Tag: Phil Jaques

In this post I select an all time XI of players whose given names begin with the letter P. There is an extensive and important honourable mentions section as well, and some photographs to end.

THE XI IN BATTING ORDER

1. Peter Richardson (England, left handed opening batter). Had a fine test record in a generally low scoring decade, the 1950s. He also lacked a regular opening partner at England level, which makes his achievements in the role even more creditable.
2. Phil Jaques (Australia, left handed opening batter). One of the many fine players to miss out on opportunities because Australia had a dominant and settled line up at the time. His performances in the nine test matches he got to play were excellent, and his first class record over a long career speaks for itself.
3. Peter May (England, right handed batter). An outstanding career record, averaging 46 in test cricket’s lowest, slowest scoring decade.
4. Phil Mead (England, left handed batter). A fine test record, and an outstanding first class one. His Hampshire tallies of 48,809 runs and 138 centuries are both records for a single first class team, while his overall career tallies place him fourth all time in both runs scored and centuries made.
5. Polly Umrigar (India, right handed batter, occasional off spinner). He overcame a traumatic start to his test career, mainly at the hands of Fred Trueman, to end it as the holder of India career records for most runs and most centuries at test level, and with an average of 42 at that level. His India career records all stood as such until Sunil Gavaskar came along and didn’t so much raise the bar as blast it into the stratosphere.
6. *Percy Fender (England, right handed batter, leg spinner, captain). Perhaps one place higher than would be absolutely ideal, but this side has a strong top five, and there is a very handy keeper/ batter to come. A fine all rounder, and an even finer captain, a role that Peter May’s presence not withstanding I have no hesitation in awarding him in this side.
7. +Paul Nixon (England, wicket keeper, left handed batter). He was never picked by England for a test match, though he did play some limited overs internationals, but he was very fine wicket keeper, and good enough with the bat to average 35 in first class cricket.
8. Pat Cummins (Australia, right arm fast bowler, right handed batter). One of the best contemporary fast bowlers.
9. Peter Pollock (South Africa, right arm fast bowler, right handed batter). The spearhead of the South African bowling attack in the last years of their first incarnation as a test nation, he first developed his bowling in the backyard of the family home, where if he wanted a bat he had first to dismiss his younger brother, and since said younger brother was Graeme Pollock that, as many another bowler learned over the years, took quite a lot of doing.
10. Peter Heine (South Africa, right arm fast bowler, right handed batter). Formed an excellent and nasty new ball pairing with Neil Adcock, who should probably have been in the Ns XI in the years immediately before Pollock.
11. Palwankar Baloo (India, left arm orthodox spin bowler, left handed batter). India were not a test nation in his playing days, and since rather than being a Jam Saheb or a Nawab he was a humble member of a low caste he did not have the opportunity of going to England to play. 33 first class matches yielded him 179 wickets at 15.09 a piece, an astounding record, especially given the caste prejudice he faced while assembling it.

This side has a powerful top five, a fine all rounder who was also a very astute captain, an excellent keeper/ batter and four high quality specialist bowlers. Cummins, Pollock, Heine, Baloo and Fender, with Umrigar available as sixth bowler are unlikely to struggle to take 20 opposition wickets.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

I begin this section, for reasons that I hope will become apparent, with…

WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN? (X2)

My first what might have been, and the one that some would be gunning for me over my failure to include him is Phillip Hughes, a left handed opening batter who died after being hit on the back of the head by a bouncer in 2014, at the age of just 26. Hughes’ tragic demise does not change basic facts: in this case he had not done enough to earn his place in this XI, with a test average of under 33, including the 2010-11 Ashes when he looked decidedly ordinary. There is no way of knowing how his career would have developed, and I can only go on actual facts, therefore he misses out.

The second person to feature in this section is another Aussie. Some 40 years before Glenn McGrath was born there Dubbo, New South Wales had come very close to producing a champion fast bowler: Pat Crawford. His career came to a premature end after a horrible injury. In four test matches he took seven wickets at 15.28, while 37 first class matches yielded him 110 scalps at 21.02. In view of the achievements of Cummins, Pollock and Heine, plus one or two others who had to miss out I felt that while his figures did suggest a truly great performer I could not include him.

REGULAR HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Two other openers whose test records definitely make them worthy of consideration were Paul Gibb and Peter Parfitt, the former of whom could also have been named as keeper. Pravin Amre of India started his first class career looking like he was going to shred the record books, but ultimately did not do so, though his records at both first class and test level were excellent by mosr reckonings. Pathum Nissanka of Sri Lanka has an outstanding first class batting record and a very respectable test one, and may ultimately claim a place in this XI, but at the moment he is not quite there. Peter Burge of Australia was also in the mix for a middle order batting slot, but although he definitively won one test match for his country (an innings of 160 that was largely responsible for what looked a substantial first innings deficit becoming a substantial first innings lead) his overall record was respectable rather than great. Paul Collingwood was a candidate for the place I gave to Umrigar, and would also be a candidate for being the designated substitute fielder, though he has a rival for that slot in Paul Parker. Phil Sharpe was a gritty batter who averaged 40 at test level and an outstanding slip fielder. Parthiv Patel, Paul Downton and Peter Nevill were the three wicket keepers closest to challenging Nixon. The fastest bowler to miss out was unquestionably Patrick Patterson, but he was nearly as erratic as he was quick, which is why his record falls short of greatness. Peter Siddle and Pat Trimborn were both quality practitioners of right arm fast medium bowling. Pedro Collins was another test match pacer not quite good enough for this XI. The spin options were thinner on the ground, though Pat Pocock, who once took seven wickets in 11 balls for Surrey against Sussex deserves a mention, and two contrasting left armers, Philippe-Henri Edmonds and Paul Adams of the ‘frog in a blender’ action would both have their advocates. Pat Symcox, a fine off spinner for South Africa, would also have his advocates. Peter Hatzoglou (leg spin) and Patrick Dooley (left arm wrist spin) would be candidates for a limited overs side. Australian left hander Phoebe Litchfield would also be a candidate for a batting slot in a limited overs XI.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…