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From Rabble to Glory - Players and Teams that started off crap but got much better

Mr Miyagi

Banned
This is a chance to post your nominees for players who had less than auspicious starts to their careers. Those that looked like total bludgers, but then get much much better.

The obvious is SK Warne being flogged around Australia by the touring BCCI team. But he was already having some early success in Sri Lanka before destroying the West Indies at Melbourne in 1992, and by 1993 was a superstar before even heading to England. So I am sure the bright minds at CW can come up with much better suggestions.

I'll kick things off with Neil Wagner, long awaited by NZC fans as he qualified from South Africa and terrorised first-class batsmen, even taking 4 wickets in a single over, and expected to be the best thing since Bond or Hadlee, Neil failed to deliver in his first two years of international cricket. 8 tests and he was dropped, with a bowling average well over 40.

NZC fans had given up on the "Wagner will be great" dream.

But since his recall as #3 bowler instead of the new ball spearhead, hasn't he turned his career around?

Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo

As a side note, feel free to discuss teams, such as the mid 80's Australian battlers of Border, Marsh, Boon, Jones, SWaugh who at some point went from a low ebb, to much loftier heights.
 
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Maximas

Cricketer Of The Year
Suranga Lakmal

Began absolutely dire, well below test standard. Has become SL's most consistent and reliable fast bowler since Vaas, although obviously still without that level of class. Able to play the holding role in tough conditions, but can make early breakthroughs and get the ball moving around over long spells in favourable conditions.

Not to mention as of now he is SL's test captain :D
 

Mr Miyagi

Banned
Suranga Lakmal

Began absolutely dire, well below test standard. Has become SL's most consistent and reliable fast bowler since Vaas, although obviously still without that level of class. Able to play the holding role in tough conditions, but can make early breakthroughs and get the ball moving around over long spells in favourable conditions.

Not to mention as of now he is SL's test captain :D
You're a generous fan:

Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo

He averaged 43 over 10 tests last year. 35 the year before, and 56 the year before that.

He is having a great 2018 so far, though. Hope it continues for him until he plays NZC next.
 

Mr Miyagi

Banned
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Maximas

Cricketer Of The Year
I am indeed (although I'm Australian), Chameera has broken down numerous times with injury in the last couple of years, he was actually meant to play IPL this year. I assume he'll be in the reckoning for SL's overseas tours over the next few years however
 

Mr Miyagi

Banned
I am indeed (although I'm Australian), Chameera has broken down numerous times with injury in the last couple of years, he was actually meant to play IPL this year. I assume he'll be in the reckoning for SL's overseas tours over the next few years however
Yeah, he was really impressive in NZ, NZ set SL up with a bouncy track (got a lil variable iirc); but out of nowhere Chameera decided he could keep bowling vicious low bouncers from back of a length or mid-way - not 'short "short'" and really got SL into a winning position.

His pace was already known I believe, but not his short assault ability.

2nd Test, Sri Lanka tour of New Zealand at Hamilton, Dec 18-21 2015 | Match Summary | ESPNCricinfo

One of the best bowling efforts seen in NZ in recent times. Incl NZ and visiting players. It was that good.
 
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Mr Miyagi

Banned
VVS Laxman: persistence pays off

Following in the footsteps of Gavaskar, Vengasarkar, and playing with Azra, Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly, and helping to keep Kambli out of the team was no mean feat for VVS.

And while he is not an ATG himself, his career in held in very high regard as a classy and beautiful strokemaker who has played some of the most famous innings, particularly 2 in one game that turned a hopeless position against the best team in the world into one of the most famous test victories, ever.

But his first years in the side were awful.

16 matches, 28 innings, average 24.07 with no centuries.

Batting records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo

He seems to have almost been lucky to have been selected for so long.
 
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GoodAreasShane

Cricketer Of The Year
Already pretty well known, but it took Steve Waugh a fair while to establish himself at test level. Didn't look back once he did though.
 

Burgey

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He kind of did though. Was dropped in 1990-91 and didn’t re-establish himself til 92-93.
 

mr_mister

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Ramnaresh Sarwan in his first year of test cricket toured Australia and scored 3 runs in 5 innings before a gritty 50 in Sydney probably saved him from the scrap heap.

Went on to have a decent career and scored a couple of tons against Australia in later series
 

OverratedSanity

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Tbf, VVS was just playing out of position. He was showing flashes of his ability but was forced to open when he didn't want to which affected his stats. Would've had a much better start to his career if he'd been fitted into the middle order from the beginning.
 

fredfertang

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I’ve always liked the Craig White story - picked by Illingworth and absolutely dire then six years later passes out in the street and the man who picks himself up can bowl fast reverse swing
 

Mr Miyagi

Banned
I’ve always liked the Craig White story - picked by Illingworth and absolutely dire then six years later passes out in the street and the man who picks himself up can bowl fast reverse swing
Fred, I appreciate you know about more cricketers than possibly 99% if not 100% of the forum's users, but I need more info on this story from you.

Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo

Craig white's stats just suggest he only had 1 good year bowling in 2000.

What is the story that the stats don't show?
 
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Mr Miyagi

Banned
Tbf, VVS was just playing out of position. He was showing flashes of his ability but was forced to open when he didn't want to which affected his stats. Would've had a much better start to his career if he'd been fitted into the middle order from the beginning.
I think given these guys go on to become so good, that the ability was always there. So something changes, be it where they bat, a technique change, or simply luck. But it has to be something more than just simply rising to their peak for this thread.

I didn't want to include the likes of superkids who were earmarked for greatness before even playing tests, like Martin Crowe (or even Tendulkar ((he was clearly gifted as a teenager)) for that matter) who were just thrown in young.

And I didn't want to include the likes of KW or Kohli who always demonstrated their class as they got through their teething problems of consistency. Besides - they really fall into the above anyway.

S Smith is also anomalous given his spin bowling early career introduction.

But some guys do genuinely start out much much weaker than they end up.

Ross Taylor after 4 years was averaging 40, and was "decent" and is often still thought of that way - despite now being absolute class. He's a bit like Hadlee in that he just kept getting better, but he was always recognised by opposition as a genuine threat even when not at the top echelon.

Batting records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo

But some guys start off as just not looking that great for quite some time (and cause the selectors real headaches), but then overtime - they're high achieving cricketers. I think VVS meets this with his career start.

KW was never going to cause selectors headaches, everyone in NZC knew his talent was far better than his numbers when he was averaging in the 30's in tests. VVS - I'm not so sure the selectors and public would have been so confident.

Even when Virat averaged in the low 40's in tests, most cricket fans knew that was going to sky rocket (which it has). No surprises there. Ditto for KW from the 30's. (In fact I was more surprised one day when I saw KW's average was in fact in the 30's - I remember thinking that he's so muuuch better than that).
 
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Mr Miyagi

Banned
Batting records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo

Hashim Amla:

First 15 tests over a 3 year period:

15 matches 29 innings for 1 century (against NZ at home - hardly a celebration for a SA cricketer in 2006) and a batting average of 25.50.

Given his stroke play is in my subjective opinion among the dourest and ugly to watch, well done to selectors for continuing the faith in him. I like him making runs, I just think they're consistently among the ugliest runs and shots I see, but he keeps on scoring them. :)

What amazes me more is his ODI career SR, with his ability to keep a good tempo, while looking slow. Like a spin bowler who rushes through overs, Amla deceptively keeps a high sr. Great talent, great career, awful start, especially for an unattractive stroke maker. Seriously, I'd rather watch R Jadeja bat for aesthetic value. But then I have always enjoyed the batting styles of R Uthappa, R Jadeja and KL Rahul.
 
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