Who do you think the best bowlers are at present??

[NUFAN]

He has but not enough to be on Lee's plane, tbh.

Seriously NUFAN, on this one you're ridiculously under-rating Lee. His record for the last two years means there's really no need to defend him but you just needed to watch his bowling in that period to see how threatening he was against tough opposition on very, very flat pitches..

I just get annoyed with Lee that in series we've struggled, i.e Ashes 05 and India 08 Lee has had a tough time.

If he starts the series well, I'm fine with him, but some of the longer series, you can almost tell that he's not going to get anywhere close to a bowling average of 30 or under for the match, but yet he continues to be picked.

Brett Lee telling stats..
in matches won - 54 matches 227 wickets at 27.52
in matches lost - 9 matches 36 wickets at 39.58.

Bowling average - match of the series
1st 26.91
2nd 27.32
3rd 30.04
4th 39.53
5th 46.00

This table just above, proves my point, batsmen get used to him, or he gets tired..

 

[Precambrian]

I just get annoyed with Lee that in series we've struggled, i.e Ashes 05 and India 08 Lee has had a tough time.

If he starts the series well, I'm fine with him, but some of the longer series, you can almost tell that he's not going to get anywhere close to a bowling average of 30 or under for the match, but yet he continues to be picked.

Brett Lee telling stats..
in matches won - 54 matches 227 wickets at 27.52
in matches lost - 9 matches 36 wickets at 39.58.

Bowling average - match of the series
1st 26.91
2nd 27.32
3rd 30.04
4th 39.53
5th 46.00

This table just above, proves my point, batsmen get used to him, or he gets tired..

Perhaps, just perhaps, the 5th match stats are so bad because all (4) of them have been at Sydney and the Oval. Both are known to be pretty bat-friendly.

 

[NUFAN]

Perhaps, just perhaps, the 5th match stats are so bad because all (4) of them have been at Sydney and the Oval. Both are known to be pretty bat-friendly.

Not 15 runs per wicket bad though. The best bowlers can still take wickets on them.

He's a good bowler obviously, I just don't think he can be considered the premier Test bowler in the world.

 

[Top_Cat]

Not 15 runs per wicket bad though. The best bowlers can still take wickets on them.

He's a good bowler obviously, I just don't think he can be considered the premier Test bowler in the world.

Don't think anyone's said that. Just that he's in the best form and has taken the more valuable wickets which is fair enough. He's definitely not the best bowler going around.

He'll never average mid-20's for long periods of time. He's just not that sort of bowler. There will be days where he's unplayable and others where he's fodder.

 

[tooextracool]

Right now I'd remain more confident in Lee than Anderson but I do think Anderson maintains the capability to bowl pretty much as well as Lee can - ie, if both bowl as well as they're capable of I don't think there'll be all that much between them.

Personally think that Anderson at his best has the potential to be more lethal than Lee at his best. Few bowlers have the ability to swing the ball as late and as much as Anderson can especially at his pace. Obviously though, to date Anderson isnt really a patch on Lee.

 

[Precambrian]

Not 15 runs per wicket bad though. The best bowlers can still take wickets on them.

He's a good bowler obviously, I just don't think he can be considered the premier Test bowler in the world.

Average runs/wicket at the Oval since 2000 - 39

Average runs/wicket at the SCG since 2000 - 39

However 46 is still bad.

 

[Migara]

At least Warne never had the temerity to suggest that as a "larger" player the law should be changed on diuretics..

While some got life bans for match foixing, certain players got off with a reprimand. Larger than law . . Iam ROFLMAO

Murali would have been called in every decade before the 90's.. which was when the rest of the world started pandering to every Sub-Continent country because of $$$$$$$
The boy chucks. Simple.

Here comes anti-sub continet stance. Chucking law before 90s was crap. It was good for the stem train era, not for the MagLev era. Under those laws, McGrath also chucks. SImple.

And if you have guts enough for a meaningful conversatio, open a new thread and come there without the troll.

 

[Precambrian]

While some got life bans for match foixing, certain players got off with a reprimand. Larger than law . . Iam ROFLMAO

Here comes anti-sub continet stance. Chucking law before 90s was crap. It was good for the stem train era, not for the MagLev era. Under those laws, McGrath also chucks. SImple.

And if you have guts enough for a meaningful conversatio, open a new thread and come there without the troll.

Migara, cut it off mate. That guy is too confused to even understand what the subcontinent is. Not worth even initiating a discussion, because it isn;t.

 

[Smudge]

Pace- Dale Steyn by far in tests. Amazing player. Brett Lee to have be second but he hasn'r been his best lately thats for sure. A close third being sharma. He has impressed me and been in great Form lately.

Spin- Obviously no current Spin list would be complete without Murali and Mendis. Vettori deserves to be in the Mix too.

I feel like I'm missing a spinner that should be there.

Cameron White?

 

[JBH001]

Toss up between Dale Steyn and Brett Lee, IMO. With Ishant Sharma in third spot.

Lee has been bowling superbly over the last two years, and although found wanting in the recent India series, that is not be the be-all and end-all when it comes to the performance of a fast bowler. In any case, Lee has done enough on other flat tracks to suggest that he is capable of good performances on those types of wickets with his premier attributes, speed, stamina, and a big heart. I am expecting Lee to have a good series versus SA, and to outbowl Dale Steyn.

Ishant Sharma will get better with time, it is after all, his first full year of international test cricket. He will get older, fill out, get stronger and faster, and in time I expect him to become a little like the later Courtney Walsh - I think comparison with Freddie are misplaced. Although admittedly, he does (so far) tend to bowl good deliveries and good spells that do not seem to get as many wickets as they should.

 

[morgieb]

O'Brien > Sharma

Dense.

 

[Athlai]

Kidding, but someone used records in Australia to imply that Sharma was teh best. O'Brien's record in Aus recently is better than Sharma's.

 

[Redbacks]

Clark >> Lee

 

[LongHopCassidy]

Clark >> Lee

Not anymore.

 

[Richard]

Why? Worried Clark's elbow problems are going to be career-ending?

 

[Lambu]

Zaheer is good certainly a good deal better than Sidebottom ever was at his peak.We saw them in the same conditions in England in 2007..and Zaheer was better statiscally or ability-wise(he was always the superior bowler if you disregarded the stats and considered the ability).

 

[social]

Zaheer is good certainly a good deal better than Sidebottom ever was at his peak.We saw them in the same conditions in England in 2007..and Zaheer was better statiscally or ability-wise(he was always the superior bowler if you disregarded the stats and considered the ability).

Zaheer is a veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery average bowler

The guy has played 60 tests and averages mid-30s - that sums him up for mine

He only looks decent when he takes an early wicket but too often completely drops his bundle when things dont go his way

 

[Richard]

All the same, the question is about currently, and there's no doubt that he's better now than he was earlier, even if still no World-beater.

Zaheer is good certainly a good deal better than Sidebottom ever was at his peak.We saw them in the same conditions in England in 2007..and Zaheer was better statiscally or ability-wise(he was always the superior bowler if you disregarded the stats and considered the ability).

I'd say Sidebottom was the better that series, without much doubt. Sidebottom bowled brilliantly that series with a ridiculous amount of misfortune; Zaheer bowled damn well without any real good or bad fortune.

However, that is now a little while ago and for the last 6 months Sidebottom has struggled to maintain fitness, which I have to say strikes me as at least to some extent self-inflicted.

 

[social]

All the same, the question is about currently, and there's no doubt that he's better now than he was earlier, even if still no World-beater.

I'd say Sidebottom was the better that series, without much doubt. Sidebottom bowled brilliantly that series with a ridiculous amount of misfortune; Zaheer bowled damn well without any real good or bad fortune.

However, that is now a little while ago and for the last 6 months Sidebottom has struggled to maintain fitness, which I have to say strikes me as at least to some extent self-inflicted.

People seem to forget that Sidebottom operated in that series with a keeper and slips cordon who couldnt catch a cold

Whilst I never rated Sidebottom before his test recall, he has been consistenly excellent during his second stint and is a much better bowler, day in and day out, than Zaheer

 

[Uppercut]

I don't know whether Sidebottom has reverse swing in his armoury. Zaheer can reverse it around corners.