The ICC names it's team of the year

[Valer]

Yeah, Broad's been really good tbh. Still has some poor games in between his godlike stuff, though not as frequently as before. Really though, Harris, Steyn, Johnson, and Southee are the 4 best because they're the 4 most consistent bowlers over the last year. They've been excellent literally every series, which is why they're a step above Broad, Anderson and the rest.

Harris wasn't at his best in SA to be fair.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Harris wasn't at hist best in SA to be fair.

Bowling a series winning spell with no knees is good enough for me.

 

[Valer]

Bowling a series winning spell with no knees is good enough for me.

I really don't think his long term injury problems should factor into it.

He wasn't exactly setting the world alight in the other 2 matches. The third was very very impressive. Dunno maybe I expect Harris to do too much but when he is coming off 50 wickets at ~19.5 in previous 9 tests 2/86 and 1 /137 wasn't really what I was expecting.

It wasn't a *bad* series but its hard to claim that it was *good* series overall.

 

[OverratedSanity]

I thought he bowled decently in the first two tests without luck. And really, no one, not even Steyn has great returns every match. What he does do is produce atleast one outstanding spell a series. That's what most consistent players do. One big performance (assuming it's 2-3 tests) without being tripe in the other tests is certainly a good series by my reckoning.

 

[Valer]

Here is harris's comments about the first 2 tests Australia in South Africa 2013-14 : Ryan Harris battles knee and self-doubt | Cricket News | South Africa v Australia | ESPN Cricinfo.

Dunno its his worst / 3rd worst figures*. For someone who is consistently threatening I found it a problem. His consistency is a big part of Australia's success when he is in the team.


*Melbourne excluded for injury reasons.

 

[Teja.]

Oz.

I'm not going to pretend I've watched enough non-England cricket in the last year to know who had been in the world XI, didn't bother with much outside of Oz-SA (being in a non-cricket place for half the year will do that), but Broad kind of goes under the radar sometimes. Amasses good figures with worldies and poor games I guess, but really he's been bowling well for a good few years on the most part.

I mean, someone (Teja??) said Southee is in another galaxy to Broad but I don't think that's true of many quicks at all.

But I'm biased tbf

What I meant was there was no doubt in my mind that Southee was better and it wasn't a question that required thought.

I think Broad as an all-round cricketer is underrated heaps and I think the worst of it is the English fans who absolutely adore Anderson but Broad who performs identically well or slightly worse as a bowler and better overall as a cricketer cops so much **** every time he has a bad game.

Broad would make my World XI.

 

[Spark]

Broad probably needs to remember how to bat again before he makes mine. If he gets back to his 2011-12 batting form, he's unquestionably in the world XI for me and one of the most valuable cricketers in the world.

 

[Teja.]

I mean at worst, he should make everyone's XV but he I reckon he gets more flak than praise from cricket fans which is just so weird.

 

[BeeGee]

I mean at worst, he should make everyone's XV but he I reckon he gets more flak than praise from cricket fans which is just so weird.

He's a ****. Difficult to like, easy to hate. Such a punchable face.

 

[OverratedSanity]

What I meant was there was no doubt in my mind that Southee was better and it wasn't a question that required thought.

I think Broad as an all-round cricketer is underrated heaps and I think the worst of it is the English fans who absolutely adore Anderson but Broad who performs identically well or slightly worse as a bowler and better overall as a cricketer cops so much **** every time he has a bad game.

Broad would make my World XI.

Yeah the problem is that his batting has regressed pretty dramatically. It used to be a good enough reason to include him in a world XI, but right now he's a walking wicket. On pure bowling, he misses out on the XI for me .

 

[Spark]

I guess with Broad there's also that thing of his best and his worst being far more separated than is the case for Anderson - people know that, on his day, he's only matched by Steyn and Johnson for sheer rampact destructiveness, so they sort of subconsciously expect that every time he bowls.

 

[Blocky]

Which continues my point of view that there really isn't much difference between being a #3 and being a #2. Pity our NZ Selectors would rather take #5 and #6's and attempt to turn them into #2s.

 

[Blocky]

I always feel with this sort of thing they should do a team based on pure metrics, i.e most wickets, most runs, highest average - otherwise it becomes subjective and opens up the "Well, even though Harris didn't take as many wickets, he's still too good to leave out"

 

[BeeGee]

Pity our NZ Selectors would rather take #5 and #6's and attempt to turn them into #2s.

They already are number 2s. A big steaming pile of number 2.

 

[dogwalker]

he's only matched by Steyn and Johnson for sheer rampact destructiveness

I don't watch enough English cricket, I guess, but when were these spells of "rampant desctructiveness?

 

[Cabinet96]

I don't watch enough English cricket, I guess, but when were these spells of "rampant desctructiveness?

2009 Ashes at the Oval, 2009 at Durban, 2011 v India at Trent Bridge and pretty much the whole series, took something like 12fer v West Indies at Lords 2012, Australia at Durham in 2013, hat-trick against Sri Lanka last summer and v India at Old Trafford last summer. He's taken 6 or more wickets in an innings for under 52 runs five times, which is more than Steyn (4) and and level with McGrath.

 

[dogwalker]

2009 Ashes at the Oval, 2009 at Durban, 2011 v India at Trent Bridge and pretty much the whole series, took something like 12fer v West Indies at Lords 2012, Australia at Durham in 2013, hat-trick against Sri Lanka last summer and v India at Old Trafford last summer. He's taken 6 or more wickets in an innings for under 52 runs five times, which is more than Steyn (4) and and level with McGrath.

Fair enough!

Edit: I don't remember his bowling at Durban 2009 at all and I was at that Test. Should probably drink less beer in the sun.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Finch's 150 odd was named t20 performance of the year. Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. How can that award be given to anything but Herath's 5-3 vs New Zealand. Fatty was robbed.

 

[grecian]

He's a ****. Difficult to like, easy to hate. Such a punchable face.

Yeah, I find him difficult to just like, it is more love really

BTW he's averaged 21 with the bat this year including some pretty key innings nearly helped us save a match by batting ages too. Not brilliant, but not really a "walking wicket".

 

[Maximas]

Finch's 150 odd was named t20 performance of the year. Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. How can that award be given to anything but Herath's 5-3 vs New Zealand. Fatty was robbed.

Was such a vital moment in our whole world t20 campaign too, context makes phatty's big day out so much greater