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Cricketers who should have played a certain format in international cricket , but for some reason were never picked ?

Nintendo

Cricketer Of The Year
Ide be interested to see how a younger Jason Roy would have gone in this bazball style England team as an opener. Don't think hede light the world on fire but can imagine him averaging 30 at a high SR.
 

slowfinger

International Debutant
i know Root doesn't qualify for this discussion but why have they dropped him for t20? he's the best batsman in all 3 formats in the world imo!
 

Nintendo

Cricketer Of The Year
i know Root doesn't qualify for this discussion but why have they dropped him for t20? he's the best batsman in all 3 formats in the world imo!
I don't know the exact nitty gritty of it but I think it was them preferring malan at #3? Malan made his 100* in NZ in nov 2019 and root's last game was mid 2019. Maybe root was being rested, malan made runs in his place and they just prefered letting root focus on test and ODI with the ODI wc around the corner?
 

The Hutt Rec

International Vice-Captain
I always find it strange that Tom Bruce has 4800 first class runs at 49, and can’t even get in the conversation for a test spot. At almost 32 I don’t think he ever will either. (Insert joke about him just reaching NZ selection age)
 

Nintendo

Cricketer Of The Year
I always find it strange that Tom Bruce has 4800 first class runs at 49, and can’t even get in the conversation for a test spot. At almost 32 I don’t think he ever will either. (Insert joke about him just reaching NZ selection age)
Hard to fit him in when he refuses to make runs or bat above 5 and we have Mitchell+Blundell at 5 and 6. If he moved up to 3/4 earlier (which he's done now for NZ a FYI) and made runs like he has at 5/6 he would have been a shout for Nicholls spot (realistically not given how the selectors backed him, but a man can dream.
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
Forgot Bairstow and Rohit.

One of Babar, Conway, Bairstow, and Rohit.
Bairstow's resurgence in Tests was glorious but probably not long-standing enough to quite be in the conversation with the others IMO. We'll see how he goes in Tests on his comeback. Kohli is a shout too if he finally rediscovers his Test form after breaking the duck too, but obviously not yet after one knock.

I'd probably go with Babar at this stage.
 

ataraxia

International Coach
Nicholls playing over Bruce in particular has been absolutely horrendous selection. Current Bruce is comfortably better than peak Nicholls anyway IMO. Fire Stead, etc.
 

Nintendo

Cricketer Of The Year
Bairstow's resurgence in Tests was glorious but probably not long-standing enough to quite be in the conversation with the others IMO. We'll see how he goes in Tests on his comeback. Kohli is a shout too if he finally rediscovers his Test form after breaking the duck too, but obviously not yet after one knock.

I'd probably go with Babar at this stage.
Bairstows made more hundreds since his return in the last ashes than Conway has in his entire career. If Conway is in the convo then Bairstow should be aswell.
 

tony p

First Class Debutant
Ali Brown of Surrey should have played Test Cricket for England back in the day.
Almost 17,000 runs @43 with 47 centuries, and most of them scored at a fast rate, his first 3 FC centuries of his career in 1992 came off 79, 71 & 78 balls.
Yet he's mainly remembered for his One Day Cricket, Two Double centuries including 268 v Glamorgan & a 203 v Hampshire in the 40 over Sunday league, along with 17 other One day centuries.
He only played 16 ODI for England with 1 century, really wasted.
Would get a game in Test cricket in the bazzball era for sure, batting at 5 or 6.
 

Flem274*

123/5
Nicholls playing over Bruce in particular has been absolutely horrendous selection. Current Bruce is comfortably better than peak Nicholls anyway IMO. Fire Stead, etc.
Peak Nicholls was pretty damn good tbh, but all too brief.

I think if Bruce had batted #4 in the past few seasons for similar results and we had a different coach, he would be in the squad.
 

ataraxia

International Coach
Peak Nicholls was pretty damn good tbh, but all too brief.

I think if Bruce had batted #4 in the past few seasons for similar results and we had a different coach, he would be in the squad.
Bruce averages 90 and a half over the past two home seasons (19 matches). Considering he shares the same flaws of not being able to buy a run away (in limited appearances tbf), batting #5, and bullying Plunket-standard attacks, then...

(ok maybe i'm diminishing the value of test runs a bit)
 

Immenso

International Vice-Captain
Tom Bruce has scored 60% of his career NZ A runs in that last completed match, last week. In his NZ A career up to then, he had played 4 matches (All in India or UAE) for an average of 18.

Nicholls playing over Bruce has definitely not been an absolutely horrendous selection, IMO.
 

Immenso

International Vice-Captain
Actually, I have a great Tom Bruce stat that I will take to the blackcaps thread, as a quiz ...
 

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