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Greatest/worst stone wallers?

Craig

World Traveller
For me it is Alec Bannermann who played in the first ever Test along with his brother Charles - who once batted for 3 days to make his highest Test score of 94 - an average of 12 runs an hour :mellow:

Seriously what goes through their minds?
 

Chubb

International Regular
It's primarily a lack of confidence in their own ability, I think. Someone like Trevor Gripper definately lacked confidence out in the middle, and it didn't help that he was taught to bat by his father Ray Gripper who was a stonewalling opener for Rhodesia. Trevor just couldn't believe he could score runs any other way. Whether or not he actually had the ability to do so is immaterial- so long as he believed he didn't, he would be a stonewaller.

Others do it to fulfill a role in the team, obviously Mark Richardson decided to play very defensively because the rest of New Zealand's batsmen are very aggressive. Boycott probably did something similar, though some say he lacked belief in his own natural talent (not his own natural ability!) and would have scored faster if he just believed he could.
 

archie mac

International Coach
Craig said:
For me it is Alec Bannermann who played in the first ever Test along with his brother Charles - who once batted for 3 days to make his highest Test score of 94 - an average of 12 runs an hour :mellow:

Seriously what goes through their minds?
Scotton?
 

atichon

School Boy/Girl Captain
I remember being bored to death by watching Chis Tavaré, but maybe his SR was better than in my memory
 

Matt79

Global Moderator
This may well lead to a ******* of abuse, but I find Trescothick, whilst knowing he's far from a stonewaller, incredibly boring to watch. I watched all of the Ashes last year, and I know he made runs during that series, but I can't remember thinking anything he did was interesting or watchable thing he did with the bat. It's as if my brain rejects him.

I suppose this is more my problem than his :)

EDIT: hmmm - "t o r r e n t" without spaces triggers the swear filter?
 

C_C

International Captain
Greatest stonewaller ( ie, IMO the most effective stonewaller) is Border.
The only thing that made him a great batsman rather than an ordinary one was his exceptional grittyness and sheer 'hang on for dear life' mentality. Wasnt very sound technically and one of the few batsmen i've watched ( thouh limitedly) who had just a few scoring shots but an excellent defense.
I used to consider Gavaskar for that spot ( since in my books Gavaskar is a superior batsman than Border) but he had all the shots in the book and he demonstrated that he could tear apart a bowling attack akin to Viv a couple of times ( such as him blasting Holding and Marshall in their pomp all over the park).
 

UncleTheOne

U19 Captain
Matt79 said:
This may well lead to a ******* of abuse, but I find Trescothick, whilst knowing he's far from a stonewaller, incredibly boring to watch. I watched all of the Ashes last year, and I know he made runs during that series, but I can't remember thinking anything he did was interesting or watchable thing he did with the bat. It's as if my brain rejects him.

I suppose this is more my problem than his :)

EDIT: hmmm - "t o r r e n t" without spaces triggers the swear filter?
It's understandable with his stand and deliver approach to batting, hardly great to watch but don't see why it should be brought up in a stonewallers thread, he hardly hangs about when it comes to making his runs.
 

vic_orthdox

Global Moderator
C_C said:
Wasnt very sound technically and one of the few batsmen i've watched ( thouh limitedly) who had just a few scoring shots but an excellent defense.
I think he's not a bad selection. I just highlighted this sentence because I think he was very good technically in defense (and also off the back foot). But he was rather limited, and not the worst choice at all.
 

Top_Cat

Request Your Custom Title Now!
I think he's not a bad selection. I just highlighted this sentence because I think he was very good technically in defense (and also off the back foot). But he was rather limited, and not the worst choice at all.
AB is a good choice for me, too. Although I disagree he wasn't technically good; I thought he had an excellent technique in defence, had the best pull/hook shot I've personally ever seen (to this day; yes, better than Ponting in my opinion) and could slog too. I've seen AB hit massive 6's.

The big thing about AB was that he didn't have many shots he played at the highest level but those he did play he nailed. Anything short and it went. He was pretty good on the drive through cover, too. Was limited off his pads didn't really play back-foot drives but combine the above with a rock-rolid defence and that's why he averaged 50+.
 

honestbharani

Whatever it takes!!!
kinda funny, after seeing descriptions of AB's batting here, that Lara should compare himself to AB. It must have been chalk and cheese.
 

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