20 Cwers ranked 18 all-rounders. Here is the countdown list!

[ankitj]

Nah, if anything this current era is one of the best since the 80s for all rounders. Stoke, Shakib, Ashwin have serious ATG potential, and you have guys like Moeen, Jadeja, Philander, are all fantastic in their own ways. Just go back 10 years, who did we really have? Kallis, Flintoff for a few years, and that's basically it.

And one guy who will be ranked higher than both Kallis and Flintoff in this exercise.

 

[mr_mister]

you jinxed him anktij.

7th. Shaun Pollock

399 points

Batting: 15th (88 points)
Bowling: 3rd (311 points)

"A McGrath who could bat"

Pollock suffers the inverse effect of his peer Kallis, his batting wasn't highly thought of in this exercise. He averaged ~30 across a very long test career, so for a regular 8 he more than did his job. McMillan, Klusener and Boucher were more successful with the bat in tests so one of them often kept Pollock pushed way down at 8. In fact he scored his only 2 test tons batting at 9. But that's impressive in its own right. He was calm and composed at the crease generally.


His bowling was awesome. Started off rapid and then became fast-medium and highly accurate. Began using finesse over fury. At the time of writing he's still the leading wicket-taker for South Africa and he got them cheaply @ 23. Some will think Kallis should have been ranker higher than him. It's crazy how many high quality all-rounders this nation has produced.

 

[OverratedSanity]

For all the talk of Kallis being so underappreciated, pollock doesn't get nearly enough credit. Ridiculously good cricketer.

 

[smash84]

True, Pollock is extremely under rated. Kind of gets forgotten that he has more than 400 test wickets.

I never rated his much though.

 

[Howe_zat]

It's crazy how many high quality all-rounders this nation has produced.

We could have easily stuck a few more of them on the list too. Especially if you include the ones they outsourced in the 70s and 80s.

South African allrounder XI

1. Goddard
2. Barlow
3. Kallis
4. Faulkner
5. Rice
6. Greig
7. Cronje
8. Procter
9. Klusener
10. Pollock
11. Philander

 

[smash84]

Thats a very competitive XI just full of SA all rounders, that's insane.

Was Shaun pollock's dad also an all rounder?

 

[OverratedSanity]

Yeah Peter Pollock should be in there over Cronje

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Even a better commentator. ..Shaun Pollock. The accent.

 

[mr_mister]

and he didn't even have to use B-Mac.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Doesn't have a spinner though. Shoulda selected KP.

 

[mr_mister]

or Pat Symcox

 

[Dendarii]

Put Andrew Hall in that XI and keeping is covered as well.

 

[smash84]

or Pat Symcox

No, pat symcox was not a good bat.

 

[mr_mister]

cool guy though

 

[Dendarii]

or Pat Symcox

There Nicky Boje, Johan Botha, and Robin Peterson too. But Faulkner was a spinner, so there's no need to go for any of them.

 

[Dendarii]

No, pat symcox was not a good bat.

He has better test, ODI, and first class batting averages than Vernon Philander, so if Philander's batting can be considered good enough to make him an allrounder then so can Symcox's.

 

[smash84]

He has better test, ODI, and first class batting averages than Vernon Philander, so if Philander's batting can be considered good enough to make him an allrounder then so can Symcox's.

You should have just seen symcox bat to know he was awful. He has one century where he literally trolled pakistan to it. Looked just awful. At least Philander seems to look like he knows how to hold a bat. Definitely a case of average being way more deceptive than ability imo

 

[Red]

Doesn't have a spinner though. Shoulda selected KP.

Aubrey Faulkner was a leggie and Greigy bowled spinners sometimes.

 

[weldone]

Faulkner was in fact a very good bowler, way better than any other SA spin-bowling all-rounders being discussed here

He was an integral part of test cricket's first-ever famous spin-bowling trio

 

[Red]

Absolutely, immense cricketer.

Average of 40 in test cricket, with a bowling average of 26.

Could and would have played as either a frontline bowler or a top six batsman, and IMO the only others who were truly capable of that were Botham, Miller, Sobers, Imran (for parts of his career) and Faulkner.