Who would be your top 10 greatest Asian cricketers?

[Avada Kedavra]

Mine would be in order

1)Murali - statistically the best,record holder for most wickets in tests and ODIs @ a very good average.
2)Sachin/Imran Khan - former holds most major batting records + most test wins for an Asian,latter is a WC winning captain + Asia's best all-rounder
4)Kapil Dev-WC winning captain and most successful Asian fast bowler in terms of wickets
5)Wasim Akram-400+test wickets and 500+ ODI wickets
6)Gavaskar-10k+runs,arguably best Asian batsman
7)Dravid-same as Gavaskar
8)Waqar-350+ test wickets and 400+ODI wickets
9)Jayawardene-closing in on 10k test runs
10)Kumble-600+test wickets and 300+ODI wickets

Notable omissions - Aravinda,Sangakkara,Sehwag,Fazal Mahmood,Abdul Qadir,Jayasuriya and more..............

I would still go with this except that I would put Imran at 2 and Tendu at 3 instead of a tie.If Ind win one out of WC,series in SA/Aus with a big contribution from Tendu then I might consider him at 2.

 

[Maximus0723]

I would still go with this except that I would put Imran at 2 and Tendu at 3 instead of a tie.If Ind win one out of WC,series in SA/Aus with a big contribution from Tendu then I might consider him at 2.

One thing you wanna remember about Imran is that in later years his bowling wasn't as good and that's when he became a better batsman.

I wouldn't have much problem with one rating Imran above Sachin but I would if one rates Murli above both.

 

[Avada Kedavra]

One thing you wanna remember about Imran is that in later years his bowling wasn't as good and that's when he became a better batsman.

I wouldn't have much problem with one rating Imran above Sachin but I would if one rates Murli above both.

All 3 are pretty close imo and you could make a decent case for either I suppose.

Murali has the sheer weight of numbers on his side-highest wicket taker in tests and ODI is no mean feat.For that alone he is number 1 for me.Should Tendu help Ind to a series win in Aus/SA or a WC triumph then I'll probably rate him above Imran.If he does 2 out of those 3 then I may have him over Murali even.

But atm for me it it is:

1.Murali
2.Imran
3.Tendu

 

[smash84]

All 3 are pretty close imo and you could make a decent case for either I suppose.

Murali has the sheer weight of numbers on his side-highest wicket taker in tests and ODI is no mean feat.For that alone he is number 1 for me.Should Tendu help Ind to a series win in Aus/SA or a WC triumph then I'll probably rate him above Imran.If he does 2 out of those 3 then I may have him over Murali even.

But atm for me it it is:

1.Murali
2.Imran
3.Tendu

In ODIs Sachin have a tough competition for the number 1 slot IMO. One is the highest run scorer. The other is the highest wicket taker. However in test matches Imran should edge out both because of being a good all rounder. An All time great bowler and a decent batsman.

By the way, does Imran deserve a place in the All time asian ODI XI??? He has only 180 odd wickets in about 175 matches and an economy rate of about 4.2 or so IIRC. It isn't such a great bowling record I think.

 

[Migara]

One thing you wanna remember about Imran is that in later years his bowling wasn't as good and that's when he became a better batsman.

I wouldn't have much problem with one rating Imran above Sachin but I would if one rates Murli above both.

Murali is a better player in test and ODI when compared to Sachin. (Remember Bowlers > Batsmen because they are less in number). But Imran is undoubted first for me.

 

[vcs]

Imran should be the greatest Asian cricketer for most unbiased people, that stat analysis disproves the myth that he was a bowler who could bat a bit in the first half of his career and vice versa in the 2nd. From Jan 1980 to Dec 1988, he averages 39.76 with the bat and 17.77 with the ball. Add his inspirational captaincy to that and it should be a straightforward choice.

Murali and Tendulkar is very close for me, and personally I can't split them. Both have an incredible weight of stats behind them and great longevity.

 

[bagapath]

Murali is a better player in test and ODI when compared to Sachin. (Remember Bowlers > Batsmen because they are less in number). But Imran is undoubted first for me.

Silly argument. Wicket keepers are even lesser in number. Does that make them better than bowlers? It is legit to call murali a superior test cricketer to tendulkar. But this is not a reason.

 

[Migara]

Silly argument. Wicket keepers are even lesser in number. Does that make them better than bowlers? It is legit to call murali a superior test cricketer to tendulkar. But this is not a reason.

Yeah, that's why I have a very high regard for Sanga, Gilly and Flower in test cricket and Dhoni in ODIs, and want them to be regarded as all rounders.

 

[smash84]

Murali is a better player in test and ODI when compared to Sachin. (Remember Bowlers > Batsmen because they are less in number). But Imran is undoubted first for me.

I think bowlers > batsmen because you need to take 20 wickets in order to win the match. Bowlers are actually lesser in number because thats the way teams are conventionally constructed. You can have your team full of 11 bowlers if you want but it will probably not be an optimum combination.

And I personally think that bowling is a much more difficult art compared to the batting hence there are few good bowlers but many good batsmen.

 

[smash84]

Murali is a better player in test and ODI when compared to Sachin. (Remember Bowlers > Batsmen because they are less in number). But Imran is undoubted first for me.

Is Imran your first choice in ODIs too? I am not convinced that his bowling is that great in ODIs which is his primary strength in test matches. Does he still walk into the ODI side as he does into the test side?

 

[bagapath]

Yeah, that's why I have a very high regard for Sanga, Gilly and Flower in test cricket and Dhoni in ODIs, and want them to be regarded as all rounders.

Okay then. Gilly > Bradman coz he belongs to a rare breed and Bradman is just one of the hundreds of dime a dozen middle order batsmen.

Oh! And paul adams > all. coz he is a left arm wrist spinner, the rarest breed.

 

[Migara]

Okay then. Gilly > Bradman coz he belongs to a rare breed and Bradman is just one of the hundreds of dime a dozen middle order batsmen.

Oh! And paul adams > all. coz he is a left arm wrist spinner, the rarest breed.

That didn't cross your cerebrum? Did it?

Quality wicket keeper is an asset. Without one you cannot win matches. But with one less quality bowler you can win it with difficulty. With one less quality batsman, makes very little change.

 

[Migara]

Is Imran your first choice in ODIs too? I am not convinced that his bowling is that great in ODIs which is his primary strength in test matches. Does he still walk into the ODI side as he does into the test side?

There's no clear greatest when it comes to ODIs BTW. You could make a case out of anyone of SRT, Jayasuriya, Wasim or Murali. Still Imran is about the 5 - 6th name to pop up in that list.

 

[bagapath]

That didn't cross your cerebrum? Did it?

Quality wicket keeper is an asset. Without one you cannot win matches. But with one less quality bowler you can win it with difficulty. With one less quality batsman, makes very little change.

no migara. may be i am not as smart as you. but i still cant understand why bowlers are greater than batsmen just because they are lesser in number. there are only two umpires in the middle compared to 13 players. are they more important to the game than the players themselves?

let me take a shot at this and see if you get this. there are only 20 wickets to take in a match which 4 or 5 bowlers in your team should be able to do; whereas you are expected to score as many runs as possible (at least one more than the opponent) which is why all 11 players are expected to bat. in other words, the game is set up in such a way that there will be 6 or 7 batters in a team who need to pile on the runs but only 4 or a maximum of 5 players are expected to bowl. this has got nothing to do with bowlers being rare to find in comparison with batsmen. this is how the game is designed. similarly you need only one wicket keeper because that is what the game demands. even if you have 10 good wicket keepers in your country 9 of them will have to sit at home.

calling murali a better test cricketer than sachin is legit. saying he is a match winning bowler is also legit. but it is stupid to claim that he is a bowler and so he should be ranked above. if you believe in that theory then
billy bowden > paul adams > dhoni > murali > bradman

for a team to succeed a bowler = a batsman

after this how good an individual player is what decides his worth

 

[bagapath]

There's no clear greatest when it comes to ODIs BTW. You could make a case out of anyone of SRT, Jayasuriya, Wasim or Murali. Still Imran is about the 5 - 6th name to pop up in that list.

I agree. Imran was a devastating ODI bowler and a very reliable late order bat. Can recall so many rescue acts performed by him in partnership with javed; the 92 WC final is an example.

 

[smash84]

for a team to succeed a bowler = a batsman

What does this mean?????

 

[smash84]

I agree. Imran was a devastating ODI bowler and a very reliable late order bat. Can recall so many rescue acts performed by him in partnership with javed; the 92 WC final is an example.

That is what I am trying to point out. That he wasn't really a "devastating" ODI bowler. He has only 183 odd wickets in 175 ODIs. Hardly devastating in ODIs.

 

[smash84]

Also Imran's ER in ODIs wasn't that great IIRC

 

[bagapath]

What does this mean?????

it means one cant really say a bowler is more important to winning matches. you need runs to defend. as skills both are equally important to a team's success. for example, indian bowlers were fantastic in the 2002 series to new zealand but the batters didnt put enough runs on the board and we lost the series. saying a bowler is more important than a batsman is too simplistic and silly.

 

[bagapath]

That is what I am trying to point out. That he wasn't really a "devastating" ODI bowler. He has only 183 odd wickets in 175 ODIs. Hardly devastating in ODIs.

his numbers are good enough to be in an all time asian xi. he wont make it to the world xi though.