Luckiest player to make it to test cricket?

[ajaagarkarajaaja]

Who do you think are/were the luckiest ones(that didn't deserve a place at highest level).

In my my list Shahid Afridi will be right at the top,after looking at Afridi i sometimes wonder if he ever tried his luck at lottery,i'm sure he will be the winner.

 

[Prince EWS]

When I saw the title, Afridi immediately jumped to mind. But really, some of the Bangladesh players would have to be candidates.

 

[masterblaster]

Ashish Nehra, MSK Prasad, Vijay Bharadwaj, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Brendon Julian, Shahid Afridi, Shadab Kabir, Hasan Raza, Shahid Nazir

All of these guys had a lot of talent, and even after poor performances were persisted with.

Im glad most of these guys got the chop (except Nehra).

 

[iamdavid]

Blessing Mahwire & Justin Ontong....both made it in over more deserving candidates for the same reason

 

[Mingster]

A Nehra.

His record is appalling.

 

[V Reddy]

Ashish Nehra, MSK Prasad, Vijay Bharadwaj, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Brendon Julian, Shahid Afridi, Shadab Kabir, Hasan Raza, Shahid Nazir

All of these guys had a lot of talent, and even after poor performances were persisted with.

Im glad most of these guys got the chop (except Nehra).

I wouldn't call Bharadwaj and Prasad as that lucky.

Bharadwaj had two good series before touring down under. He was man of the series in Nairobi and did OK in India against NZ. Then came downunder where he was woeful in side games and got one chance in the 3rd test where he failed and was dropped after that . They didn't give him a chance in onedayers where he had all his success.

Prasad as you said was very good with gloves. I remember his catch of Lara in Toronto Cup where he took it in front of almost 2nd or 3rd slip. He was decent with the bat too and got an imp 60odd in the final of that Nairobi tournament. He came to Aus and his batting resembled Dravid's. Very good defensive technique but can't get past 20. He avged about 50 balls per innings in that series but failed in all innings and injury coincided and so was dropped. He never returned again though he has been plundering runs in the domestic circuit season after season.


I would term Agarkar as very lucky:P

 

[Eclipse]

Tresco??

Not that he is lucky ability wise because he has the talent but given his FC record at the time it's quite amazing that he was given a chance.

 

[tooextracool]

many of the west indies players, gayle,hinds(both ryan and wavell) and ganga in particular
from england there was ed giddins

 

[Craig]

Tresco??

Not that he is lucky ability wise because he has the talent but given his FC record at the time it's quite amazing that he was given a chance.

Yeah apprantly he was plucked from obsurcirty when SOmerset where trying to turn him into a all-rounder batting at 7.

 

[iamdavid]

Yeah apprantly he was plucked from obsurcirty when SOmerset where trying to turn him into a all-rounder batting at 7.

Actually he was doing nothing at all.....even in that role , until one day he lined up against a Glamorgan side coached by a man named Duncan Fletcher , the pitch was very dicey & Somerset were in trouble early on , but Trescothick just batted like he owned the place & made an absolutely flawless 160 odd.
He really didnt do anything else that year.

Soon Fletcher was coaching England & when Ramps was booted out of the opening role he remembered the promise Trescothick had shown on that day & called him up.
The rest is history........

So yeah in a way he is pretty lucky , if he had got an unplayable ball first up that day he may still be struggling to hold down his place in the Somerset XI today.

 

[Gaijin-san]

I like Trescothick.

What? I just said I liked him, is all.

 

[masterblaster]

I like Trecothick too, I reckon he's a pretty decent batsman.

 

[Richard]

Never rated Trescothick, not only one of the luckiest players to get there, one of the luckiest players to keep his place.
Dropped on 3 on his debut, dropped on 7 in his 4th innings - if his scores had read 3, 38*, 1, 7, 7 in his first series I highly doubt he'd have got the chance to go and average 24 in Pakistan. Even if his first series had happened like it did, he still could have been dropped in Sri Lanka if Aravinda hadn't twice suffered from butter-fingers in that Galle Test.
Trescothick is one of the luckiest players I've ever seen.

 

[Richard]

many of the west indies players, gayle,hinds(both ryan and wavell) and ganga in particular
from england there was ed giddins

Ed Giddins thoroughly earnt his opportunity and was a bit unfortunate to play as little as he did.
His debut was reasonable, his 2nd Test exceptional. All right, the pitches were seam-friendly, but in those days you could bank for them quite a bit.
Gayle most certainly is not lucky to have played Test-cricket, Wavell Hinds isn't especially lucky (though why they keep making him open is a mystery to me) and Ganga is lucky only to have got as many chances as he has.

 

[Richard]

Blessing Mahwire & Justin Ontong....both made it in over more deserving candidates for the same reason

Ontong may have been lucky to get his Test debut when he did but he'd earnt the chance to play international cricket.
Mahwire we've done to death. Poor guy.

 

[Mr. P]

A certain English off spinner?:saint:

 

[Richard]

Hrishikesh Kanitkar

I liked him.
Never really knew why, though. Just one of those Indian players who appeal to me. Like Sarandeep Singh.

 

[Mr. P]

Brendon Julian

yeah...

 

[Richard]

The luckiest player to play international cricket, by common consent, was the player (can't remember his name) whose selection was described by Sydney Pardon as "touching the confines of lunacy".
He was picked because, believe it or not, the selectors and the captain had fallen-out, and the selectors were trying to punish him by sending him a rubbish player. The captain retaliated by playing him.
The unluckiest player to play international cricket was Fred Tate. IIRR a pair and a crucial dropped catch in his only game.
Sure he'd much prefer it if he'd never been selected. His son wasn't too bad, though!

 

[Richard]

A certain English off spinner?:saint:

Dawson was lucky, but there have been luckier ones.