Those who proved you wrong

[OverratedSanity]

Happy to report that I never got on to the bandwagon praising ANY​ Indian fast bowler.

 

[Daemon]

It's so ****ing pathetic that our disappointments are the Ishants and Sreesanths while SA fans' disappointments are Morkels.

I was on board the Ishant train after watching him in the Irani game before he was selected for India. Felt vindicated after Australia, felt like a fool a few years later, and now I've come to peace with the fact that at best he'll only ever be not terrible. It's been an emotional roller coaster ride with him and the **** is still 27, so there's definitely more to come. Hopefully that doesn't include an ODI recall or I might pop a vein.

 

[StephenZA]

A lot of the time it's hard for him to pitch it up though because he'll be driven all day if he isn't getting any movement.

Rate the guy, bowls with heart and he's done a pretty good job for SA over the years. Pity it looks like he won't get too many games in the near future barring injuries.

Do you remember the IPL he bowled so gun, hitting block-hole, good bouncer and good length... was brilliant. He can never consistently do that... if he did he would be great.

It's so ****ing pathetic that our disappointments are the Ishants and Sreesanths while SA fans' disappointments are Morkels.

Don`t get me wrong he is a good bowler... and I am spoilt as a SA fan but he had so much more potential, I feel...

 

[Daemon]

Do you remember the IPL he bowled so gun, hitting block-hole, good bouncer and good length... was brilliant. He can never consistently do that... if he did he would be great.

I watched him here and there but I can't say I remember much about how he bowled in it.

He's pretty much been the best bowler for SA in LO cricket over the years as well, reckon he's pretty underrated as a cricketer, because he's never been in the spotlight for any meaningful period of time at any point of time during his career. There's always been Steyn, Anderson, Southee, Boult, Philander, Johnson, Harris and now Rabada who overshadow him.

 

[91Jmay]

He is overrated as a Test cricketer. Totally average bowler. Andy Caddick level.

 

[burr]

not Shane Watson.

 

[BeeGee]

Tendulkar.
I watched him play in a test at Christchurch in 1990 (I think it was his 4th test) and there had been much talk about this 16 year old prodigy. He looked out of place on the field, like a kid amongst men. Morrison had him out first ball in his first inning and he scored an unimpressive 24 in the second. I didn't see what all the hype was about. Turns out he could bat.

Craig Spearman.
Looked a million dollars at the crease. Timed the ball as well as any batsman I'd seen. Ended his test career with an average of 26.

 

[BeeGee]

I thought Simon Kerrigan would go on to be one of the great English spinners - shows how little I know

You were dreamin'.

 

[BeeGee]

I also thought Umar Akmal would be great still could be. Any more Akmals waiting to come?

Akmals are like the Chinese army. Just when you think that's all there are, another battalion comes marching over the hill.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Tendulkar.
I watched him play in a test at Christchurch in 1990 (I think it was his 4th test) and there had been much talk about this 16 year old prodigy. He looked out of place on the field, like a kid amongst men. Morrison had him out first ball in his first inning and he scored an unimpressive 24 in the second. I didn't see what all the hype was about. Turns out he could bat.

Craig Spearman.
Looked a million dollars at the crease. Timed the ball as well as any batsman I'd seen. Ended his test career with an average of 26.

actually pretty decent for a NZ opener

 

[Red]

Steve Smith is one for most people.

I actually thought he should've worked on his leg spin and tried to become Benaud II. Good spin bowler and hard hitting but unreliable number 7 or 8. It still amazes me how good he's become as a top order bat from what he looked like when he first batted in tests.

 

[Burgey]

He reworked his technique so hard. Stopped staying leg side of the ball and became an all around the wicket player.

It's that hard work which brought him from mediocrity to excellence which makes him The People's champion.

 

[Athlai]

Yeah I don't think people were necessarily wrong to think Smith was a spud when he first came out on the scene, he really has gone out of his way to improve himself and prove the haters wrong. It's really really annoying.

 

[Burgey]

Haters gonna hate. TPC gonna TPC.

 

[Zinzan]

It's that hard work which brought him from mediocrity to excellence which makes him The People's champion.

It's more than that, you can work as hard as you like, but it takes someone with pretty extraordinary natural talent to be pushing an average of 60 in test cricket regardless of the hours they put in.

 

[Red]

He reworked his technique so hard. Stopped staying leg side of the ball and became an all around the wicket player.

It's that hard work which brought him from mediocrity to excellence which makes him The People's champion.

Was he an out and out gun batsman as a junior and rising thru the ranks?

 

[honestbharani]

As far as The People's Chump goes, I think it was the fact that he worked out the best technique given his strengths as a batsman that has made him this successful. He did not try to be copybook, he did not try to be something he was not good at. He just worked out a technique that gives him the best chance to be successful, and something which may not work for anyone who does not have the same gifts he has in terms of quick footwork, supple and strong wrists, bottom handed game, backlift etc. A real advertisement to show that good technique need not be the same thing for everyone.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Was he an out and out gun batsman as a junior and rising thru the ranks?

Yes, and he was well known as being an absolute **** according to a few of my friends from NSW who played with him as a junior

 

[aussie tragic]

I always thought McGrath was too slow to be a great fast bowler and early on I thought Shane Watson would be one of the greatest allrounders ever (he averaged over 50 in FC and could bowl over 140 kph)

And here is one I'm yet to be proved wrong

Mitchell Marsh will never be good enough to be a # 6 batsman in Tests

 

[Furball]

Was he an out and out gun batsman as a junior and rising thru the ranks?

Did he not score 4 or 5 Shield tons the season before he made his Test debut?