We spend a great deal of time discussing cricketers who don’t live up to their reputations. But which Australian players fail to get the recognition they deserve?
For every supposedly “overrated” player like Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell or Shane Watson, there is an equally overlooked cricketer flying under the radar in the Sheffield Shield.
For whatever reason they are never, or at best rarely, discussed as national prospects and are similarly neglected by the Australian selectors.
Roarers, which Shield players do you consider to be most underrated? This is my top three.
1. Michael Hogan (WA) – 230 first-class wickets at an average of 25
Hogan made his first-class debut at 28, an age at which some fast bowlers are entering the final phase of their professional careers.
The rangy seam bowler had been labouring away in Sydney grade cricket season after season without reward, before being granted a trial by Western Australia. That state’s inability to produce quality pacemen had forced them to trawl the grade competitions in the Eastern States for prospects.
Hogan has rewarded them by being one of the most consistent players in the Sheffield Shield in the past four seasons, snaring 117 wickets at 28.
Hogan is an unremarkable bowler – he is not exceptionally quick, nor does he produce sharp movement through the air. But he offers the batsmen nothing, slowly strangling them until they donate to him their wicket.
He is the type of paceman who, through building pressure, often earns wickets for his bowling partner. This approach has reaped generous rewards in the Shield and county cricket, where he has excelled for Glamorgan.
Hogan appears never to have been seriously considered for national duty. At 32, that is unlikely to change. But he will continue to be cherished by the Warriors.
2. Luke Butterworth (TAS) – 222 first-class wickets at 24 and 2703 runs at 28
Over the course of Butterworth’s ten-year career, Australia have been obsessed with unearthing all-rounders.
Yet, somehow, the selectors have not called upon perhaps the most accomplished bowling all-rounder of his generation.
Seven years ago it appeared a given that the Tasmanian would eventually earn national honours. Just two months after making his debut, Butterworth turned in one of the great all-round performances in a Shield final as Tasmania triumphed.
His man-of-the-match effort saw him notch scores of 106 and 66 with the bat, to go with first innings figures of 4-33. Since that stunning first season Butterworth has been an intrinsic component in a celebrated Tasmanian side.
Yet he has never played for Australia and has not even seemed to be in contention to do so. He has not even been a regular member of Australia A teams.
Similar to Hogan, Butterworth is not an eye-catching cricketer. He bowls a nagging blend of swing and seam which rarely reaches 130 kilometres an hour.
With the blade he is an attractive, languid stroke player, but not the type to smash his way into the headlines with a run-a-ball ton. The lack of recognition he has received nationally suggests that, at 31 this year, he may never get to represent Australia.
He will, however, finish his state career as one of the legends of Tasmanian cricket.
3. Michael Klinger (SA) – 7679 first-class runs at 38
Of this trio, Klinger has come the closest to playing Test cricket.
The Redbacks veteran batted at three for Australia A on their tour of England in 2012. It appeared he was being considered for a top order berth in the Test side and that summer, his opportunity came.
Champion batsmen Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey retired in quick succession, leaving Australia in need of a steady hand. However, Klinger suffered an untimely form slump, averaging just 19 for the Sheffield Shield season.
The likes of Phil Hughes, Usman Khawaja and Ed Cowan were all given a run at the first drop spot he coveted.
Now 33, Klinger’s Test dreams have been dashed. But he remains a sturdy performer for South Australia.
The uncomplicated, circumspect batsman has churned out 4168 runs at 45 over the past six Shield seasons – a record very few players could match.
Since making the move from Victoria in 2008 he has offered South Australia composure and class, attributes which have often been in short supply for the Redbacks.
Deep Thinker
Guest
That is a very easy question - David Hussey, Stephen O'keefe and Chadd Sayers. Hogan - yeah? Possibly. But you have to consider the era he is bowling in. He wouldn't be in the top 10 pace bowlers if you ask me.
Josie
Guest
Tom Triffitt - heaps of batting and wicket keeping potential
Bearfax
Guest
Well C.F. Quiney is a good Shield player, but 'dominated shield for years', I think not. He averages for FC batting 36.9. I know there are many who support his causes, including some prominent ex-Victorian stars such as Warne, but he's almost 32 and its unlikely he'll get much better than what he is showing now. There are about 2 dozen batsmen ahead of him. If they all get injured, he's worth a look.
Cricket fan
Guest
Quiney has dominated shield for years. Quality player and not given enough of a go compared to a hack like Hughes. Dave hussey underrated. If bevan could play the short ball would have been anything...
Haris khan
Guest
Why u guys always critisize the marsh family?
Jack Paynter
Roar Rookie
I wouldn't call Maxwell an overrated player. Someone who can just about hit everyball for six, and has the confidence to do so, is a very talented cricket. Not to mention his back to back shield hundreds this year. He is also bringing people to the games which is exciting for cricket. Maybe if he's playing well, there might be a few more than a hundred people at shield or ryobi games.
Nudge
Guest
I thought Brayshaw was a bit rich too GD66 till I looked at his stats. 5000 first class runs at 42.5 which is very good.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Spot on with Hogan, every time I have seen him bowl he looks quality. Hartley is the other for me. Still very under rated by the cricket community.
GD66
Guest
Interesting topic, and some thoughtful responses. Hard to argue with any of them, except perhaps Brayshaw. Hopes is a standout, no matter what game is on, when you turn the radio on he has been involved in some way, normally getting wickets when the frontline bowlers have come up short. Hogan is still some chance for WA, they are negotiating with Glamorgan re early release apparently. And although he is now a peripheral player, I think Chris Lynn is under-rated and will rip it up next summer.
Stu
Guest
And also that WA mightn't retain Hogan.
Bearfax
Guest
Well spotted Silver. Age is a bit of a problem at 32 and that may mean Faulkner and certainly Maxwell are ahead of him. But his figures are pretty decent for an all rounder
Silver_Sovereign
Guest
I know he has already played tests, but Andrew McDonald had he been injury free at the right time, would have been an excellent replacement for Watson in his many absences. McDonald definiitely would have helped in England with his bowling too. First class averages of 40 with the bat and under 30 with the ball show his talent. Plus his short time in the test team was during a successful win in south africa in 2009
Bearfax
Guest
Yep. I see a lot of Hughes in Bevan. Not the style, they are completely different. But the mental issue after being criticised in the media and public forums for a technical fault, that I believe he solved as Hughes is solving his. Bu het was never able to prove he was worthy of a recall. I hope Hughes doesnt suffer the same issue. He faces two issues both unrelated to his ability and technique. They are self belief, and belief of the selectors and public. They are the two greatest problems he faces.
Magic
Guest
Only time would've been when Manou got the gloves, who was at the time a better keeper than Hartley.
Nudge
Guest
Yeah the short stuff was the issue. I loved Micheal Bevan as a kid, but he certainly had a massive issue with the short ball in test cricket.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
I don't know that Hussey was underrated, more just that he was very good at a time when the Aussie top-6 was incredibly strong and then was getting a bit old by the time they were needing new players, and unlike Chris Rogers his form significantly dropped over the last couple of years meaning he was never in with a short of coming in for a late short test career like Rogers managed.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Definitely a good point there. But I also think Bevan suffered from a similar issue to Phil Hughes. He struggled with a certain sort of bowling a few times and people went on about it then it got into his head and he stopped playing his natural game in test cricket. Hughes is the same. It gets to the point where he looks like he's continually second-guessing himself when playing at test level now, and I think he just needs to really get his head together, work hard on his game in the nets, but then trust that game when he is playing at test level and just play naturally. With Bevan I think it was much the same in his test career. Unfortunately he never then got the chance to set things right, but man he was good in first class cricket, and there were some pretty good quick bowlers playing Shield cricket in those days, and I'm sure they let him have plenty of short stuff!
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Exactly, guys like Phil Hughes and others that have "underperformed" in their starts at test level still have better test records than Geoff Marsh.
Bearfax
Guest
That's a really tough call and had Steve Waugh been treated the same way we would never have seen one of Australia's finest batsmen. Its easy to look at his test record and see 29.1 batting average. But that was after only 18 tests between the ages of 24 and 27 years. Had several of Australia's best batsmen been dismissed from test cricket that early we would have been without S. Waugh or Boon (32) etc. Some batsmen take time to develop into their full potential and Bevan being at the time 27, had years of development. As it was Bevan averaged in FC cricket better than all of our best players over the past 50 years with an average of over 57.
Broken-hearted Toy
Guest
I thought of Hogan straight away on reading the headline, I was pissed off when he was going to retire from Shield. So glad that CA changed their rules. He's not as slow as Butterworth and can nip it about. He's doing very well at Glamorgan too.