Top 10 Batsmen and Bowlers of All Time

[kyear2]

While we are waiting for DoG's top 10, who do we rank as our top 10 batsmen ever and in what order. While we are at it, lets name the bowlers as well.

This should help pass the time until the DoG reveal.

 

[Daemon]

Hasn't this been done to death already? Find it odd how you guys can debate the same things over and over again.

 

[hendrix]

Batsmen:

1. Bradman
2. Tendulkar
3. Hobbs
4. Sobers
5. Lara
6. Hammond
7. Hutton
8. Chappell
9. Richards
10. Gavaskar

Bowlers:
1. Marshall
2. Muralitharan
3. Warne
4. Hadlee
5. Ambrose
6. Akram
7. Lillee
8. Imran Khan
9. McGrath
10. Trueman

 

[ankitj]

"Similar threads" below shows a thread for exactly same topic.

 

[kyear2]

01. Sir Donald Bradman
02. Sir I.V.A. Richards
03. Sir Jack Hobbs
04. Sir Garfield Sobers
05. Sachin Tendulkar
06. Brian Lara
07. George Headley
08. Sir Leonard Hutton
09. Graeme Pollock
10. Greg Chappell

01. Malcolm Marshall
02. Glenn McGrath
03. Shane Warne
04. Muttiah Muralitharan
05. Curtly Ambrose
06. Dennis Lillee
07. Fred Trueman
08. William O'Reilly
09. Michael Holding
10. Imran Khan

Two notes; 1) for the batsmen, for me five through seven are virtually tied, with the other three not far behind at all, they are all so very close and not much in it at all from two to ten. 2) None of the bowlers are knighted, seems to be a batsman bias there.

 

[Red]

- Bradman
- Sobers
- Richards
- Richards
- Hutton
- Tendulkar
- Chappell
- Lara
- Hobbs
- Cosgrove

- Warne
- Marshall
- Lillee
- Ambrose
- O'Reilly
- McGrath
- Wasim
- Hadlee
- Imran
- Barnes

 

[kingkallis]

Don Bradman
Garfield Sobers
Jack Hobbs
Walter Hammond
Vivian Richards
Len Hutton
Sachin Tendulkar
Jacques Kallis
Sunil Gavaskar
Brian Lara

Malcom Marshall
Shane Warne
Glenn McGrath
Muttiah Muralitharan
Curtly Ambrose
Richard Hadlee
Wasim Akram
Dennis Lillee
Imran Khan
Dale Steyn

 

[Agent Nationaux]

Hasn't this been done to death already? Find it odd how you guys can debate the same things over and over again.

Don't mind Kyear, he just wants to remind everyone about Sobers, Marshall and Viv.

 

[ankitj]

And Headley

 

[Daemon]

^smalishah liking the above two posts is a tad ironic considering his love for a certain someone

 

[smash84]

 

[Geoffboycott]

1.bradman
2.hobbs
3.ponting
4.richards
5.lara
6.sobers
7.hutton
8.tendulkar
9.kallis
10.waugh

1.warne
2.mcgrath
3.lillee
4.ambrose
5.marshall
6.trueman
7.o'reilly
8.walsh
9.holding
10.garner

 

[honestbharani]

^smalishah liking the above two posts is a tad ironic considering his love for a certain someone

Imran Khan was no good..

 

[Migara]

Bradman, Sobers, Tendulkar, Lara, Hobbs, Hammond, Viv, Headly, Hutton, Pollock

Marshall, Murali, McGrath, Hadlee, Imran, Barnes, O'Riely, Ambrose, Holding, Trueman

 

[kyear2]

Bradman, Sobers, Tendulkar, Lara, Hobbs, Hammond, Viv, Headly, Hutton, Pollock

Marshall, Murali, McGrath, Hadlee, Imran, Barnes, O'Riely, Ambrose, Holding, Trueman

No Warne at all then?

 

[Migara]

Just like few did not think Hadlee and Murali are of top 10.

 

[Flem274*]

cbf going all the way to 10 seriously, but imo McGrath is the number one quick of all time where only bowling is concerned, likewise Murali the best spinner.*

*Depending on whether we finally decide if Sri Lanka is a dust storm or an airport, because it definitely can't be a dust storm at an airport.

 

[Red]

cbf going all the way to 10 seriously, but imo McGrath is the number one quick of all time where only bowling is concerned, .

How do you differentiate between McGrath and Marshall as the best ever?

I'm not the biggest Marshall fan. I loved McGrath. I think when you look at the most consistent bowlers in all conditions, these two do come out on top.

 

[Flem274*]

McGrath was a great bowler during an era where great bowlers were rare and during a time when batsmen prospered more than they ever had through a combination of easier batting conditions, improved batting technology and there simply being a glut of excellent batsmen.

Those batsmen tamed many a talented bowler who could have been special, but McGrath kept them in line.

All those factors are outside the control of both Marshall and McGrath, and I'm sure Marshall would have been successful during McGrath's era had he played and may well have beaten McGrath's peers by a similar margin to McGrath, but he didn't play during McGrath's time and the gap between Marshall and his peers wasn't the same as the gap between McGrath and his peers. In an exercise where there are many names worthy of the best ever tag I had to separate the best bowlers with some pretty harsh criteria. Otherwise I'd be here all day and get no where.

 

[Coronis]

Batsmen
Bradman
Sobers
Hobbs
Pollock
Headley
Hammond
Sutcliffe
Hutton
Chappell

A few guys who I might swap around on any given day, and there are multiple options that I'd be perfectly happy with in the 10th spot.

McGrath
Marshall
Murali
Warne

Honestly those 4 are the best spin and pace bowlers, and there is pretty much no separating them. If pressed, I'd go for McGrath and Murali, based on bowling alone. The others, in no particular order:

Barnes
Grimmett
O'Reilly
Ambrose
Lillee
Procter
Akram

Again, all interchangeable, and on another day, I might pick any of the other greats to replace Lillee, Procter and Akram.