Who was England's last good fieldsman?

[wagstaff]

I'm having trouble remembering one because there was nobody on display today that resembled even an adequate fieldsman.

The worst of a bad bunch was Michael Vaughan; his overall contribution to the fielding was pathetic. A mixture of ill-timed dives, sluggish movement and bookended by that lame misfield in the first over of the day and that absolute sitter he missed of Hayden.

I wonder if this will impact on Vaughan's batting? I'm sure that the Australians won't let him forget about it.

As for England's last good fieldsman, I would have to say Mark Ramprakash. He may have underachieved as a batsman, but he was generally an excellend fielder - it was his superb one-handed catch to dismiss Langer in the 1998-99 MCG Test that was the trigger for England's sensational win in that match. They might as well bring him on this tour just for his fielding skills alone.

I'd be struggling to think of any good fielders apart from those - more like the ageing bodies of Gooch and Gatting stumbling around the field and the incompetence of Tufnell and Malcolm come to mind.

 

[DaveW]

WG Grace

 

[knuckles]

Botham? Alan Knott? We're now going into B&W TV days.

 

[bunsen burner]

Derek Randall.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Have they ever had one??!!

Seriously, though I would go for BB's answer of Derek Randall - he was superb in the field.

 

[dr nick]

chris lewis

 

[Richie Benaud]

Anyone from the Barmy Army as they would get lots of catching practice from the marvellous Australian batting line up.

 

[wagstaff]

Originally posted by nicko18
chris lewis

Pay that one. Should've been a better player then he was, but an excellent fielder if memory serves.

 

[classicyds]

Ian Botham was petty darn good and Derek Randall too.

Can we add wicket keepers??

Scruffy old Alan Knott was a good one!! Always looked the most untidy pom out there but kept okay!!

 

[London Dave]

Gower was a top notch field in his day, Thorp had/has a good pair of hands when his mind was switched on, Flintoff is OK if fit too, but as a unit, they didn't do too flash today!

 

[davers11]

David Gower, as close as i have seen to mark waugh at second slip. Freddy Flintoff is a ripper in the field when fit, sad he isnt playing.

 

[fabulousphil]

Originally posted by Kane McGoodwin
Have they ever had one??!!

Seriously, though I would go for BB's answer of Derek Randall - he was superb in the field.

Yep but fu(ked in the head.

 

[Dipper]

I can't satnd dropped catches but in mitigation for Vaughn he's just come back from knee surgery & it's still not 100% I'm not sure if it affected the dropped catch but I'm pretty sure it affected his ground fielding particularly one he flopped over square on the offside that just rolled under his body.


Chris Lewis who wasa waste of space for us was actually a damned good field er espcecially at point or in the covers.
A couple of years ago Hussain was really good as slip to the spinners & square on the offside to the quicks but he tends to field at mid off now to speak to the bowlers & he's got a bit older & doesn't seem quite so impressive.

 

[bunsen burner]

Originally posted by DIPPER
I can't satnd dropped catches but in mitigation for Vaughn he's just come back from knee surgery & it's still not 100% I'm not sure if it affected the dropped catch but I'm pretty sure it affected his ground fielding particularly one he flopped over square on the offside that just rolled under his body.

I doubt the dropped catches have anything to do with injuries, or skill for that matter. I bet he'd (Vaughan) catch that 99 times out of 100 if he weren't playing against Australia. They are making mistakes because a) they can feel the pressure already, and b) their confidence is shot already.

It seems the skipper (Hussain) is the one leading the sinking ship. Hussain started letting the Aussies dictate to him even before the first ball was bowled. Winning that toss and electing to bowl has effectivelty lost England the series and has set the tone for the rest of the series.

 

[Becker]

David Gower. Come to think of it, he was their last good cricketer as well.

 

[fabulousphil]

Originally posted by Becker
David Gower. Come to think of it, he was their last good cricketer as well.

I liked watching Gower bat, a bit like M. Waugh though when on a bad trot he looked like he couldnt give a stuff, but when in full flight made it look ridicuously easy.

 

[Dipper]

Originally posted by bunsen burner


I doubt the dropped catches have anything to do with injuries, or skill for that matter. I bet he'd (Vaughan) catch that 99 times out of 100 if he weren't playing against Australia. They are making mistakes because a) they can feel the pressure already, and b) their confidence is shot already.

It seems the skipper (Hussain) is the one leading the sinking ship. Hussain started letting the Aussies dictate to him even before the first ball was bowled. Winning that toss and electing to bowl has effectivelty lost England the series and has set the tone for the rest of the series.

Well i posted a whole thread on this titled Gutless but after today it look like the ship is finding a little more buoyancy.

 

[Dipper]

Originally posted by Becker
David Gower. Come to think of it, he was their last good cricketer as well.

Well we've had good cricketers since like Gough & Torpe but from Gower's vintage there was Gaham Gooch who IMO was better than Gower & had a similar resurrection to Hayden, he'd played Test cricket for a while & had a fairl average average but then he broke down his whole game reassembled it with similar results to Hayden where he he was Bradmanesque for a couple of years & averaged about 60 at the age of 35/36 the trouble was that he'd played for such a long time beore that hisd final average wasn't great (about 43/44).

 

[davers11]

Are you mad dipper?
There is no way that Graham Gooch was a better cricketer than Gower, i dont think you would find a cricketer who played against them who thought the same way you do!!
Next you will be telling me Martyn is a better cricketer than Mark Waugh cos he has a better average.
In both cases they are in different classes 2 are superb elegant cricketers while the lesser 2 are just good players.

 

[davers11]

Maybe that is the poms problem!!
They have no idea about excellence, because they do not recognise it when it hits them in the face.
The poms are the worlds greatest under achievers due to their lack of heart and lack of faith.
I feel they slander their players before really giving them a chance, which wrecks a young cricketer for life.

 

[davers11]

Chips?????........We just feel so superior to you!!!
And you lot know we are!

 

[dr nick]

Originally posted by Brett Li


Ahh patriotism, the last refuge of the scoundrel

i believe you have used that line before.

but i'd argue a lack of patriotism is the first sign of a scoundrel (or a boat person)

 

[London Dave]

Originally posted by DIPPER



Well we've had good cricketers since like Gough & Torpe but from Gower's vintage there was Gaham Gooch who IMO was better than Gower & had a similar resurrection to Hayden, he'd played Test cricket for a while & had a fairl average average but then he broke down his whole game reassembled it with similar results to Hayden where he he was Bradmanesque for a couple of years & averaged about 60 at the age of 35/36 the trouble was that he'd played for such a long time beore that hisd final average wasn't great (about 43/44).

Have to agree with your analogy with Hayden there Dipper, there was a period when Gooch made big runs v Windies, when there bowling attack was better than the current aussie one IMO. Whether he was a better player than Gower is a moot point though!

 

[Frodo]

Phil Tufnell

 

[SeinDude]

Speaking of great fielding, how good was that one-handed catch from the guy in the crowd yesterday when he caught Nasser Hussain's six???

SeinDude