The best and worst tail-enders

[Saqs]

It's been somewhat of a recent phenomenon that tail-enders are expected to atleast know how to hold the bat - with players like Glenn Mcgrath and Jason Gillespie at the very forefront of this somewhat "annoying" revolution.

Who would you rate as the top tail-enders you have seen to date.

I am no good at digging up stats from Cricinfo, so it would be worthwhile to probably get someone on PP to check the Statsguru and see what they come up with.

Tailenders, for the purposes of this discussion, should be batting at number 9, 10 or 11.

Jason Gillespie has got to be the Bradman of tailenders.

I rate Mohammad Aamer more of an all-rounder, or atleast with the potential to become one, but his name also comes to mind.

Saqlain and Harbajhan also come to mind.

On the other side of the spectrum, I think it will be criminal to look past Courtney Walsh and Chris Martin.

Thoughts?

 

[Poison]

Danish Kaneria is a beast in disguise. I remember he got 50 odd against South Africa in South Africa. Multi-talunted

 

[dinakar]

currently, the worst tailender could be Ashish Nehra!! he is on par with Venkatesh Prasad and Walsh in that department!

currently the best? difficult to say. I would put Johnson and Harbhajan on top as they seem to be more consistent..

 

[Afridi_Fan]

Shoaib Akhtar is pretty useful.

So is Mohammad Sami. :Sami

 

[FastBowler]

Asif, Courtney Walsh, McGrath and of course Chris Martin

 

[FastBowler]

I think Zaheer's better than Harbhajan. Best to watch is Murali.

 

[FastBowler]

Nuwan Zoysa was pretty bad

 

[mastermind_quad]

Jimmie Anderson....to save the match...

 

[Khabri420]

Peter Siddle courtesy: :akmal and

 

[Saqs]

Hah!
Forgot about Danish and Murali - what a treat to watch Murali pull the ball through mid-wicket and fall over in the process.

Good pick up of Venkatesh as well, he was horrible.

Shoaib Akhtar did start showing his talent with the bat in his later years.

Mitchell is considered an all-rounder so I wouldn't really put him in the same category as the others.

 

[Nics]

Ajit agarkar was not bad either. Scored an unbeaten century at Lord's against England. And so was Anil kumble.

 

[nitrous]

Martin from New Zealand

 

[zimran72]

Steyn, Taylor, and Kulasakera are all handy down the order.

Panesar, Asif, Ntini, Martin, and Kaneria are some of the more incompetent tail-enders going around.

 

[Khabri420]

Srinath was a decent tailender, so is Sreesanth.

 

[Down2Earth]

mcgrath was a great

 

[Sakss]

sreesanth the dancing diva )


gul is not too bad....

 

[Sakss]

the worst have to be


walsh
anderson
chris martin
mc grath
ntini

 

[hashbb]

The worst IMO is Asif, he's a walking wicket

 

[123]

walsh was awesome

 

[FastBowler]

The worst IMO is Asif, he's a walking wicket

What about Chris Martin?

 

[FastBowler]

the worst have to be


walsh
anderson
chris martin
mc grath
ntini

Anderson?????

 

[nitrous]

Funny how no Australians are mentioned... must be really good tail enders

 

[d0gers]

[utube]4_NsFh-Z4aE[/utube]

 

[Down2Earth]

Funny how no Australians are mentioned... must be really good tail enders

johnson's been mentions twice, so has mcgrath

 

[Paradox]

Graham Onions is England's savior really, this guy really knows how to dig it out at the crease.

 

[James]

I'd like to say Swann, absolutely ace. but he is becoming more of an all-rounder now because of this.
Lee was a mint tail-ender. still failed badly sometimes, but his range of shots was amazing.
Anderson is a good tail-ender. got a few shots and can stick around, and until recently he had never got a duck. I remember once, he carried on as nightwatchman for nearly the whole next morning against a Carribean-style short-pitch barrage. against SA I think...?
I liked Shoaib Akhtar. just a talented cricketer in general.
Harmison hit some boss boundaries, but he got out for ducks. A LOT. he was completely unreliable.
Shabbir Ahmed could barely hit the ball. he could be the worst ever...

 

[IAJ]

Ajit agarkar was not bad either. Scored an unbeaten century at Lord's against England. And so was Anil kumble.

But he was of many considered as an allrounder?

 

[sa88]

sreesanth the dancing diva )


gul is not too bad....

Umar Gul is actually pretty good - he can clear the boundary pretty easily and does occaisionally contribute a few quick fire runs. The problem is that he hits one six and thinks he can start smacking every delivery for the maximum. He just rates himself too much as a batsman to ever become an annoying tailender on a consistent basis such as Anderson and Onions have become.

 

[Saqs]

Hah! Good ol' Shabbir! Nice one Whippy.

What he lacked in legality of bowling action, he more than made up for in his ability (or lack thereof) with the willow.

 

[Saqs]

But he was of many considered as an allrounder?

I think he rated himself as an all-rounder, nobody else did.

 

[dinakar]

But he was of many considered as an allrounder?

not quite an all-rounder, but occasionally sent as a pinch-hitter. well, there were some good knocks to his credit. but then, who can forget his 'duck series' in australia?

 

[adnan yasin]

worst sure shot .... courtney walsh

best will be I think jason gillespe

 

[sillyfan]

Funny how no Australians are mentioned... must be really good tail enders

The tail is that long, its just a given for the aussies!

 

[mr einstein]

Tim Southee. Qualifications: Pulled a Johnson short ball for a sixer. Hit 9 sixes in just his second test innings. Our "all is lost, so lets have some fun!" entertainment specialist.

 

[*sallu*]

Chris Martin, Stuart McGill and Walsh would have to be the worst batsmen I've seen

 

[sa88]

Tim Southee. Qualifications: Pulled a Johnson short ball for a sixer. Hit 9 sixes in just his second test innings. Our "all is lost, so lets have some fun!" entertainment specialist.

I think you're under selling Southee. The lad has the potential to turn himself into a decent all rounder if he applies himself. Looking at him bat, it is obvious that the boy has some talent. I think NZ have to take a punt and give him responsibility to bat up the order. Perhaps, that will get rid of his 'all is lost, so lets have some fun' attitude.

 

[akamaka]

right now in world cricket chris martin is the best if u wanna see a quick wicket, Asif is funny to watch,as he tries his best to get out but only succeeds in getting hammered by the ball.

 

[JeeraBlade]

Batting at position 9 in test matches (minimum 25 innings batted):
http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine...nnings;size=150;template=results;type=batting


Batting at position 10 in test matches (minimum 25 innings batted):
http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine...nnings;size=150;template=results;type=batting


Batting at position 11 in test matches (minimum 25 innings batted):
http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine...nnings;size=150;template=results;type=batting


Batting at positions 9, 10 and 11 combined in test matches (minimum 50 innings batted):
http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine...nnings;size=150;template=results;type=batting

 

[moz]

Batting at position 9 in test matches (minimum 25 innings batted):
http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine...nnings;size=150;template=results;type=batting


Batting at position 10 in test matches (minimum 25 innings batted):
http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine...nnings;size=150;template=results;type=batting


Batting at position 11 in test matches (minimum 25 innings batted):
http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine...nnings;size=150;template=results;type=batting


Batting at positions 9, 10 and 11 combined in test matches (minimum 50 innings batted):
http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine...nnings;size=150;template=results;type=batting

Good stats, especially the last set

What is interesting is that the best tailenders appear to be recent. Think this is a result of the sporting protection that tailenders are now given...e.g. no bouncers.

 

[saeedhk]

offf course CHRIS MARTIN guys have u forgotten him!!!! )

 

[Easa]

Shoaib is good, seems to have some talent with the bat. Who can forget his crucial, crucial hand in Karachi during that 06 turnaround against India? I think he scored 40 odd in 90 balls - it was a mature innings that came under a pressure situation. He also, obviously, has immense power - remember that 16 ball 43 against England in the 2003 WC? Was hitting sixes at will.

Worst? Chris Martin. The man averages 2.40 with the bat in 77 innings. Astounding statistic.

 

[Sledger]

Currently the best is probably Anderson who was a genuine number 11 just a few years back - basically the same level as Asif. Remarkable and inspiring how much he's improved.

The worst is Martin, followed closely by .

 

[sully3]

aamer takes it for me.

 

[Prince_Pathan]

chris martin + mohad asif both the worst...

jason gillespie...and more recently saaed ajmal isnt bad...he can bat

 

[cricfan77]

Well if it is Imran khan vs tailender then worst will be Daleep Doshi and Mohinder Singh, and as far as best is concern it will tough in now a days since every one is expected to bat to some degree.

 

[d0gers]

Well if it is Imran khan vs tailender then worst will be Daleep Doshi and Mohinder Singh, and as far as best is concern it will tough in now a days since every one is expected to bat to some degree.

You mean Maninder Singh.

 

[cricfan77]

You mean Maninder Singh.

Yes Maninder Singh, the one who visited Pakistan along with Doshi, and will last one ball.

 

[Gollum]

Asif is pretty much the worst ever tailender from Pakistan.

 

[d0gers]

Asif and Kaneria make a good last wicket partnership.

 

[Khabri420]

Asif's highest score is 42 (First-class)..what an innings that must have been! )

Btw...please also pay special attention to his SR in T20s. Now that's what I call potential!

 

[d0gers]

3 T20 innings, 3 not outs. Can anyone say 'finisher'?

 

[Gotham Cronie]

Danish Kaneria is a beast in disguise. I remember he got 50 odd against South Africa in South Africa. Multi-talunted

His highest score against SA in SA is 23.

 

[Khabri420]

3 T20 innings, 3 not outs. Can anyone say 'finisher'?

Good observation, didn't even notice that!

 

[Gotham Cronie]

Does Akram count?

 

[phoenix363]

surely shane warne since he was really good at batting but never really called an all rounder

 

[James]

can't believe it took that long for all of us to mention Warne. he was classss

 

[Gollum]

Does Akram count?

Akram wasn't by any stretch a 'tail-ender'. He was a genuine all-rounder and played as one most of his career.

 

[Joy Bangla]

Md. Ashrafool

 

[1137moiz]

think Warne's batting was hugely overrated, he only ever turned up when the team really needed it. Anyway i'm sure he's considered an allrounder?
Mohammad Sami was a pretty decent tailender. The best tailenders were Gillespie, Saqlain, Giles etc
The worst were Martin, Walsh, Asif

 

[Saqs]

Cheers to Jeerablade for coming up with those stats.

 

[Poison]

His highest score against SA in SA is 23.

I must be mistaken, but I remember him and some other tailender were batting for a long long time.

 

[azfar wali]

Mohammed Asif hasn't been bad with the bat recently had a 50 runs partnership with Gul against Aust.

The worst tailender would easily be chris and the best imo is Shoaib akthar or Anderson

 

[mastermind_quad]

Anderson is best coz ...other batsman (on pitch) can take his wicket guaranteed....

 

[hassan.raza]

well best tail ender is australia "s jason gillespie and worst is india "s ashish nehra ..................

 

[Gotham Cronie]

I must be mistaken, but I remember him and some other tailender were batting for a long long time.

Pakistan were 199-7 in the 1st test against SA in 2006.

Kaneria, Shahid Nazir, Rana Naved, and Asif then added 103 runs in 17.8 overs.

 

[JeeraBlade]

10th Wicket Partnerships -- 50 runs or higher:
http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine...ze=200;template=results;type=fow;view=innings

9th Wicket Partnerships -- 65 runs or higher:
http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine...ze=200;template=results;type=fow;view=innings

8th Wicket Partnerships -- 85 runs or higher:
http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine...ze=200;template=results;type=fow;view=innings

 

[Abidi110]

for a person who has a test 100, its amazing to remember such a person as the worst tailender

 

[LG]

Surely Chris Martin is the worst batsman to have played Test cricket.

 

[Rana]

Worst.....Monty Panesar!!!!!

 

[Saqs]

^Australian bowlers would argue otherwise.

 

[anakwalajinn]

Assalamu Aleikum

Thought of bumping this one instead of creating a new thread. If I am not mistaken there is already a thread about Pakistani tailenders?

I must admit that on paper, our tail looks very strong for this game. Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Tanvir Ahmed & Abdur Rehman - All of them capable of scoring test fifties A bit stronger than the usual lot of Danish Kaneria & Mohammad Asif. Adnan Akmal is also there for those who consider him as a tailender...

 

[Wised up]

Tail enders are getting better and better as the years go by.

You would hardly see a team with 3-4 "proper tail-enders" now a days.

 

[shaykh1985]

Right now Harbhajan has been real impressive...

Another poor tail ender I can think of and Im sure Saffas would agree cos of that World Cup is Donald...

 

[Mariyam]

The worst tail enders I've seen play are both Saffers:
Alan Donald & Tsotsobe. The former used to close his eyes when connecting to a delivery and the latter can't hold the bat straight

 

[Justcrazy]

NZ have best tailenders.
Tuffey
Vettori
Mills
Southee
franklin.
All capable with the bat.
West Indies at the moment have the worst Tailenders.

As far as Pakistan Tailenders are concerned, they look good also, not bad, most can score something.
A.Rehman
Tanvir Ahmed
W.Riaz
U.Gul.

 

[hashbb]

Best, Afridi
Worst, Martin

 

[Theo_14]

Not sure if these are the BEST tail-enders yet but certainly are good and probaly do have the potential to become one of the best tail-enders, great depth from the Pakistanis here...



ImageShack.us

 

[Sir john]

mopfu is worst talender

 

[DW44]

Gul, Riaz and Afridi are right up there. Gul has bailed us out of a few desperate situations since(and including) the SL tour in '09. Remember the powerplays in the first 2 or 3 ODIs, saved us from following on a couple times in the England series and has been hitting the ball well generally. Same for Riaz. As for Afridi, what can I say. How many tail enders have 12 international hundreds including the fastest and 2 or 3 of the 10 fastest. Ace batsman by tail ender standards. Outside Pakistan, Swann, Johnson, Tuffey, Steyn, St. Harby and Southee are pretty decent.

 

[jeetu]

No mention of Danny Morrison ?
24 Ducks in 48 Tests