6 cricketers who have been great in Tests but struggled in T20s
It has often been said that T20 cricket is ruining the techniques of cricketers. The shortest format of the game, since its introduction, has been thought to endanger the popularity of Test and one-day cricket and also the ability of players to play long innings and bowl a consistent line and length.
Critics of T20 cricket claim that Test cricket is the toughest format of the game and that success in the longest format holds you in good stead for the other formats of the game. While there have been many players who have been adept at T20 cricket but have found themselves out of their depth in Test cricket, the converse has also been true.
Here are 6 players who have been great Test cricketers but struggled in T20s:
1. James Anderson
If one is asked to name some great England bowlers, the name of James Anderson would undoubtedly feature. The England international took his 400th Test wicket in their ongoing Test against New Zealand, becoming the first Englishman to do so, and looks set to break further milestones.
His averages of 29 in both Tests and One-Day Internationals (ODIs) prove his capability as a bowler. The norm is that when one is a good bowler in Tests and ODIs, he is automatically a good bowler in T20s. But in Jimmy’s case, it doesn’t hold true. With an average of 30 and an expensive economy rate of 7.86, Anderson has clearly not been able to replicate his success in T20 cricket. In fact, Anderson was made to sit out of the entire World T20 campaign in 2010, which England won, despite being in the squad, with left-armer Ryan Sidebottom instead preferred.
2. Michael Clarke
Michael Clarke is one of the finest Test batsmen in the world today. Keeping the Australian trend going, he took over from Ricky Ponting as the captain on the back of establishing himself as the best batsman in the side.
With a technique such as his and the fact that he is also a great one-day player, one would expect him to be a superb batsman in the T20 format of the game. However, a look at his stats should reveal the whole story – and it is not such a beautiful one.
While he has an average of 50.79 in Tests, his average in the shortest format of the game is a paltry 21.21 and his strike-rate is just over a hundred. He is the perfect example of how world-class Test players don’t have to be necessarily great in T20s.