Hard Harry said:
I don't know how you can be so dismissive of a bowler's ability on "non-seamers" after such a short career. Since the tour of India he's played six tests, more than a quarter of his career to date, and as I said, he's been carrying an injury.
Well we'll see as his career unfolds further. However, I do think a Test-career in the early 20s can begin to reveal a pattern, even one in the late teens. And the fact is, apart from that Second Test, Tuffey's taken wickets very, very expensively on non-seaming wickets, injured or not.
So? Where did those seven wickets come from? Did he pull them out of his backside? Anil Kumble could only cobble together a series average in the late 30s, does this make him hopeless in conditions that don't suit him?
Yes, it does, we've certainly seen that over a very long career.
Kumble is useful only when the ball is turning significantly.
Likewise, it seems Tuffey is useful when the ball is seaming and not otherwise.
And where are your stats to back this up? Perhaps in the same mythical cubbyhole as your first chance averages? Every bowler, no matter who they are, is going to have a higher average on runway-like pitches.
No mythical cubbyhole entraps anything about first-chance averages - they are a fact, whether widely recognised and valued or not.
And yes, perfectly true seamers are totally to be expected to average lower on seamers than non-seamers, but Tuffey is more than just the to-be-expected:
Flat wickets in England (even if his injury was affecting him): 82
Flat wickets in New Zealand against South Africa: 72
Wickets on which I can't comment certainly but am willing to bet offered at least something to the seamers (v Pakistan): 29
Second Test in India, flat as anything: 7 for 110
Equally flat wicket for First Test in India: 1 for 121
Flat wickets in Sri Lanka: 58.5
Notorious seamers in New Zealand against India: 8.69
Wicket in West Indies on which I can't comment, read Pakistan: 2 for 59
Wicket in Pakistan that offered nothing to seamers: 2 for 94
Wicket at Eden Park that I am more sure than any others was very, very good for seam and uneven bounce: 9 for 116
First and Third Test of NZ-Pak series (can't comment on the wickets but am prepared to bet offered a lot to the seamers): 15.43
Second Test of that series, drop-in which offered nothing to any bowler: 2 for 152
Flat wickets in South Africa: 64.66
Wicket in New Zealand for Australia match (can't comment, someone fill-in): 0 for 127
That's all I can provide, that's what's suggested to me what I've mentioned are my views.