All Time Test Cricket's XI - Greatest Basketcases...

...And also rans


Can we have a list of people who could have been great, in some cases were also great, but couldn't achieve, failed on potential, couldn't handle it, attitude did them in, were overhyped, or were plain overblown prats or who proved most pundits wrong about how good they were?

We could list such greats from most teams and then see what kind of an XI we come up with?

From India the players that come to mind are Vinod Kambli, Ajay Jadeja , Ajit Agarkar [All Rounder], Yuvraj Singh, Venkatesh Prasad, Narendra Hirwani, Sadanand Vishwanath, Laxman Sivramakrishnan, SS Das [I still remember critics admiring his 'compact' technique and how the next great opener was found based on his tons against Zimbabwe at home], Nayan Mongia [Played much less than he should have because of attitude like Kambli].

I can recall Michael Bevan, Stuart Law [FFS, no opportunities given] and Stuart MacGill [purely unlucky Gilla was].

Saqlain Mushtaq, Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhter of Pakistan clearly top the charts of proven basketcases.

Marcus Threscothick, Chris Lewis and Graham Thorpe in England could have achieved so much more if they ahdn't carried muddled heads so many times.


So lets see I start off the list with:

S S Das
Ajay Jadeja
Vinod Kambli
Ajit Agarkar
Yuvraj Singh
Venkatesh Prasad
Narendra Hirwani
Sadanand Vishwanath
Laxman Sivramakrishnan
Nayan Mongia
Saqlain Mushtaq
Shahid Afridi
Shoaib Akhter
Marcus Threscothick
Chris Lewis
Graham Thorpe
Michael Bevan

Abdul Razzaq- He was hailed as the next Imran Khan at the start of his career but was too lazy to fulfil his potential, was eventually dropped, and then had a big sook about how he had a right to play for Pakistan, and that because of this 'travesty of justice' he was retiring and joining the ICL.

Matthew Elliott- Hailed as Australia's next great opening batsman, but was worked over by Walsh and Ambrose in 1999, amid reports of an attitude problem, and was subsequently dropped. He played one test after that- Against Sri Lanka in 2004, and made 1 and 0. It's also alleged that he spilled the beans on Damien Martyn's 'extra curricullum' activities with women other than his fiance'.

Uhhhh Ramps and Hick obviously. Been high calibre throughout their careers but couldn't do it on the big stage.

John Snow - could've been a great, just too much attitude and hard-done-by-ness.

Patrick Patterson - Granted, he had so much competition to break through, but was just a nutter so it was a whole lot harder.

Scott Muller

Brass Monkey wrote:John Snow - could've been a great, just too much attitude and hard-done-by-ness.

And he was royally shafted by the selectors

Herschelle Gibbs has the talent to have been a great, but his lack of a brain has meant he's only ended up good to very good.

"....he spilled the beans on Damien Martyn's 'extra curricullum' activities with women other than his fiance'."

Of which he had three, although (fortunately for him) never more than one at once.

Shaoib Akhtar.

Mediocre noisy headline-magnet who might have become great, if only someone had rammed it through his thick skull that he wasn't already.

Fred Nerk wrote:Shaoib Akhtar.

Mediocre noisy headline-magnet who might have become great, if only someone had rammed it through his thick skull that he wasn't already.

Apt summation. Until Bung stopped being a twat, he was wasting himself as well.

Fred Nerk wrote:Shaoib Akhtar.

Mediocre noisy headline-magnet

Mediocres a bit harsh. Average of 24 last time I looked, better than most other pace bowlers out there...

JKLever wrote:Mediocres a bit harsh. Average of 24 last time I looked, better than most other pace bowlers out there...

How many stunning spell versus how many whinges/feigned injuries/head-lost spells/real injuries? Because if it weighs out - and he hasn't had that much impact on many games - then it is mediocrity - which is exactly why he's been touted on this thread... His average of circa 26 should've been a whole lot better with a whole more wickets.

Brass Monkey wrote:

JKLever wrote:Mediocres a bit harsh. Average of 24 last time I looked, better than most other pace bowlers out there...

How many stunning spell versus how many whinges/feigned injuries/head-lost spells/real injuries? Because if it weighs out - and he hasn't had that much impact on many games - then it is mediocrity - which is exactly why he's been touted on this thread... His average of circa 26 should've been a whole lot better with a whole more wickets.

And he pelts the carp out of it as well!

Sure, but mediocre....naw

Only played less than half the tests Pak played during his playing span.

taipan wrote:Only played less than half the tests Pak played during his playing span.

Likewise Shane Bond - he could have been the best ever for NZ if he had stayed fit.

Bond played whenever he was fit. We don't seem to be on about fragile bodies on this thread.

Basil wrote:

taipan wrote:Only played less than half the tests Pak played during his playing span.

Likewise Shane Bond - he could have been the best ever for NZ if he had stayed fit.

Bas, I think you missed the point here.

Bond missed because of genuine injuries, FIGJAM because of genuine f@ckwittery.

Ok - point taken

Surely Slats fits the bill - there have been few greater headcases out on the field.

taipan wrote:

Basil wrote:

taipan wrote:Only played less than half the tests Pak played during his playing span.

Likewise Shane Bond - he could have been the best ever for NZ if he had stayed fit.

Bas, I think you missed the point here.

Bond missed because of genuine injuries, FIGJAM because of genuine f@ckwittery.

Yup. Which is why I didn't put up Bruce Reid as a basket case either.

Now Steve Harmison could be regarded as a waste case.

Roy Gilchrist in the 50s was one of the first in a long line of West Indian fast bowlers to be a few sprigs short of a cricket boot.

So who should we choose for a XI and 12th man?

Marcus Threscothick
Shahid Afridi
Michael Slater / Sanjay Manjrekar [Could have been our first Dravid. Lost it in the mind]
Herschelle Gibbs
Graham Thorpe / Hick
Vinod Kambli [2 test doubles. Touted as better than Sachin once. What a waste]
Nayan Mongia [Pretty good keeper, bat & greatest underachiever despite 250+ dismissals]
Abdul Razzaq
Saqlain Mushtaq
Shoaib Akhter
????? [Harmisson perhaps]


Who else? Choosing people with sufficient tests, experience and with sufficient good performances and the above make a cut definately.

Lets see what XIs the rest of you can think up.......

freddled gruntbuggly wrote:Surely Slats fits the bill - there have been few greater headcases out on the field.

Bit low to pick on someone with a mental illness . . .

tac wrote:
Bit low to pick on someone with a mental illness . . .

Aw-haw-haw