No hopers who made it

[honestbharani]

I suppose one of the good answers to the thread topic would be Joginder Sharma.

 

[TheJediBrah]

I don't think Hauritz improved much throughout his career tbh. He was just given an unusually extended run in the post-Warne era when spinners were lucky to get more than 1 or 2 games before being dumped and did a serviceable job.

 

[Daemon]

Hasn't made it

Best T20 batsman in Australia (low bar tbf)

 

[GoodAreasShane]

I don't think Hauritz improved much throughout his career tbh. He was just given an unusually extended run in the post-Warne era when spinners were lucky to get more than 1 or 2 games before being dumped and did a serviceable job.

This is pretty much the point I was making.

Wasn't saying he improved at all, just saying he did alright in Test cricket relative to his (pretty low imo) level of talent.

Didn't look even close to Test level but statistically was the least worst Australian spinner post Warne and pre Lyon

 

[Silver Silva]

Prodigies don't count. Players who merely exceeded expectations aren't quite no-hopers either. Only Henry, Harris, Wagner and Ishant have been valid examples so far. You have to improve by like 50% or more compared to the first half of your career to qualify for this thread imo.

Disagree ..

Herath is a valid example, Herath wasn't a prodigy, from the first half of his career (1999-2008) did next to nothing in international cricket, yes Murali was present but subcontinent teams often play more than one spinner at home .

Even his physical stature , when you look at Herath you don't see a superstar athlete staring back at you, this guy outdid expectations by 1000% , he had the career everyone thought Ajantha Mendis would have

 

[Molehill]

Prodigies don't count. Players who merely exceeded expectations aren't quite no-hopers either. Only Henry, Harris, Wagner and Ishant have been valid examples so far. You have to improve by like 50% or more compared to the first half of your career to qualify for this thread imo.

Does Swann not count? Spent the first half of his career as a solid County pro but hardly being considered behind the likes of Giles, Udal and Panesar. Didn't play a Test until he was 29 and then took over 250 wickets in the next 5 years, being comfortably England's best spinner since Underwood.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Does Swann not count? Spent the first half of his career as a solid County pro but hardly being considered behind the likes of Giles, Udal and Panesar. Didn't play a Test until he was 29 and then took over 250 wickets in the next 5 years, being comfortably England's best spinner since Underwood.

Too bad he had a pea heart

 

[Sunil1z]

Does Rohit Sharma count ? ( in Limited overs )

Guy was called Nohit Sharma till 2013 Champions Trophy.

Tendulkar is also a very good shout in ODIs . Took 80 matches to get his first Century

 

[Kenneth Viljoen]

Makhaya Ntini

Nobody really talks about him amongst the best but he's got 390 Test wickets, relied mostly on being supremely fit and unrelenting rather than great skill.

 

[Blenkinsop]

I'm not too familiar about Ben Duckett's FC career before Bazball but he was supposedly a middling middle order batter for ages, was he not?

No not at all. He was arguably picked for Test cricket too early but off the basis of being the hottest bat in domestic cricket for a couple of years. I think he scored a double century against Pakistan A in a one-day game or something like that?

Then he went to Bangladesh and India with the Test team and failed, partly because Ashwin had his number and partly because the coaches tried to rein in his attacking game and turn him into a blocker, which was never going to work.

 

[Blenkinsop]

I might nominate Ashley Giles as someone who had a surprisingly long and decent Test career despite his obvious limitations.

 

[Kenneth Viljoen]

I might nominate Ashley Giles as someone who had a surprisingly long and decent Test career despite his obvious limitations.

Darren Sammy managed to get a stadium named after him with 120 kph dibby dobblys and 20 off 15 cameos down the order..

 

[TheJediBrah]

Does Rohit Sharma count ? ( in Limited overs )

Guy was called Nohit Sharma till 2013 Champions Trophy.

Tendulkar is also a very good shout in ODIs . Took 80 matches to get his first Century

I ws waiting for someone to mention Tendulkar lol

You could genuinely claim like 95% of cricketers to fit this thread if you try hard enough

 

[Molehill]

I ws waiting for someone to mention Tendulkar lol

You could genuinely claim like 95% of cricketers to fit this thread if you try hard enough

How about Shane Warne? He had so little hope he didn't even want to be a cricketer in his teens. If only he'd been a bit better at Aussie Rules....

 

[Athlai]

The Tendulkar shout is crazy. It was an era where ODI 100s were less common and he was one of the highest run scorers going despite being under the age of 21. Had a great SR too.

Pull your heads in FFS.

 

[Ju7]

Graham Gooch was a slow burn but ended up with an average of about 42.

 

[Kenneth Viljoen]

Graham Gooch was a slow burn but ended up with an average of about 42.

Gooch wasn't a no hoper though , probably the most prolific batsman of all time if you combine his FC and List A runs

 

[Ju7]

He was when he started playing Test Match cricket which is what we are talking about.He was first picked in 1975 and then not again for 3 years.It took years for his average to go above 40.

I talk as someone who rates his batting in the 1980's and early 1990's vs the WI as some of the finest against fast bowling I've seen.

 

[Daemon]

Kane Williamson was a nobody until age 6

 

[ashley bach]

Best T20 batsman in Australia (low bar tbf)

Surely he's close to being just about the best T20 bat in the world atm
Highly unlikely Singapore will ever produce another batsman half as good.