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Garry Sobers v Imran Khan,Test Cricket:Poll

Who was the better Test cricketer: Imran or Sobers?


  • Total voters
    169

Fusion

Global Moderator
The Sun shines so brightly through that puckered arse, it blinds me! My eyes! My eyes!

However, It is good to see the Poll achieve, at least, some level of normality.
I don't get this sentiment at all. Imran has been discussed a lot recently, but that doesn't mean that the majority of people are calling him the greatest anything. To the best of my knowledge, Imran has NEVER won a poll on the greatest AR (if Sobers is included), fast bowler, or Captain on CW. Where's this unbearable adolation that you seem to be complaining about? As with any popular player on CW, you can expect to find threads and discussion points from time to time. So what? That's what a cricket forum is for right? The fact is that the vast majority here admires Imran as a cricketer and probably ranks him fairly in terms of his skills.
 

akilana

International 12th Man
I don't get this sentiment at all. Imran has been discussed a lot recently, but that doesn't mean that the majority of people are calling him the greatest anything. To the best of my knowledge, Imran has NEVER won a poll on the greatest AR (if Sobers is included), fast bowler, or Captain on CW. Where's this unbearable adolation that you seem to be complaining about? As with any popular player on CW, you can expect to find threads and discussion points from time to time. So what? That's what a cricket forum is for right? The fact is that the vast majority here admires Imran as a cricketer and probably ranks him fairly in terms of his skills.
Awta. It's very annoying. Put Warne in place of Imran, most of the whiners won't complain.
 

JBH001

International Regular
Where have I disputed anyone's claim to their opinion or to their thread/discussion? Please show me.

I'm just stating my opinion of their opinion. After all, as you so kindly reminded me, it is a forum after all, right? Next thing, I'll be a Sobers "fanboy"...
 
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smash84

The Tiger King
The Sun shines so brightly through that puckered arse, it blinds me! My eyes! My eyes!

However, It is good to see the Poll achieve, at least, some level of normality.
TBF to Teja (the guy who started this poll) he wanted to see how many people might agree with him and surprisingly around 30% on this forum agree with him.

And yeah I do agree with Fusion's sentiments here.
 

Fusion

Global Moderator
Where have I disputed anyone's claim to their opinion or to their thread/discussion? Please show me.

I'm just stating my opinion of their opinion. After all, as you so kindly reminded me, it is a forum after all, right? Next thing, I'll be a Sobers "fanboy"...
You're more than welcome to your opinion. I just don't get the "sun shines out of Imran's ass" sentiment on CW that you do, hence my post. Also my comment is not at all intended as painting you as a Sobers "fan boy". In fact, since I consider Sobers to be better than Imran, you might as well label me that. And I'll wear that label proudly!
 
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JBH001

International Regular
Fair play, Fusion. I didn't mean the "fanboy" comment at you, btw. It's just that that word, fanboy, is suddenly in vogue on CW (in the same way "dire" was in vogue a few years back) and I was expecting someone to pull it out; not you, though. As you'd know from my own posts over the years, I have a great deal of respect for Imran Khan, but frankly all this recent greatest cricketer, greatest all-rounder, greatest captain stuff is just crap, and getting all a bit much (IMO).

Anyway, I'll let the thread continue in peace.
 

archie mac

International Coach
Awta. It's very annoying. Put Warne in place of Imran, most of the whiners won't complain.
Just wondering if you could name "the whiners"?

Apart from a stupid stats crap section in the middle, I thought this thread pretty well argued and a lot of good points brought forward and for most of the thread (again except for the part I highlighted) posters have been very polite.

I for one have more respect for Imran the captain now then I did before the start of this thread:)
 

smash84

The Tiger King
Just wondering if you could name "the whiners"?

Apart from a stupid stats crap section in the middle, I thought this thread pretty well argued and a lot of good points brought forward and for most of the thread (again except for the part I highlighted) posters have been very polite.

I for one have more respect for Imran the captain now then I did before the start of this thread:)
wow man......I am impressed........
 

bagapath

International Captain
Is Bradman supposed to be a great captain by default simply because he was the best batsman ever?That's the impression i seem to get here.
no. you are wrong. had that been true you would see most people calling imran the second greatest skipper ever since most consider him to be the second greatest all rounder of all time anyways. you should trust we are smart enough to separate individual achievements and captaincy.

brearley, a lesser cricketer by several miles, is a better captain than imran in my books. i may choose imran in my team ahead of him because the package he brings (player + skipper) is bigger than what brearley can. still, if it is a straight shoot out between them only for captaincy, I would back brearely over imran despite him being a lesser cricketer than khan.
 

Burgey

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Here is the excerpt between Harsha Bhogle and Ian Chappell

"HB: Who are the captains you have admired over the years?

IC: There are some pretty obvious ones. I had great admiration for Imran Khan as a leader. Mark Taylor, I thought, was an excellent captain. But some of the less obvious ones - I thought Mike Gatting was an excellent captain of England. One of the smartest things that Gatting did on that tour of Australia in 1986-87 was that every time Ian Botham started waving his arms around and wanted the fielder moved somewhere, Gatting just turned his back and placed the field that he wanted."

Regarding Benaud when he was picking his all time XI he said that Imran was a "very very good captain"........but I remember a program on one of the Pakistan channels where Imran came under attack from some people on his autocratic style of captaincy and there Imran quoted Richie Benaud saying that Richie thought that Imran was the greatest captain ever or something along those lines.......not sure where Imran heard it from and I don't exactly remember his exact words but the gist of his point was the Richie considered him one of the best ever



Probably b/w 1-5
Loving Imran quoting Benaud singing the praises of Imran.

Sometimes massive ego is a subtle thing.
 

Burgey

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Here is the excerpt between Harsha Bhogle and Ian Chappell

"HB: Who are the captains you have admired over the years?

IC: There are some pretty obvious ones. I had great admiration for Imran Khan as a leader. Mark Taylor, I thought, was an excellent captain. But some of the less obvious ones - I thought Mike Gatting was an excellent captain of England. One of the smartest things that Gatting did on that tour of Australia in 1986-87 was that every time Ian Botham started waving his arms around and wanted the fielder moved somewhere, Gatting just turned his back and placed the field that he wanted."

Regarding Benaud when he was picking his all time XI he said that Imran was a "very very good captain"........but I remember a program on one of the Pakistan channels where Imran came under attack from some people on his autocratic style of captaincy and there Imran quoted Richie Benaud saying that Richie thought that Imran was the greatest captain ever or something along those lines.......not sure where Imran heard it from and I don't exactly remember his exact words but the gist of his point was the Richie considered him one of the best ever



Probably b/w 1-5
Loving Imran quoting Benaud singing the praises of Imran.

Sometimes massive ego is a subtle thing.
 

salman85

International Debutant
Loving Imran quoting Benaud singing the praises of Imran.

Sometimes massive ego is a subtle thing.
Imran just mentioned the Benaud thing to argue against the apparent criticism of his captaincy style.I don't think he would have normally mentioned something like this in an interview..More like self defense than ego IMO.

Though i do think he was an autocratic captain.But that's what Pakistan cricket needs.
 

smash84

The Tiger King
Loving Imran quoting Benaud singing the praises of Imran.

Sometimes massive ego is a subtle thing.
Salman answers you below but there is nothing subtle about Imran's massive ego. You will usually find it in most of his interviews.

Imran just mentioned the Benaud thing to argue against the apparent criticism of his captaincy style.I don't think he would have normally mentioned something like this in an interview..More like self defense than ego IMO.

Though i do think he was an autocratic captain.But that's what Pakistan cricket needs.
 

vic_orthdox

Global Moderator
YouTube - The Late Show: Like a Tiger

Imran doesn't want to talk about anything else.

"I just want to talk about the cricket..."

PS. I don't want the thread to be side-tracked. I think it's a quite funny video, but it originates from Australia and does use the shortened term of "Pakistani" that causes quite a bit of offence in the Northern Hemisphere. I'm very sure that, especially when it was made (in the early 1990s) that it didn't intend to offend at all, which is why I don't feel too awkward about posting it. The term has never had, in my experience, the same connotations in Australia."
 
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bagapath

International Captain
Though i do think he was an autocratic captain.But that's what Pakistan cricket needs.
No dude. It is bad scene if this attitude is taken seriously. This is the philosophy that leads to dictatorship. Great captaincy goes beyond immediate results. Imran's style hasn't helped pakistan in the long run.
 

smash84

The Tiger King
No dude. It is bad scene if this attitude is taken seriously. This is the philosophy that leads to dictatorship. Great captaincy goes beyond immediate results. Imran's style hasn't helped pakistan in the long run.
A dictatorship is only bad if you think that democracy is the best solution. There is a bit of literature that suggests, with good reason, that autocracy is the most efficient system for progress.
 
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smash84

The Tiger King
YouTube - The Late Show: Like a Tiger

Imran doesn't want to talk about anything else.

"I just want to talk about the cricket..."

PS. I don't want the thread to be side-tracked. I think it's a quite funny video, but it originates from Australia and does use the shortened term of "Pakistani" that causes quite a bit of offence in the Northern Hemisphere. I'm very sure that, especially when it was made (in the early 1990s) that it didn't intend to offend at all, which is why I don't feel too awkward about posting it. The term has never had, in my experience, the same connotations in Australia."
Another one that originates from India.....

YouTube - Bipasha Basu has a message for Imran Khan
 

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