Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

The missing two.

Rob Key, 221 v West Indies, Lord's, 2004.

Kevin Pietersen, 226 v West Indies, Leeds, 2007.

Noticeable the glut of them in 2010-11.

I would never have got Rob Key. As I said above, I thought after the 2010-11 Australia and India series, there was so many runs scored I thought I had missed a Bell or Trott one.

How rubbish West Indies were at that period.... was that the Fidel Edwards and Daren Powell mega new ball partnership era where anyone in the top 9 fancied a double

sussexpob wrote:As stated, KP scored one in 2007 vs Windies.... thats the gap there, but I dont know where it was.

Sorry, missed that one. Just poor old Rob Key then.

Very impressive effort.

Poor old Rob Key indeed. The only thing I remember about his career was how rubbish he was to quick short bowling, and how in that series he scored 221 (apparently) there was a game at Old Trafford where he made something like 95* at the end, but Flintoff went absolutely mental and slotted a few sixes away to end the game, rather than tying up one end and allowing Key to make three figures.

I doubt Rob Key speaks to him much nowadays.

Had a tendency to play too much to leg without having the eye to make that work. A bit like Bairstow.

Reminds me a lot of Graham Thorpe at Edgbaston in 1999 when New Zealand were touring. The pitch had moved all over the place, seamed, swung, perfect fast bowler conditions. New Zealand set England a target of between 200-220 if iirc, and Alex Tudor came in as nightwatchman and played for a few hours like the ghost of Viv Richards, only for Graham Thorpe to come in and plunder a quickfire 25 at the end to leave him on 99*. Seeing as though the game was in the balance on that surface, it was a masterful innings and deserved the three figures.

I think England fans booed everyone of Thorpes runs.

Hardly any specialist bowlers have scored tons for England. It's hard to check whether others have done it as night watchers, but taking out the keepers, only three players batting at 8-11 have scored hundreds. Broad, Ray Illingworth (against West Indies in 1969), Gubby Allen (against NZ in 1931). Cowdrey, Willey and Walter Read scored tons in those positions, but they were slumming batters.

sussexpob wrote:I think England fans booed everyone of Thorpes runs.

He wasn't popular about then anyway, rather unfairly criticised for missing tours with domestic problems. Became a hero after 2000 of course.

Arthur Crabtree wrote:Hardly any specialist bowlers have scored tons for England. It's hard to check whether others have done it as night watchers, but taking out the keepers, only three players batting at 8-11 have scored hundreds. Broad, Ray Illingworth (against West Indies in 1969), Gubby Allen (against NZ in 1931). Cowdrey, Willey and Walter Read scored tons in those positions, but they were slumming batters.

I think hardly any bowlers full stop have scored hundreds in the 8-11 position.....

Interestingly I think 4 of the best number 11 scores were made in three tests between 2014-2015 in Nottingham.... (Jimmy Anderson, Ashton Agar, Mohammed Sami all scored 50s there each in a different test I believe)

Chris Lewis got a ton at seven in India, batting a place too high to get five bowlers in. Blakey at six...

Arthur Crabtree wrote:Chris Lewis got a ton

Where did he put all that? Thats far too much to put up his bottom, and it would require alot of teddy bears to stuff.....

Ha! I think he's out now, going around telling people not to do what he did. Hope he's doing ok.

I knew the Rob Key one, but not many of the others. I always remember thinking how harsh it was to score a double ton and then get the bullet shortly after

still.... he doubtless dined out on the doubler for years

certainly looks as though he did, at any rate

Chris Lewis served less than half of his 13 year (I think) sentence, so I'm guessing he's done 6 years inside.

good luck to him. I hope he can turn his life around. He wasn't the worst England player by any stretch of the imagination

Durhamfootman wrote:I knew the Rob Key one, but not many of the others. I always remember thinking how harsh it was to score a double ton and then get the bullet shortly after

Yorkshire's Finest, Jason Gillespie, got the boot after his double ton.

Victoria's best of the last 20-30 years, Brad Hodge got the shove a few tests after his double against SA. He also got the shove out of the ODI team after a hundred and MotM performance.