Best performances over a series

[silentstriker]

Only limit to those you have seen live (on the ground or on TV). And this is performances over a series, not a match or a game.

For me:


Fast Bowling:
Long Series: Flintoff 2005. Enough said. There were probably better performances that have happened while I have been watching cricket, but none that I watched live.
Short Series: This one is tough. Nothing really jumps out as it should, considering the criteria. Shoaib Akhtar vs. England right after the England's Ashes victory. His last hurrah, showed what could have been.


Spin Bowling:

Short Series: I have never seen a spinner put the ball where he wants it better than Harbhajan did in 2001 vs. Australia. In the last two matches, even the best player of spin in the world, in his prime, might have been bamboozled.
Long Series: Not to many of those these days, but the easy winner is Warne in 2005. Really held the team together in the absence of McGrath.

Batting:

Don't really care. For short series, Andy Flower in 2000 vs. India, and Laxman in 2001 in Australia get some mentions.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Short series batting:

A/ Brian Lara vs Sri Lanka 2001 (he scored 42% of West Indies runs in the series)
Scores: 178, 40, 74, 45, 221, 130. And IIRC he got a couple of bad decisions in that series too.

B/ Shivnarine Chanderpaul vs England 2007 (25.84% of West Indies runs, with 15 players used)
Scores: 74, 50, 116*, 136*, 70.

C/ Ricky Ponting vs South Africa 2005/06
Scores: 71, 53, 117, 11, 120, 143.
Ponting has likely had better short series, but this is the first to mind.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Long series fast bowling:

A/ Simon Jones vs Australia 2005.
Figures: 2-48, 1-69, 2-69, 1-23, 6-53, 1-57, 5-44, 0-15.

B/ Courtney Walsh v England 2000. (His last tour of England)
Figures: 5-36, 3-22, 4-43, 6-74, 4-50, 1-19, 4-51, 3-68, 4-73. (What an awesome slower ball!)

Short series spin bowling:

A/ Harbhajan Singh vs Australia 2001. (As mentioned earlier)
Figures: 4-123, 0-11, 7-123, 6-73, 7-133, 6-84.

 

[PhoenixFire]

Manan, do you think Andy Flower would have been able to cope with Bhaji in the India v Aus series?

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Short series fast bowling:

A/ Corey Collymore vs Sri Lanka 2003.
Figures: 5-66, 0-8, 2-28, 7-57.

B/ Shoaib Akhtar vs New Zealand 2003.
Figures: 5-48, 6-30.

Short series batting:

A/ Everton Weekes vs India 1948/49.
Scores: 128, 194, 162, 101, 90, 56, 48. What a legend!

B/ Everton Weekes vs New Zealand 1956.
Scores: 123, 103, 156, 5, 31.

 

[silentstriker]

Manan, do you think Andy Flower would have been able to cope with Bhaji in the India v Aus series?

Great question. I've no idea - I'd love to see it though.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

And more...

Long series batting:

A/ Brian Lara vs Australia 2001. (The legend of this series is even greater than the performance.)
Scores: 62, 3, 213, 8, 153*, 100, 7.

B/ Garfield Sobers vs England 1966.
Scores: 161, 46, 163*, 3, 94, 174, 81, 0.

Short series batting:

A/ Brian Lara vs Sri Lanka 2003.
Scores: 209, 10, 80*.

B/ Andy Flower vs India 2000. (As mentioned earlier)
Scores: 183*, 70, 55, 232*.

C/ Andy Flower vs South Africa 2001. (37.15% of his team's runs. No other batsman crossed 153 runs in the series)
Scores: 142, 199*, 67, 14*.

 

[Ikki]

Long series batting:

S. Waugh vs. WIndies in 94/95: 65, DNB, 15, 65*, 63*, 21, 200.

It marked the turning of the tide.

You've already mentioned the Warne 05 performance which I deem the greatest ever.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Great question. I've no idea - I'd love to see it though.

Well Harbhajan Singh did dismiss him for one of his 5 Test ducks the last time he toured India.

 

[silentstriker]

Short series batting:

A/ Everton Weekes vs India 1948/49.
Scores: 128, 194, 162, 101, 90, 56, 48. What a legend!

B/ Everton Weekes vs New Zealand 1956.
Scores: 123, 103, 156, 5, 31.

You saw those two live?

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Yep. The botox confuses people.

 

[PhoenixFire]

Manan, for someone who is meant to be clever, you do say some stupid things..

 

[silentstriker]

Manan, for someone who is meant to be clever, you do say some stupid things..

I don't know how old he is. This thread is about things you saw live. I know SJS saw cricket in the 60s, so it's not out of the realm of possibility.

Wait, I do remember you saying something about going to a university.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

You should never stop seeking knowledge IMO.

 

[silentstriker]

You should never stop seeking knowledge IMO.

Fine. Two forms of ID everytime you make a post.

 

[Richard]

I don't know how old he is.

For crying out loud, your knowledge of CWers is poor. Unbelievable that someone with 18,500 posts can not know how old someone with 32,000 posts is!

Camps is 21.

 

[silentstriker]

For crying out loud, your knowledge of CWers is poor. Unbelievable that someone with 18,500 posts can not know how old someone with 30,000 posts is!

Camps is 21.

I have no clue what most people's names, let alone ages are. I tend to gloss over that information. I did know Liam's name though.

 

[Uppercut]

Short series batting:

B/ Shivnarine Chanderpaul vs England 2007 (25.84% of West Indies runs, with 15 players used)
Scores: 74, 50, 116*, 136*, 70.

That series was unbelievable, batting in conditions favouring swing, pace and spin at different times and repeatedly coming out on top, even with the rest of his team folding around him. Didn't he break a record for consecutive minutes without getting out or something?

 

[GIMH]

I have no clue what most people's names, let alone ages are. I tend to gloss over that information. I did know Liam's name though.

What is it?

 

[Sanz]

What is it?

Mr. Mxyzptlk