Prince Lara vs King Viv

[Jono]

Viv

 

[weldone]

It's as close as the voting result so far suggests. I'm undecided, but voted for Lara (because I was the one who uncorked the safety latch of my gun on bagapath and put my finger to the trigger and started the countdown)...

 

[Teja.]

Test batsman yeah? Lara.

 

[0RI0N]

Tests: The Prince

ODI's: The Viv

 

[marc71178]

I'm going to be selfish and ask to watch the 2 of them in partnership for a few hours.

 

[vcs]

I tend to rate the one-man army sorta batsmen higher than similarly great batsmen who had others to help around them.. So going with AB here..

Always rated Viv above both Sachin and Lara.. Dunno, just personal bias towards his style of batting more than any so-called "solid" statistical reasons...



Out before the spreadsheeters are in..

 

[honestbharani]

I think Viv is more great than Lara.. So they are not similarly great, tbh..

 

[Jono]

Especially since HB is such a huge Lara fan

EDIT: Oh HB answered above

 

[smash84]

As far as presence on the field is concerned I think hardly anybody comes close to Viv. He had the ability to inspire fear in the opposition and confidence in his team. I can't say that Lara could do that to the same degree (that might also be because Lara played in a weak team?????)

 

[L Trumper]

Very difficult to decide. Lara is my all-time favorite.

But VIV got the coolest walk ever known to mankind.

 

[mrcheek]

Hard to choose b etween two fantastic batsmen. Richards had the advantage of being part of the best team in the world, whilst Lara rarely had any proper support.
I went for Lara, but its close. On another day, I might change my mind.

I suppose if you wanted someone to turn a game around in 30 minutes of big hitting, you would go for Viv. But if you needed somone to bat all day and save a test, you would go for Lara. Except he wouldnt save the game, he would score a double hundred, and either win it, or fall just short....

 

[chicane]

I suppose if you wanted someone to turn a game around in 30 minutes of big hitting, you would go for Viv. But if you needed somone to bat all day and save a test, you would go for Lara. Except he wouldnt save the game, he would score a double hundred, and either win it, or fall just short....

Lara obliterated spin bowlers all the time and when in the mood, any bowler.

 

[Bun]

Best versus thread poll ever?

 

[mrcheek]

Lara obliterated spin bowlers all the time and when in the mood, any bowler.

Richards obliterated anyone who was bowling. Ill never forget him smashing perfect length quick deliveries from Willis and Foster for 6 at Old Trafford in 1984, eventually hitting 189 in a match when no other batsman made anything like a decent score.
Richards is probably the best ODI batsman ever. Tho I voted for Lara overall.

 

[chicane]

Richards obliterated anyone who was bowling. Ill never forget him smashing perfect length quick deliveries from Willis and Foster for 6 at Old Trafford in 1984, eventually hitting 189 in a match when no other batsman made anything like a decent score.
Richards is probably the best ODI batsman ever. Tho I voted for Lara overall.

I was suggesting that if Lara was in a team where he could play demolisher all the time, then he might have, as he showed quite often his ability and will to do so.

 

[MrIncredible]

When I think about this comparison, I think about both batsmen at their peaks facing (for example) an

all time attack like the one provided by cricinfo (Warne, Marshall, Lillee, Akram) at full pelt. Now if my

team were in a precarious position and I needed runs on a neutral wicket, Id have to opt with Viv. The

gap in their ability to play pace (IMO) is greater than the gap in their ability to play quality spin. Just

cant see Lara handling perfume balls from the likes of Lillee as well as Lara. That being said the gap

between these 2 masters is extremely close, ala Border and Waugh .

 

[tooextracool]

Im not really a fan of making comparisons between players of different eras, but Im going to bite here. For me Lara's record will always be tainted for what was a very moderate period between 96-2001. The other issue with Lara was that he never really scored a century against against Wasim and Waqar or against Donald and generally one thought that he struggled against the best of quicks.

Viv on the other hand was well known by everyone as the best of his generation. Perhaps you can argue the likes of Gavaskar, Border and Miandad in there as competition, but almost everybody that bowled to Viv as well as most experts who watch him play live have rather unanimously considered him as the best batsman of his generation. Its not really comparable with Lara tbh, Viv was just a tad greater.

 

[smash84]

Im not really a fan of making comparisons between players of different eras, but Im going to bite here. For me Lara's record will always be tainted for what was a very moderate period between 96-2001. The other issue with Lara was that he never really scored a century against against Wasim and Waqar or against Donald and generally one thought that he struggled against the best of quicks.

.

Didn't Lara score a century against WW in 1993 when Pak toured WI?

 

[Top_Cat]

Im not really a fan of making comparisons between players of different eras, but Im going to bite here. For me Lara's record will always be tainted for what was a very moderate period between 96-2001.

He was less consistent but a couple of his best ever knocks came against OZ in that period too, a couple away from home and in the midst of McGrath's cobra/snake charmer-like hold over him.

Was a weird period; saw both the very best and worst of Lara.

 

[vcs]

Lara could absolutely dominate series from start to finish like no other batsman I've seen. These two always come to mind.