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Martin Crowe vs Stan McCabe

Crowe vs McCabe


  • Total voters
    15

the big bambino

Cricketer Of The Year
It's not good but I don't think the SA bowling is as bad as the figures claim. They played almost exclusively against Aus and Eng. Their figures would come down if they played a generous proportion of tests against weaker teams of the era.
 

capt_Luffy

Hall of Fame Member
It's not good but I don't think the SA bowling is as bad as the figures claim. They played almost exclusively against Aus and Eng. Their figures would come down if they played a generous proportion of tests against weaker teams of the era.
Might be. But if you look at their bowling line-ups, you can pretty much see that it was mid asf. I mean, thier best bowler was Tufty Mann.....
 

the big bambino

Cricketer Of The Year
Might be. But if you look at their bowling line-ups, you can pretty much see that it was mid asf. I mean, thier best bowler was Tufty Mann.....
Well Chubb according to the averages. But I think it was Athol Rowan, who is an interesting player. Fast medium before the war he became an off spinner eventually due to an injury he sustained (in the war I think). He always bowled in pain and sometimes with his leg in a brace (cricinfo). He was good enough to get Hutton frequently, who rated him as highly as Laker. Langton is another whose overall record contradicts the regard many batsmen had for him. Fingleton in particular admired his skill.

Nonetheless those figures are high but I think they can be mitigated by context.

I don't think the bowlers mentioned had overlapping careers. But if you could pick them altogether you have a pretty good mix. McCarthy fast, Langton and Chubb medium fast, Mann SLA and Rowan, off break. Not fantastic but good variety and I think you could work with it.
 

capt_Luffy

Hall of Fame Member
Well Chubb according to the averages. But I think it was Athol Rowan, who is an interesting player. Fast medium before the war he became an off spinner eventually due to an injury he sustained (in the war I think). He always bowled in pain and sometimes with his leg in a brace (cricinfo). He was good enough to get Hutton frequently, who rated him as highly as Laker. Langton is another whose overall record contradicts the regard many batsmen had for him. Fingleton in particular admired his skill.

Nonetheless those figures are high but I think they can be mitigated by context.

I don't think the bowlers mentioned had overlapping careers. But if you could pick them altogether you have a pretty good mix. McCarthy fast, Langton and Chubb medium fast, Mann SLA and Rowan, off break. Not fantastic but good variety and I think you could work with it.
Fair enough. Rowan was the best bowler and Mann was close, Langton had his moments and Chubby actually has stats. But I would say that attack is definitely below par by Test level, quite much so.
 

the big bambino

Cricketer Of The Year
Fair enough. Rowan was the best bowler and Mann was close, Langton had his moments and Chubby actually has stats. But I would say that attack is definitely below par by Test level, quite much so.
Chubb is the only other 40 yo seamer I can recall playing tests other than Anderson. Though Tate may have played one test at that age.
 

Coronis

Hall of Fame Member
Chubb is the only other 40 yo seamer I can recall playing tests other than Anderson. Though Tate may have played one test at that age.
A few others I found (* means technical/possible bowling allrounder) (min 1 test wicket)

Nigel Haig
Tip Snooke*
Gubby Allen*
George Geary
Hines Johnson
Les Jackson
Tom Emmett
Johnny Douglas** (more balanced allrounder)

and of course there’s Barnes.

Les Jackson is an interesting career. 1 test against NZ in 1949, 1 test against Australia in 1961 match figures of 3/72 and 4/83 respectively. 1733 @ 17.36 in county.

Unfortunately he was behind the likes of Statham, Trueman, Bedser, Bailey, Tyson.
 

the big bambino

Cricketer Of The Year
A few others I found (* means technical/possible bowling allrounder) (min 1 test wicket)

Nigel Haig
Tip Snooke*
Gubby Allen*
George Geary
Hines Johnson
Les Jackson
Tom Emmett
Johnny Douglas** (more balanced allrounder)

and of course there’s Barnes.

Les Jackson is an interesting career. 1 test against NZ in 1949, 1 test against Australia in 1961 match figures of 3/72 and 4/83 respectively. 1733 @ 17.36 in county.

Unfortunately he was behind the likes of Statham, Trueman, Bedser, Bailey, Tyson.

Good calls. I wonder what modern selectors would’ve done in 1948 with the bowling resources available to England then. They could’ve picked Ridgway, Les Jackson, Bedser and Bailey - which is actually a decent attack and contrary to the narrative around England’s bowling just after the war. Laker Hollies Wright as spinners.

Australia still would’ve won but the batting would’ve been tested.
 

Johan

Hall of Fame Member
Les Jackson was really someone who should've played a lot more, Fred Trueman in his book rates Jackson as one of the best pacers he ever saw and considers Jackson to have a better floor than himself while he had the higher ceiling, Ray Lindwall had no idea why Jackson wasn't playing as a regular. Trueman throws the theory that Jackson wasn't playing because he was not from one of the big counties but we all know what Fred thought of the establishment and the governing forces of English Cricket in the 1950s and the 1960s. I once did a mathematical breakdown of Jackson's numbers against Test Standard sides IE visting Test sides and he had over a hundred wickets at the average of 22.

for 1948, England really could've put Bedser, Jackson, Laker, Bailey and Ridgway, would've been cool.
 
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