Cricket Banter

I was trying to work out what was the definition of a true all-rounder.

Like Joe Root bowls but is described as a specialist batsman who bowls a bit.

The definition that I came up with is someone who could get into the team with both their batting and bowling ability alone.

^ They’re very rare. Stokes definitely and of course Botham but who else in between springs to mind for England?

(22-08-2022 15:04 )Charlemagne Wrote:  The definition that I came up with is someone who could get into the team with both their batting and bowling ability alone.

I think Peter Willey would fail your test, despite scoring over 35000 runs in his career and taking over 1000 wickets. A batting average of 30 and a bowling average of 31 means it would be hard to select him purely as a batsman and hard to select him purely as a bowler too, but surely he was a true all-rounder?

Good call but his Test batting average was only 26.9 and he only took 7 test wickets (bowled 181 overs) at an average of 65.14 so not top echelon at all. More a beneficiary of lack of better alternatives when selectors did not have full confidence in either the batting or bowling lineups.

Now if you added in his umpiring career he would be a triple all rounder candidate!

I have heard it said that an allrounder, should equally be able to play as a batter, or bowler alone. I'm not sure I agree, surely it's the sum of all skills that count. Botham only had a few years at the peak of his batting & bowling powers. In his early matches his bowling was by far his greater strength. After his back op, he took many wickets on the strength of his reputation alone. Don't discount the 100+ catches, many in the slips, Freddie was similar with his catching, but in the end, his bowling was way better than his batting, end with dodgy knees.
Moeen, maybe doesn't have the best stats, he certainly underperformed with the bat, but he was moved around too much, his talents deserved to be used as a top order batter more often.

(22-08-2022 17:01 )Boomerangutangangbang Wrote:  I have heard it said that an allrounder, should equally be able to play as a batter, or bowler alone. I'm not sure I agree, surely it's the sum of all skills that count. Botham only had a few years at the peak of his batting & bowling powers. In his early matches his bowling was by far his greater strength. After his back op, he took many wickets on the strength of his reputation alone. Don't discount the 100+ catches, many in the slips, Freddie was similar with his catching, but in the end, his bowling was way better than his batting, end with dodgy knees.
Moeen, maybe doesn't have the best stats, he certainly underperformed with the bat, but he was moved around too much, his talents deserved to be used as a top order batter more often.

All the time at #3!! Spot on with everything else there Booms as well! Complete agreement!

I'll stick my neck out & say that Moeen is the most naturally talented left-handers since Gower, amazing timing, but wasted by England, who where desperate for a spinner. His bowling stats are really impressive, especially his strike-rate, but we have maybe missed out on a batsman who could've average close to 50, instead of half that.

Hampshire bowler playing today with interesting initials, JOI Campbell. Cricket dressing rooms are renown for coming up with some of the best & most imaginative nicknames, I doubt that Jack Campbell's initials will have gone unnoticed.

England T20 World Cup Squad
Jos Buttler (capt), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Woakes, M Wood

Travelling Reserves - Liam Dawson, Richard Gleeson, Tymal Mills

England T20I Pakistan Tour Squad
Jos Buttler (capt), Moeen Ali (vice capt), Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Liam Dawson, Richard Gleeson, Tom Hem, Will Jacks, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Luke Wood, Mark Wood

No Jason Roy