Ambrose vs. Lillee in Tests. Who was better?

[Days of Grace]

Let's have a fast bowler's poll. So few of them around these days.

Seriously, who was better in your opinion, and who would you rather have in your team?

 

[Fiery]

mmm...good comparison actually. Abstain

 

[Days of Grace]

Abstain!! How dare you!! Coward!!! :-)

 

[Fiery]

Abstain!! How dare you!! Coward!!! :-)

OK...Lillee

 

[Xuhaib]

I saw Amby bowl he was deadley.

 

[nightprowler10]

Ambrose.

 

[Dasa]

Ambrose.

 

[archie mac]

Both great bowlers, I watched them both live and on the tele, I think Ambrose had the better yorker and Lillee the better away swinger, still I would be happy to take both. But as Lillee was my boyhood hero I will take FOT

 

[iamdavid]

I've gone for Ambrose simply because I saw a decent amout of his carear and he's the best fast bowler I've seen in the time I've been watching cricket narrowly edging out McGrath. All I've seen of Lillee are the specials on ABC/Nine of him demolishing England with Thommo and listening to former players sing his praises.
Would be interesting to hear the opinions of someone who saw the majority of both their carears.

 

[Perm]

Public Polls FFS. Ambrose.

 

[silentstriker]

Why is it a multiple choice poll?

I picked both.

 

[Engle]

Lillee as the model fast bowler

 

[Beleg]

ambrose as THE fast bowler

 

[Sanz]

Lillee

 

[JBMAC]

Hard choice for this l'il ole Aussie to make (LOL)...Lillee of couse.Having said that Curtly could bowl a seriously brute of a yorker seemingly on demand. Lillee was a much fiercer competitor though and seemed to have a bigger heart for the state of the game.Would never know the meaning of the word "Quit" no matter what state the game was in. That makes him not only a better bowler but a better player.

 

[Richard]

Can't believe anyone can seriously even speak of the two in the same breath, TBH.

Ambrose did everything a seam-bowler could want to do. Lillee, whether he'd have been able to or not, didn't.

Ambrose's career trumps Lillee's easily.

 

[Richard]

Both great bowlers, I watched them both live and on the tele, I think Ambrose had the better yorker and Lillee the better away swinger, still I would be happy to take both. But as Lillee was my boyhood hero I will take FOT

The better away-swinger (possibly only with a ball and skies in the right condition) maybe, but in almost every other respect Ambrose has more over Lillee, not just in Yorkers. His off-cutters and leg-cutters, especially. Ambrose could bowl leg-cutters like virtually no other, and if you can do that, and use the seam, you can't go far wrong.

Ambrose also used metronomic where Lillee used variation, and while both pay-off about equally, one has more potential to go wrong.

 

[archie mac]

The better away-swinger (possibly only with a ball and skies in the right condition) maybe, but in almost every other respect Ambrose has more over Lillee, not just in Yorkers. His off-cutters and leg-cutters, especially. Ambrose could bowl leg-cutters like virtually no other, and if you can do that, and use the seam, you can't go far wrong.

Ambrose also used metronomic where Lillee used variation, and while both pay-off about equally, one has more potential to go wrong.

I watched them both and bar a yorker Lillee had everything a fast bowler could have, Lillee also could bowl the leg cutter and better than Ambrose in my opinion. I am surprised you rate Lillee so lowly when everyone who actually watched him or played with or against him had no doubt he was clearly the best

 

[archie mac]

Can't believe anyone can seriously even speak of the two in the same breath, TBH.

Ambrose did everything a seam-bowler could want to do. Lillee, whether he'd have been able to or not, didn't.

Ambrose's career trumps Lillee's easily.

Not the subcontinent crap again

 

[Richard]

I watched them both and bar a yorker Lillee had everything a fast bowler could have, Lillee also could bowl the leg cutter and better than Ambrose in my opinion. I am surprised you rate Lillee so lowly when everyone who actually watched him or played with or against him had no doubt he was clearly the best

Plenty of people did have doubts, though, and they were mostly those who looked beyond the image and at the actual output. There were people who could bowl slightly better than Lillee, in several ways, just not people who could convey the image so well in combination with excellent bowling.