3rd Greatest Cricketer - The Poll

[Slifer]

Has to be Imran.

Imran was an all-time great based on his bowling alone. When you factor in the fact that he was a very good batsman and an all-time great captain, I believe the choice is obvious.

After Sobers and Bradman, no cricketer has had the impact on their country's fortunes the way Imran has.

Finally!! I went with Imran as well. Up there with Sobers as an AR and certainly a much more influential/greater cricketer than others who have gotten substantially more votes than he has (ex SRT, Warne, )

 

[Burgey]

So does Kallis.

Voted for Sachin.

lol'ed at the mention of GC Grace because this is a poll for who's the 3rd greatest cricketer.

 

[Burgey]

You mean after Bradman and Imran.

Its Sachin for me.

WG Grace is a great player but Sachin's a greater player.

Sachin For me.

I dont think I would have Sobers as second best. Would be something like this for me:

1. Bradman
2. Tendulkar
3. Sobers
4. Murali

Hobbs, Grace, Imran and Viv to follow in no particular order.

I'm biased so voted for Tendulkar...
Plus the fact that he did make cricket very popular in India.....

Tendulkar's the man. Although I'm not going to vote for him here as I believe he should be rated as the second greatest cricketer of all time behind Bradman.

So does Kallis.

Voted for Sachin.

lol'ed at the mention of GC Grace because this is a poll for who's the 3rd greatest cricketer.

 

[Sir Alex]

Haha, indeed.

It's impossible to give any answer other than WG, given the poll- he rather stands alone due to the fact that he played such a vastly different game to any of the others. I generally prefer not to include him when considering all-time discussions but if you do, he simply has to be ranked streets ahead of everyone on the list and, given his standing amongst his contemporaries, ahead of Sobers too.

But if Grace were not on the list, I'd go for Imran Khan. I just can't see how any of the others could possibly come close to matching his all-round contribution.

I am sorry, which part of that was cringeworthy? So a guy who managed to get appreciation of an elitist crowd in his country, which is as big as a state in India, is better than someone who turned perfectly sensible people across all strata of society into worshippers?

And what standard of cricket WG had to endure (lol at posts saying he played well into his 50s which rather gives an idea of the competition level than anything) not a patch on what Sachin has in his 20 year Plus career.

Of course elitists will continue to vouch for him based on some ancient manuscripts published on him, which invariably will only spread the cult of personality over time.

Sachin has influenced hundreds of millions of kids wanting to pick the bat across generations, and most importantly by setting a near perfect example of how to play the game, on and off the field. I shall discount the WG love as another example of the romanticism associated with preRadio days.

 

[Uppercut]

No, you're just talking bollocks. The WG Grace love is because by any objective (or subjective) measure, he was the best cricketer in the world by a greater distance than anyone has ever been the best cricketer in the world by. And that might well include Bradman.

I don't see what else there is to say.

 

[Burgey]

I am sorry, which part of that was cringeworthy? So a guy who managed to get appreciation of an elitist crowd in his country, which is as big as a state in India, is better than someone who turned perfectly sensible people across all strata of society into worshippers?

And what standard of cricket WG had to endure (lol at posts saying he played well into his 50s which rather gives an idea of the competition level than anything) not a patch on what Sachin has in his 20 year Plus career.

Of course elitists will continue to vouch for him based on some ancient manuscripts published on him, which invariably will only spread the cult of personality over time.

Sachin has influenced hundreds of millions of kids wanting to pick the bat across generations, and most importantly by setting a near perfect example of how to play the game, on and off the field. I shall discount the WG love as another example of the romanticism associated with preRadio days.

He doesn't bowl though, in any meaningful sense.

And unlike Bradman, he's hardly one-third better than every other player at the discipline he specialises in.

And spare me this idea that he's brought cricket ahead in India. India was cricket mad before Tendulkar. It's board becoming wealthy has far more to do with India's economy monving forward than it does one player being a hero. FMD were that the case the BCCI would have been wealthy post-83, surely.

He's a great player, but 2nd or 3rd greatest ever?

 

[Sir Alex]

He doesn't bowl though, in any meaningful sense.

And unlike Bradman, he's hardly one-third better than every other player at the discipline he specialises in.

And spare me this idea that he's brought cricket ahead in India. India was cricket mad before Tendulkar. It's board becoming wealthy has far more to do with India's economy monving forward than it does one player being a hero. FMD were that the case the BCCI would have been wealthy post-83, surely.

He's a great player, but 2nd or 3rd greatest ever?

Filling up BCCI coffers was just one part of my arguement. The other part is that, while India has always loved cricket, nobody really had the kind of worshippers that Sachin has had. I don't see how a booming economy can explain such a phenomenon across the nation. As it seems to have transcended even economic barriers.

Anyone doubting Sachin's appeal only need to watch last year's IPL. Articles were written on the great Indian confusion, as to whether to cheer for her greatest sporting son, or the local team.

We are talking humans here, not animals, and if a billion different mindsets, beliefs, cultures, opinions can merge into one, that requires some stuff.

 

[Burgey]

Filling up BCCI coffers was just one part of my arguement. The other part is that, while India has always loved cricket, nobody really had the kind of worshippers that Sachin has had. I don't see how a booming economy can explain such a phenomenon across the nation. As it seems to have transcended even economic barriers.

Anyone doubting Sachin's appeal only need to watch last year's IPL. Articles were written on the great Indian confusion, as to whether to cheer for her greatest sporting son, or the local team.

We are talking humans here, not animals, and if a billion different mindsets, beliefs, cultures, opinions can merge into one, that requires some stuff.

But so what? Just because he's the most popular player from the most populous cricket playing country doesn't make him a great cricketer. He's a great cricketer for myriad reasons, but that's not one of them.

 

[subshakerz]

Finally!! I went with Imran as well. Up there with Sobers as an AR and certainly a much more influential/greater cricketer than others who have gotten substantially more votes than he has (ex SRT, Warne, )

Warne must be the single most overrated cricketer ever, followed perhaps by Botham. I've never really heard a convincing reason why he should be rated ahead of bowlers like Marshall or McGrath.

Best leggie? Sure. Best bowler ever? No way. 3rd greatest cricketer ever? A joke IMO.

 

[Jono]

He's a great player, but 2nd or 3rd greatest ever?

Intriguing how Nasser Hussain and other experts can call Sachin perhaps the 2nd best ever, but someone on CW can't.

Ftr I don't quite think Sachin is the 3rd best ever. But Jeez, having the most runs ever in the two major forms of the game at amazing averages and playing for 20 years would get him pretty close you'd think mate

 

[Burgey]

Intriguing how Nasser Hussain and other experts can call Sachin perhaps the 2nd best ever, but someone on CW can't.

Ftr I don't quite think Sachin is the 3rd best ever. But Jeez, having the most runs ever in the two major forms of the game at amazing averages and playing for 20 years would get him pretty close you'd think mate

Yeah because I've always said he's ****.

Please- Nasser an expert? Come on mate.

Of course it's a great effort, but whether it makes him in the top two or three cricketers of all time is another matter entirely. I'd happily concede he belongs in the argument as the 2nd-5th best batsman of all time, but I don't see him as that high as a cricketer overall.

 

[Sir Alex]

But so what? Just because he's the most popular player from the most populous cricket playing country doesn't make him a great cricketer. He's a great cricketer for myriad reasons, but that's not one of them.

That's precisely why I rate The Don and Murali ahead of him as pure cricketers.

 

[Burgey]

That's precisely why I rate The Don and Murali ahead of him as pure cricketers.

So you rate Tendulkar ahead of a man who averaged the same if not more than him with the bat, was a better fielder and took 200 plus test wickets as well, and who played for 15 plus years at the top level?

 

[Teja.]

Tbf, Even Greg Chappell felt Tendulkar was one of the top 2-3 cricketers of all-time, and that was back in an interview in 2002.

My list would be something like:-

1.Bradman
2.Grace
3.Murali
4.Sobers
5.Tendulkar

 

[Burgey]

Tbf, Even Greg Chappell felt Tendulkar was one of the top 2-3 cricketers of all-time, and that was back in an interview in 2002.

My list would be something like:-

1.Bradman
2.Grace
3.Murali
4.Sobers
5.Tendulkar

Yes, but why? I'm asking people to justify this stance is all. Because at first blush it appears frankly illogical (the argument him being in the top 2 or 3 I mean).

Just asking why people feel this is the case.

I mean, personally as a batsman Tendulkar > Kallis, but as a cricketer Kallis >> Tendulkar, because of what he brings to a team at the top level with bat and ball.

Same with Sobers v Tendulkar as cricketers, though I think in that instance one could argue Sobers at least = Tendulkar as a batsman.

 

[Sir Alex]

So you rate Tendulkar ahead of a man who averaged the same if not more than him with the bat, was a better fielder and took 200 plus test wickets as well, and who played for 15 plus years at the top level?

Someone who didn't play even a quarter of international matches as Sachin did? Fair enough I think.

 

[Spudsy2061]

Let's put this to rest:

1. Bradman
2. Grace
3. Sobers
4. Murali
5. Tendulkar

Also of all the options why is Malcolm Marshall not on the list?

 

[GotSpin]

Lets just hope SA doesn't resort to exposing his woeful knowledge of First Class cricket.

 

[Burgey]

Someone who didn't play even a quarter of international matches as Sachin did? Fair enough I think.

Neither did Bradman, let alone Grace, let alone even Imran.

Best rate your mate number one then....

Argh, this does my head in. There's no logic here, only opinion. it's the nature of the argument I suppose.

But as someone posted on here a few years back now:

"Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but opinions like that are dangerously poor".

But that's just my opinion

 

[Sir Alex]

Ha ha touche.