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Kallis Vs Sobers

The better allrounder?


  • Total voters
    173

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Something I pointed out in another thread is where Kallis has been playing his cricket. If you look at the difficulty of batting in South Africa in the 2000s compared with the difficulty of batting anywhere in the 90s, the difference becomes a lot more negligible.
I've noted myself, elsewhere, that South Africa in the last, perhaps, 3 years, has had more than its share of proper seam-friendly decks. And that the ball does still tend to swing there to acceptable, if not ideal, degrees. I mentioned it in the Steyn situation.

However, I'd say that between 2001/02 and 2004/05, SA was as un-bowler-friendly as anywhere.
 

Uppercut

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I believe Sangakkara has (and Pietersen has the ability to) prove himself capable of widespread success in the toughest conditions, the way Ponting and Kallis have already proven themselves incapable of. And Dravid already, in the same timeframe, proved himself capable of.
That's just harsh. Dravid was at his peak when he played in the 90s, Ponting and Kallis peaked a bit later. They hardly "proved themselves" incapable of batting in difficult conditions, especially since Kallis has played his career in the world's hardest country to bat in and still come out among the best figures going.
 

Ikki

Hall of Fame Member
I've always said Sangakkara is worthy of placement close to the likes of Tendulkar, Lara and Waugh. And certainly ditto Dravid. Maybe in time Pietersen as well.

It's basically a case of what they do and what they don't. There's no blanket "everything from 2001/02 onwards was easier than before then". You just have to look very carefully.

I believe Sangakkara has (and Pietersen has the ability to) prove himself capable of widespread success in the toughest conditions, the way Ponting and Kallis have already proven themselves incapable of. And Dravid already, in the same timeframe, proved himself capable of.
So Dravid > Ponting? Yikes.

In which tough condition did Ponting fail in that we weren't aware of? And on the hunch that I know what you're talking about...wouldn't failing against S.Africa and India be relevant here?
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Of course Dravid is > Ponting. And of course I won't be going into why with you, because it's a complete waste of my time for any number of reasons.
 

Ikki

Hall of Fame Member
Of course Dravid is > Ponting. And of course I won't be going into why with you, because it's a complete waste of my time for any number of reasons.
For reasons that you can't defend I am assuming. P.S. is Dravid > Sobers too?

I can see how Kallis may be a rung lower; his failure against the best being a glaring stain, but Ponting? You must be kidding.
 

Ikki

Hall of Fame Member
No, that's because Tendulkar declined in 2003.

No, I'd have thought they got better, which they clearly did. Given that 1 batsman got better at 1 time, and another did 3 years later, rather than 5 or 6 batsmen supposedly getting better at the exact same time.

Gooch hardly struggled in the '80s BTW. Nor did Kallis or Ponting struggle up to August 2001.
Really? In 2004 he averaged 91. Tendulkar has not been the same for the good part of a decade, I think that should weigh in here.

Furthermore, which 5-6 batsmen all supposedly got better at the same time? Could it have anything to do with them being of similar age, played a similar amount of Cricket and matured in the age you'd expect them to? Or is it just because somehow miraculously, when the clock alarm hit 01 Jan 2000 Cricket just fell to ****s?

Ponting didn't fail against the best attacks in the 90s - the tough conditions. He was merely mediocre against the weaker sides. Someone like Hayden, you judge because of 7 tests and almost 100 tests later he still hasn't changed your mind - i.e. Nasser Hussain > Matthew Hayden.

I'm really interested about your argument with regards to Kallis and Ponting though, this should be good.
 
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Ikki

Hall of Fame Member
FTR, here's a fairly demonstration of why Dravid is very clearly > Ponting:
Dravid part one Dravid part two
Ponting part one Ponting part two

You don't need much apart from that.
Nah, it didn't explain anything. In the 90s Dravid didn't do well against 2 of the 4 best sides of the time. Gets a pass mark against 1 and did very well against the other. Ponting does well against 2/3 of the best bowling sides of his time. And in the 2000s, continues to do so and also owns the weaker sides. They're basically the same age, have had roughly the same career, yet Ponting's record is superior to Dravid's in most ways...yet Dravid > Ponting.

Would you care to elaborate? If you want I'll even give you my MSN so we can chat there.
 
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Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Furthermore, which 5-6 batsmen all supposedly got better at the same time?
Dravid, Kallis, Ponting, Chanderpaul, Hayden, Gibbs. Not constant in their calibre, but all constant in incurring an upsurge in scoring at the exact same time.
Could it have anything to do with them being of similar age, played a similar amount of Cricket and matured in the age you'd expect them to?
Nope. Pretty obvious if you just watch them all bat that they changed next to nothing.
Or is it just because somehow miraculously, when the clock alarm his 01 Jan 2000 Cricket just fell to ****s?

Ponting didn't fail against the best attacks in the 90s - the tough conditions. He was merely mediocre against the weaker sides. Someone like Hayden, you judge because of 7 tests and almost 100 tests later he still hasn't changed your mind - i.e. Nasser Hussain > Matthew Hayden.
There's absolutely no point whatsoever in having any form of discussion with you when I've stated time and again that the date of significance is 01 Sep 2001, while you constantly attempt to project 01 Jan 2000 onto what I've said, despite precisely nothing of remote significance happening in cricket on that date.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
No, really. It's obvious I won't agree, but let's hear your reasons.
No point. It'd be a waste of my time.
Why not? Sobers did poorly against NZ, you should count that against him too...come on Richy be fair now!
It does count against him. He's lesser for his 1 failure in NZ at a time they were Test-class than he would be had he had success there.
Really, then what else?
I've already mentioned that.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Nah, it didn't explain anything. In the 90s Dravid didn't do well against 2 of the 4 best sides of the time. Gets a pass mark against 1 and did very well against the other. Ponting does well against 2/3 of the best bowling sides of his time. And in the 2000s, continues to do so and also owns the weaker sides. They're basically the same age, have had roughly the same career, yet Ponting's record is superior to Dravid's in most ways...yet Dravid > Ponting.
As I showed, Dravid's record (with Test-standard teams only considered and innings' in their weaker positions knocked-out) was quite a bit superior to Ponting's when things were difficult, and both of them had superlative records when things got much easier. Therefore, Dravid > Ponting.
Would you care to elaborate? If you want I'll even give you my MSN so we can chat there.
I've not used MSN much of late and don't have the inclination to change over this matter.
 

Ikki

Hall of Fame Member
Dravid, Kallis, Ponting, Chanderpaul, Hayden, Gibbs. Not constant in their calibre, but all constant in incurring an upsurge in scoring at the exact same time.
Like Gooch, Waugh, Lara, Tendulkar and Ganguly? Even in Gower or Wright who don't have superlative records overall start hammering above their weight in the 90s.

Nope. Pretty obvious if you just watch them all bat that they changed next to nothing.
Except scoring a crap-load more runs.

There's absolutely no point whatsoever in having any form of discussion with you when I've stated time and again that the date of significance is 01 Sep 2001, while you constantly attempt to project 01 Jan 2000 onto what I've said, despite precisely nothing of remote significance happening in cricket on that date.
So what happened on 01 Sep 2001 that makes you have such an arbitrary cut-off? Pitches don't get flat overnight.
 
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Ikki

Hall of Fame Member
As I showed, Dravid's record (with Test-standard teams only considered and innings' in their weaker positions knocked-out) was quite a bit superior to Ponting's when things were difficult, and both of them had superlative records when things got much easier. Therefore, Dravid > Ponting.
It was superior because Dravid knocked the stuffing out of the weaker sides, not because of anything else. As Ponting's record in the 90s shows; against the best opposition, he did well. It's, ironically, against the weaker ones that he did worse. And he fixed that post 2000. So he did not fail in the "tough conditions" as you put forth.

I've not used MSN much of late and don't have the inclination to change over this matter.
Suit yourself, I thought maybe you'd care to have a proper chat about it. A bit more frankness with less ego.
 

The Sean

Cricketer Of The Year
**** me Punter had an astonishing run there didn’t he? Even better than that total period, from the second innings in Cape Town in 2002 to the first innings in Adelaide in 2006 he made 5,290 runs at 76. Phenomenal.
 

Ikki

Hall of Fame Member
Basically, Dravid went: excellent--->excellent--->useless (you left that part out).

Whereas Ponting went: pretty good--->unbelievably good---> still unbelievably good

Hardly conclusive, really.
Fixed your post :).
 

honestbharani

Whatever it takes!!!
I have a feeling that 20 years from now, there'll be a guy who has a batting average of 60 and bowling average of 28, and guys on crickweb (the name of the game will have been shortened in 20 years) will all be talking about how Kallis was "so much better".

And I will be trying to convince the few who disagree that ah, I watched Kallis in his heydey, and he was like a god among men, swatting away the girly pies of the Australians. And people will rejoice, and be thoroughly convinced, because older is always better.

:ph34r:
guess there will be some wise ass posting stuff like this too, without actually making any relevant point abt cricket and juz reading, and re-reading the numbers..... 8-)
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Like Gooch, Waugh, Lara, Tendulkar and Ganguly? Even in Gower or Wright who don't have superlative records overall start hammering above their weight in the 90s.
Nothing of the sort happened, but as I say, I really can't be arsed getting into the matter. There are all sorts of things that happened from 2001/02 onwards that'd never happened before, but I don't expect you to recognise this so I'm not going to bother trying to make you.
Except scoring a crap-load more runs.
That was a result, not a cause.
So what happened on 01 Sep 2001 that makes you have such an arbitrary cut-off? Pitches don't get flat overnight.
Don't they? I suggest you take a closer look and stop relying on assumptions.
 

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