Ramps Watch

Batfink... WTF?

I mean, that is funny, but does it have any meaning beyond the humour? Sounds like some facebook group or something...

Ramps finished up on 196, 104 runs short of 2000 for the summer. Lancashire need 278 to avoid the follow on and give him a second turn at the crease.

Leo wrote:Batfink... WTF?

I mean, that is funny, but does it have any meaning beyond the humour? Sounds like some facebook group or something...

Ramps finished up on 196, 104 runs short of 2000 for the summer. Lancashire need 278 to avoid the follow on and give him a second turn at the crease.

'The Rampants' are a group of Ramprakash fans who basically just fancied him. After he won Strictly Come Dancing or whatever it was, the group got started up... Think there's a website where you can become a member.
I haven't really done anything.


Merlin, you're a bitter goat. He averages 72 there, correct, however for starters more belters are produced for Tests nowadays anyway and he averages mid-40s or more on almost all the grounds he's played on, hardly what you'd call a disgrace.

Mebbe batfink ... mebbe .... but I still maintain Ramps was never International class.
Bottled it on more than the 30 or so occasions he got picked.

And the Oval track, as we all know, is a featherbed unless facing raw pace - which he loathes.

All in all, a bright end to a half decent career that never fulfilled its promise... 'cept on the dance floor.

Bullsh!t. He was a failure at Test level, but to call it a half decent career is utter tripe. Mark Nicholas had a half decent career, Ramprakash is a County great. No two ways about it. Oh, I'd love to have seen your reaction were he pummelling these runs for Middlesooks.

S F Barnes wrote:He'd don the England shirt all old demons would come back to haunt him.

Still, we could use another decent player of spin on that tour. Time for another completely irrelevant XI :

Cook
Bell
KP
Ramps
Shah
Colly
Mustard
Swann
Hoggy
Tremlett/Harmless
Monty

You might want to pick more than 2 bowlers for Sri Lanka though...

Batfink Begins wrote:Bullsh!t. He was a failure at Test level, but to call it a half decent career is utter tripe. Mark Nicholas had a half decent career, Ramprakash is a County great. No two ways about it. Oh, I'd love to have seen your reaction were he pummelling these runs for Middlesooks.

Opinions vary ol' mate -
He did score runs for Mdsx (under the excellent tutelage of JMB and MWG) - on several occasions - but that's not the point.
I'd rate him in the same category as Hick ... great player but underachieved at test level.
Was given several opportunities but always choked when up against it.

Sure he's got a mountain of runs, (like Hick) but hey, even you admitted, the CC circuit isn't exactly full-on world class, and the Oval is a batsman's paradise!

So let's get everything in perspective .... Ramps is good - but he isn't as great (or world class) as he's made out to be.

S'pretty much what I said merlin, a county great. He is, there's no two ways about it. He averages 47 at Lord's so it's hardly the most ignominious career. Whether or not he could do a job at Test level is debatable, but personally - bar DJG Sales - I would prefer him over anyone else.

Gary 111 wrote:... You might want to pick more than 2 bowlers for Sri Lanka though...

I probably should have picked the captain as well. It was only a giraffe anyhow.

Currently 74*, second dig. Pretty awesome really. Leo's had the biggest beat-off in quite a while. Nearly had a heart attack, hence him not fawning all over this thread ATM. He's currently on 1970 runs for the season, averaging 98.50, looking for his 10th ton. Quite some going.

Good lad, looks like he's pretty much single handedly stopping Wankyshire from winning the County Championship this year.

Just the 73 years and counting now....

The Mark ramprakash of today is quite a different animal to the one playing in his test years. A more relaxed character, mkore relaxed at the crease, more in control and comfortable.

If you watched him back back then in CC or Tests he was nervy and fidgetty IMO, He now seems fluid and in control.

IMO, and it will never happen, if he were to don the england shirt again he would be a much improved player at test level.

He also had his highest average against Aus if i'm not mistaken. Just couldn't do well against the other numbnuts.

He's right inside his comfort zone at the moment. Sparse crowd, little atmosphere and not much pressure.

Once you've blunted a lot of these county attacks they haven't got much left to throw at you. As long as you don't make a silly mistake you can book yourself in for the day.

Gary 111 wrote:

Once you've blunted a lot of these county attacks they haven't got much left to throw at you.

Well that's true.... Murali isn't playing for Lancs in this game.

Gary 111 wrote:He's right inside his comfort zone at the moment. Sparse crowd, little atmosphere and not much pressure.

Once you've blunted a lot of these county attacks they haven't got much left to throw at you. As long as you don't make a silly mistake you can book yourself in for the day.

Totally know what you're saying. I mean, nigh on all number 8s or 9s get 2,000 runs a year @ 100. In fact, he's a disgrace. Should be averaging at least 200. He's scum.

Jebus, am I Leo? Last 6 years: 10,030 runs @ 71. Decent.

He needs another 21 runs and not get out to have 2000 runs at 100+ this summer.

He is a machine.

Batfink Begins wrote:

Gary 111 wrote:He's right inside his comfort zone at the moment. Sparse crowd, little atmosphere and not much pressure.

Once you've blunted a lot of these county attacks they haven't got much left to throw at you. As long as you don't make a silly mistake you can book yourself in for the day.

Totally know what you're saying. I mean, nigh on all number 8s or 9s get 2,000 runs a year @ 100. In fact, he's a disgrace. Should be averaging at least 200. He's scum.

Just trying to explain why he failed at test level. You know just as well as me that it true, and you're happy to say the same about Chris Read.

He was just as good a batsman in the nineties in county cricket, he still scored shed loads of hundreds. But his average wasn't as high as now because the standards of wickets weren't as good and you used to see a lot more doctored wickets for seam bowlers resulting in shootouts where 150 & 200 played 180 & 130 all out.

If you say so Gaztop. Personally, I see a distinct difference in the man as Chas said earlier. Doesn't tamper with his technique and preparation anymore. I'd wager he'd average mid-40s at least. Also, it's not as if Test wickets haven't improved as well. Plus bowling declined. He played nearing 30 Tests versus the best bowlers around. None of them are about now. Combine all of that and I think my argument would stand up. In the court of law.

99* at Tea - 5 more runs undefeated for 2000k runs for the season at an average of 100.00

I don't care how carp county cricket is percieved to be, thats forking amazing stuff

Well. There we go. Wont woof him, but he'll get the 1 run. 10 tons for the season. 97th ton overall. The bloke's a legend and that's the end of the story. Ramps, you should be 'The New Gooch', but you probably wont be.

Batfink Begins wrote:If you say so Gaztop. Personally, I see a
distinct difference in the man as Chas said earlier. Doesn't tamper
with his technique and preparation anymore. I'd wager he'd average
mid-40s at least. Also, it's not as if Test wickets haven't improved as
well. Plus bowling declined. He played nearing 30 Tests versus the best
bowlers around. None of them are about now. Combine all of that and I
think my argument would stand up. In the court of law.

A lot of that is good sense, but at the same time we have Vaughan, Pietersen, Collingwood and Bell (as well as Shah on the sidelines) who all average mid-40s at the moment. The bowling standards aren't great - but who's to say Ramps would do better?

In a way it would be nice to see him given a go, a chance to bury a few demons and be remembered for the right reasons in an England shirt.

But he had this fabulous talent and technique in the nineties and players like Crawley, Butcher, Athers, Nasser, Stewart, Thorpe, Smith, all nowhere near as prolific at county level would be averaging 10-15 runs better than him against the same bowlers.

Still, well done Ramps. To be scoring this weight of runs at his age is a fantastic achievement. I wonder if he can be a bit like an old school cricketer like a Gooch or a Boycs and carry on scoring runs into his mid 40s?

Gary 111 wrote:Still, well done Ramps. To be scoring this weight of runs at his age is a fantastic achievement. I wonder if he can be a bit like an old school cricketer like a Gooch or a Boycs and carry on scoring runs into his mid 40s?

I see no reason why not. He's a LOT fitter than Goochie was at 41.

It's all about desire. Gooch's desire declined somewhat after he gave up test cricket and his fielding started to let him down.

Can't see the same problem with Ramps.

JKLever wrote:

Gary 111 wrote:Still, well done Ramps. To be scoring this weight of runs at his age is a fantastic achievement. I wonder if he can be a bit like an old school cricketer like a Gooch or a Boycs and carry on scoring runs into his mid 40s?

I see no reason why not. He's a LOT fitter than Goochie was at 41.

It's all about desire. Gooch's desire declined somewhat after he gave up test cricket and his fielding started to let him down.

Can't see the same problem with Ramps.

Goochie was deceptively fit actually, his hangdog appearance hid a real dedication to training. Good strength and stamina even if he was never the quickest. Showed in being able to score a test triple century at 37.

Is 45 realistic? I mean a couple of generations ago we had the likes of Close and Cowdrey playing at that age in Tests. I know you could say its a different game now, but they were playing against bowlers like Holding, Roberts, Lillee and Thompson so it was hardly Saturday afternoon park cricket!

I personally don't think Ramps is good enough for Test Cricket, even now. He's the man of a million comebacks and doesn't deserve another one, irrespective of how well he's doing in FC Cricket. There's no point investing time in a man of his age anyway, when we've got some talented batsman who are the right side of 30; Pietersen, Cook and Bell in that order (and maybe Shah if they ever give him a good go).