Otherwise (Very) Good Players who Look Crap asf

[BazBall21]

Smith, Jadeja, Cook, Lawry...

 

[thierry henry]

My fellow nzers are going to hate me for this and I say this as a huge fan:

Ross Taylor

Played some glorious shots but also had a strange ability to look like he’d forgotten how to bat while not getting out

I always thought his batting was underrated from an aesthetic perspective. Lovely cutter and driver of the ball anywhere from point to mid-on but talked about as if he was a leg-side biffer.

But yeah, he often looked like he was really struggling for a lot of the latter half of his career - not so much earlier.

 

[subshakerz]

Shaun Pollock, horrible bowling action, especially compared to Donald.

 

[BazBall21]

Wagner

 

[NZTailender]

I always thought his batting was underrated from an aesthetic perspective. Lovely cutter and driver of the ball anywhere from point to mid-on but talked about as if he was a leg-side biffer.

But yeah, he often looked like he was really struggling for a lot of the latter half of his career - not so much earlier.

When he was on song he looked like he had a million years to play a ball and his wristy shots were sublime.

 

[NZTailender]

Also, tbf, I preferred watching Taylor to Williamson much in the same way I preferred Lara to Tendulkar

 

[Flem274*]

Also, tbf, I preferred watching Taylor to Williamson much in the same way I preferred Lara to Tendulkar

Yeah there's such a thing as too perfect. Still love KW though, he's won us plenty of games.

i like watching Smith for the same reason. He's unique.

 

[Xuhaib]

Younis Khan first 20-30 runs was absolute eyesore to watch and then suddenly he would switch on and turn in to a glorious free flowing bat till he got out.

 

[Victor Ian]

I hope he never posts here or discovers it exists and/or has any compulsion to ever read one of my posts. Can't imagine it going well for me.

Can you sue someone for consistent negative commentary bordering on abuse on an anonymous online forum?

Sangakkara suggests no.

 

[Victor Ian]

We should invite Sanga here and find out.

Beat me

 

[andruid]

From an aesthetic point if view Stuart MacGill's action makes him look like he is having a hissy fit.

 

[Bahnz]

When he was on song he looked like he had a million years to play a ball and his wristy shots were sublime.

Yeah you can't tell me he doesn't look amazing in this innings.

 

[Uppercut]

I always have a soft spot for cricket's freaks and weirdos, especially the bowlers, but Sohail Tanvir was too much even for me. It was like someone took a perfectly good bowling action and clicked one side of his body out of sync with the other.

 

[mr_mister]

Honestly, Bevan. His shots always looked kinda weak to me, like he didn't have many boundaries in him

 

[Spark]

I've said this a few times but I actually really enjoy Smith's technique even at an aesthetic level because of how idiosyncratic it is but Marnus is really terrible to watch IMO.

Having said that I also don't think "pure textbook" batsmen are necessarily that fun to watch either. Oooh look at me I have such a high elbow when I nick it to second slip. Mike Hussey was actually a decent example of this, quality batsman but boring as **** to watch.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

Oooh look at me I have such a high elbow when I nick it to second slip.

Wanna hear a batsman say this without irony, preferably just after nicking to second slip.

 

[mr_mister]

I've said this a few times but I actually really enjoy Smith's technique even at an aesthetic level because of how idiosyncratic it is but Marnus is really terrible to watch IMO.

Having said that I also don't think "pure textbook" batsmen are necessarily that fun to watch either. Oooh look at me I have such a high elbow when I nick it to second slip. Mike Hussey was actually a decent example of this, quality batsman but boring as **** to watch.

I agree re Hussey, with his cameo in that T20 WC SF against Pakistan being an exception. That really felt like it came out of nowhere and was not an innings I thought he was capable of really playing

 

[thierry henry]

Surprised about Marnus getting so many mentions, in terms of technique/aesthetics I always thought he looks fairly orthodox/"normal" despite the peripheral histrionics? Or is it more about how he tends to play a lot of false strokes and generally look to be making hard work of batting?

 

[Prince EWS]

Surprised about Marnus getting so many mentions, in terms of technique/aesthetics I always thought he looks fairly orthodox/"normal" despite the peripheral histrionics? Or is it more about how he tends to play a lot of false strokes and generally look to be making hard work of batting?

I think it's this. He doesn't look unorthodox or like he has a massive weakness, he just generally doesn't look like he's that good at what he's doing while he's out there - certainly not as good as his record, anyway. Gets dropped almost as often as Nicholls too which probably contributes to it.

 

[thierry henry]

Anyway - aside from the fact I always felt like he got away with a lot of false shots, I also just always felt like Gilchrist looked gangly and uncoordinated. I find it hard to visualise him playing a "proper" looking front foot shot at all. But this has always been one of those things (not the only one) where I seem to be the only person on earth who sees it that way.

Actually, come to think of it Warner is sort of similar in my mind's eye albeit more compact. It's like they both had two basic shots, swat the straight one and flail at anything outside off. Neither really set up to hit the ball straight in a natural way.