morgieb rates the hicks

Probably your worst effort so far.

 

Well for the most part I mean that as saying a few blokes he has rated are shunts, I actually think a few of the people he has detracted are good too.

 

Farhat



Saeed Ajmal - best spinner in world cricket today. One of the most valuable picks in the game given how poor spinning depth turned out. +2

Zaheer Khan - a pretty brave call from Farhat here. Two, three years ago? You'd be laughing if you got Zaheer halfway through the second round. But over the last two years his bowling has been very ordinary, and his fitness is a huge worry. His record is also a lot worse than many people would expect, though in his defence he does have to bowl on roads at home. Not a good pick. -1

Tamim Iqbal - although Tamin is still quite young, he hasn't quite kicked on since 2010. Even so there aren't really too many better batsmen still available so it's a good pick for mine. +1

Michael Hussey - the first 'mid-term' retiree picked, so it is a natural risk. However (unlike most cricketers) he retired when he was still in very good form, so it's a good selection. +1

Marcus North - his stocks are arguably higher than what they should be based on a brilliant Shield season, but his conversion to an opener has worked wonders, his Test record is non-disastrous and he can bowl some useful spin. Not sure he was the best option at this stage but I don't think the pick is a disaster. 0

Usman Khawaja - since being dumped from the Test side for the first time in his career, he has generally struggled at FC cricket. I suppose he can bat anywhere in the order, but I think this pick was early. -1

Moises Henriques - meh. Ordinary WPM, can't seem to really stay fit and his batting is pretty mediocre. Too early and could easily be a no-rounder here. -1

Clint McKay - is basically a ODI specialist at this point. Used to be pretty handy but these days he's probably not even in the top 20 seamers in his country. Shocker. -2

Mitchell Marsh - has potential, but R9 is a massive reach and he's really achieved sweet FA so far in his career. And given how many all-rounders you had, surely a specialist would've suited this pick better? -2

Tim Paine - think this pick was OK, given how your balance turned out. He's pretty handy with the gloves and can get you a good 40 or 50. 0

Luke Wright - another wannabee all-rounder and another limited-overs oriented player. His record is a little bit better than some of your others though. Tough one to judge, don't think he plays enough and his record seems a little inconsistent for this to really be a decent pick. -1

Ryan Carters - now this is better. Had a really good season in the Shield and gives you a second keeping option. One of your few good picks later on. +1

Ben Rohrer - meh. A few years back this pick would've been pretty solid pick. These days he's lucky to still play Shield cricket. -1

Kane Richardson - seriously? Picking someone who can't even make his state team? Yuck. -2

Sean Ervine - another mediocre all-rounder. Why? -1

Nasir Jamshed - OK, better pick. Hasn't really got a flash record though, the main thing this has going for it is that he's in the frame for international selection. 0

Shahid Afridi - I'm interested to see how this pick works. Lack of recent FC exposure will hurt, and unlike most players who are literal limited-overs specialists his long form performances weren't that outstanding. But I think he's done well in the shorter format, and this could pay off. 0

Matthew Fisher - umm...you've pretty much got to play like 8 CPL's for this guy to have any real retention value. He may not ever be a player, either. Stinker. -3

Overall:

Some half decent all-rounders gives this side some good batting depth, but the quality of the batting is lacking, except for Tamin and Mussey. Very poor bowling depth too, and the worst seam bowling attack by a distance. Only saving grace is that Ajmal is gun and your all-rounders could allow you to be a tough side to beat a home.

 

Zaheer a -1 is very unfair. A 0 for sure.