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Adam Gilchrist v Nick Knight OD batting

Adam Gilchrist v Nick Knight

  • Gilchrist

    Votes: 39 60.9%
  • Knight

    Votes: 25 39.1%

  • Total voters
    64
  • Poll closed .

tooextracool

International Coach
So Namibia, Netherlands and Zimbabwe are high Caliber ODI sides ? As far as I know, you have never rated any of those teams.
Perm said:
Excuse me? Two games against Namibia and the Netherlands begs to differ, also when do you consider Zimbabwe changed into a substandard ODI side?
Hmm, i forgot to take into account his last series. Anyways, considering he played 2 games against substandard sides, scoring 51 and 6, i dont think it has any effect on his average.
Zimbabwe were only substandard in ODIs after the 2003 wc IMO.

Go ahead take those teams out of Gilly's performance and I can assure you it's not going to make much of a differenc.
I did and by my calculations it came out to be 34.4(after excluding all non test-nations, b'desh, zimbabwe post 2003 and the asian+world Xi games).
That is about 6 runs less than Nick Knight who averaged 40.3.
 

Burgey

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How is that fair when Knight's never even playing in a WC final?
It's fair when you talk about their ability to perform on big occasions, which is something really good to great players do. Because of their mediocrity, the last group phase match or super 8s match might be England's ODI equivalent ot Australia's WC final. My point is that when the big games are on, Gilchrist's record is superb.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Gilchrist will be right seen as an all time ODI great...I doubt if we will really be talking about Nick Knight in 20 years time
I doubt it too, but that's due to the common misunderstandings of the cricket fan, not paucity on Knight's part.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
It's fair when you talk about their ability to perform on big occasions, which is something really good to great players do. Because of their mediocrity, the last group phase match or super 8s match might be England's ODI equivalent ot Australia's WC final. My point is that when the big games are on, Gilchrist's record is superb.
I don't dispute that for a second, Gilchrist is a fine batsman. But the fact he performed in big games has no relevance to a comparison to Knight, because Knight never played any of that magnitude, due to his team-mates' ineptitude.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
I have severe doubts in my mind whether Nick Knight could score at 97 averaging 36 over 270 games if he was given license, simply because he didnt have the talent Gilchrist has..and thats not knocking Knight, who I think was a very fine batsman
And Gilchrist couldn't do what Knight did, because he doesn't have the talent to score that slowly regularly... square on.
 

Swervy

International Captain
I doubt it too, but that's due to the common misunderstandings of the cricket fan, not paucity on Knight's part.
no, its because most people with an understanding of the game recognise greatness. Gilchrist is touched by it, Nick Knight wasnt.
 

Burgey

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Don't quite get this argument that because Gilly scored big in WC finals, he's a better player than Knight.

Is it Knight's fault that he wasn't playing with players of mass ability? Very much not. That whole argument is completely flawed. You could say that we never got to see Knight at the very highest level and don't know how he would have performed but to say that that makes Gilly is better is incorrect.

People are arguing that Richard is only saying this because he's English, yet at the same time missing some other points:

1-People are only being dismissive because it was Richard who said it. Clearly a lot of people agree with this one. Are we going to have a thread for all of Richard's opinions? Seems to be happening a lot lately.
2-Certain Aussies in this thread always state that the Australian is better. No names being named. I have no problem with such leanings as it is natural in a lot of people (like myself) but it doesn't make your argument automatically correct if you think like this.
Quite right to point those things out. My point re the WC finals is that one player has a record of standing up for his side in the big games for that side. For Gilly, those games are the WC finals. For Knight, they were whatever games England had to win to progress/ win a tourny, whatever.

The point is they can both play, but performs at his best when it really matters most. If we're going to say "Compare their averages, compare their strike rates, compare th esides they play in" why cant we ask what their respective records are like in big games for their sides?

And as for the suggestion that it's Gilly becuse he's an Aussie, I don't think that's a fair criticism. If he played for Mars and did what he did in 3 Interplanetary Cup Finals, the point would be the same. Likewise for the point about Richard. I've been here since late last year but don't know a great deal about a lot of the personality clashes on the site, nor do I really care about them. Some people post more than others, but that doesn't detract from their opinions. IMO Richard comes up with some good stuff. Even if you don't agree with it it's usually thought-provoking. If anyone's taken personal offence at my posts on this issue or in the Harmison thread I apologise. They were not meant as personal insults in any way and I didn't set out to have a personal crack at the people who posted contrary views.
 
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tooextracool

International Coach
And Nick Knight wasn't past his prime in his last 25 games or so ? Whether or not Sehwag was ever a Good ODI player, he should have improved after playing 150 ODIs, no ?
I dont think there is any way that you can judge improvement when someone has never been good enough ITFP.



An anchor role is when you bat with minimum of risk and decide to bat as long as possible. Considering that almost every one of those innings were scored at almost or more than a run a ball in test matches i dont see how those are sheet anchor innings, especially when almost all of them came in partnership with someone else(most of whom were ironically playing the sheet anchor role at the other end). Did he curb his natural aggressive instincts in those innings? I think not
 
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Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Is that you Richard? What have you done with tec?
FFS, that's the SECOND time you've said that! I suggest you trawl through some of the archives and find the 50 or 80 threads the two of us have had constant disagreements on an absurdly large number of matters.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
no, its because most people with an understanding of the game recognise greatness. Gilchrist is touched by it, Nick Knight wasnt.
It's because people are too impulsive and not considered enough in "recognising" greatness IMO. The knee-jerk reaction would be to think what one or two in this thread have and suggested they are on different scales. The considered reaction would be to consider that they were actually both fine players, who could do things the other couldn't.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Likewise for the point about Richard. I've been here since late last year but don't know a great deal about a lot of the personality clashes on the site, nor do I really care about them. Some people post more than others, but that doesn't detract from their opinions. IMO Richard comes up with some good stuff. Even if you don't agree with it it's usually thought-provoking. If anyone's taken personal offence at my posts on this issue or in the Harmison thread I apologise. They were not meant as personal insults in any way and I didn't set out to have a personal crack at the people who posted contrary views.
I've certainly not taken anything you've said that way. I imagine Martyn (GIMH) wasn't referring to you in that "crowd" (and the main person responsible has said he was joking on that count now, so fair noof) and I certainly wasn't. :)
 

tooextracool

International Coach
Why not? That was a very fine innings, and so far his Test comeback has been very good. And that's all I praised him for.
Indeed, he did play all of 1 good innings since his return. I guess we can confirm that his last 4 years of mediocrity are behind him and we can all stand behind him as being worthy of his place in the side.
 

Swervy

International Captain
It's because people are too impulsive and not considered enough in "recognising" greatness IMO. The knee-jerk reaction would be to think what one or two in this thread have and suggested they are on different scales. The considered reaction would be to consider that they were actually both fine players, who could do things the other couldn't.
Its pretty patronising of you to basically say that people who consider Gilchrist to be a great ODI player to be reacting in a knee jerk way..but I guess we should have gotten used to that
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Indeed, he did play all of 1 good innings since his return. I guess we can confirm that his last 4 years of mediocrity are behind him and we can all stand behind him as being worthy of his place in the side.
Right now, yes we can. What happens next happens next, and we can say more then.
 

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