James Franklin is one of those cricketers who played very well for a short period of time but were unable to make a name for themselves for a long period of time. Only a select few cricket fans know about him and it is time that more people know about this good player. He played 31 Test Matches for New Zealand in which he made 808 runs and he also has 1 test hundred to his name. He also took 82 Wickets in Test Cricket with 3 Five Wicket Hauls. In ODI Cricket he played 110 Matches for New Zealand. He scored 1270 runs for New Zealand. He took 81 Wickets for New Zealand in ODI Cricket with 1 Five Wicket Haul.
Let’s look at the Top 5 Best Performances of James Franklin
1) 122* vs South Africa (2006)
This is his only test hundred. It came in 2006 against the best South Africa bowling attack which had the likes of Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini , Jacques Kallis. He was batting at number 10 and he batted for 268 balls in this incredible knock. He hit 14 fours and 1 six which means 62 runs in boundaries. He has a strike rate of 45.52. This was one of the best innings in Test Cricket for a number 10 batter. He showed the world that he could take down the best fast bowlers with ease.
2) 5/28 vs Bangladesh (2004)
The first 5 Wicket Haul in the test career of James Franklin. This was a special moment for him. It came against Bangladesh in 2004. He bowled 17 overs in this innings and he gave away only 28 runs at less than 2 runs per over. He took 5 wickets and broke the back of the Bangladesh batting. He made sure that New Zealand win the match by an innings and 99 runs. The fast Bowler James Franklin had arrived.
3) 6/119 vs Australia (2005)
In this match where Australia won it was the performance of James Franklin that was the happy point for New Zealand. He took 6 wickets in the Australian innings. He bowled 26.1 overs and he gave away 119 runs but he took 6 wickets. This was the best bowling performance in the test career of James Franklin. James Franklin was a one man show in this match. Australia won this match by 9 wickets.
4) 5/53 vs West Indies (2006)
This is his 3rd Five Wicket Haul in Test Cricket. James Franklin was proving to be a fast bowler who could take wickets against any opposition. In this match it was the first innings where he bowled 20 overs. He took 5 Wickets for 53 runs. He gave away less than 3 runs per over. James Franklin was the man who ensured that West Indies were all out for 192 and New Zealand win the test match by 10 Wickets.
5) 5/42 vs England (2004)
This is the best bowling performance by James Franklin in ODI Cricket. This is his only 5 Wicket Haul in this format. It was the first innings of this ODI and he bowled 10 overs for 42 runs. He took 5 Wickets in the English innings. He was the star and it was him that made sure that England were all out for just 101. Then the New Zealand batters did the rest and they won the match by 7 Wickets. James Franklin could have played more and become a legendary all rounder.
Also Read: Greatest New Zealand Cricketers of all time
