Last week I wrote a piece in memory of the late Graham Dilley. He was a top-class international fast bowler in the 1980s yet with him in the side England won only two out of 41 Tests. I was interested to read an article on Cricinfo that he did not have the worst win:loss ratio of layers with good personal career averages.
Of course, nations go through bad patches in between the good times, while others are destined always to languish in the international cricketing doldrums. Many fine players have represented Zimbabwe over the past twenty years but with not enough quality running through the side, they have won precious few matches. Andy Flower was one of the greatest batsmen in the world in the 1990s but won only seven out of 63 Tests. Compatriots Murray Goodwin, David Houghton and Heath Streak shared similar fates.
Back in the 1970s and 1980s, West Indies reigned supreme as the likes of Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards, Malcolm Marshall et al won series after series in fine style. However, it took a while to reach that pinnacle and a lot less time to nosedive to their current position in the world rankings. Either side of World War 2, George Headley was known as the 'Black Bradman', finishing on a Test average of more than 60, but the Windies won only five out of 22 Tests in which he played. Incidentally. it must be in the genes because his grandson Dean won a mere two and lost ten in the England cause in the late '90s! At that time, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Brian Lara were making names for themselves and have since compiled mountains of runs, yet almost half the occasions being in a losing cause. New boys like Kemal Roach and Darren Sammy barely know what it is like to win a Test at all! No wonder they prefer to focus on one-dayers as the law of averages alone is enough to guarantee a number of wins each year.
New Zealand were also for many years the 'whipping boys' of the Test scene, rarely given a lengthy series but frequently beaten when they were. Bert Sutcliffe played 42 Tests, one more than Dilley and, despite a batting average a shade above 40, failed to muster a single victory. Not one! The Kiwis perked up in the '80s, featuring the Crowes and Richard Hadlee, but in the previous decade, the excellent opener Glenn Turner featured in only six wins compared with 18 defeats. More recently Ross Taylor and Jesse Taylor have also failed to secure the team success their individual talent has deserved.
I think Robin Smith once headed the world Test rankings but, after the Dilley era, lost twice as many games as he won with England. Aravinda de Silva was probably Sri Lanka's first truly world-class player but, as he stood out amongst relatively ordinary team-mates in his country's first decade on the international stage, wins were hard to come by. He was on the victorious side only 19 times in 93 outings.
On the same continent, the Pakistan Mohammads, Amir and Asif, may have seamed quickly from personal success to disgrace but their country has also dipped into the doldrums. The two bowlers have each lost at least twice as many Tests as they have won.
Finally, I must mention two of the greatest Indian spin bowlers of all time. Bishan Bedi and Bhagwath Chandrasehkar twirled away tirelessly through the '60s and '70s while suffering the misfortune of watching their own batsmen being taken apart by the opposition, especially overseas, resulting in a win:loss ratio of about 3:5. How MS Dhoni could have done with them this summer, although given the gap in class with England I rather fancy Bedi and Chandra would have preferred to have been reborn in time to represent India a few years ago instead.
