How great is your all time great Team ??

[bagapath]

Bradman in team one and the other two in subsequent team

dude. from all accounts bradman comes through as a technically correct, great to look at but unflashy batsman in the tendulkar mode. even cardus compares his batting with the efficiency of an airplane whereas he says trumper was a true artist. i would love to hear from you if you have read anything on bradman's batting style contrary to my understanding.

 

[JBMAC]

dude. from all accounts bradman comes through as a technically correct, great to look at but unflashy batsman in the tendulkar mode. even cardus compares his batting with the efficiency of an airplane whereas he says trumper was a true artist. i would love to hear from you if you have read anything on bradman's batting style contrary to my understanding.

Based on what i saw with my own 2 eyes, bradman was particularly strong on the leg side ...punish severely anything loose but his cover drives were in comparison to Dexter, May,G Chappell, Gower etc etc...as stylish as he would want them to be.Jack Fingleton who had no love for the Bradman pshyche at all believes bradman, when he played on the off was as sweet as he has ever seen.He did have a tendency to try and take balls from the off and play them to the leg side and he looked ungainly/awkward as he did so but to the leg was his strength. But let me assure you he could play any shot in the book either off the front foot or back.

 

[bagapath]

Based on what i saw with my own 2 eyes, bradman was particularly strong on the leg side ...punish severely anything loose but his cover drives were in comparison to Dexter, May,G Chappell, Gower etc etc...as stylish as he would want them to be.Jack Fingleton who had no love for the Bradman pshyche at all believes bradman, when he played on the off was as sweet as he has ever seen.He did have a tendency to try and take balls from the off and play them to the leg side and he looked ungainly/awkward as he did so but to the leg was his strength. But let me assure you he could play any shot in the book either off the front foot or back.

I have not had a one-on-one interaction with you till now. So i didnt know you had seen bradman play. my apologies for addressing you as "dude". my respects to you, sir.

the point i am trying get from you is whether bradman had the magical touch of a lara or a gower or a trumper in his playing style. i can understand that he was efficient and except in very few moments (he was human too, wasnt he?) he didnt look awkward. but the same holds true for tendulkar or viv richards (on a lesser plane). while there cant be any two ways about whether bradman looked magnificent at the crease, the distinction i would like to make here is between the "flirting with fire" attitude of a lara and the "technical correctness at all costs" game of a sachin. want to know if bradman was a painter or a computer programmer.

 

[JBMAC]

I have not had a one-on-one interaction with you till now. So i didnt know you had seen bradman play. my apologies for addressing you as "dude". my respects to you, sir.

the point i am trying get from you is whether bradman had the magical touch of a lara or a gower or a trumper in his playing style. i can understand that he was efficient and except in very few moments (he was human too, wasnt he?) he didnt look awkward. but the same holds true for tendulkar or viv richards (on a lesser plane). while there cant be any two ways about whether bradman looked magnificent at the crease, the distinction i would like to make here is between the "flirting with fire" attitude of a lara and the "technical correctness at all costs" game of a sachin. want to know if bradman was a painter or a computer programmer.

Don't worry about that part at all I have 10 kids ranging from 12 to 42 and have just been presented with my 19th grandchild so the "dude" i do not class as disrespect in any way.
Bradman was an enigma the likes of which the game will never likely see again.You ask whether he was painter or programmer and i would have to answer in all sincerity he would be a mix of both.There were time when he scored his runs quickly and really without though as to how( or appeared to). Other times i have seen him "graft" a score out and have seen him fail.He was a thinking player and "win at all costs"..eg there was test where the wicket was a real "sticky" so as Captain he reversed the batting order so he would come in at least at 5th or 6th drop to enable him to score runs ...so he reallyw as the typr of player who was amixture of both hence my statement we will never see his likes again

 

[BhupinderSingh]

Well I've been fortunate enough to have seen them both play and both would be walk up starters in any all time great team. Lillee instead of Thommo, even though he was faster than Walsh but Walsh was the more consistent by far.

Lillee lacked the ability to perform on wickets which didn't have much support for pacers e.g swing,seam etc while Sobers has such a high average because of his 80 + averages against the teams who didn't have very good pace attacks.Plus,he averaged 50 as a bowler for first one third of his career,was hardly useful for about half of his career and has a mediocre career record as a bowler.How such players can be walk-up starters in any all time great team is beyond me.

 

[subshakerz]

Lillee lacked the ability to perform on wickets which didn't have much support for pacers e.g swing,seam etc while Sobers has such a high average because of his 80 + averages against the teams who didn't have very good pace attacks.Plus,he averaged 50 as a bowler for first one third of his career,was hardly useful for about half of his career and has a mediocre career record as a bowler.How such players can be walk-up starters in any all time great team is beyond me.

I agree that Lillee shouldn't be a walkup starter but not on Sobers. Lillee was unproven on the subcontinent while other all-time great bowlers like Hadlee, McGrath, Marshall, and Imran were not. But while we consider Kallis an all-time great, Sobers is Kallis 2.0. One of the greatest batsmen who only performed poorly against New Zealand, plus he was a great fielder and more than useful bowler. Sobers would probably be one of the first names on the batting sheet based just on that skill, you add his bowling/fielding and he's a lock.

 

[asty80]

Glichrist and Warne are a must in my side..So I pick Benaud's team..though it really is a no-win situation..pun intended.

 

[asty80]

Well I've been fortunate enough to have seen them both play [/QUOTE]

wow! (stars in my eyes).. I do envy you.

 

[JBMAC]

Glichrist and Warne are a must in my side..So I pick Benaud's team..though it really is a no-win situation..pun intended.

Totally agree with Warne..arguably the best spinner of all time..even against Grimmett and O'Reilly...do not agree with your selection of Gilchrist though....Good stumper/batsman for shorter forms of the game but an untidy keeper for tests...prefer (in no particular order) Tallon, Grout, Evans, Knott,Engineer to name but a few..With the batsmen named in an all time side you do not need a Gilchrist to score runs you need a stumper who can save them .

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Lillee lacked the ability to perform on wickets which didn't have much support for pacers e.g swing,seam etc while Sobers has such a high average because of his 80 + averages against the teams who didn't have very good pace attacks.Plus,he averaged 50 as a bowler for first one third of his career,was hardly useful for about half of his career and has a mediocre career record as a bowler.How such players can be walk-up starters in any all time great team is beyond me.

The selection of anyone who's name isn't Imran Khan is beyond you.

 

[Anil]

do not agree with your selection of Gilchrist though....Good stumper/batsman for shorter forms of the game but an untidy keeper for tests...prefer (in no particular order) Tallon, Grout, Evans, Knott,Engineer to name but a few..With the batsmen named in an all time side you do not need a Gilchrist to score runs you need a stumper who can save them .

ah... a sane voice amidst all the mad gilly love!!!

 

[aussie]

Great to have someone who saw Bradman bat around here, bullet!!

 

[bagapath]

Sobers would probably be one of the first names on the batting sheet based just on that skill

if you have only three batting positions to fill in the middle order of an all-time XI, bradman, viv richards and sobers will have to get those positions ahead of 15 other wonderful wonderful batsmen possessing extraordinary skill, style and spirit. while bradman is miles ahead in the race, richards and sobers are inches ahead of the rest.

a similar discussion for the two opening positions would end in hobbs getting the nod and gavaskar and hutton coming out even for the second slot. the remaining six positions are really up for grabs with miller/imran (at 6), warne/ murali/ oreilly (for the spinner), marshall/hadlee/mcgrath/barnes/lillee (for the fast bowlers) and gilchrist/knott/evans/healy (wk) being top contenders for various positions. in all likelihood, hobbs, bradman, richards and sobers are the certainties in almost all dream teams. and sobers' position is assured purely for his batting alone.

 

[JBMAC]

if you have only three batting positions to fill in the middle order of an all-time XI, bradman, viv richards and sobers will have to get those positions ahead of 15 other wonderful wonderful batsmen possessing extraordinary skill, style and spirit. while bradman is miles ahead in the race, richards and sobers are inches ahead of the rest.

a similar discussion for the two opening positions would end in hobbs getting the nod and gavaskar and hutton coming out even for the second slot. the remaining six positions are really up for grabs with miller/imran (at 6), warne/ murali/ oreilly (for the spinner), marshall/hadlee/mcgrath/barnes/lillee (for the fast bowlers) and gilchrist/knott/evans/healy (wk) being top contenders for various positions. in all likelihood, hobbs, bradman, richards and sobers are the certainties in almost all dream teams. and sobers' position is assured purely for his batting alone.

Those names highlighted don't rate a mention in an all time team

 

[andyc]

Great to have someone who saw Bradman bat around here, bullet!!

FMD you come up with weird words.

 

[honestbharani]

Those names highlighted don't rate a mention in an all time team

wow.. sir. Would love to hear your opinions on the contemporary batsmen.. The best I have seen play..


Greg Chappell
Javed Miandad
Sunil Gavaskar
Viv Richards
Brian Lara
Sachin Tendulkar
Ricky Ponting


I would love to know how you rate them compared to their predecessors and how you rank them amongst the seven of them... Love to hear the opinions of men who have seen these guys play than juz listening to statsguru rewinds..

 

[honestbharani]

bumping so that hopefully JBMAC can respond.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

wow.. sir. Would love to hear your opinions on the contemporary batsmen.. The best I have seen play..


Greg Chappell
Javed Miandad
Sunil Gavaskar
Viv Richards
Brian Lara
Sachin Tendulkar
Ricky Ponting


I would love to know how you rate them compared to their predecessors and how you rank them amongst the seven of them... Love to hear the opinions of men who have seen these guys play than juz listening to statsguru rewinds..

I saw all of these and would rate them in the following order:

Richards
Tendulkar
Lara
Chappell
Gavaskar
Miandad
Ponting

I would also slip Barry Richards in just behind Viv but obviously his lack of Test Cricket counts against him.

 

[JBMAC]

wow.. sir. Would love to hear your opinions on the contemporary batsmen.. The best I have seen play..


Greg Chappell
Javed Miandad
Sunil Gavaskar
Viv Richards
Brian Lara
Sachin Tendulkar
Ricky Ponting


I would love to know how you rate them compared to their predecessors and how you rank them amongst the seven of them... Love to hear the opinions of men who have seen these guys play than juz listening to statsguru rewinds..

Chappell by farthe most sylish of this list.Cover driver uno numero
Miandad Devastating on his day but ,like Ponting, susceptible at the start of his innings
Gavaskar one of the best openers since WW2
Richards Explosive from the start.When he came to the crease you knew something was going to happen
Lara Not as stylish as Chappell but definitely had possibly the better ability to play all shots
Tendulkar stylish, easy prey at start, has the ability though to make a decent scoring shot out of nothing
Ponting not a fan but when he gets over his initial vulnarablity to a ball just outside off can tear an attack apart easily

 

[JBMAC]

I saw all of these and would rate them in the following order:

Richards
Tendulkar
Lara
Chappell
Gavaskar
Miandad
Ponting

I would also slip Barry Richards in just behind Viv but obviously his lack of Test Cricket counts against him.

Interesting.....
Chappell
Gavaskar
Tendulkar
Lara
Richards
Miandad
Ponting

Barry richards would have ranked as one of the "all time" greats if he had not been denied the opportunity by Apartheid.

A few others that could be added to that list IMPO...May, Dexter, Graveney, Sobers to name just a few and here is one that will surprise you all Ian Craig. This batsmen on his day could tear an attack apart with style. Thrust into Australian Captaincy at too young an age his potential just slipped into oblivion due to this unwanted pressure. We did not see the best of his abilty..only glimpses and I believe he is still the youngest Captain of Australia