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Who was the better bowler ?

Who was the better bowler ?


  • Total voters
    42

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
Let me give you since you have a problem it seems.

Between the periods concerned (Imran from the 79-80 series in India to the series at home against Windies in 1986-87 AND Wasim 89-90 series in Australia to 97-98 series at home against Windies) they had the following away record.

Imran : 71 wickets in 14 tests at 18,8 each. Strike rate 50.40

Wasim : 140 wickets in 27 matches at 21.72 each. Strike rate 50.43.

A bit different from your figures arent they. :)
 
Wasim Akram is an alltime great but I don't think he deserves to get as many votes as he has got in this poll.Amongst Pakistan's general public,Wasim Akram is hugely overated & Imran is massively underappeciated but thats because majority of people are much more interested in ODIs than tests and remember Imran as the 1992 World Cup winner,the exception is that small percentage of people who actually understand cricket.Personally,I don't have any respect for the opinions of such people and I don't like them much as well because I think Test Cricket is the real form of cricket and only it should exist.I think Twenty 20 and ODIs both should be banned.
 
Wasim Akram getting so many votes is because most people who've voted in his favour are young teenagers who hardly saw Imran playing.
 

Sanz

Hall of Fame Member
Wasim Akram getting so many votes is because most people who've voted in his favour are young teenagers who hardly saw Imran playing.
Look man, I understand you are a big fan of Imran and pretty much consider Imran the greatest in every aspect of the game, but please dont make ridiculous posts and assumptions about why others have picked Wasim over Imran.

I saw Imran and Wasim both bowl and I believe that Wasim was actually a better bowler than Imran, he was more skillful and had lot more variety than Imran. That Imran ended up having slightly better statistics than Wasim is hardly going to change my opinion.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
I saw Imran and Wasim both bowl and I believe that Wasim was actually a better bowler than Imran, he was more skillful and had lot more variety than Imran. That Imran ended up having slightly better statistics than Wasim is hardly going to change my opinion.
Being possessed of more varied skill does not neccessarily = having a more successful career - not that I really think Wasim did at all.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Okay at their peaks , ...What abt abroad average at their peaks . I think Wasim have better statistics away home.
For a Pakistani bowler, I'd say home performances are more notable than away, as Pakistani pitches have historically tended to offer the least to bowlers out of any Test-playing team.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Here are their figures at their peaks.

PLAYER.......PERIOD............Tests.......Wkts.........Avg........Strk Rate.......Eco Rate....5 fors......10 fors

Imran.......79-80 to 86-87.........38..........189............16.04.........42.8.....................2.24........14..........3
Wasim.......89-90 to 97-98.........48.........240.............20.05.........46.36...................2.60.........16..........3

Incidentally the only leading batsmen around the world who would have played Imran and Wasim both at their peaks were Border, Richards, Haynes, Greenidge, Crowe, Wright, Ranatunga, Gatting, Kapil and Shastri.
Apart from the fact that similar batsmen would have been around I don't see a lot of good from said periods. I'd go:
Imran: 1976\77-1988\89.
Wasim: debut-2000. Let's not forget Wasim took a 10-for in his second game, so I'd say his peak started straight away.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Look man, I understand you are a big fan of Imran and pretty much consider Imran the greatest in every aspect of the game, but please dont make ridiculous posts and assumptions about why others have picked Wasim over Imran.
Having just looked at the poll results (fortunately SJS was thoughtful enough to make it public) BS is not far off the mark. Most of the Wasim votes have come from people who are highly unlikely to remember either, and if either then Wasim.

Including, I can be pretty certain, some who've just voted for the sake of it rather than because they actually have much of an opinion.
 

funnygirl

State Regular
Bhupinder ,yes test cricket is the quality form .But that was the trouble both Ws played more ODIs than tests during their time because of the public craze for ODIs. i remember a lot of crap Sharjah tournmaments especially for India -Pakistan fans .

At the same time there was not a single test happened between India and Pakistan during the W's and Tendulkar's peak .Huge loss for cricket .
 

funnygirl

State Regular
For a Pakistani bowler, I'd say home performances are more notable than away, as Pakistani pitches have historically tended to offer the least to bowlers out of any Test-playing team.
If u r so good on those ''dead tracks ,u should natuarlly be more good on lively tracks .or should possess even better average on those tracks .
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Yes, indeed. However, I'd rate someone who'd performed stupendously on lifeless tracks and merely very well on (sometimes) more lively ones higher than someone who'd performed stupendously on (sometimes) more lively ones and merely very well on lifeless ones.
 

funnygirl

State Regular
Yes, indeed. However, I'd rate someone who'd performed stupendously on lifeless tracks and merely very well on (sometimes) more lively ones higher than someone who'd performed stupendously on (sometimes) more lively ones and merely very well on lifeless ones.
Okay .Then Wasim was better than Imran on the dead Indian tracks .Yes the tracks are even dead and no home umpires .Moreover Wasim never played in India at his prime.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
I see no evidence that "typical" Indian wickets offer less to seamers than "typical" Pakistan ones. Nor are all Indian and Pakistani Umpires biased to ridiculous degrees.
 

funnygirl

State Regular
I see no evidence that "typical" Indian wickets offer less to seamers than "typical" Pakistan ones. Nor are all Indian and Pakistani Umpires biased to ridiculous degrees.
Indian wickets are evn more dead rubber than pakistan's or almost the same .Umpiring ,just ask Indian batsmen abt 1983 series .

Or in other words ,it is not that easy to get an LBW from an Indian umpire for a pakistani bowler like he gets from a pakistani umpire .Bias will definitely be there .

Why Imran so stupendous on pakistani tracks didn't have so impressible statistics on the similar tracks .
 

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