The cruelty of cricket is that it is not performance that matters most always.Best example is Chanderpaul.He had been underrated because he is neither stylish like Lara nor a brutal hitter like Gayle.He had some tremendous achievement in his career of 2 decades. 1.First WI player to appear 150 tests 2.He appeared in 8 world cups for WI.5 50-over and 3 WT20s which is a record for any player 3.A player of big occasions.Was the top scorer for WI in 2004 CT final.Had century partnerships with Lara and Gayle respectively against SA in 96 WC QF and 2006 CT SF.He top scored with an 85 vs AUS in 96 WC SF which WI lost by 5 runs due to batting collapse after his departure.In 2000 ICC knockout tournament he made 74 in the SF against India to help WI reach the finals. 4. He scored a century that helped WI chase down the highest total in the 4th innings of a test match against AUS. 5.Known as a blocker he is among the fatest centurions in test cricket off just 69 balls 6. He played with his son and in the same team in a first class match and created history there also. 7.Finally one dubious and unforgettable record.He is the cricketor who was part of the most test defeats in the history of cricket.
i've always been a fan of chanderpaul and samuels from the windies team. i could watch chanderpaul defend deliveries forever...
also, an interesting stat i've digged up which many may not know is the no. of times he gets bowled is much less than other batsmen..only ~10% of times in his test career he's attributed to being bowled..while compare that with sachin, dravid etc. the percentage of them being bowled is much higher..this may speak about his dogged defense, and his intriguing squarish crab like stance at the wicket.
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by dreamer formerlytaklu on Nov 11, 2013 05:08 PM
having said that, there have been also some valid criticism of his style of batting and how he compiles and moves about his innings..he's been attibuted as selfish, and maybe rightly so at times considering match circumstances...a good ex. which comes to my mind is the natwest series of 2009 , where windies windies were chasing a big total of 328, but his innings could only amount to 68 having spent 108 balls_at the crease. he could've accelerated his scoring as his innings progressed, but that never happened, and needless to say windies lost that encounter, and the odi series.
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by dreamer formerlytaklu on Nov 11, 2013 05:10 PM
other than that, he's been accused of exposing tailenders to opposition ..when he stays till the end..have heard none other than michael holding call him selfish on many occassions..for putting windies in peril eventually..
He is a legend by any yardstick and that dogged resilience which has been the hallmark of his batting is something which we don't get to see in todays' batters.
