Really? You watched the same cricket I did.
Allan Border scored real runs. None of these namby pamsy runs Tendulkar, Ponting, Lara and Sanga scored. None of these home ground inflated averages that all of these fails played with. When Allan played, he had only one home ground advantage, and that was Queensland, because back when he played, Australia was 5 very different grounds, not the 5 standardised main streets like now that are the same the world over. If you put the modern players back in the world of Allan border, where men had moustaches and faced up to hostile bowlers on supportive pitches, they would **** themselves and look like the children they are.
Border is not the best batsman ever, and probably not the 2nd best, but to me, he is certain top 5.
http://www.cricketweb.net/forum/cricket-chat/60597-bagapath-s-greatest-xi-7.html#post3134765
Time to get a little personal here.
I have always hesitated before naming my most favorite cricketer of all time to anybody. Because once I name him, this choice of mine has always looked strange to people who know that I am a die hard fan of aggressive batsmen like Gilchrist. My favorite cricketer is a huge star in his own right. But he was never a connoisseur's delight. And compared to the 360 degree stroke production of some batting geniuses, his range was a bit limited. That way he is the antithesis of the kind of batsman I go openly gaga about all the time.
It is not that I am totally blinkered and I hold on to a lesser legend without appreciating the talents of superior batsmen. I loved Gavaskar's intensity and Lara's artistry throughout their careers, except when Lara lost the plot for a few self-centered years in between. And of course, I love Sehwag whenever he is in good form. I am not a Tendulkar fanboy. But I respect his immense talent. Everyone's favorites like Richards and Ponting are my favorites too. All these guys are worth comparing with that God among modern batsmen, Gary Sobers.
But all things considered, you put a gun to my head, and ask me to name one batsman as my favorite I will always name Allan Border.
For starters he was a man's man. No silly melodrama worked with him. At the crease, his job was to score runs; and nothing but score runs. He did what he had to do, as the team demanded in the given situation. Only when he square cut, or pulled, he expressed; he expressed his desire to dominate and win. Those were his bread and butter strokes and his stomach muscle tightening whack over the point region is the most violent shot in his book. With him at the wicket, the opposition knew they had a fight to win; this man stood between them and victory. For Australia, he could enlarge his presence at will and seemingly fill up the entire ground. He hated to lose. But if his team was sliding towards an inevitable defeat, he was always their last hope to salvage a draw. When he too failed, you knew nobody could've saved those matches anyway. If Border could not, who else could?
Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 4s 6s Ct
156 265 44 11174 205 50.56 27 63 1161 28 156
Yes. He was a celebrated cricketer. Enjoyed uninterrupted captaincy. World cup win. Ashes. Most runs. Most matches. Most catches. Yet, he never played the game for personal glory. He was a team man first. And last. His job was to take Australia to victory. By keeping his batting frills free, he guided everyone else to work only towards that end goal.
But every time you mention him as your favorite cricketer, you hear murmurs and see heads shaking. It is okay to call him a great batsman, a legend even. But naming him above a Richards or Lara is considered silly simply because Border lacked their range of stroke production.
My most favorite cricketer, and the last of my selections, was truthful to his task, absolutely incorruptible, and a champion achiever who scaled mountains without drawing too much attention to self. He probably lacked the style of a Tendulkar, and he was too grumpy for the old fashioned who liked to put him down with faint praise calling him "gutsy" and "focused" deliberately underplaying his immense talent. Despite his rock solid personality and impeccable record, if you are in doubt of his actual value to test cricket, just watch the videos of his twin knocks in Windies and his third innings masterpiece in Melbourne against India. Then watch that 196 at Lords. And play that video of him putting McDermott in place using colorful language. Now tell me why I can't love him as my number 1 cricketer and as the captain of my dream team.
Sunil Gavaskar
Gordon Greenidge
Sir Viv Richards
Sachin Tendulkar
Brian Lara
Allan Border (C)
Adam Gilchrist (WK)
Sir Richard Hadlee
Malcolm Marshall
Shane Warne
Joel Garner
