Cricket can never be won by only batting well. Similarly, it cannot be won by only bowling or good fieldwork. Cricket is a mix of all three, and thus, every team needs to step up in all departments equally to end up being the winning side. Yet, there are some brilliant bowlers that never held the bat enough, despite being the best in what they do. Here are the top 10 England bowlers who never got to bat enough.
1. Liam Plunkett
He is a right-arm fast bowler who plays for the England cricket team. He was also a part of the 2019 world cup squad that lifted the trophy. Despite being a bowler, he still has scored two centuries in first-class cricket. Yet, he has always got limited opportunities and sent at number 9/10 whenever he is supposed to bat. He is now, currently playing Surrey County cricket.
2. Stuart Meaker
He is a fast-medium bowler who majorly plays for Surrey and Sussex. His bowling style is majorly appreciated by all. He can alter his bowling speeds and swing according to the situation. He has never got batting in T20 matches, and even in ODI, he played two games and got two runs in the same. Even in his debut during the Surrey County match, he did not bat but instead got one major wicket.
3. Graeme Swann
Primary wicket-taker for England, Swann has played plenty of matches in all three formats for the England cricket team. He was majorly a test player and even took ten wickets in 3 matches. He consistently scored well in test matches whenever he came to bat, even getting five half-centuries in his name. Yet, in ODI and T20, he never got enough batting to show his batting skills. He is the first English off-spinner to take ten wickets in a match.
4. Darren Gough
This retired English player has played for the England cricket team and also is the former captain of Yorkshire County cricket club. He was the leader of England’s bowling unit in the 1990s. All in all, he played 450 matches for the international team, yet his batting chances were minimal. He has a collective of 229 wickets in just 58 test matches. But his batting average is 12.57. He retired in 2008 with his last wicket of Justin Langer
5. Dominick Cork
Dominick Gerald Cork is a retired England cricket player. He was a right-arm fast medium bowler. He played his test debut in 1995, during which he had achieved his best figures of 7 wickets for 43 runs in the second innings. Although he was a good batsman as well, he was majorly called to showcase his bowling skills. He was usually sent at No. 10 for batting, limiting his batting chances. Yet he scored three half-centuries in test cricket.
6. Jade Dernbach
Currently playing for the Italian cricket council, Jade is a former England cricket player. He played for England for three years, from 2011-2014. He is a right-arm fast medium bowler. In the limited time of mere three years, he took 75 wickets, together in ODI and Test. He just got batting twice in test cricket, in which he scored 19 runs. He has a batting average of 2.71 in tests. His bowling style made him a part of the 2011 cricket World Cup as a replacement for Ajmal Shahzad.
7. Ryan Sidebottom
He is a former England cricket player, with a total of 1000 wickets in his career. He was a left-arm fast medium bowler. Despite his amazing bowling stats, he was not a good batsman. He got his chance to bat in both ODI and tests. His batting average was low and the highest score by him is 24. He was more relied on for his bowling skills.
8. Chris Tremlett
Tremlett played limited cricket for the England cricket team and was majorly a County player. He had good bowling as well as batting skills. Yet his batting chances were minimal. Out of the 27 international matches he played, he scored runs in only 8 of them. His ODI average is 7.14, with a total score of 50 runs. In the 12 test matches that he played, he has a total of 53 wickets.
9. Steve Harmison
Former England first-class player, he has represented England in all three formats. He played 63 tests, 58 ODI, as well as 2 T20 matches internationally. Out of the 58 test matches, he only scored 90 runs altogether. Yet, he was able to take 76 wickets in the same. His top score in ODI is 18. He doesn’t have any centuries or half-centuries to his name.
10. Simon Jones
Jones represented England in international cricket for three years, from 2002-2005. Out of the 8 ODI matches he played, he only got batting once, during which he scored a single run. Yet, he took seven wickets in those eight matches. He has taken 59 wickets in 18 test matches. His top score in the test is 44.
