'my duds better than your duds'

lardbucket wrote:Hmmm ... My 1 Test Dud keeper is either Phil Emery or Graham Manou

Hammy Love ...5&3 and 3 catches

played the last bodyline test after Oldie got injured

Aye.

Paul Hibbert does make my OTDs (one test duds); I thought he had had a second chance, but no ... he's a lock in with two low scores and no catches.

I like the look of 1932's Bill Hunt, too, as my left arm spinner.

Same situation as Manou or Emery, but I'd vote for Hammy Love just for his name....

Fred Nerk wrote:What about that Tasmanian back in the very early days that they picked as keeper and they when they got to England they found the selectors had mixed him up with another bloke, and he'd never kept wicket in his life?

That was Ken Burn, IIRC. I've got nothing else for you about him, but you can thank me for that.

Although 3 catches is an innings and a half is only average rather than bad. Dim Tim or Greg Diabolical were quite capable of dropping that many before the shine was off. Any record of the Hamster dropping any?

EDIT: Ken Burn played two Tests as a batsman (before he was fired....) and averaged 10.

so far I've got:

Paul Hibbert
Ken Eastwood (bit worried about his wicket though)
Shaun Young
Joe Burns
Les Joslin
Roy Park
Hammy Love
Ross Duncan
Bryce McGain
Bill Hunt
Dan Cullen

That's a low-scoring, poor bowling mob, but I'm sure with a bit more effort I can find an Australian XI who concede more runs, take fewer wickets, and score fewer runs themselves.

It is worth noting that Jeff Thomson and Shane Warne might well have made this side after their first tests, as would Graham Gooch for England. Many who performed as they did on debut never got another go.

Confusion reigned about Burn right to the end. He's listed by Crocinfo as "Edwin James Kenneth" but his Wisden obit called him Kenneth Edward.

Paul Wilson has to get a gig ahead of Duncan, who at least was economical and only got to play half a Test before doing his knee.

If you're going to name three spinners who all can't bat in the one XI I think you should also nominate which selection panel picked the team...

Four spinners who couldn't bat if you count Clint....

Hugh Morley Thurlow played in Hunt's match and scored 0, opened the bowling and conceded 86 runs without taking a wicket. He never played another Test.

What about Thurlow. Picked as the strike bowler. Couldn't take a wicket in a match McCabe took two (though Stan was a useful change bowler) and contributed nothing with the bat by getting run out and leaving Bradman stranded on 299 (wear that one Sean).

TTBF we may not have seen the best of his batting because he may not have even faced a ball.

Fred Nerk wrote:Paul Wilson has to get a gig ahead of Duncan, who at least was economical and only got to play half a Test before doing his knee.

yep, good point

Ross Duncan played a ROW "Test" as well and he was actually useful at Shield level

Fred Nerk wrote:Hugh Morley Thurlow played in Hunt's match and scored 0, opened the bowling and conceded 86 runs without taking a wicket. He never played another Test.

Bye bye Dan Cullen

progress on The Duds:

Paul Hibbert
Ken Eastwood (bit worried about his wicket though)
Shaun Young
Joe Burns
Les Joslin
Roy Park
Hammy Love
Hugh Thurlow
Bryce McGain
Bill Hunt
Paul Wilson

You don't want to differentiate between the selections on "merit" and the stop-gap selections? Reading some of the player profiles there's a couple who might be worthy additions to your team, particularly in the early years, but were seat warmers.

No, leave the criteria as outlined in the initial post ... the only additional criterion I thought about was one that required 20 dismissals to have occurred in the selected side, so that The Duds were all out twice for their disgraceful total. I thought that was too difficult.

I spose. No pairs amongst the oncers anyway.

John McIlwraith (RHB), the Les Joslin of 1886, comes in to replace Joe Burns, who wouldn't have stayed in my side for long anyway.

Clint McKay.

Bradman wrote:What about Thurlow.  Picked as the strike bowler.  Couldn't take a wicket in a match McCabe took two (though Stan was a useful change bowler) and contributed nothing with the bat by getting run out and leaving Bradman stranded on 299 (wear that one Sean).

TTBF we may not have seen the best of his batting because he may not have even faced a ball.

Yes - the fact he he stranded The Don may have had something to do with the fact he stayed at one test.

Wasn't it Bradman that called for the 2 to get to 300 before tea?

Harry Musgrave (1885) might come in for Roy Park, despite the latter's stellar one ball career, or perhaps for Ken Eastwood* ... on the grounds that he was dismissed twice for very low scores, and *did not take a cheap wicket.

Clint McKay is a good suggestion, but I think the total duds in my bowling unit keep him out.

Took a catch too, but a lot of the duds did.

GF Grace? Not only a pair but this.

On 22 September 1880, Two weeks after his Test appearance, Fred Grace died in Basingstoke, Hampshire of pneumonia, caught, it was said, as the result of sleeping in a damp bed.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Grace

Obviously didn't follow the standard rule about wet patches.