Great Brother Combinations.....

[Rik]

You wouldn't call them great, but Everton and Darlington Matambanadzo from Zimbabwe.

Well dug up

 

[Neil Pickup]

Tatenda and Kudzai Taibu, also of Zimbabwe

 

[badgerhair]

Anyone got any idea which set of brothers has scored the most runs without playing for their countries?

Chris and Robin Smith.

Though I'll bet that's where the real answer's going to be found - a pair of South African brothers of the 70s and 80s.

You might want to widen it to pairs of brothers who have taken loadsawickets, although having said that I can't think of any apart from the Fraser brothers - and Alastair was crapola in spades.

But it's hard, because it's quite difficult to have a longish career and *never* catch the selectors' eye, not even for a poxy odi. Racking my brains for recent examples, I can only think of the Rollinses.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[Neil Pickup]

Chris and Robin Smith.

I was under the impression they had played for England...

 

[PY]

Think it might be a play on words, as both didn't come from England.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Sorry, I can't read

 

[Richard]

Hmmm I wouldn't think Stewart was wasted as an opener, he enjoyed opening a lot more because he got to face pace bowling which he thrived on.

That said, he was growing into the keeper-batsman role at that time, Knight was obviously not good enough yet kept on getting back in every so often. But if Kim Barnett and Steve James could get chances, why couldn't Darren Bicknell?

No, no, I was never saying Stewart as an opener in itself was a poor decision - yet another example of my poor phraseology - but 'keeper batting at four was his best position for me, five once Vaughan came onto the scene. It was a waste to pick Jack Russell or anyone else instead of another specialist opener (eg Darren Bicknell. In the end his partner - Mark Butcher - got the chance, and he didn't take it for a year).
To be fair to Steve James, though, he's a more than up-to-standard county opener - better than most going around - and he deserved his chance when it came and actually looked OK against Sri Lanka. Just that a rampant Allan Donald on a nice Lord's seamer isn't exactly your opener's dream for a Test-debut. He's one of a group including Aftab Habib and probably shortly Martin Saggers and Richard Johnson who are very unlucky in getting consistently good county figures and never being given a proper international chance.

 

[marc71178]

You wouldn't call them great, but Everton and Darlington Matambanadzo from Zimbabwe.

Wonder what the atmosphere is like in their household if Everton play Darlington in the FA Cup?

 

[marc71178]

IIRC Steve James used to score a very high percentage of runs behind square on the off side - OK against County bowlers, but Test class bowlers?

 

[Neil Pickup]

Wonder what the atmosphere is like in their household if Everton play Darlington in the FA Cup?

Wonder if little brother Hornchurch is particularly beaten at the moment? :P