Matt Prior has had an excellent start to the batting side of his England career, averaging 64.80 in his debut series. However there are 4 players who have done better (qual: played at least 2 Tests). Who are they?
Ave. T I NO Runs Player
1. ?
2. 88.00 3 4 1 264 AC Gilchrist Aus v Pak in Aus 1999-00
3. 86.33 3 5 2 259 DM Lewis WI v Ind in WI 1970-71
4. 68.50 2 3 1 137 RS Kaluwitharana SL v Aus in SL 1992-93
Ave. T I NO Runs Player
1. 132.00 2 3 2 132 Ashraf Ali Pak v SL in Pak 1981-82
2. 88.00 3 4 1 264 AC Gilchrist Aus v Pak in Aus 1999-00
3. 86.33 3 5 2 259 DM Lewis WI v Ind in WI 1970-71
4. 68.50 2 3 1 137 RS Kaluwitharana SL v Aus in SL 1992-93
And when you consider some of the non-entities that opened with Fredericks in the early 70s until CGG made himself available - Headley, Baichan, the white Greenidge - why didn't they stick with him?
Another example of inter-island selection chaos. The following is Lewis's Cricinfo profile:
"A tidy if unspectacular wicketkeeper and sound opening batsman, Desmond Lewis made his Test debut within eight months of his first-class bow for Jamaica, largely thanks to 96 and 67* against the touring Indians. He scored 81 not out in his first game - the third Test at Georgetown - and opening with Roy Fredericks at Bridgetown in the fourth Test made 88. In the final Test at Port-of-Spain he chipped in with 72. But despite averaging 86.33 in the three matches he was discarded in favour of Michael Findlay for the 1971-72 tour of New Zealand - Findlay himself was soon replaced by the returning Deryck Murray. He continued to score consistently for Jamaica until 1975-75.
201 divided by zero = infinite. Infinite wins every time but doesn't not count as an average. Where is Jay when you need a good red ink/average argument??
Jim Parks made 43 & 101* on his debut as 'keeper (although not his Test debut as he had played as a batsman six years earlier) in the final Test at Port-of-Spain in 1960 giving him an average of 144. However in his first full series against South Africa at home the following summer he only averaged 19.25 and he didn't appear for England again for another three years. Despite his reputation as a wicketkeeper-batsman (keeping out other 'keepers such as keith andrew of Northamptonshire) he only averaged over 50 in the 2-Test series against New Zealand at the beginning of 1966.
If we confine ourselves to Ashes Tests then Parks looks good as a batsman/keeper [as opposed to the other way around]. He averaged a tick over 38, about five more than Knott, nine more than Stewart [as keeper] and eleven more than Ames, whose record in Ashes Tests might be thought to call in question his status as a very good batsman.
Of course Parks was not in the same class as Ames or, especially, Knott, behind as opposed to in front of the stumps.
Absolutely right, peterg, I didn't mean to undermine Parks' record although it rather read like that. Parks seemed to have had a better record overseas, especially on Mike Smith's tour of South Africa in 1964-5. Even on the following Ashes tour in 1965-66 his average was only just below 50. This purple patch came to an end against the West Indies in 1966 when, despite scoring 91 at Lord's, he was dropped after the 4th Test at Headingley after poor performances with the bat when John Murray of Middlesex who was thought to be a better keepr but a worse bat was brought back for a home Test for the first time in 5 years and ironically scored a century batting at No.9.
This seemed to be the end of Parks' Test career when he was surprisingly recalled for Colin Cowdrey's tour of the West Indies in 1968 when he temporarily displaced Alan Knott, who had replaced Murray, for the first 3 Tests. In his penultimate Test at Sabina Park his dismissal of Basil Butcher off another Basil, D'Oliveira, led to a riot which seemed to blight England's chances of victory. Sobers' offer of extra overs on a sixth day turned out to be a poisoned gift as, wanting 159 to win, the deterioration in the pitch resulted in England being reduced to 68-8 with Parks out for 3.
In many ways, as a batsman who took up wicketkeeping in response to his county's requirements but who became good enough to keep for his country even though he may kept out better specialist keepers, he provides a template for the career of Alec Stewart.
Originally posted by Allan D: Absolutely right, peterg, I didn't mean to undermine Parks' record although it rather read like that. Parks seemed to have had a better record overseas, especially on Mike Smith's tour of South Africa in 1964-5. Even on the following Ashes tour in 1965-66 his average was only just below 50. This purple patch came to an end against the West Indies in 1966 when, despite scoring 91 at Lord's, he was dropped after the 4th Test at Headingley after poor performances with the bat when John Murray of Middlesex who was thought to be a better keepr but a worse bat was brought back for a home Test for the first time in 5 years and ironically scored a century batting at No.9.
This seemed to be the end of Parks' Test career when he was surprisingly recalled for Colin Cowdrey's tour of the West Indies in 1968 when he temporarily displaced Alan Knott, who had replaced Murray, for the first 3 Tests. In his penultimate Test at Sabina Park his dismissal of Basil Butcher off another Basil, D'Oliveira, led to a riot which seemed to blight England's chances of victory. Sobers' offer of extra overs on a sixth day turned out to be a poisoned gift as, wanting 159 to win, the deterioration in the pitch resulted in England being reduced to 68-8 with Parks out for 3.
