Cricketing clangers.

[the big bambino]

What are some of your worst moments in cricket punditry or play? I have a few and I've mentioned the worst when watching Australia play England at the Gabba. A young McGrath was bowling short to Thorpe who hooked him high high high between square and fine. That clinched it for me so I turned to a mate and said I don't think he's quick enough for test cricket. It's probably the biggest stinker of all time and I wince and laugh thinking if I were in charge I'd have Lehmanned McGrath into a net bowler and Langered someone like Holdsworth into an ashes bolta. I didn't think much of Warne when I first saw him either - which is the same I feel about him now but for different reasons.

 

[honestbharani]

The time I thought Irfan Pathan and Balaji will be the new W&W.

 

[Dan]

I had a bad 2013/14 Ashes series. Not Spikey-and-Hilf levels of taste, but not too far behind.

• $10 on England to win the 2013/14 Ashes after the Day 1 close of play at Brisbane
• A post where I put Johnson as, like, the seventeenth quick I'd pick (behind the likes of Luke Butterworth and Ben Cutting)

 

[Starfighter]

If one digs really far back in my posting history it will be found that I rated Zafar Ansari

 

[OverratedSanity]

• Gary Ballance is better than Joe Root
• Suresh Raina will be a near-Brian Lara-level batsman
• Kraigg Brathwaite will average 45 in his test career

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

Keep on thinking Smith will end up with an average over 50; the only way that happens is that he gets dropped similar to Voges or Kambli.

 

[the big bambino]

The time I thought Irfan Pathan and Balaji will be the new W&W.

Thank you for making me feel better.

 

[GoodAreasShane]

I thought Shai Hope and Kusal Mendis would go on to establish themselves as genuine Test class batsman, but was unsold on Babar Azam


Safe to say that hasn't quite worked out...

 

[cnerd123]

In 2005 BD were a side filled with young exciting talent, and were picking up the odd ODI win here and there. They topped Aus in an ODI ahead of the Ashes, and I predicted that they would be a force by the 2007 WC, and would win the 2011 WC

They did well in 2007 but were horrendous come 2011. Got bowled out for 58 by WI on home turf, and then for 78 in a must-win runchase vs SA.

What was worse is that after 6 years they were still a 'side filled with young exciting talent', without any of the class of 2005 actually establishing themselves as World Class cricketers. Nafees Iqbal, Tushar Imran, Aftab Ahmad, Nazmul Hossain, ****ing Mohammad Ashraful. Even Tapash Baisya was only 23 then.

Now they're a better side, but I've resigned myself to the fact that they may never win a WC in my lifetime.

 

[Senile Sentry]

1. Steve Smith - Thought he would end up as one if those Cameroon White clones.

2. Darren Bravo- I think at some point in time in his career, he had exactly same stats as Lara. Although didn't expect him to emulate him, I thought he will go on to average at least 45-47 and make good runs.



3 Kambli - expected to be a LHB Sachin. Had same if not more talent. Wasted.

 

[Kirkut]

I saw Ricky Ponting in the late 90s as an average batsman and didn't expect much of him. Fast forward to 2006 and there were already comparisons with Tendulkar & Lara, with some calling him better than both.

Thought of Kohli as strictly limited overs batsman and never expected him to play tests, a bit like Yuvraj Singh.

 

[Burgey]

Can't really recall making any really wrong calls over the years tbh. Always get a giggle when others do though.

 

[honestbharani]

Can't really recall making any really wrong calls over the years tbh. Always get a giggle when others do though.

Almost everyone of your posts on the BG subbie begs to differ.

 

[trundler]

Nasir Jamshed looked genuine quality to me.

 

[_00_deathscar]

Can't really recall making any really wrong calls over the years tbh. Always get a giggle when others do though.

Good of you to reveal you’ve always been trolling and have regarded Ashwin and Jadeja as better than any Aussie spinner ever.

It’s the only way to be at peace.

 

[Burgey]

Almost everyone of your posts on the BG subbie begs to differ.

Especially the ones saying "well done India."

 

[Kirkut]

I thought of Tendulkar and Sehwag retiring from cricket completely after the 2007 World Cup. Both hit their batting peaks surprisingly after that.

 

[Burgey]

Good of you to reveal you’ve always been trolling and have regarded Ashwin and Jadeja as better than any Aussie spinner ever.

It’s the only way to be at peace.

Ash in particular takes the whole "body like an accountant" thing too far in terms of durability.

 

[honestbharani]

I honestly think if we did not have the England series coming right up and the WTC context, Bumrah and Ash may well have played through injury in the last test. And we might not have won because of that. Its amazing how it worked out.

 

[Kirkut]

Sachin's 200 in ODIs was the ultimate high I experienced as a cricket fan (above 2011 WC win and our Gabba win), thought of that record to stay permanent like Lara's 400.