Evermind
International Debutant
But these are not reasons to vote for Kallis as being better than Sobers. They are reasons not to participate in the poll at all.
To be fair, Sobers' career is hardly shrouded in the mists of time. Plenty of people have watched both him and Kallis play and can therefore attempt a direct, first-hand comparison (albeit not on CW - most of the people here are too young). We are not talking about the 1870s, we're talking about the 1960s and 1970s.
The fact is that Sobers was, at the time when he played, recognised by just about everyone as the outstanding player of his time. That suggests that the Sobers-adulation isn't just rose-tinted restrospection.
Few people would suggest that Kallis is the outstanding player of his generation. One of the very best, yes, but he didn't by any means overshadow, for instance, Lara, Tendulkar, Ponting, McGrath, Warne, Gilchrist, Murali etc. This is not, of course, conclusive evidence that Sobers was better than Kallis - it's possible, if unlikely, that these half dozen or so modern-day players were all better than Sobers - but it does indicate that those who rate Sobers more highly are not just afflicted by misty-eyed hindsight.
A few years ago Wisden selected its top 5 players of the 20th Century. Sobers was number 2. The panel was (IIRC) 100 top cricket writers. You will find it difficult, I think, to write that appraisal off as some kind of mass hysteria. Why write off the equivalent opinions of CW contributors - less esteemed though they may be - quite so glibly as you have?
I wrote a long reply to this, and 80% of the way through it, deleted it when I realised I just don't care about the issue enough. Your points are well-put, and I have some agreements and some disagreements, but I don't have enough energy to put into this.