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[Vic Nicholas]

Mike Hendrick was way better than Anderson and Broad...better than Botham too, I might add, but is largely forgotten these days because he flew under the radar.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/14159.html

[Vic Nicholas]

Vic have you been in the pub?

Comparing Mitchell Johnson to Jimmy Anderson is utterly outrageous, Johnson bowled with out control and completely erratic, he, was a terrible test bowler, not just mediocre.

People do bowl without luck, if you personally bowl 6 jaffas in an over, and 3 of them find the edge and get through slips for 4, would you not feel hard done to and think you've had no luck?

Mate, I wasn't comparing him favourably to Anderson.

I am just making the obvious elephant-in-the-room observation that MJ has a similar average to Anderson and a better average than Broad.

That is FACT.

Mitchell Johnson will never play another test for Australia, where Anderson is lauded as an all time great.

[Number4]

Mike Hendrick was way better than Anderson and Broad...better than Botham too, I might add, but is largely forgotten these days because he flew under the radar.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/14159.html

So was Syd Barnes but how far do we want to go back

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/8996.html

[johnnyw]

You cannot compare players of 2012 to players from pre-1990's

The game has changed big time with pitches, helmets, bats, technology etc. A modern day players average will be a lot higher than that of a player from the 80's for example.

And you should also take strike rate into consideration when judging a player, not just his average

[A-Swing-And-A-Miss]

Typical Aussie unable to count, Broad's average of 31.16 is lower than Johnson average at 31.29..

You were praising the 2005 England bowling line-up yet you call Harmison and Flintoff(The highest England wicket taker of the 2005 series) mediocre.. Nobody is saying that Harmison, Flintoff or Anderson are all time greats, but on their day they all can compete with the best bowlers in the world.

For a long while Australia have had some utterly brilliant bowlers like McGrath and Warne so I guess we have different expectations from bowlers but I would advise you to watch some footage of Anderson tearing teams apart in the last few years then come on here and call him mediocre..

[A-Swing-And-A-Miss]

Mate, I wasn't comparing him favourably to Anderson.

I am just making the obvious elephant-in-the-room observation that MJ has a similar average to Anderson and a better average than Broad.

That is FACT.

Mitchell Johnson will never play another test for Australia, where Anderson is lauded as an all time great.

That is not a FACT, his average is higher than Broads and you are being a fool, now that is a FACT.

[Vic Nicholas]

That is not a FACT, his average is higher than Broads and you are being a fool, now that is a FACT.

For how much longer?

One more test?

MJ had an average in the high 20's until the last Ashes.

Infact, he still had an average in the high 20's up until the Melbourne test in that series - but it went to crap from there on.

He will never play for Australia again.

Anderson and Broad despite their mediocrity are being classified as all time greats - but will be largely forgotten in 20 years time by everyone other than Englishman.

[trypewriter]

I think Hendo was an excellent bowler for England and very underrated. However, though perhaps no yardstick of consistent performance, I'm not sure if he got any fivfers at test level, which some might see as a problem.
I think it also comes down to who you have bowling alongside you. Inevitably batsmen will have to take some of the bowlers on, and it can lead to wickets falling to what you might not term the main strike bowlers. Ridiculous as it might seem, the great Joel Garner might not be rated as the main spearhead of the Windies attack back then. Other attributes (of which there were many) apart, his pace was maybe a bit below the others (though still very sharp) - so maybe the batsmen had to try to take a few more liberties with him than was wise?

[Vic Nicholas]

Anderson has never looked this dangerous:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9hcZWVb7PI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiKpKppiKQo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-aN8-21Mpc

[The_Bird]

This is a thread about the battle for No.1 test team in the world, why are we talking about Australia?

Could anyone manage to find a stat that would show Broad's, Anderson's and Mark Johnson's (think thats what he was called) average over the last two years? I'm sure Broad had 54 wickets @ 18 or something.

[Vic Nicholas]

I think Hendo was an excellent bowler for England and very underrated. However, though perhaps no yardstick of consistent performance, I'm not sure if he got any fivfers at test level, which some might see as a problem.
I think it also comes down to who you have bowling alongside you. Inevitably batsmen will have to take some of the bowlers on, and it can lead to wickets falling to what you might not term the main strike bowlers. Ridiculous as it might seem, the great Joel Garner might not be rated as the main spearhead of the Windies attack back then. Other attributes (of which there were many) apart, his pace was maybe a bit below the others (though still very sharp) - so maybe the batsmen had to try to take a few more liberties with him than was wise?

Garner wasn't as fast as the other Windies quicks, but because of his 6'8" height and albatross arms he delivered the ball from the most awkward height imagineable.

He was devilishly hard to score off according to the likes of Allan Border and other retired test players.

Hendrick never took a five for, although he took four fers many times. He was simply unlucky in that he was never really a favourite of the selectors.

In teh summer of 1978, Pakistan sent a team minus all their Packer stars to England and then New Zealand toured after them...two extremely weak teams and this is where Botham made his reputation with centuries and 8 fors in successive test matches...even Chris Old took 4 wickets in 5 balls against the hapless Pakis. The story was the same against NZ.

If Hendrick was selected. he would have cleaned up. In that winters Ashes series in Australia, he took more wickets thank Botham and Old combined to finish the leading English paceman of the tour. The man could seriously bowl.

[Vic Nicholas]

This is a thread about the battle for No.1 test team in the world, why are we talking about Australia?

Could anyone manage to find a stat that would show Broad's, Anderson's and Mark Johnson's (think thats what he was called) average over the last two years? I'm sure Broad had 54 wickets @ 18 or something.

Against who?

Banglas? Pakis in England? The hapless Indian batsmen?

I do not expect that stat to last.

Anderson and Broad were exposed by the Saffers.

To attempt to denigrate the South African batsmen as "boring" is a bit rich coming from Poms who gave the world Boycott, Tavare, Hutton, Bailey and now the imported Trott.

You were weighed, measured and found wanting.

[trypewriter]

He came from Darley Dale too! The home of seam, they used to call Derbyshire - Cliff Gladwin and Les Jackson come to mind.

[wilkie113]

Another bitter Aussie finding something to moan about because they can't stand us being number 1

[trypewriter]

Vic, I'll settle for 600-odd for 2 boring any old day!