Dudded XI: QLD’s hardest done by cricketers

JOE Burns has finally been given another shot at Test glory after being selected for the Gabba Test against Pakistan.

It's been a long-time coming for the Herston product, who scored 180 in his last Test in February, but he's hardly the most hard done by Queenslander in history.

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Here's our XI of the unluckiest Bulls players who should have had more of a shot at wearing the Baggy Green.

JIMMY MAHER

TEST MATCHES: 0

FIRST-CLASS STATS

Matches: 206

Batting average: 38.78

High score: 223

Bowling average: 50.40

Best bowling: 3/11

■ A VICTIM of the staggering talent Australia had around the mid-90s, Maher isn't quite in the same tier as Jamie Siddons and Jamie Cox, but he could consider himself unlucky to not play a Test.

Notched 26 ODIs for Australia without scoring a ton, with the Innisfail product playing his final first-class match in 2008.

JOE BURNS

TEST MATCHES: 16

FIRST-CLASS STATS

Matches: 115

Batting average: 40.09

High score: 202*

Bowling average: 48.00

Best bowling: 1/0

■ HE'S in this time, but for how long is the real question.

Hard done by for the fact Australia has been scrambling for even mildly talented batsmen in the Test team - particularly after the Smith, Warner, Bancroft bans - and yet he's only managed 16 Tests.

Averages more at Test level than he does in the Shield. Give Joe a go!

STUART LAW (C)

TEST MATCHES: 1

FIRST-CLASS STATS

Matches: 367

Batting average: 50.52

High score: 263

Bowling average: 51.03

Best bowling: 5/39

■ THE ultimate hard done by Queenslander story.

Another victim of Australia's batting talent in the mid-90s, Law came into the Test team in 1995 to replace an injured Steve Waugh, scored an unbeaten 54, then was never seen at Test level again.

Scored 8433 runs in the Shield and 3855 runs in List A and deserved more time in the Baggy Green.

MARTIN LOVE

TEST MATCHES: 5

FIRST-CLASS STATS

Matches: 214

Batting average: 49.85

High score: 300*

■ WHAT we'd give for a Martin Love now.

It took 10 years of the Mundubbera marvel knocking out easy tons for the Bulls before he got his shot at a Baggy Green, scoring 62 not out in his first Test innings.

Punched out 100* in his final Test innings, 219* in his final home game for the Bulls, and 104* in his final Shield match.

The man knew how to make an exit.

ROBBIE KERR

TEST MATCHES: 2

FIRST-CLASS STATS

Matches: 93

Batting average: 37.31

High score: 201*

■ MANAGED to get his Baggy Green against the Kiwis in 1985 but failed to capitalise with just 14 runs.

Was a far better batsman than those scores showed and deserved to have another crack but never got it.

Finished up in first-class cricket at the start of 1990.

CHRIS HARTLEY (VC)

TEST MATCHES: 0

FIRST-CLASS STATS

Matches: 131

Batting average: 34.48

High score: 142*

Catches: 547

Stumpings: 17

■ THE Sheffield Shield is littered with hard done by wicketkeepers like Phil Emery, Darren Berry and Ryan Campbell, but they were battling for a spot behind Test legends Ian Healy and Adam Gilchrist.

Hartley - a Bulls champion who played between 2003 and 2017 - was at his peak when Brad Haddin, Graham Manou, Tim Paine, Matthew Wade and Peter Nevill all had a crack behind the stumps.

Holds the record for the most dismissals by a wicketkeeper in Shield history.

JAMES HOPES

TEST MATCHES: 0

FIRST-CLASS STATS

Matches: 108

Batting average: 31.77

High score: 146

Bowling average: 26.66

Best bowling: 6/40

■ A STALWART in the Australian ODI side, Townsville's James Hopes never got his shot at the Test team despite solid numbers in the Sheffield Shield.

Economic with the ball and more than handy with the bat, Hopes would comfortably be in the discussion when it came to the all-rounder spot.

But he'd still probably be overlooked for Mitch Marsh.

ASHLEY NOFFKE

TEST MATCHES: 0

FIRST-CLASS STATS

Matches: 118

Batting average: 26.90

High score: 114*

Bowling average: 29.41

Best bowling: 8/24

■ ALWAYS seemed to be on the edge of Test selection but never got the call up.

Made the 2001 Ashes squad but has his dreams ruined when he was injured attempting a soccer-style runout in a warm-up match against Sussex.

The Nambour product played his final first class match for WA in 2010.

ANDY BICHEL

TEST MATCHES: 19

FIRST-CLASS STATS

Matches: 186

Batting average: 26.51

High score: 148

Bowling average: 25.98

Best bowling: 9/93

■ NOT as hard done by as the other guys in this list, but would have played more Test cricket if not for the talent in front of him.

Had to battle for a spot with Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz ahead of him and was solid at Test level claiming 58 scalps at an average of 32.24.

Became a genuine all-rounder for the Bulls after being dumped from the national squad in 2004, having played 67 ODIs.

DIRK TAZELAAR

TEST MATCHES: 0

FIRST-CLASS STATS

Matches: 83

Batting average: 14.51

High score: 56

Bowling average: 28.23

Best bowling: 6/48

■ ALWAYS on the brink of Test selection, Tazelaar never got the opportunity to wear the Baggy Green he desperately desired.

Was later told after his career by Allan Border that his name had been discussed for a debut and Tazelaar said that he could die a happy man knowing that the selectors rated him so highly.

MALCOLM FRANCKE

TEST MATCHES: 0

FIRST-CLASS STATS

Matches: 61

Batting average: 10.54

High score: 37*

Bowling average: 31.02

Best bowling: 6/62

■ A VETERAN of first-class cricket between 1956 and 1986, the Sri Lankan born leg-spinner had a chance to play cricket full-time in England but pulled the pin because he wanted to keep working as an accountant.

Claiming the scalps of the likes of Clive Lloyd and Sunil Gavaskar during his career, fellow leggie Trevor Hohns described him as the most underrated exponent of the art in the game's history.