5 great batsmen and their famed weaknesses
Great batsmen, despite their greatness, often remind us of their all-too-human weaknesses. It is this vulnerable side of theirs that they earnestly try to cover up so it isn’t exposed, but sometimes there is no escape.The flaws are laid bare for the world to see, the weaknesses are exploited to the full and the illusion of supremacy is shattered emphatically.These weaknesses are often unhelpfully non-uniform. For some, it is an old nemesis that causes their brain to freeze. For others, it may be the match situation. For still others, it might be a particular brand of bowling, no matter who the bowler.Here's a look at five of the most notable weaknesses among great batsmen:
#1 Michael Atherton - Glenn McGrath
Glenn McGrath’s status as one of the most eminent seam bowlers of his generation – indeed, of all time – is undisputed. While lacking the raw pace of contemporaries like Shoaib Akhtar or teammate Brett Lee, his needling accuracy was military in its precision and frightening in its ease.
McGrath made batsman swing fruitlessly at thin air over and over. Every so often, one of those balls would be edged to the slips, or would smash ruthlessly into off stump.
Given his prodigious skill, it comes as no surprise that many a prominent batsman was cut down to size. But of all the duels that McGrath often emerged victorious from in his career, none possesses the notoriety of his fencing matches with Michael Atherton.
It seems forgotten that not only the ‘Pigeon’ but also Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh (both 17 times) claimed Atherton’s wicket a few times too many. Shane Warne, too, hit double figures against the former England skipper.
Despite all that, McGrath was Atherton’s Kryptonite, really. 17 Tests they crossed paths, with McGrath having the last laugh on 19 occasions – the most for a bowler against any one batsman. There were three dismissals on zero as well.
For a batsman who so memorably bested Allan Donald, Atherton never really came to terms with batting against McGrath. Simply put, the word ‘bunny’ would trigger images of a nervy looking Atherton stepping back uncertainly in his crease only for McGrath to unleash his customary mouthful of choice words.