Hayden acted as a bully against medium pacers. But against pace of Shoaib there was no such antics. Can't say tough, but mean.Tough and mean are different words.
Graeme Smith coming out to bat with a broken hand = Tough.
Kumble coming back to bowl with a broken jaw held together by a cloth = Tough.
I am a massive fan of Matt Hayden but I haven't seen any toughness from him. I mean he almost drowned himself and had to be saved by Symonds.
To be fair, it was a declining team and he had lost a bit of form by then, but it would be unfair to suggest that he lacks ticker after a couple of bad series.Didn't exactly display a bucket load of ticker out here last tour
Ian Collis also writes;Jack Hobbs rated their opening bowler, 'Tibby' Cotter, on that tour, the fastest bowler he ever faced. He had some uneasy moments against him, but he made 94 before Clem Hill, with only a single stump to aim at from the third man boundary, hit it and ran him out. It was not a flawless innings, but an aggressive one...
From 'Hobbs - and a 'Bad Trott' by John Arlott.
Classed with Harold Larwood for pace, Albert 'Tibby' Cotter of NSW was a superb physical specimen and had tremendous stamina. Cotter took 89 wickets in 21 Tests.....
'Cricket Through the Ages' p40
Lancs and Leicester opening bat Iain Sutcliffe got a boxing blue at Oxford, and Bill Alley was a class act till he got his jaw shattered by a cricket ball - went about 30 fights unbeaten iircKepler Wessels was a tough sort, wasn't he? Useful boxer, as one understands.
& didn't Colin Cowdrey once come out to save a test with his arm in a sling?
Love the story of Cowdrey called up to face Lillee and Thommo at age 42 and then opening the batting!Kepler Wessels was a tough sort, wasn't he? Useful boxer, as one understands.
& didn't Colin Cowdrey once come out to save a test with his arm in a sling?
I think it is a given that Gambhir is a tough guy who asks for no quarter.Gautam Gambhir would be up there for mine. Probably not up there for others, but batting with concussion and saving a test with a broken finger against Steyn and Morkel takes some courage.