debut: 11/30/17
12,143 runs
In reply to CCW
exactly. steve waugh is one of the least talented players ever....but he averages over 50 and is a certified test great. hooper is probably the most gifted batsman in history. and he finished with an avg of 36. Imagine Brian charles lara having to hoist a WI batting lineup on his shoulders with a batsman like carl hooper in the side not pulling his weight. Part of hooper's problem was that only holding consistently called him out for poor performances. People like Cozier were never as severe on him as they were on lara for things he did, things he didn't do, things they think he may have done. I remember Jimmy Adams recalling how lara score 100 off 80 balls in antigua against the aussies in 1999, which was the innings following the 213 and the greatest chasing innings of all time, 153 n.o. and Adams said serious cricket people in the west indies accused lara of batting too quickly. Hooper by the way, played in the last two tests of that series, did nothing in the first three innings and scored a half century when the match was already lost. Even when he came back, he had one very two good series versus india, who would have had the second weakest bowling lineup he would have faced as skipper(zim being the first). When stronger attacks like SA and especially Sri Lanka in SL on doctored pitches with murali and vas at their peak, he was totally absent.