Picking an all-time best Australian cricket team is an easy task, with the only debate being those who are left out.
Coming up with a list of players never to play for their country is a much harder ask.
While half of these names are obvious, most of them are contemporary players. Looking back in time gets a bit harder.
Michael Di Venuto was a fine left-handed batsman for Tasmania in the ’90s. While he did play nine one-day internationals, his first-class batting record had him amass over 24,000 runs at an average of 46.
Jamie Siddons was a shoo-in due to his outstanding record as a run-scoring machine for Victoria and then South Australia. With only a single one-day international to his name, he scored 35 centuries and 53 half centuries in an outstanding first-class career that has transitioned into a post-career coaching stint in Bangladesh and Wellington in New Zealand.
Jamie Cox was another Tasmanian unlucky not to get the call from the national selectors. Drafted by the Essendon Bombers in 1987, Cox focused on cricket after not playing a senior game at Windy Hill. Averaging 42 with 51 first-class centuries, he was unlucky to miss out on a Test cap.
David Hussey, like his brother Mike, was a player who worked hard, squeezed the lemon hard and got everything out of his natural ability. He was rewarded with 69 one-day internationals for his country but this never transitioned into a call-up to the Test arena. A bat for hire around the world, he is now a mentor in the Indian Premier League.
(Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
While never playing international cricket, Darren Berry was a stalwart in the Victiorian sides of the ’90s. With 603 dismissals to his name, the talented keeper was never going to displace the incumbents but he would have been a decent stop-gap if needed.
Sam Trimble was a right-handed Queensland all-rounder. Averaging 43 with he bat, his top score was an impressive 252 not out against New South Wales in the summer of 1963-64. Unlucky not to get a call-up, he was kept out of the team by openers Bill Lawry and Bob Simpson.
Eddie Gilbert was our greatest Indigenous player not to play Test cricket. Maybe not surprisingly for the times in which he played, he was controversially overlooked when we look back with modern eyes. He famously dismissed Don Bradman in 1932 when playing NSW. In retirement, Bradman described the first five balls he faced from Gilbert as the fastest he had faced in his career.
Wayne Holdsworth was a fast bowler hailing from the Bankstown club that also included the Waugh brothers in its side laden with NSW reps. The three-time Sheffield Shield winner was an Ashes tourist in 1993 but never played a Test. ‘Cracker’ took 212 first-class wickets in a state career that lasted eight years. He also went to Hampshire in 1990.
Spinner David Hourn was unlucky to miss national selection at the height of World Series Cricket. This may be due to Ian Chappell’s opinion that he was not a talented cricketer. Regardless, he took 164 wickets at 28.71 with best bowling figures of 9-125 against Victoria.
Mick
Guest
Hi you should check out a opening batsman for the Vic's "Ron Furlong"
JGK
Roar Guru
And that 125 was one of the worst centuries you’ve ever seen (although the 47 was one of the best).
Micko
Roar Rookie
Jimmy Barnes you mean Pope! :stoked:
Micko
Roar Rookie
Yes, it wasn't till that terrific series he had in India in 2001 that people stopped being sceptical about Hayden from memory.
matth
Roar Guru
Good list. i prepared a list like this for a future article (no point now) and came up with the same top six as yours. After that we diverged. For 7 to 11 i went with: Chris Hartley Ashley Noffke Michael Neser Jason Behrendorrf Fawad Ahmed. The unlucky omissions apart from those in your bowlers was Chris Tremain
TheGeneral
Roar Rookie
Cannot find a David Cameron in Australian cricket. Perhaps you mean Tasmanian Greg Campbell who played 4 tests and 12 ODI's. He only played his four tests as a replacement bowler when others were injured, as we had Alderman, Hughes, Rackerman, Lawson etc. As an interesting aside he is the uncle of Ricky Ponting. Campbell's sister Lorraine is Ricky's mother.
malibu77
Roar Rookie
the VIC opener was Wayne N Phillips. Not to be confused with Wayne B Phillips the SA left-handed batsman and sometimes 'keeper. And I think David Campbell should be Greg Campbell, Tassie quick.
Kev Maher
Guest
Like this side
James P
Guest
Shaun Young was a very highly regarded all rounder. Scored over 7000 first class runs at 37.95 and over 270 wickets at under 36 He had just scored 237 for Gloucestershire against a team with Devon Malcolm and Phil DeFreitas
Kev maher
Guest
What about JP Maher the Q'ld Opener and Captain
Tigerbill44
Roar Guru
Yes timing is a factor. But there are other things as well. The combination within the team is important. For example neither Collis King nor Eldrine Baptise played enough for the WI because the WI test team didn't need such all-rounders. Both were useful medium pacers and hard hitting batsman.
JohnB
Guest
Others have raised Chris Hartley and James Hopes - both produced better figures than blokes who were given a chance. Both got their timing wrong so it's not all anti-Qld bias. I'll just fly the Qld flag a bit for one player mentioned by Mark - Sam Trimble (despite his NSW birth). Incidentally, he was never a bowler (some might say, unkindly, like his son) and was pretty much always an opener. He made tough Shield runs for a long time (21st highest all time - 4 above him - Maher, DiVenuto, Siddons, Cox - made more, at comparable averages), but always found himself behind players like Lawry, Simpson, Stackpole and Redpath. The one time the planets might have aligned for him in 70/71 was getting fairly late in his career and he hadn't had a great season, and Ken Eastwood from Victoria was picked instead (for the only time). And yet only the season before Trimble had led what was effectively an Australia A team to NZ, playing what looks like the full NZ team. In the 3 "tests", all drawn, Trimble averaged over 80.
Seymorebutts
Guest
Is that why Darryl Hair no balled Murali at the WACA? The guy doesnt like brown people? Absurd proposition. Murali was a chucker and I could even tell from the stands, he should never have played another game, nothing to do with his colour, everything to do with his action. I remember meeting an old timer back in the 1970's who played a couple of games for QLD and he said clearly that Gilbert was a chucker. If he was no balled 13 times, and his peers and Bradman said he was a chucker, is it possible that maybe he was a chucker? But using the blanket term '' racist'' is a cure all label for anyone who disagrees with you isnt it.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Part of Hayden's issue was that he played 7 tests in the 90s, but only passed 50 once in 12 innings. He got a good run in 1997 and started out 125, 0, 47. But then followed it up with 40, 0, 14, 10, 0. After scoring 125 he had 10 innings until he passed 50 again.
josh
Roar Rookie
This writes itself: Jimmy Maher Wade Seccombe Trevor Barsby Paul Jackson Dirk Tazelaar Ashley Noffke Lee Carseldine Joe Dawes
josh
Roar Rookie
Always felt like Manou's trip to England was like a modern benefit season. Not sure why he was selected, but being from Queensland I'm going with bias.
Glenn Mitchell
Expert
WA all-rounder Ian Brayshaw. 101 first-class matches, 4325 runs at 31.8, three centuries, HS 160. 178 wkts at 25.1, BBI 10/44 v Victoria.
Gee
Roar Rookie
Good call on Inness. Missed out on a test spot in 2003/04 against India to Nathan Bracken despite having a better average & more experience at that time.
Gee
Roar Rookie
David Freedman was a handy 1990s NSW left arm wrist spinner if the team needed a second spinner. 150+ FC wickets at 31 & was close to getting a test call up against the Windies in 97/98.
badmanners
Roar Rookie
You raise the very good point about these sort of articles suggesting players who should have played higher honours in that who should have been left out of the team to fit them in? We all complain about under performing incumbents but then do the same if they are not perceived to have been given a fair run. Especially if they're one of your favourite's! As you alluded to timing can be crucial and how long do you give someone to establish themselves before they are dropped?