it doesn't really matter where, but i reckon he needs to be near the top. Not even sure that Ambrose should be above him now that the point is raised, although I always put Ambrose at 5. Will reassess and maybe provide saga part 2 at some point.
He was wild. Most quicks start off that way, but he's the only great I can think of who was completely disinterested in developing some control. His record is really amazing when you think about how much junk he could bowl. Truly a complete fast bowler if you overlook the fact that he is missing the (normally) most important tool of all. Only really Marshall and Akram are comparable in this regard, if a little different.
It's a bit sad when quicks learn to bowl within themselves, even if it's the right thing to do. The 150s versions of Steyn, Starc, rabada and Cummins just had an extra piece of magic.
Donald appreciation rediscovered. I usually say he's anywhere from about 6-15 on my list and it doesn't really matter where, but i reckon he needs to be near the top. Not even sure that Ambrose should be above him now that the point is raised, although I always put Ambrose at 5. Will reassess and maybe provide saga part 2 at some point.
Donald had a sub-23 average and sub-50 strike against all teams except Australia.
Donald’s record against Australia was perhaps the only blemish on his great career. He took 53 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 31 and a SR of 61. But even his record against Australia was better than Ambrose’s record against India and Pakistan. In 9 Tests against India, he took just 13 wickets at an average of 38 and a SR of 99. In 14 Tests against Pakistan, he took 42 wickets at an average of 28 and a SR of 68.
trundler
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Come again?
1) Donald had a sub-23 average and sub-50 strike rate against all teams except Australia.
2) Let’s compare how they fared against their weakest teams:
Donald’s average against Australia was 31 and a SR of 61.
Ambrose had an average of 28 and a SR of 68 against Pakistan. Ambrose had an average of 38 and a SR of 100 against India.
2) Let’s compare how they fared against their weakest teams:
Donald’s average against Australia was 31 and a SR of 61.
Ambrose had an average of 28 and a SR of 68 against Pakistan. Ambrose had an average of 38 and a SR of 100 against India.
Donald vs AUS isnt amazing, but it doesn't really bother me. His overall stats. 4pm@31 is tolerable, and he was much better than that. He was a shell of a bowler in his last couple of series, which were both AUS. Coincidence skews his record. He would have been dire against anyone- it's the most over the hill I've seen any player ever.
Other than that, he was pretty good against them. 4.36pm@ 28 doesn't sound that great, but ita nothing to sniff at. Couple of amazing matches I remember. Felt like he had a major hand in every match RSA won vs AUS in the 90s, although I'm not sure if this is the case.
Ragging on Donald vs AUS feel a bit like ragging in Steyn for averaging fairly high. Steyn won series and i don't care about his average, but he was well supported compared to Donald. Donald shredded AUS in the only series draw of his era, so at least he did something, which makes him an odd man in his team to point fingers at.
Donald 'mentally weak' and bad vs AUS probably comes from 2 things. Firstly ODIs. Maybe. I think far less of Donald in ODIs than most, but meh, ODIs. I vaguely remember when Donald started getting a bad reputation vs AUS. He had a horrible game? series? vs AUS in the Waugh mental disintegration era. Cue the media comments, repeated ad nauseam by the AUS media. I don't remember the specifics. Maybe it was glaring. It was Donald though. He was horrible at times regardless of the opposition. Good bats were more capable of punishing him for being horrible. Maybe he went under when the going got tough more than most as well, but it is at least partly a stupid AUS media truism like legspin was dead before Warne.
Anyway, he could have been better. Played in some fairly friendly conditions, and aus weren't a powerhouse throughout his career. Great in wins and draws but garbage in losses. Not a Murali in AUS sized hole in his resume, but still a bit of a hole.
Other than that, he was pretty good against them. 4.36pm@ 28 doesn't sound that great, but ita nothing to sniff at. Couple of amazing matches I remember. Felt like he had a major hand in every match RSA won vs AUS in the 90s, although I'm not sure if this is the case.
Ragging on Donald vs AUS feel a bit like ragging in Steyn for averaging fairly high. Steyn won series and i don't care about his average, but he was well supported compared to Donald. Donald shredded AUS in the only series draw of his era, so at least he did something, which makes him an odd man in his team to point fingers at.
Donald 'mentally weak' and bad vs AUS probably comes from 2 things. Firstly ODIs. Maybe. I think far less of Donald in ODIs than most, but meh, ODIs. I vaguely remember when Donald started getting a bad reputation vs AUS. He had a horrible game? series? vs AUS in the Waugh mental disintegration era. Cue the media comments, repeated ad nauseam by the AUS media. I don't remember the specifics. Maybe it was glaring. It was Donald though. He was horrible at times regardless of the opposition. Good bats were more capable of punishing him for being horrible. Maybe he went under when the going got tough more than most as well, but it is at least partly a stupid AUS media truism like legspin was dead before Warne.
Anyway, he could have been better. Played in some fairly friendly conditions, and aus weren't a powerhouse throughout his career. Great in wins and draws but garbage in losses. Not a Murali in AUS sized hole in his resume, but still a bit of a hole.