Ramps stands alone

[Donny]

Mark Ramprakash is a run making machine. The Surrey batsman broke the record for a County season in 2006, his 20th county season, scoring 2,211 runs and averaging 105. He scored 8 centuries.

This season could be even more impressive. After just 6 matches, he already has 5 centuries, 819 runs and an average of 117. Significantly, he's the only English player who features, in either division, in the top 5 batsmen. Division One. Mark Ramprakash: 819 @ 117.00 Michael Di Venuto: (Australia) 601 @ 85.85 Mark Goodwin: (Aust.) 529 @ 58.77 Jacques Rudolph: (Sth. Africa) 513 @ 72.28 Dale Benkenstein: (S.A.) 471 @ 103* Division Two. Justin Langer: (Australia) 723 @ 80.33 David Hussey: (Aust.) 697 @ 99.57 Cameron White: (Aust.) 678 @ 75.33 Simon Katich: (Aust.) 642 @ 107.00 Marcus North: (Aust.) 565 @ 56.50

[Donny]

Cam White scored 114 in his latest outing for Somerset. For the season: 792 runs @ 79.2 with 4 centuries. David Hussey hit 98 for Notts. 795 for the season @ 99.37

[Cricketics]

i still don't know why Eng went to australia withouth Ramps... at that time ramprakash was playing similarly scoring runs in every game.. it was selectors rigidity perhaps. what happend we all know.. 5-0 massive beating which pommies won't forget for ages..

[Lurker]

Mark Ramprakash is a great county cricket batsman. Have been a wonderful player for Surrey over the years. Seems to be getting finer with each season too. Still can not beleive he played 50 plus Tests though :confused_smile:

[gator]

50 tests are good enuf to tell u, he was a flop.... he could never take the next step.... as in all walks of life, there are people who do the easy things the best and the harder things the worst.... Ramps is one of em...

[kumble_rocks]

Yawn !

[varun]

Who was the other county king ? Hick ? His was a similar case wasn't it ?

[gator]

Hick was a prime example, yeah.... FTB...

[kumble_rocks]

Hick used to get Hic(k)ups when facing Ambrose. Jeez , what a loser , and to think that I stood up and applauded this jerk when he got his first test century in Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai .

[King Tendulkar]

Ramps is one of the great mysteries. All in the head. Technically sound and talented to have played tests. If his test debut had started with a lucky ton he would probably have averaged in mid 40s with around 20 tons. All in the head for Ramps. They is even now talk of him being recalled to the england team

[kumble_rocks]

^ Seriously though , you may be right. I remember reading Waqar Younis's comments in Sportstar wherein he actually made a comment stating that Ramps was one of the most talented batsmen in the world. BTW, both played for Surrey .

[Predator_05]

Ramps is one of the great mysteries. All in the head. Technically sound and talented to have played tests. If his test debut had started with a lucky ton he would probably have averaged in mid 40s with around 20 tons. All in the head for Ramps. They is even now talk of him being recalled to the england team

I agree entirely. He was a very technically correct batsman, very textbook. He played some vital innings for England during his Test career, even though it may not have been a fruitful one. The 154 at Barbados, and his supporting act to Mark Butcher's 173 at Headingley (followed by that hundred in the next test) being prime examples. I don't think England ever got the best out of him since they kept changing his position in the batting order - however, he didn't exactly stake a claim for himself either as he always had very lean patches and failed to convert his starts more often than not. For instance, I remember his performances on the '01 England tour of India. Ramprakash looked convincing in all three tests but his highest was still a paltry 50 odd in the third test at Bangalore. Sums up his career really - promised much, delivered little. Dealing with hypotheticals now, but I sometimes get the feeling that had he begun his career under Duncan Fletcher, he would have done much better at international level. England were never any good during the 90's.

[King]

Mark Ramprakash is a run making machine. The Surrey batsman broke the record for a County season in 2006, his 20th county season, scoring 2,211 runs and averaging 105. He scored 8 centuries.

This season could be even more impressive. After just 6 matches, he already has 5 centuries, 819 runs and an average of 117. Significantly, he's the only English player who features, in either division, in the top 5 batsmen. Division One. Mark Ramprakash: 819 @ 117.00 Michael Di Venuto: (Australia) 601 @ 85.85 Mark Goodwin: (Aust.) 529 @ 58.77 Jacques Rudolph: (Sth. Africa) 513 @ 72.28 Dale Benkenstein: (S.A.) 471 @ 103* Division Two. Justin Langer: (Australia) 723 @ 80.33 David Hussey: (Aust.) 697 @ 99.57 Cameron White: (Aust.) 678 @ 75.33 Simon Katich: (Aust.) 642 @ 107.00 Marcus North: (Aust.) 565 @ 56.50

Even NZ reject Craig Spearman was a star in English domestic cricket. Similarly the Indian cricketer Dinesh Mongia did well to in English domestic cricket. I take these performances with a pinch of salt. Ramps is a technically sound batsman but that doesn't mean he has the resolve to score big in test cricket. The bowlers in test cricket are relentless. They don't bowl half volleys just because you let go four balls in a row. They stick to a plan. I don't reckon so much planning goes on in the domestic scheme of things. A test batsman is analyzed and his short comings are found out. Technique is only a tool to keep the good balls away but it doesn't teach you the resolve or the mental toughness that is required to survive in test cricket. To put the bad ball away you don't need technique but you need the eagerness and positive attitude. Domestic cricket isn't played in front of 60000 or more audience and continued failure will not get one a very bad press. Test cricket in other words is "PRESSURE".

[Donny]

Yes. Well said, Ravi. Dennis Lillee went into big time cricket thinking success would come 85% from talent/ability and 15% from mental approach. He left big time cricket knowing it was the other way round. Unquestionably, players like Ramps and Hick have sublime talent and strokemaking ability but, at the highest level, they couldn't cut it. Let me give some examples of mental toughness winning through. Steve Waugh was not a star in first class cricket when first selected to play for his country but thrived at the top level. He also took the next step up, as a player, when he took over the captaincy. Although Ricky Ponting did come into the Oz Test & ODI teams as an established star, he just keeps performing, especially when the pressure is on. Others who found their level at the top: Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist. More recently, Michael Clarke and Stuart Clark had fairly ordinary first class stats but seem to have made the transition and improved. Obviously, there are other than Aussies who've found their level at the top. I mention those players as examples.

[gator]

prime example is Rahul Dravid... he was a decent top 10 batter in FC cricket, but there were others notching up bigger hundreds more consistently... but boy, what did he turn out to be on the bigger stage...

[King]

Yes. Well said, Ravi. Dennis Lillee went into big time cricket thinking success would come 85% from talent/ability and 15% from mental approach. He left big time cricket knowing it was the other way round. Unquestionably, players like Ramps and Hick have sublime talent and strokemaking ability but, at the highest level, they couldn't cut it. Let me give some examples of mental toughness winning through. Steve Waugh was not a star in first class cricket when first selected to play for his country but thrived at the top level. He also took the next step up, as a player, when he took over the captaincy. Although Ricky Ponting did come into the Oz Test & ODI teams as an established star, he just keeps performing, especially when the pressure is on. Others who found their level at the top: Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist. More recently, Michael Clarke and Stuart Clark had fairly ordinary first class stats but seem to have made the transition and improved. Obviously, there are other than Aussies who've found their level at the top. I mention those players as examples.

The Waugh brothers story is amazing innit? I still remember reading in the elder Waugh's book the first game Waugh brothers played. The twins played their first game when they were about 8-9 years old. Guess what they both weren't like Tendulkar, they didn't score big. They both scored a duck each :hysterical: It seems both of them were not thought to be good cricketers at all. The rag tag junior team they played for played Waugh brothers just because they were great at fielding. They both were eager fielders and the only ones that could dirty their whites to field the ball. Technique and talent is way too over rated IMO. The best of players didn't really come with "THE PERFECT" technique. Even Bradman's back lift wasn't straight. Last night I was watching the test match between WI v Eng and noticed Hussain pick on Strauss back lift for discussion. Hussain was saying Strauss' back lift started from around 2nd slip rather than straight. Geez I thought when you are playing a ball you don't have time to fix this in the middle. I thought you should let your natural ability take over. Center is definitely not the place to fix your issues. I thought Strauss was way too pre occupied with his technique meanwhile Cook looked to enjoy his cricket more than anything. Gilly as you mentioned has a flaw holding the bat, he holds it way too high but that doesn't stop him from scoring runs. Ponting falls over often and his initial movement crouches him. That should reduce the power in his shot going by experts but that doesn't stop him from scoring runs either. Foremost I think sports should be played to enjoy. When it becomes a burden or another day in the office the performances go down drastically.

[CC1981]

Ravi, i think you are underrating technique massively here. Yes, attitude is primary but technique is pretty important too because as you age, your reflexes,eyesight slows down- which reduces your reaction time and your form/technique is what it will boil down to. If you are going to be 1/10th of a second slower to figure out the ball's trajectory, it makes helluva lot of difference if you tend to bring down your bat from 2nd slip or ramrod straight. In latter case, you would be fine, but if its the former, you are boned. Today's day is bad for cricket because the odds are so much more stacked in the batsmen's favour that they can hide their technical deficiencies far better. But if it were any Aussie pitch of the 90s and Hayden facing down Ambrose , Wasim, etc. every 2 years for 5 matches each time, i can garantee you that Hayden wouldn't even average 40. If cricket restores the balance between bat & ball, technique will again become 2nd/top most important thing.

[King]

Believe me I've been through this phase myself and understand how much technique is over rated these days. Again I reiterate, "TECHNIQUE IS REQUIRED TO KEEP THE GOOD BALLS AWAY". I've spoken to countless number of great cricketers about this one. Believe me bar one or two none reckon it is the technique that got them to do well at test cricket level. I've been told a good defense is required to bat long but technique cannot replace flair and attitude how much ever you try. Guys like Bradman, Sobers, Tendulkar and the rest played with flair. Every cricketer is different and they have their own way of batting. There is no hard and fast rules to hit the ball. Cricket is quite a simple sport and it should be kept that way.

[THX_1138]

Who was the other county king ? Hick ? His was a similar case wasn't it ?

we have had our share too: ajay sharma, gagan khoda, heck even gambhir is a god at first class stuff... i think its about the whole familiarity issue. you get too ensconced in your ways and methods which eventually prevents you from being flexible when the situation calls for.

[King]

Sanjay Manjraker was perhaps the most technically correct batsman but he never really could fulfill the potential. After retirement he confirmed he was way too pre occupied with technique and lost out on enjoying the sport. He mentioned that as one of the attribute for having failed to fulfill his potential. Nothing is right about KP's technique either but hasn't he show he can score against the best in the business. Similarly Laxman's all flair but hasn't he scored against the best?