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Which cricketer was the biggest underachiever of all time?

Please don't turn this into another Sachin thread. Please. There are a 100 threads for that
 
freelance_cricketer said:
If Tendulkr played as risk free as someone like Younis, Sangakkara or Kallis, he would have averaged like 65-70 something.
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Would have, could have, should have are not worth mentioning, imagine what could have happened if Akmal and Afridi had a well functioning brain ? Imagine if Lara has chosen to go with his Soccer career ? Kallis and Sangakkara are one of the most defensive players in cricket. How many times have you seen them hit a six or take a risky single ?
 
Scrolln said:
Nothing wrong in a healthy debate.

Most Sachin discussions are usually marred by trolls.
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Saying sachin has under achieved is not a good discussion, he has achieved enough to kept out of this thread. Lets talk about players who haven't succeeded as of yet.
 
Thivagar said:
Saying sachin has under achieved is not a good discussion, he has achieved enough to kept out of this thread. Lets talk about players who haven't succeeded as of yet.
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100% agreed.

I was merely responding to a post by MMHS with implied that SRT did little apart from bashing minnows and weak attacks.
 
Scrolln said:
100% agreed.

I was merely responding to a post by MMHS with implied that SRT did little apart from bashing minnows and weak attacks.
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Well, I still am not that fool yet.

This is a thread on underachievers - someone tried to put SRT top in that rank (& tried to prove why he didn't average 60-70), which I didn't & don't agree. If you read my first 2 posts, you should realize that.
 
KP and VVS both underachieved and didn't fulfill their potential. In KP's case he brought it on himself so i don't feel sorry for him. But in VVS' case, he came too late in his career and was never given the stable spot in the beginning. He was forced to open for first few years even though he clearly never wanted that spot. Only after that 167 knock did he secure his spot in the team but he had missed some of his prime years in the process.

I always thought these two were at least 50+ averaging batsmen in Test.
 
Not sure if this thread has been done before. Apologies mods

I was thinking the other day which cricketer has done the least whilst being blessed with the most talent. I strictly mean squandering of talent.

We can of course point to Vinod kumble and look at his discipline but he was competing with tendulkar and sehwag in the team. We can think of Stuart McGill but he was kept out by warne. They didn’t do much wrong except emerge at a time with greats of the game.

No on fitness and discipline alone I think the underachiever in cricket award has to go to Shohaib Akhtar. Yes he wasn’t looked after well and the board could have been more helpful but honestly to miss as much cricket as he did and to be overtaken by Rana and gul as the spearhead of the attack must be hard for us Pak fans.

What do you think?
 
Inzamam-ul-Haq could have achieved more had he been more professional with a greater focus on fitness.

You look back at some of his LBW dismissals and it was pure laziness with his footwork.

He only really achieved his potential when he had the responsibility of captaincy.
 
In last 15 years

ABDV
KP
Shoaib Akhtar

And of course there are many pacers out there.
 
Sachin Tendulkar. Given his early promise, could have resulted in a lot more than he actually achieved.
 
Markhor said:
Inzamam-ul-Haq could have achieved more had he been more professional with a greater focus on fitness.

You look back at some of his LBW dismissals and it was pure laziness with his footwork.

He only really achieved his potential when he had the responsibility of captaincy.
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Didnt even occur to me that 8000 test runs, 20+ 100's in both tests and odi's, being captain of the team and batting stalwart and part of the world cup winning team could be considered an under achievement. Perhaps he could have done more and had more finess but remember 2003 when he lost weight and tried to be more nimble in the world cup..ended up not scoring any runs.

still hardly an underachiever.
 
cricketjoshila said:
Wasim Akram and Sachin Tendulkar.

These days ABDV .
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Yes, but I;d also put it down to the quality of sides they were a part of. For instance see Ponting record either side of 2000-2008 & see if it tells you something.

ABDV though simply doesn;t have the mental strength these two had, after Kallis & Smith;s retirement he seems to have lost his cojones or something!
AFM said:
Sachin Tendulkar. Given his early promise, could have resulted in a lot more than he actually achieved.
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Yup, see above.
 
Most of our team in the 90's! By all rights we should have dominated teams left right and centre with the talent we had. Unfortunately fixing, schmoozing, and endless grouping/in fighting meant that the most talented generation Pakistan has ever produced never realised their true potential.
 
Abid Z said:
Didnt even occur to me that 8000 test runs, 20+ 100's in both tests and odi's, being captain of the team and batting stalwart and part of the world cup winning team could be considered an under achievement. Perhaps he could have done more and had more finess but remember 2003 when he lost weight and tried to be more nimble in the world cup..ended up not scoring any runs.

still hardly an underachiever.
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Don't get me wrong, I rate Inzamam as one of the greatest Pakistani batsman of all time but overall, he's rated mostly as a Tier 2 great, behind the likes of Tendulkar, Lara, Ponting etc. Those 8k Test runs could've easily been 10k as he had the talent.

Inzamam needed to be motivated and challenged to bring out the best in him as he lacked the drive players like Kohli and Ponting have. That's why giving him the responsibility of captaincy brought the best out of him.

In the 90s he used to frustrate as he'd be so casual at times with his footwork especially against balls coming into him and getting him out LBW.
 
Carl Hooper is another name. Brilliant strokeplayer but immensely frustrating due to the casual nature of his dismissals.
 
Markhor said:
Don't get me wrong, I rate Inzamam as one of the greatest Pakistani batsman of all time but overall, he's rated mostly as a Tier 2 great, behind the likes of Tendulkar, Lara, Ponting etc. Those 8k Test runs could've easily been 10k as he had the talent.

Inzamam needed to be motivated and challenged to bring out the best in him as he lacked the drive players like Kohli and Ponting have. That's why giving him the responsibility of captaincy brought the best out of him.

In the 90s he used to frustrate as he'd be so casual at times with his footwork especially against balls coming into him and getting him out LBW.
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ok fair enough but this is hardly squandering of talent...maybe he didnt reach his potential or perhaps he did but just it was just always less than his top peers at the time, SRT and LARA are one thing but i remember how Dravid and Steve waugh slowly overtook him through sheer hard work. But in all honest Inzi achieved all that he could. Could a fitter more nimble Inzi achieve more?? it was tried and failed.

he always had suspect temperament and foot work. you mentioned LBW to balls coming into him, you could also have mentioned any old spinner at that time...particularly that chubby Patel from India and harbhajhan.
 
Mohammad Sami. 150ks, conventional and reverse swing. A fantastic athlete on top with such a fluid action.
 
interesting that so far nobody has mentioned Saleem Malik or Mohammed Asif. Equallly interesting that most of these contenders are from Pakistan..is it a national thing?
 
Abid Z said:
interesting that so far nobody has mentioned Saleem Malik or Mohammed Asif. Equallly interesting that most of these contenders are from Pakistan..is it a national thing?
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More of an educational thing unfortunately.
 
ManFan said:
More of an educational thing unfortunately.
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Don't know....I wouldnt have thought that BD, Srilankan, Zimbabwe or Indian cricketers are more educated (I only mention these countries because i know in England and Australia education up to Age 16 is compulsory and punishable)
 
I always wonder what Mohammad Asif could have achieved if it was not for disciplinary and match fixing issues.
 
Abid Z said:
Don't know....I wouldnt have thought that BD, Srilankan, Zimbabwe or Indian cricketers are more educated (I only mention these countries because i know in England and Australia education up to Age 16 is compulsory and punishable)
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The Zim, SL, BD cricketers with all due respect did not have the level of ability as players from other countries. India has had a good system to nurture and protect their players so they can progress. Australia and England too. It seems only Pakistan has been producing quality players regardless of the system and not because of it. When I think of under-achieving players, a few come to mind.
Akram ( no need to go into detail )
Akhtar ( attitude and drug related problems )
Asif ( controversies, doping, spot-fixing )
Anwar ( lack of commitment and the unfortunate passing away of his daughter )
Razzaq ( lack of commitment and exile due to selection politics )
Azhar Mahmood ( selection politics and inability to progress )
Gower ( lack of focus and carefree approach )
Mark Waugh ( see above )
When all is taken into consideration, due to his ability, talent, lethality, all-round capability, Wasim Akram is the underachiever of the post WW2 Era.
 
Graeme Hick, Trescothick.
Brian Lara, the flawless batter who could have averaged over 60.
 
Afridi would have to be up there and Akhtar as well, Asif and Trescothick as well
 
Sehwag in ODIs, he is 50 @ 83 in tests, batting in ODIs is far easier than it is in tests, Sehwag had the best game for ODIs, if he just batted at the same rate as he does in tests he'd be THE ATG opener, but he always took far more risks [ Ended up with SR of 104 (108 at his peak), but the average dropped to 35]
 
Afridi overachieved if anything given his limited talents. Would he have played as many Tests and ODIs in any other top nation ?

Trescothick's career was definitely a tragedy in the way it was cut short. He could really set the tone for an innings and was more aggressive than the traditional "blunt the new ball" English opener.
 
Markhor said:
Afridi overachieved if anything given his limited talents. Would he have played as many Tests and ODIs in any other top nation ?

Trescothick's career was definitely a tragedy in the way it was cut short. He could really set the tone for an innings and was more aggressive than the traditional "blunt the new ball" English opener.
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Agree on Afridi. Trescothick went as far as he could have given his mental state.
 
ManFan said:
The Zim, SL, BD cricketers with all due respect did not have the level of ability as players from other countries. India has had a good system to nurture and protect their players so they can progress. Australia and England too. It seems only Pakistan has been producing quality players regardless of the system and not because of it. When I think of under-achieving players, a few come to mind.
Akram ( no need to go into detail )
Akhtar ( attitude and drug related problems )
Asif ( controversies, doping, spot-fixing )
Anwar ( lack of commitment and the unfortunate passing away of his daughter )
Razzaq ( lack of commitment and exile due to selection politics )
Azhar Mahmood ( selection politics and inability to progress )
Gower ( lack of focus and carefree approach )
Mark Waugh ( see above )
When all is taken into consideration, due to his ability, talent, lethality, all-round capability, Wasim Akram is the underachiever of the post WW2 Era.
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i dont think Wasim lost many matches because of the Qayuum Report. or was it a 12 month ban? either way he didnt lose much cricket and was allowed to perform as much as he could.
 
Abid Z said:
i dont think Wasim lost many matches because of the Qayuum Report. or was it a 12 month ban? either way he didnt lose much cricket and was allowed to perform as much as he could.
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We'll never know but that stain has remained in our memories of him. Especially the weird circumstances surrounding his injury right before the 96' QF. Not to mention his parents were threatened ( he mentions it in an interview once ).
 
Nikhil_cric said:
Mark Waugh and Saeed Anwar. They should have been on par with the Lara's and tendulkar s
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Agreed with Mark Waugh.

Anwar was stylish, but he is not a good player of pace bowling. He was super good against Indian trundlers.
 
troodon said:
Agreed with Mark Waugh.

Anwar was stylish, but he is not a good player of pace bowling. He was super good against Indian trundlers.
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He wasn't a great player of the swinging/seaming ball i guess but was he bad against pace? I don't think he was at his peak.
 
Abid Z said:
How so? I think he did ok given the fact that he had an attitude problem
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His attitude was the reason why he underachieved, he lost several years of cricket due to it and had he played all those years he could have achieved great feats and become one of the ATGs given the enormous talent he possessed, his striking ability was phenomenal which could have been very useful for any team in the modern limited over cricket.
 
Arsalan Pro said:
His attitude was the reason why he underachieved, he lost several years of cricket due to it and had he played all those years he could have achieved great feats and become one of the ATGs given the enormous talent he possessed, his striking ability was phenomenal which could have been very useful for any team in the modern limited over cricket.
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But one could also argue that he achieved just as much as he could given the fact he was a round door handle.

This is as far as the road would take him. He never had the talent of Lara or srt but either way he didn’t squander his talent.
 
Akhter shouldve achieved much more in tests

M Asif what a waste, M Sami is another in 2003 was bowling at 95mph and swinging it No idea what happened to him
 
Nikhil_cric said:
Mark Waugh and Saeed Anwar. They should have been on par with the Lara's and tendulkar s
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Confusing his ODI record with tests. Anwar was a very good player of movement. It's always confused me why he failed in ODIs overseas. Probably didn't respect the bowlers enough.
 
Massive lack of Shane Bond in here, had a skillset absolutely no less potent than Steyn, for reference
 
The premise of this thread is wrong.

A cricketer does not achieve because of his talent alone. He achieves exactly what his talent PLUS willpower PLUS dedication empower him to achieve.

For example, Hooper was talented, but he lacked the force of will. Therefore he never underachieved, he achieved exactly what he was meant to achieve.

There are no underachievers in cricket, but people who achieve exactly what they were meant to achieve.
 
Chief Destroyer said:
Confusing his ODI record with tests. Anwar was a very good player of movement. It's always confused me why he failed in ODIs overseas. Probably didn't respect the bowlers enough.
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I don't know. I seem to remember him struggling against Australian and South African bowlers a little bit. Btw what is your opinion of Mark Waugh? Do you think he had it in him to be an ATG?
 
Nikhil_cric said:
I don't know. I seem to remember him struggling against Australian and South African bowlers a little bit. Btw what is your opinion of Mark Waugh? Do you think he had it in him to be an ATG?
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People talked about Ponting's ability to play raw pace. Mark was probably even better. To become an ATG takes more than just natural ability, Mark didn't have that drive.
 
Chief Destroyer said:
People talked about Ponting's ability to play raw pace. Mark was probably even better. To become an ATG takes more than just natural ability, Mark didn't have that drive.
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Also a fine player of spin in my opinion. Yeah Mark Waugh simply seemed to throw away his wicket far too often.
 
Afridi obviously underachieved. The guy could have become a Sanath Jayasuriya who is an ATG ODI cricketer.
 
Majid Khan.A batting genius who averaged below 40 ,In terms of pure talent in the class of Viv Richards .A master on bad wickets who possessed the creativity of a magician.Very close behind are Rohan Kanhai ,David Gower and Gundappa Vishwanath, who could both take creativity to regions of the sublime, or depths of the divine.Amongt bowlers Wasim Akram. Who should have had better figures than even Marshall if he did full justice to his talent.
 
KP, obviously a top player who had a great and memorable career (home and away Ashes, series in India, T20 World Cup) but he really should have been a 50+ averaging ATG given his level of talent, also he worked hard for years to earn the England captaincy and that was over way too quickly as well.
 
Abid Z said:
Not sure if this thread has been done before. Apologies mods

I was thinking the other day which cricketer has done the least whilst being blessed with the most talent. I strictly mean squandering of talent.

We can of course point to Vinod kumble and look at his discipline but he was competing with tendulkar and sehwag in the team. We can think of Stuart McGill but he was kept out by warne. They didn’t do much wrong except emerge at a time with greats of the game.

No on fitness and discipline alone I think the underachiever in cricket award has to go to Shohaib Akhtar. Yes he wasn’t looked after well and the board could have been more helpful but honestly to miss as much cricket as he did and to be overtaken by Rana and gul as the spearhead of the attack must be hard for us Pak fans.

What do you think?
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I agree, Shoaib was his own worst enemy. His ego was too big for himself, tried to play all the formats when clearly he should've stopped playing test cricket a long time ago to prolong his ODI career.

Should've featured in atleast 4 world cups for Pakistan - (ODIs and t20s both) but only featured properly in 2 (in 2011 he was well past it)
 
Umar Akmal is the biggest loss in the last decade though. THE BIGGEST in ANY COUNTRY if I'm not wrong..
 

Can someone look at this video and tell me how this man didn't endup with atleast 5000 runs in both formats for the country?? He has to be right up there with the greatest underachievers ever...
 
Shoaib Akhtar
Shane Bond
Shaun Tait
Stuart Macgill
Barry Richards
Mohammad Zahid
Fawad Alam
Vinod Kambli
Mohammad Yousuf
Mohammad Asif
Simon Jones
 
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