Share your Underrated XI!

[Master Bates]

So, we want all the underrated players to get popularised. And there is a very popular underrated player who goes by the name of Shivnarine chanderpaul!

Anyways, here is my modern-day (only active players) test team of underrated guys only:

1. Tamim Iqbal - Better away average than Elgar, Karunaratne. Obviously has played very few matches overseas (and none in Aus) but has a good record in NZ in 6 matches.

2. Azhar Ali - Second best average in last 5 years for openers with at least 1000 runs. Would have put Latham here but from 2018, he has slightly overcome his underrated ness a bit.

3. Kusal Mendis - Would have put Williamson here but he is not that underrated now. Khawaja's very poor overseas record led to Mendis here. Ironically, Kusal Mendis has a better Away average than Home.

4. Ross Taylor - I mean he is one of the most underrated batsman of present day. Just look at his test average! Babar Azam has only recently started to score in Tests so he is not here right now!

5. Ajinkya Rahane / Faf du Plessis - Anyone of them will do. Statistically, I want Rahane but my heart goes with Faf and also to give my batting a bit of African flavour!

6. Dhananjaya de Silva / Roston Chase / Jason Holder - If it is a green track, get Holder. If it is turning, get Roston. If you need more batting, get Dhananjaya (not sure who is better batsman). If Holder plays, he will bat at 7.

7. BJ Watling - Obviously he had to be here! I mean even Sarfaraz Ahmed is more popular than him. Could even bat at no. 6.

8. Yasir Shah / Keshav Maharaj - I would go with Maharaj personally. But Yasir will also do well in places. There ain't many test leggies ATM but Yasir is keeping the legacy alive. And Maharaj is one of those rare South African spinners who are good enough to play even in their own home tracks!

9. Neil Wagner - Before the Aussie series of last year, I had no idea that he has a better bowling average than Trent Boult! Heavily underrated. Unique pacer with medium-pace bouncers!

10. Ishant Sharma - From the year 2018, he has become a different bowler. Has a better bowling average than Shami in the last 5 years but played fewer matches.

11. Mohammad Abbas / Mitchell Starc - What the hell? Star is not underrated. The new Starc is underrated. Ever since he made the change in his ation, he has become something else. And he will have series to prove himself. Abbas, on the other hand, has done well in very few matches. Two very different bowlers: one is accuracy while one is fast.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

1. Donald Bradman (c)
2. Herbert Sutcliffe
3. Ken Barrington
4. Steven Smith
5. Mike Hussey (vc)
6. Shivnarine Chanderpaul
7. Alan Knott (wk)
8. Shaun Pollock
9. Stuart Broad
10. Dennis Lillee
11. Muttiah Muralitharan

Man those are highly respected Cricketer and are recognised world wide.

Bradman is a GOAT, Sutcliffe was probably the 2nd best in the Bradman era. Smith is a modern day great player in Tests by a fair margin. Hussey was one of those rare player who played well irrespective of conditions and format of the game. We can still argue about him being under-rated.
Chanders is still the highest ever run scorer after Lara for his team
Alan Knott is one of the greatest keeper of all time is not the great
Bowlers Murali and Broad apart are under rated. That's right.

 

[qpeedore]

I still think they are all underrated. Bradman more criminally than the rest. Bradman would average more in the modern era. I find it ridiculous that people try to compare Bradman to players like Smith. He was like an immortal in cricket terms he would have averaged 100 or higher in any era. It's just people find it difficult to comprehend how good Bradman was and try to make comparisons that are unfounded. As for the rest I feel they are underrated considering the quality of their performances across cricket sites, pundits etc.

I actually disagree with you. If Bradman was exposed to the tactics of some of the modern captains, he'd not last anywhere near as long. The one thing that he had going for him was that he hit the ball along the ground rather than in the air. But his driving penchant and ability could probably be exploited to being caught in the slips.

No doubt that he was probably underrated in his time, despite the stats, simple because he never hit out that often. But in the modern game, he'd not make it past an average of 60 (still awesome, by the way).

I'll agree with most of the rest of your picks except Murali. Just like Shiv Chanderpaul, he was someone to rely on and you know he'd perform. Wasn't exactly underrated, just under-acknowledged for a long time.

(EDIT: A typo or three.)

 

[Yash.]

I actually disagree with you. If Bradman was exposed to the tactics of some of the modern captains, he'd not last anywhere near as long. The one thing that he had going for him was that he hit the ball along the ground rather than in the air. But his driving penchant and ability could probably be exploited to being caught in the slips.

Add to that the fact that he played almost all of his cricket in England and Australia. I know he didn't have any choice, but in the current scenario, he'd have to play in much more different variety of pitches (a.k.a dust bowls in India and Sri Lanka, and the supreme fast bowling pitches of South Africa).

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

Add to that the fact that he played almost all of his cricket in England and Australia. I know he didn't have any choice, but in the current scenario, he'd have to play in much more different variety of pitches (a.k.a dust bowls in India and Sri Lanka, and the supreme fast bowling pitches of South Africa).

There is a phenomenon, the more difficulties you face the better you get. Great players like Don Bradman have this phenomenon in them. I would still say he would've been leading the current batsman by a certain margin.

But that is not to say that Bradman would not have his batting rivals if he played in this era. At present, Kane Williamson is probably the best batsman across formats and he could've challenged Bradman of today's era.

 

[Ashutosh.]

At present, Kane Williamson is probably the best batsman across formats and he could've challenged Bradman of today's era.

King Kohli?

 

[qpeedore]

Steve Smith anyone? A guy who was initially in the team to give an extra bowler...now one of the best in the world batting.

It was listed before, don't think people realise the impact that Smith has had.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

King Kohli?

Probably the best batsman in the last decade or so, but last 3 years Williamson have been better than Kohli. Kohli probably have lost his form to frequent back injuries and excess workload.

 

[CerealKiller]

At present, Kane Williamson is probably the best batsman across formats and he could've challenged Bradman of today's era.

I love KW, but come on, Kohli is clearly the best all-format batsman of this generation. Smith if we're talking Tests only.
I think Bradman would dominate even more today. He was more ahead of his peers than any cricketer, ever.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

Steve Smith anyone? A guy who was initially in the team to give an extra bowler...now one of the best in the world batting.

As far as Test matches are concerned he is a beast. But he hasn't come off that well in the other formats. I would probably have Marnus in my OD team over Smith. More so when we talk about T20s his role becomes crucial on difficult batting tracks but not everyday you get those in this form of the game.

 

[Yash.]

There is a phenomenon, the more difficulties you face the better you get. Great players like Don Bradman have this phenomenon in them. I would still say he would've been leading the current batsman by a certain margin.

Obviously he would've adapted accordingly. But since he didn't have to face those situation, it still remains a What If.

I love KW, but come on, Kohli is clearly the best all-formats batsman of this generation

A little known player goes by the name of AB de Villiers. Heard he was pretty good.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

I love KW, but come on, Kohli is clearly the best all-formats batsman of this generation. Smith if we're talking Tests only.
I think Bradman would dominate even more today. He was more ahead of his peers than any cricketer, ever.

What concerns me is his T20 performances off late. And KW have done better in that aspect.

 

[CerealKiller]

A little known player goes by the name of AB de Villiers. Heard he was pretty good.

Fair. Forgot about him. Probably because I had only currently active players in mind.

 

[Jack7]

Deleted my initial team. There are a lot of variables when considering an underrated team. I will try to compile a team again at some point, I just wasn't confident enough in the accuracy of my underrated team to keep it in the thread.

 

[icyman]

Here's my Underrated XI- predominantly test players, but the team can definitely play ODIS for sure

Justin Langer
Michael Vaughan
Ajinkya Rahane
Mahela Jayawardena
Shiv Chanderpaul
BJ Watling/Matt Prior
Jason Holder
Ish Sodhi
Irfan Pathan
Tim Bresnan
Jason Gillespie