Sehwag - Best Batsman In World Cricket Right Now

[Ikki]

Love the avatar ret.

 

[silentstriker]

That's a great question, if you were to start a team now based on current players, in which order would you select the batsmen?

Sehwag would be near the top. I think players like Ponting still have a lot left in the tank, and I don't get the Ponting hate, even with the so called 'slump' in form, he's still ranked as a top ten batsmen by ICC rankings. That's a damn good 'slump' if you ask me.

 

[Pothas]

That's a great question, if you were to start a team now based on current players, in which order would you select the batsmen?

Sehwag would be near the top. I think players like Ponting still have a lot left in the tank, and I don't get the Ponting hate, even with the so called 'slump' in form, he's still ranked as a top ten batsmen by ICC rankings. That's a damn good 'slump' if you ask me.

Would take Sehwag first as he is just so ridiculously destructive quicky followed by Sangakkara and Sachin, Mahela and Kallis not a bad place to start either. Sehwag and any two of those four is an excellent base to build a side around.

 

[G.I.Joe]

Did you lose a signature bet to Turbinator, SS? I can't see you post that last line unless forced to The one before that, on the other hand....

 

[silentstriker]

I did lose. On the other hand, Turbinator...pretty good looking bloke so losing the bet could have just been an excuse for that first line.

The second line.....yea that one kills a little bit of my soul every time I read it.

 

[Richard]

Did you lose a signature bet to Turbinator, SS? I can't see you post that last line unless forced to The one before that, on the other hand....

I can't remember if this was a proper ooooooooollllllllllddddddddd bet either, but it does ring a bell..........

 

[Burgey]

Just read the last couple of pages. Great to see another rapidly developing statistical nightmare.

Someone start a Giily v Sehwag thread ffs.

 

[Black_Warrior]

what a waste of a few pages!!

 

[wfdu_ben91]

Because it's a ridiculous trend in CC right now that every thread gets derailed into a player vs Australian argument. It's one thing if it's in a context of the thread topic, but this asks for who is the best batsmen right now, so what do we get? An argument of who is better, Gilchrist or Sehwag. How Gilchrist gets dragged into this **** is honestly beyond me and it's the ****ing tedious.

On topic - Sehwag vs AB vs Clarke's performance over the past few years
Off topic - Sehwag vs random retired Australian ****fest.

How does Gilchrist get dragged into it? I dunno? Maybe because he did the same thing that Sehwag is doing right now? So it's not as if it has ever been done before (ie averaging high with an "unbelievable" strike-rate"). The thread doesn't ask who the best batsman it is, it says that Sehwag is the best batsman in the world at the moment. Pretty obvious.

 

[Shri]

Duh and Gilly is playing cricket atm?

 

[silentstriker]

I wonder if Gilly had a year of averaging 70 and S/R 101. Seriously curious?

 

[Dissector]

He averaged 72 at a strike rate of 89 in 2002. However he didn't have to face fresh bowlers with a new ball. And coming low in the order you generally have more of a license to hit. Sehwag's achievement is absolutely unprecedented for a top order batsman. I doubt any test opener has even come close to his strike rate.

 

[wfdu_ben91]

He didn't have fresh bowlers, but he was a wicketkeeper and playing in the subcontinent as an opener is the easiest time to bat before the spinners come on.

 

[Dissector]

I am not sure Graeme Smith would agree with that. And South Africa doesn't have any spinners of note.

 

[wfdu_ben91]

I am not sure Graeme Smith would agree with that. And South Africa doesn't have any spinners of note.

Smith averages around about the same in the subcontinent as he does at home.

And yeah, South Africa have no decent spinners so apart from one awesome spell from Steyn - It's fill your boots when playing against them in the subcontinent but extremely difficult when playing them at home.

 

[Dissector]

Smith averages around about the same in the subcontinent as he does at home.

And that refutes the idea that it's much easier to open in the subcontinent. Bowlers like Zaheer have made a career of getting those breakthroughs with the new ball. And in this series Sehwag faced a better pace attack than the average attack that Smith has faced in his career. And for that matter a better pace attack than what Gilchrist faced in South Africa in 2002.

 

[wfdu_ben91]

And that refutes the idea that it's much easier to open in the subcontinent. Bowlers like Zaheer have made a career of getting those breakthroughs with the new ball. And in this series Sehwag faced a better pace attack than the average attack that Smith has faced in his career. And for that matter a better pace attack than what Gilchrist faced in South Africa in 2002.

Donald? Ntini? The pitch that Gilchrist scored his double ton on, was quoted by Steve Waugh as a difficult one to bat on, so a typical SA track. Zaheer averages 34-35 in Test Cricket - That speaks for itself how flat the pitches are.

 

[Dissector]

An over-the-hill Donald at the fag end of his career. A still relatively inexperienced Ntini who had been hammered in South Africa by India just a few months before. Steyn alone is a far bigger challenge than that 2002 pace attack.

 

[jeevan]

Averages in India of top order Australian batsmen from their period of dominance (96-06):
India is in the subcontinent.

Slater 28.6 vs career 43
Taylor 36 vs career 43.5
Langer 29.9 vs career 45.3
Ponting 20.8 vs career 55
Hayden 51.4 vs career 50.7, so 4/5 seriously under perform

(Sorry to rest of the forum to drag out facts once again. But really dont know how to respond to ridiculous assertions stated as fact to prove that some Australian player or another is better).

BTW, wfdu_ben91, you will find that the Australian middle order for this period has done better in India - usually near their career averages.

So, top order batting in India don't seem to have any special systematic advantage if the best team in the world(TM) couldn't cash in.

 

[Dissector]

Yes anyone who follows test matches in India knows that good pace bowlers often get breakthroughs with the new ball even against great batting lineups. For example the way Srinath rocked Australia in Calcutta in 98(?). So opening the batting against a great bowler like Steyn is definitely a serious challenge.