In yesterday's piece on the day's play I inadvertently missed out reference to Wayne Madsen, who is now the club's most dependable batsman.
A first class average of 38 doesn't tell the full story as Madsen had a few early struggles in first class cricket back home in South Africa. 809 runs in 16 innings at an average of 58 in 2009 with 3 centuries and three fifties was followed by 940 at 34 with four centuries and 2 fifties last year. I think he will score heavily this year and looks set to become one of our best batsmen in a long time.
What I like about him is that conversion rate. Generally when he gets past fifty he goes on to three figures, which is a sign of a good player. I also like the fact that he is as adept against spin as pace and I would rate him the best player of spin bowling in the side. Certainly, I have seen few play the reverse sweep, not what Wilfred Rhodes would have called a 'business shot', better than Madsen, tribute to his talents in hockey and to a keen eye.
His record in the Lancashire Leagues was phenomenal but Madsen looks like translating that into senior cricket for years to come. While credit has to be paid to the player, a word too for John Morris, who took a man who had usually batted in the middle order and gave him the responsibility of opening, presumably seeing a technique that could cope with a moving ball.
Yet that ability against spin will probably be why Madsen will bat at four or five in one day matches, giving us the best chance of working runs from containing spin. A sound fielder, Madsen is no mug as a bowler either, but looks unlikely to do much bowling in a side where almost everyone can turn their arm over to decent standard.
Class act, Wayne Madsen. Long may he be the rock of our batting.
Madsen, another inspired John Morris signing!
ReplyDeleteYes, and and like John Morris it is time we got Madsen on a nice long contract.
ReplyDeleteYou are right on the conversion rate. His vulnerability is in the early stages of his innings, so I am not sure I would quite go fully with the dependable tag yet. Once he gets going, he is normally away.
ReplyDeleteIf he can continue to do what he has done in this game and dig in at the beginning and collect in ones and twos and the odd boundary, he will improve his average still further.
Overall, he, along with Hughes and, hopefully, our overseas players should hold the batting together over the season. Smith can and has contributed too, of course, but it will be interesting to see if he can keep up the good batting form later on in the campaign, after he has turned his arm over a great deal more. It is always a big ask to figure in both batting and bowling disciplines.
The challenge is now to get two from Durston, Park, Borrington and Redfern to offer meaningful contributions. If not, Lineker must get a go.
MASTERVILLAIN
Congrats to the team for there win today showed courage to bounce back from what was frankly a poor result at Bristol hopefully the future continues like these last few days of cricket brightly
ReplyDeleteGreat win today and a massive praise to John Morris. He had the nerve to stick by the players when everyone else was screaming 'get rid of em all'.
ReplyDeleteHaving seen Maddo in his first first team game for the county,at Cheltenham ,where he gave notice of his considerable talent, I have thought we have unearthed an absolute gem.His overall approach to the game is first class , and to boot he is one hell of a nice bloke. We need to get him on a long term contract immediately.
ReplyDeleteDonny Falcon