Not your list of Great Cricketers

[Ikki]

The recent threads about "great" cricketers has given me an idea. Now, we all seem to view certain things/traits above others and define the greatness of a cricketer on how we perceive them. But, as a slightly different exercise; who do you think gets into the these lists (look below) based on what you feel others observe - regardless whether you agree with it or not? I may not think Sobers is the greatest all-rounder of all-time, but I know he is generally regarded as such. I am not looking for your opinion of the cricketers, but what you think others generally think. Maybe it will give a window into how people think or give the view of the sources they follow in their country/or the websites they visit.

Top 10 Batsmen

Bradman
WG Grace
Hobbs
Sobers
Viv
Tendulkar
Lara
Chappell
Ponting
Gavaskar


Top 10 Bowlers

Warne
Lillee
Marshall
Hadlee
McGrath
Murali
Barnes
O'Reilly
Imran
Ambrose


Top 10 Cricketers

Bradman
WG Grace
Sobers
Warne
Viv
Imran
Tendulkar
Miller
Ponting
Gilchrist

 

[Sir Alex]

Sorry but really don't get the point of this thread. What is that you are looking for? I don't think 95% of people would agree with a top 10 cricketers list with no Murali in it. Just makes no sense whatsoever.

(Disclaimer:, this is NOT a personal attack on any poster; not with an intention to cause a fight, not with an intention to get a negative reaction, not targeting Ikki, not spamming, not inflammatory)

 

[Jono]

Odd, but interesting thread.

Ikki, you honestly think the majority of the cricketing world think Miller was a better cricketer than Murali?

Not saying that is necessarily incorrect, but since it is what others think, I'm not so sure.

Then again Murali does have his detractors so maybe your'e right.

 

[vcs]

Not sure I understand the question. You want a list of top 10 batsmen, bowlers and cricketers based on what I think a broad-based opinion poll would reflect?

 

[Ikki]

The point is what you think others perceive as the greatest x, y or z; regardless of what you agree with.

If anything, my not listing Murali shows that on what I generally hear from others, around me and what I read, as a cricketer he is not as well regarded as he is a bowler. That may say something about how Aussies view Murali as a bowler, but that's what I perceive nonetheless. It could just be the circle of people I discuss it with or the opinions of cricketers I generally listen to. I imagine Indians would rate Warne lower than Murali for Murali, at home at least, succeeded against them. I am sure amongst Indians, that is why he'd get more mentions in discussions regarding greatness.

Just put what you perceive others perceiving. There is no really right or wrong answer unless it's something ridiculous. For example, putting Giles as one of the greatest bowlers of all time.

 

[Sir Alex]

The point is what you think others perceive as the greatest x, y or z; regardless of what you agree with it.

If anything, my not listing Murali shows that on what I generally hear from others, around me and what I read, as a cricketer he is not as well regarded as he is a bowler. That may say something about how Aussies view Murali as a bowler, but that's what I perceive nonetheless. It could just be the circle of people I discuss it with or the opinions of cricketers I generally listen to. I imagine Indians would rate Warne lower than Murali for Murali, at home at least, succeeded against them. I am sure amongst Indians, that is why he'd get more mentions in discussions regarding greatness.

Just put what you perceive others perceiving. There is no really right or wrong answer unless it's something ridiculous. For example, putting Giles as one of the greatest bowlers of all time.

There is the other thread Ponting vs Murali where Murali has some 30 votes against Ponting's 5. Don't you think, that, including a lot of Australian votes, count for something?

 

[Ikki]

There is the other thread Ponting vs Murali where Murali has some 30 votes against Ponting's 5. Don't you think, that, including a lot of Australian votes, count for something?

Yes, but for example look in the greatest players 1980+ thread where Streetwise lists a comfortable majority of peers voting him the best cricketer of the 00s over Murali.

This is not just to gauge what you think other CW posters think but what you think others think from a myriad of sources from former pros, current pros, writers, your friends, your coaches, and even CW posters.

I am not really concerned with agreeing with your rankings, more your perception. Put what you perceive.

 

[Jono]

For example, putting Giles as one of the greatest bowlers of all time.

Gun allrounder though (see sig)

 

[Sir Alex]

Yes, but for example look in the greatest players 1980+ thread where Streetwise lists a comfortable majority of peers voting him the best cricketer of the 00s over Murali.

This is not just to gauge what you think other CW posters think but what you think others think from a myriad of sources from former pros, current pros, writers, your friends, your coaches, and even CW posters.

I am not really concerned with agreeing with your rankings, more your perception. Put what you perceive.

Safe to say CW consists of a good cross section of society as you put it down. Anyways here it goes:

Top 10 cricketers

Sachin Tendulkar
Donald Bradman
Brian Lara
Muthiah Muralitharan
Imran Khan
Curtly Ambrose
Malcolm Marshall
Shane Warne
Viv Richards
Gary Sobers

 

[vic_orthdox]

10 Cricketers
WG Grace
D Bradman
G Sobers
J Hobbs
S Warne
M Marshall
D Lillee
S Tendulkar
V Richards
Imran/Hadlee (split - it's not a cop out, because it's not my opinion, it's my opinion on other's opinion )

Guess the one that I'd need to explain the most is Lillee, but I think talking to most people in Australia Lillee is an absolute icon, and represents cricket to many people, especially in the generation above mine. I don't think I'd put him in a list of the best cricketers, but there's no doubt in my opinion that many people in Australia would definitely include him.

 

[Sir Alex]

Top 10 bats

Donald Bradman
Gary Sobers
Brian Lara
Sachin Tendulkar
Allan Border
Viv Richards
G Chappel
R Ponting
S Gavaskar
J Hobbs

Top 10 bowlers

M Marshall
S Warne
M Muralitharan
G McGrath
W Akram
C Ambrose
D Lillee
J Garner
W Younis
A Kumble

I will confess I don't have a good idea about bowlers during the pre-war and post war period, particularly English bowlers since 1970s.

 

[weldone]

As far as I remember, Adharcric conducted two threads sometime in 2009 where best batsmen and bowlers of all-time had been ranked by CW.

Those two lists will show how I think people rank players.

My personal view will be quite different though, especially in case of the bowling list.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Sorry but really don't get the point of this thread. What is that you are looking for? I don't think 95% of people would agree with a top 10 cricketers list with no Murali in it. Just makes no sense whatsoever.

Depends where you ask the question, IMHO. The trouble with Murali is that amongst certain quarters his achievements will always have a mental asterisk beside them.

I genuinely believe that if he'd have been born 30 years before he was he'd be a minor footnote in the annals, even assuming Sri Lanka had been a test nation.

 

[Pothas]

Didn't we already do the top 50 of all time already? Think that gave a pretty good indication of general opinion.

That Bradman bloke was 7th if remember correclty.

 

[Jono]

Depends where you ask the question, IMHO. The trouble with Murali is that amongst certain quarters his achievements will always have a mental asterisk beside them.

I genuinely believe that if he'd have been born 30 years before he was he'd be a minor footnote in the annals, even assuming Sri Lanka had been a test nation.

There are no asterisks in real life, only scoreboards

 

[Avada Kedavra]

None of the lists are in any particular order

Batsmen

1.Bradman
2.Viv Richards
3.Graeme Pollock
4.Barry Richards
5.Sachin Tendulkar
6.Gary Sobers
7.Sunil Gavaskar
8.Hutton
9.Hobbs
10.Brian Lara

Bowlers

1.Murali
2.Barnes
3.McGrath
4.Wasim
5.Imran Khan
6.Ambrose
7.Warne
8.Hadlee
9.Donald
10.Waqar

Cricketers

1.Bradman
2.Grace
3.Sobers
4.Imran Khan
5.Murali
6.Sachin Tendulkar
7.Botham
8.Hadlee
9.Warne
10.Viv Richards

 

[kingkallis]

Is Kallis that bad?

 

[Matt79]

Yes, yes he is. (jk)

Overall:
Bradman
Sobers
Imran
Grace
Tendulkar
Lara
Warne
Gilchrist
Murali
Viv Richards

I think there is a bias towards batsmen in most of these exercises.

 

[Uppercut]

Without looking at others' lists:

Top 10 Cricketers
Bradman
Grace
Sobers
Imran
Richards
Warne
Murali
Marshall
Hobbs
Tendulkar

The impression I get is that most people would take Marshall over Lillee when pressed, although Lillee has some pretty devoted fans. People who watched them both bowl tend to rank Lillee higher, but that's not really what the question is asking I guess.

Murali's comfortably up there, imo. He does suffer from having a relatively small and uninfluential fanbase, but I definitely think most people would have him in their top tens.

 

[bagapath]

Top 10 Cricketers

Bradman
WG Grace
Sobers
Warne
Viv
Imran
Tendulkar
Miller
Ponting
Gilchrist

This is very unlikely to happen ikki. Hobbs would definitely make it to the list in place of ponting. most cricket fans - including ex players - would certainly keep both hammond and hobbs in the top 10 cricketers and batsmen lists.

never seen ponting or miller in any top ten list ever. murali's achievements in tests surpassed miller's long long ago. miller would still be in the top 20 though but murali would be above him for sure.

CMJ's ranking of top 100 cricketers is a very good indicator of how history would judge these players for posterity. punter is very likely to make it to the top 30 (and to the top 15 among the batsmen) list.

I guess most people around the world would agree with this top 10

Bradman
Grace
Sobers
Hobbs
Richards
Warne
Imran
Tendulkar
Hammond
Murali

Any 20 of Hadlee, Marshall, SF Barnes, Hutton, Lillee, Gavaskar, Lara, Miller, Gilchrist, Botham, McGrath, Ponting, Miandad, Kapil Dev, Trumper, G. Chappell, O'Reilly, Border, Kallis, G Headley, Donald, Akram, S Waugh, Compton, Weeks, Holding, Walcott, S Pollock, Waqar, Ambrose, Dravid, Grimmett and Worrell would complete the top 30.