Top 5 Australian batsman after Bradman.

[archie mac]

No Clem Hill, Archie?

Well Clem said Vic was better than him, in fact he said 'as a batsman I am not fit to lick Vics' boots'

So I went for Trumper, but if we mention left handers...

 

[Matt79]

I had Trumper AHEAD of Bradman tbh, so I didn't mention him in the 5 after the Don...

 

[Francis]

1. Greg Chappell
Easy pick. The best batsman of the 70s.

2. Steve Waugh
If you blinked for a second around 1995 you might've missed a time when Steve Waugh was mentioned in the same sentence as Lara and Tendulkar. Is he as good as them? No. But the fact that, for a time, he was mentioned as the best batsman in the world (seriously!) when Lara and Tendulkar were in-form, says something about his talent. I have a werid reasoning for putting him ahead of Ponting. I think Waugh played tougher opposition better than Ponting, while Ponting played easier opposition better than Waugh. Ponting has more talent and more flair, but when it comes down to gritting out a tough innings when needed, Waugh could face just about anything. Waugh faced some of the best fast bowling ever, in the toughest conditions, and nutted out some excellent innings.

3. Ricky Ponting
I think it's OK to have him this high. Prolifant scorer of centuries. Great talent.

4. Alan Border
Out of the Steve Waugh mould... actually Waugh is out of his Mould. The great credit to Border was he went 61 innings without making a century, yet his average for those innings was above 50. That's remarkable consistency. Border never threw his wicket away and would do anything to save it. If it's turning his back on a bouncer to get hit, so be it. It if means having the shortest backswing you'd ever seen and just pushing at the ball, he'd do it. "The little Aussie battler" that called him because he just never gave up. Don't look at his number on centuries because they don't show how consistent he was. Look at the number of runs he accumulated over his career.

5. Niel Harvey
He's a little overrated I feel. Harvey's legacy was being the one great Aussie batsman for quite a while. Because of that he stands out as great, because his contributions meant so much. I don't think his talent reveals the same mettle displayed by Waugh and Border.

 

[Matt79]

Even though you can't spell, I always enjoy your posts Francis. You make some excellent points there...

 

[pietersenrocks]

1. Greg Chappell
2. Steve Waugh
3. Ricky Ponting
4. Allan Border
5.Michael Hussey-Australia has never lost wen they picked Hussey.

 

[archie mac]

5. Niel Harvey
He's a little overrated I feel. Harvey's legacy was being the one great Aussie batsman for quite a while. Because of that he stands out as great, because his contributions meant so much. I don't think his talent reveals the same mettle displayed by Waugh and Border.

Not sure what you base this on, Morris, Hassett, Barnes were all around at the same time, and he was always rated the best, was as brave as anyone from what I have read, played the spinners a mile down the pitch and yet was never stumped in a Test match. Also when all else was falling around him, he stood up to Tyson bowling as fast as anyone (no helmets in fact he never wore even a cap) and almost took Australia to a great win

 

[Mister Wright]

1. Greg Chappell
2. Steve Waugh
3. Ricky Ponting
4. Allan Border
5.Michael Hussey-Australia has never lost wen they picked Hussey.

Only in test matches.

 

[The Sean]

We're really starting at no.3 here, after the two Ds - Bradman and Aylight. But for me...

1. Victor Trumper - I've argued on here previously why I rate him so highly, so I won't go into it again. And yes, I know what his Test average was.

2. Greg Chappell - combined quantity of runs with quality of batsmanship the way few others ever have. As many have noted, the 70s and 80s were a very difficult time for most bastmen to score runs. But not for Greg Chappell.

3. Ricky Ponting - his runscoring achievements over the past 5 years have rarely been matched in the history of the game. Hard to truly rank him until he's stopped playing but I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up at the top of the sub-Bradman list by the time he retires.

4. Alan Border - grew up idolising the man. Not a natural genius by any means, but one of the most valuable cricketers of all time. His achievements under so much pressure, knowing as he did for so much of his career that if he didn't make runs no one would, were remarkable.

5. Steve Waugh - absolutely nothing between him and AB, toss of a coin really. Led by example as Australia transitioned from nearly men to world champions, and rarely failed to make runs when it mattered. Year after year after year.

Neil Harvey misses out by the thinnest of outside edges, with honourable mentions also to McCabe, Macartney, Morris, Hayden, Ponsford, Walters and Gilchrist. And Hill. And Murdoch. Geez, there have been some good ones...

 

[silentstriker]

No, But 33 Centuries and 9000+ runs @ 60 is awesome, no matter who you played against and IMO he will end up as the second best Aussie batsman after Sir Don.

36 in 80s is better than 50s of today.

Which is it, man? Cause if that's the case then Border would quite easily be leaps and bounds ahead of Ponting.

 

[cover drive man]

Definately have Ponting Waugh and Border. But I'm not sure about the rest.

 

[open365]

1. Greg Chappell
Easy pick. The best batsman of the 70s.

2. Steve Waugh
If you blinked for a second around 1995 you might've missed a time when Steve Waugh was mentioned in the same sentence as Lara and Tendulkar. Is he as good as them? No. But the fact that, for a time, he was mentioned as the best batsman in the world (seriously!) when Lara and Tendulkar were in-form, says something about his talent. I have a werid reasoning for putting him ahead of Ponting. I think Waugh played tougher opposition better than Ponting, while Ponting played easier opposition better than Waugh. Ponting has more talent and more flair, but when it comes down to gritting out a tough innings when needed, Waugh could face just about anything. Waugh faced some of the best fast bowling ever, in the toughest conditions, and nutted out some excellent innings.

3. Ricky Ponting
I think it's OK to have him this high. Prolifant scorer of centuries. Great talent.

4. Alan Border
Out of the Steve Waugh mould... actually Waugh is out of his Mould. The great credit to Border was he went 61 innings without making a century, yet his average for those innings was above 50. That's remarkable consistency. Border never threw his wicket away and would do anything to save it. If it's turning his back on a bouncer to get hit, so be it. It if means having the shortest backswing you'd ever seen and just pushing at the ball, he'd do it. "The little Aussie battler" that called him because he just never gave up. Don't look at his number on centuries because they don't show how consistent he was. Look at the number of runs he accumulated over his career.

5. Niel Harvey
He's a little overrated I feel. Harvey's legacy was being the one great Aussie batsman for quite a while. Because of that he stands out as great, because his contributions meant so much. I don't think his talent reveals the same mettle displayed by Waugh and Border.

That is an incredible statistic

 

[Burgey]

I thought it was pretty well established that Sachin and Lara were past their prime in the past 5-6 years or so, whereas Ponting had just hit his prime. I don't think Ponting is much better than those guys were in their respective primes. I do believe the quality of the attacks is somewhat worse than it was in the 90s when Lara and Sachin were gunning it.

That said, I think its obvious Ponting will retire as a legend of the game.

But in fairness, Lara & Tendulkar were hardly over the hill in the early part of this century.

I accept, though, that each had injuries, etc. which have to some extent curbed them over the past few years.

 

[Burgey]

Love Dougie and agree with you about his record, except his abject failures on his tours of England, which are unfortunately a blemish on his record that moves him out of the very top bracket. I have him in my 2nd XI for alltime Australia still, and would have him in a heartbeat if I was picking a team to enjoy watching, rather than to win, or if the match was going to be in Australia, not England.

Half an hour of Walters at Headingly in 81 would have been very handy, I think.

 

[Matt79]

Probably, but as much as I hate to say it, by then he'd had a couple of chances to show he could perform in England and didn't take them...

 

[archie mac]

Probably, but as much as I hate to say it, by then he'd had a couple of chances to show he could perform in England and didn't take them...

I must admit at the time (I was14) I thought with GSC pulling out they should have taken Walters for his experience. He may have told Hughes not to enforce the follow on

 

[The Sean]

Probably, but as much as I hate to say it, by then he'd had a couple of chances to show he could perform in England and didn't take them...

Agreed - not sure he would have handled Willis that day any better than he had done on his previous tours. Sad as it is to say...

If we're going to wish for an Aussie batsman to have toured in '81, give me GS Chappell.

 

[bagapath]

Victor Trumper
Greg Chappell
Ricky Ponting
Alan Border
Neil Harvey

 

[Matt79]

Off topic slightly, but given he's been mentioned by Archie a few posts back, where do people rate Kim Hughes? His not-too-shabby career as a batsman tends to be obfuscated by the hash he made of captaincy and of course the image of him sunburnt and broken, tearfully resigning as captain while a grim-faced and resigned looking AB watches on. But he was actually a pretty good batsman and played some great innings...

 

[honestbharani]

Agreed, that's why I think the whole thing is overblown somewhat.

yeah, but surely it is not such a big wrong to place guys who have done almost just as well in tougher conditions against better bowlers a bit higher?


I reckon Ponting is up there amongst the batsmen I have seen... Perhaps 3rd best I have seen but to say that he should be #1 is pushing it, tbh... I know it is not Ponting's fault that he didn't face better bowling, but one can only rate on what one has seen. Chappell and Co have done consistently well against very high quality bowling while Ponting is still unproven.... It's just one of those things, I guess.

 

[honestbharani]

Best 5 Aussie batsmen I have seen:



1. S. Waugh
2. Ponting
3. Martyn
4. Hayden
5. Langer