Logically on the day England win their first test series is 3 years (that’s not true, is it) I should be talking about Monty Panesar and his 6 wickets for 344 runs.
But Monty has burned me before.
When he was first picked I was assured he was humorous in the field, and while he is chuckle worthy, he is no Tufnell.
Then I was told he just plainly couldn’t bat. He’s no Brett Lee but he makes Chris Martin look like a proper number 11.
Also I was told he could bowl, so far, his career average is 32, it’s not horrible, but its not Portmanesque either.
I’m going to talk about Timothy Grant Southee, who might be more exciting than this entire series put together.
A 5 wicket haul in the first dig, a 77* of 40 in his last at bat.
Not bad for a kid who is practically a foetus.
He is only a hundred days younger than Ishant Sharma, but Sharma, while looking good in his first few tests did not have the impact of Southee from the get go.
Sharma’s first five wicket haul was his second test where he slapped around a shoddy Pakistani tail.
Southee destroyed English’s top order first time at the crease.
Plus Southee does not have an alien growing out of his throat.
Take that Ishant.
Ofcourse Ishant got out Ponting alot, which is worth 83 English wickets.
A five wicket haul and a 70 gets you seven figures in India, Sir Ian Botham comparisons in England, and in Australia he wouldn’t be playing because he is a bowler and under 25.
Where to now for this youngster?
Will he become the cricketer that drags New Zealand back into real test playing status.
Or will he make a lot of dollars when he retires from the national side for personal reasons to play in the ICL.
Or will he become a statistical footnote in the slow decline of modern culture.
Exactly.
I wonder if there have been better allround debuts. David? :-)Wat I found more remarkable about that innings was his 9 sixes! Thats definitely the highest number on debut. The world record is 12 (Wasim Akram vs Zim) so 9 on debut is quite something.9 sixes and 4 fours – thats 70 runs in boundaries – more than 90% of his 77!I don’t think Southee is just a flash in the pan. As a bowler, the batting could have been just a one off. He will go on and do well for New Zealand as long as he remains free of injuries. He was the leading wicket taker of the U19 world cup last month.
Y q the sixes were great weren’t they! lovely clean hits. apparently only a handful of other cricketers (like, 3 or 4) have ever hit as many in a test innings. I’m excited about the kid.
Y Miriam, they were great hits. I saw clips after the match was over and I didnt know he had hit 9 of them or scored 77*.. so I just saw the kid hitting 6s and wondered hat a good hitter he was. Then I saw the scorecard and was left amazed.
I know, he top-scored. and he looked really calm. Every time he hit one I thought “oh no, this time he’s spooned it up for a catch!” but he never did. Well apart from one, which Vaughan couldn’t get to. His wagonwheel was hilarious.
I wonder if there have been better allround debuts.The only debutant to score more runs in an innings than Southee whilst also taking a five-for is Bruce Taylor, another Kiwi who made 105 and 0*, and took 5/86.
David Barry, you’re always there when somebody needs you.
Lets hope Southee copes with later life better better than Bruce Taylor!!
Db, That’s good to know, but for me there was only ever one brillaint all round test debut.Dodsy, took 6 for and made 50.
As always, thanks David.Well said LB. Haha..Uncle J – whose dodsy? dodemaid? wat was his name? Tony?
One and the same Q.
Another parallel between those debut innings of Dodemaide and Southee is that they both hit four fours.Southee did hit nine more sixes though.
Dodsy didn’t need sixes. The man ran Lords. A melbourne western suburbs boy running lords.Nuff said.
have you just revealed an ambition of yours there, Jrod?
Mims, I am from the northern suburbs of melbourne, so i want to run the world.
To be fair, Ishant did that on pitches that were flatter than Keira Knightley’s bare chest.