Fleming's record of discontent
April 02, 2008
After Stephen Fleming's final Test innings I was left wondering if his record was encumbered at all by his - at times - diabolical team mates.
Would his Test average have been higher if he came in after a solid opening partnership?
He was almost an opening batsman by default for much of his career.Would he have scored more hundreds if he wasn't often left trying to salvage an innings?
These are all 'what-ifs' that can never be answered but we can always theorise.
For a brief period of 38 Test matches he played alongside New Zealand's mosts dependable opening batsmen in recent times – Mark Richardson.
Richardson finished his career with an average of 44.77 (at one stage it was above 50) – a very successful return for an opening batsman.
While Richardson grafted at the top of the New Zealand order Fleming constructed six of his nine Test centuries and averaged 42.66. Is this a sign of what might have been?
'Pre-Richardson' Fleming managed just two Test centuries and scored at an average of 37.15.
'Post-Richardson' Fleming hit just one hundred but held his average at 41.6 for 22 Tests.
In the final stages of his career and unburdened by captaincy Fleming averaged 46.00 with a high score of 87.
Did Fleming's statistics suffer because of his team mates?
In my opinion I didn't think Matthew Bell's 69 runs were enough to save his place in the New Zealand team even thought the sideline talk already has him on the plane.
After a summer of batting with just three batsmen I don't see the harm in sending a young squad to England.
I would like to see Greg Hay, Greg Todd and Daniel Flynn all go to England.
Tim McIntosh may have caught the selector's attention with his 268 but his selection would seem like a short term solution rather than a long time one.
Despite his 11 first-class hundreds he doesn’t seem to have produced runs with a great enough consistency to make me think he would do it at international level.
In his favour he is a left-hander and when he is in – knows how to get to 100.
Most of the country seems to have also settled on re-using the bowlers who had some success at home.
For the most part I agree but Canterbury swing bowler Leighton Burtt has been bowling consistently well and gives off the idea he would be a real threat in English conditions.
I hope there's a spot for him on the plane.
Who should go to England?
Would his Test average have been higher if he came in after a solid opening partnership?
He was almost an opening batsman by default for much of his career.Would he have scored more hundreds if he wasn't often left trying to salvage an innings?
These are all 'what-ifs' that can never be answered but we can always theorise.
For a brief period of 38 Test matches he played alongside New Zealand's mosts dependable opening batsmen in recent times – Mark Richardson.
Richardson finished his career with an average of 44.77 (at one stage it was above 50) – a very successful return for an opening batsman.
While Richardson grafted at the top of the New Zealand order Fleming constructed six of his nine Test centuries and averaged 42.66. Is this a sign of what might have been?
'Pre-Richardson' Fleming managed just two Test centuries and scored at an average of 37.15.
'Post-Richardson' Fleming hit just one hundred but held his average at 41.6 for 22 Tests.
In the final stages of his career and unburdened by captaincy Fleming averaged 46.00 with a high score of 87.
Did Fleming's statistics suffer because of his team mates?
In my opinion I didn't think Matthew Bell's 69 runs were enough to save his place in the New Zealand team even thought the sideline talk already has him on the plane.
After a summer of batting with just three batsmen I don't see the harm in sending a young squad to England.
I would like to see Greg Hay, Greg Todd and Daniel Flynn all go to England.
Tim McIntosh may have caught the selector's attention with his 268 but his selection would seem like a short term solution rather than a long time one.
Despite his 11 first-class hundreds he doesn’t seem to have produced runs with a great enough consistency to make me think he would do it at international level.
In his favour he is a left-hander and when he is in – knows how to get to 100.
Most of the country seems to have also settled on re-using the bowlers who had some success at home.
For the most part I agree but Canterbury swing bowler Leighton Burtt has been bowling consistently well and gives off the idea he would be a real threat in English conditions.
I hope there's a spot for him on the plane.
Who should go to England?
Flemings record would have been better if he had ever played with more than 1 other world class batsmen at one time. But in saying that what would Andy Flowers record have been had he played with better players, Fleming still only has himself to blame for his poor conversion record.
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