-
Welcome to the Cricket Web forums, one of the biggest forums in the world dedicated to cricket.
You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join the Cricket Web community today!
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.
The Greatest Allrounder Ever?
- Thread starter gunner
- Start date
vic_orthdox
Global Moderator
Sobers a bit stiff to miss out, one feels.
Prince EWS
Global Moderator
Is this post even really worth arguing?
Fiery
Banned
andyc
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Haha, are you drunk?
Fiery
Banned
Probably not
Fiery
Banned
Kallis probably should be on that list but he's still not in Sobers class
Prince EWS
Global Moderator
Well I don't think he actually did.. but he came close. Regardless of which, he called Hadlee, Imran, Kapil and Botham better than Sobers which in itself is enough to induce a "Do Not Feed The Troll" sign.
silentstriker
The Wheel is Forever
Please do not look at Sobers' bowling average to see his value to the team. He bowled spin (wrist and left arm orhtodox), pace at a good speed with nice bounce, etc whenever and however his team needed it. His figures do not reflect his bowling value to the team. He could bowl three styles, all relatively effectively, and did so depending on what was needed. Not to mention he was so fantastic in the field too. One of the top three batsmen of all time, and one of the best slip fielders too, and a wrist spinner, left arm orthodox spinner and a pace bowler to boot.
If thats not an all rounder, I don't know what is.
If thats not an all rounder, I don't know what is.
adharcric
International Coach
Fiery
Banned
It's pretty common knowledge that Sobers was and still is the best allrounder the game has ever seen. You don't need to have actually seen him playing in the flesh to appreciate that fact. Enough has been written about him and his stats speak for themself anyway.
Last edited:
C_C
International Captain
To evaluate Sobers the allrounder, one has to understand Sobers the player.
It may seem ludicrous to suggest so but much like Viv, Sobers did not work at his game much and if he had a hardnosed professional attitude like say Alan Border, then he would've easily avereaged 60+ with the bat and less than 30 with the ball.
When on tour, Sober's normal routine was to hit the bottle and hump a chick till the wee hours of the morning, have a cold shower and appear on the field.
Sobers was not interested unless it was crunch time and which is why he could elavate his game a lot in pressure situations ( witness for eg how many times Sobers forged partnerships with Kanhai when everyone else crumbled). His record versus NZ was indicative of that - NZ were, by some distance, the worst team of Sober's time and he couldnt be arsed to perform - the only time he did, his team badly needed him to.
His bowling is very reflective of this : his pace bowling was worldclass - Boycott is on record saying that Sobers weilding the new ball is not a comforting sight since he could make the new ball talk like crazy.
Too often on pace-friendly wickets he'd open the bowling or bowl first change, grab 2-20 and then let Griffiths or Hall or Gillchrist finish up the rest.
On spin friendly wickets, he'd let Gibbs/Valentine/Ramadhin get on with the business and only bowl short spells.
He only bowled long spells on flat wickets because Sobers as a spinner did not have much variety or turn but had beautiful loop and he'd bowl a lot giving the rest of the bowling lineup a breather.
This is what makes Sober's bowling suffer but a few times he rolled up his sleeve, he bowled brilliantly.
For eg, in Edgbaston 63, he took 5-60 while removing Mickey Stewart, Barrington, Brian Close and Ted Dexter.
In Brisbane 69, he got rid of Keith Stackpole,Redpath,Ian Chappell and Barry Jarman en route for 6-73.
In Melbourne 61, he scalped Bob Simpson, McDonald, Ron Harvey and Alan davidson en route to 5-120.
Add on top of that Sobers was a brilliant fielder and one of the safest catching hands in the history of cricket.
To get a better picture of Sobers, think of a person who can bat like Brian Lara, bowl pace like Chaminda Vaas, spin like Giles, field like Ponting and catch like Mark Waugh.
Then you'd have Sobers.
It may seem ludicrous to suggest so but much like Viv, Sobers did not work at his game much and if he had a hardnosed professional attitude like say Alan Border, then he would've easily avereaged 60+ with the bat and less than 30 with the ball.
When on tour, Sober's normal routine was to hit the bottle and hump a chick till the wee hours of the morning, have a cold shower and appear on the field.
Sobers was not interested unless it was crunch time and which is why he could elavate his game a lot in pressure situations ( witness for eg how many times Sobers forged partnerships with Kanhai when everyone else crumbled). His record versus NZ was indicative of that - NZ were, by some distance, the worst team of Sober's time and he couldnt be arsed to perform - the only time he did, his team badly needed him to.
His bowling is very reflective of this : his pace bowling was worldclass - Boycott is on record saying that Sobers weilding the new ball is not a comforting sight since he could make the new ball talk like crazy.
Too often on pace-friendly wickets he'd open the bowling or bowl first change, grab 2-20 and then let Griffiths or Hall or Gillchrist finish up the rest.
On spin friendly wickets, he'd let Gibbs/Valentine/Ramadhin get on with the business and only bowl short spells.
He only bowled long spells on flat wickets because Sobers as a spinner did not have much variety or turn but had beautiful loop and he'd bowl a lot giving the rest of the bowling lineup a breather.
This is what makes Sober's bowling suffer but a few times he rolled up his sleeve, he bowled brilliantly.
For eg, in Edgbaston 63, he took 5-60 while removing Mickey Stewart, Barrington, Brian Close and Ted Dexter.
In Brisbane 69, he got rid of Keith Stackpole,Redpath,Ian Chappell and Barry Jarman en route for 6-73.
In Melbourne 61, he scalped Bob Simpson, McDonald, Ron Harvey and Alan davidson en route to 5-120.
Add on top of that Sobers was a brilliant fielder and one of the safest catching hands in the history of cricket.
To get a better picture of Sobers, think of a person who can bat like Brian Lara, bowl pace like Chaminda Vaas, spin like Giles, field like Ponting and catch like Mark Waugh.
Then you'd have Sobers.
I think many bowlers may have been a bit better than Imran (but honestly speaking it's not about the all -rounder thingi and for me the basic thing is "How much the all-rounder hood worked for the team " .
Imran had one of the worst teams ever at one point (apart from Wasim ,Javed and Qadir ) but still he managed to steal victories some how and was an inspiring batsman to watch ...
Imran had one of the worst teams ever at one point (apart from Wasim ,Javed and Qadir ) but still he managed to steal victories some how and was an inspiring batsman to watch ...
adharcric
International Coach
Haha yeah, the mention of Giles ruined things a little. Top stuff nevertheless C_C.
Saurav Ganguly
Banned
I agree with u,Gary Sobers might be a a bit better "overall cricketer"(Combining his excellent batting + excellent fielding+fine medium pace bowling + rubbish spin bowling skills) but he was not a better "allrounder" than Imran Khan & Ian Botham.IMO,Imran Khan is not only the best allrounder but also the best bowler ever( yet no one appreciates him for being the first truly successful genuine fast bowler from subcontinent where there's hardly any help for pacers).Isn't it amazing that Imran Khan hardly played any domestic cricket in Pakistan & yet produced the most for them?
So,IMO, that Imran Khan is the best bowler,allrounder & second greatest cricketer ever.
Last edited: