Worst ever cricket dismissal

[Tubby Isaacs]

I've seen a fair bit of the Aus v WI test. I hope the Ursus family weren't watching. A 19 year old blazed a debut hundred, but I'll remember it more for Dwayne Bravo getting out hooking a bouncer from the less than ferocious Mike Hussey straight to fine leg. Even if Bravo were a happy hooker and we could excuse the shot as an involuntary one, he ought to have hit Hussey out of the ground. Hussey had to pitch the ball about on his own toes to get it that high.

It was Gower at Adelaide 1991 stuff.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Worst ever cricket dismissal

Treading on your own stumps has to be the worst way to go.

Was it Botham doing this once that inspired that classic TMS bit where someone said "he couldn't quite get his leg over", that left the commentators in helpless hysterics for several miutes afterwards?

[Duncan Gardner]

Worst ever cricket dismissal

Wasn't Beefy fielding rather than batting at the time...no, stop it Roggers...

[Kid A]

Worst ever cricket dismissal

On seeing the thread title I was immediately reminded of Tres being caught in Russel Arnold's shirt pocket. Would have been on Eng's 00/01 tour of Sri Lanka I think.

[E10 Rifle]

Worst ever cricket dismissal

I still shudder at the memory of being at the MCG in 2002 and watching John Crawley try to drag a regulation pitched-up outside-off-stumper from Glenn McGrath to the square leg boundary. Easiest sky-er ever for mid-on to catch.

And, almost all of Andrew Hilditch's dismissals in the 1985 Ashes.

[Kid A]

Worst ever cricket dismissal

Oh and Chris Read being bowled by Chris Cairns' slower ball in '99. Read was too busy ducking what he thought was a bouncer. That should win because it encapsulated a particularly useless Eng team, even by 1990s standards.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Worst ever cricket dismissal

Hilditch might have handled Hussey's bouncer.

Skyers at least involve the ball coming off the bat some distance- albeit mostly vertically. James Whitaker (in his only test innings, v Aus 1986/7) got caught at mid on, having not made good enough contact to be considered a skyer.

Robert Key in SA 2004-5, was painfully stumped after charging Nicky Boye. Getting stumped off a South African spinner (post Hugh Tayfield's retirement) is like being out hooking Hussey.

Actually on the subject of skyers, Habibul Bashar ("this fellow is Bangladesh's one test class performer") being caught second ball at Lord's in 2005 was probably the worst I've ever seen.

[Guest]

Worst ever cricket dismissal

It seems this was 10 years ago for Chris Read, it doesn't feel that long ago to me.

[Guest]

Worst ever cricket dismissal

Some of these are good fun, Inzy falling onto his bails (was that the abandonded match?) and the ever hilarious Chanderpaul run out.

I guess it was made before the Kevin Pietersen helmet dismissal.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Worst ever cricket dismissal

I like the Michael Clarke dismissal first up. He just doesn't play a shot. Was there a fell change of pace or something?

[longeared]

Worst ever cricket dismissal

Pietersen twice getting out when trying to hit spinners for six to bring up his century has to be up there.

Tufnell admitted in his autobiography that he once gave himself out to a borderline dismissal as he was fearful of the bowling.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Worst ever cricket dismissal

I expect tailenders did that fairly often in 80s county cricket. Sometimes, as with Sylvester Clarke, no actual bowling was required, just an ostentatious signal from the fielding captain to start loosening up.

Phil Simmons in the 1998 Nat West semi-final played a shot that made Pietersen's look smart. He was cruising on about 80, bearing down on Derby's total. Derby brought back their best bowler, Cork, quite early. Simmons saw him off, easily, till his very last ball when he lifted his head up and slogged and missed.

He must have felt rather sheepish as Derby lost, with none of their later batsmen able to get Kim Barnett's bowling away.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Worst ever cricket dismissal

Dwayne Bravo responds to this thread by scoring a hundred. A couple of compulsive hooks (off consecutive balls) but great stuff overall. He looked happier at 6 than 5. I reckon he is a better batsman than Brendon Nash but somehow I never fancy the allrounder coming in above 6.

One of the happy hooks was caught on the boundary by Shane Watson, thrown up in the air and fell over the rope for 6. Is it just me or is there a fad for this sort of thing?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Worst ever cricket dismissal

Shane Watson's dismissal on 96 in the first over of the day was quite something as well.

[ursus arctos]

Worst ever cricket dismissal

I can't decide if Gayle should declare before the start of play or not.

Given Adelaide's history, 295 should be more than enough, but it just doesn't sound like enough given the Windies current bowling line-up. I'm also of the view that historic fourth innings totals are increasingly unreliable in terms of predictive value.

I'd be inclined to give Gayle free rein to put more runs on the board quickly and then declare whenever he is out, unless the weather is iffy.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Worst ever cricket dismissal

Bit of a damp squib. I suppose being a test down, they might have declared a bit earlier but I can see the argument for safety.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Worst ever cricket dismissal

Shane Watson is trying for 1,2 and 3, like Bergkamp once did with goal of the month.

Today, on 93, he got run out by running to the same end as the other batsman.

[Muukalainen]

Worst ever cricket dismissal

Kid A wrote:

Oh and Chris Read being bowled by Chris Cairns' slower ball in '99.

Hah, that reminds me of Gordon Greenidge. Nothing more exciting than an Essex v Hampshire Sunday League game from c 1980. Essex batted first and made a modest total that the Great Man decided to take on almost single-handedly. With plenty of overs to spare and only 2 or 3 wickets down, we were within 10 or so runs of victory when John Lever sent down a slower, but straight, delivery, that looked like it was designed to speed up the end of the match. Greenidge, presumably anticipating something very different, backed off to cut it through the slip area and clean missed it. He dropped his bat in embarrassment, and there followed several seconds of bemused looks and head-shaking by both men before CGG headed for the pavilion.

[Etienne]

Worst ever cricket dismissal

I once tried to pull my first ball, top-edged it into my mouth, whereupon I dropped my bat on my stumps. That I didn't lose any teeth was abouth the only saving grace.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Worst ever cricket dismissal

I think a bad shot by Gordon Greenidge is, on the whole, more noteworthy.

But I'm glad you kept all your teeth. If you never got hit by a bouncer, only by one of your own top edges, then you must be pretty good on your feet. I think Gower's worst injury was such a top edge (at Luton, in about 1977).

[Tubby Isaacs]

Worst ever cricket dismissal

Someone in a team I used to play for was last man in with 41 needed off one over. Rather than play out the draw he got caught at deep mid on. I didn't play that week but I feel I did from hearing about it.