30 Test hundreds

[Tom Flint]

Pujara will get close imo

 

[NUFAN]

I forgot to include Hafeez as a current bat.

9 tons and is 37 years and 355 days.

 

[the big bambino]

No it's not too early to call. Maybe 3 years ago it was too early to call. Smh at potentially equating Smith with Voges.

Or Bradman. Perhaps the most inadequate comparison I’ve seen.

 

[Flem274*]

nufans list makes me feel old because i had no idea how old many of those players were. i thought asad shafiq was 28 and forgot bj watling was 33. i remember ross taylor being 20.

 

[Flem274*]

i think i remember mushfiqurs debut as well

 

[NUFAN]

nufans list makes me feel old because i had no idea how old many of those players were. i thought asad shafiq was 28 and forgot bj watling was 33. i remember ross taylor being 20.

Yeah I put the ages because it really is easy to forget.

Only 1 bat under 25 has 5 or more Test centuries. Only 12 between 25 to under 30. Test centuries arent easy. Reaching 30 is huge.

 

[Borges]

Test centuries arent easy. Reaching 30 is huge.

Less huge than it used to be, these days.
Of the 13 batsmen who have scored 30 or more centuries, only two - Gavaskar (entirely) and Waugh (mostly) - were twentieth century.players.

 

[Bolo]

Or Bradman. Perhaps the most inadequate comparison I’ve seen.

Smith is obviously not comparable to Voges or Bradman in quality, so this is obviously not the comparison I'm making. Bradman is an example of success via sustained excellence and Voges is an example of success coming from a purple patch. Smith has obviously improved from his spinner days and we would expect relative sustained excellence, but he is also obviously in a purple patch. There's no way to know how much of each is responsible for his recent success for now.

 

[ankitj]

Voges is being treated as next only to Bradman??

 

[the big bambino]

I agree with brah. A few years back you could speculate about Smith but not anymore. He’s a champion. Funny thing is that players that score as many as he has over a period of time usually end up as greats or close to it. So you can be confident he’ll make it. Voges was actually the inexplicable exception. Voges success was also quite marked against certain opponents and ordinary against others. Smith doesn’t have that profile having success against everyone everywhere.

 

[Bolo]

Voges is being treated as next only to Bradman??

I'm saying Voges is clearly below Smith. What quality Voges was is irrelevant though except by comparing how good he was in his purple patch to how good he was otherwise.

I agree with brah. A few years back you could speculate about Smith but not anymore. He’s a champion. Funny thing is that players that score as many as he has over a period of time usually end up as greats or close to it. So you can be confident he’ll make it. Voges was actually the inexplicable exception. Voges success was also quite marked against certain opponents and ordinary against others. Smith doesn’t have that profile having success against everyone everywhere.

He's a lock for an excellent career now no matter what. The question though is whether his recent runs have been mostly a result of a purple patch, in which case he won't rise above excellent, or improvement, in which case he will have a superlative career.

It's a question that applies to most bats when assessing them mid career, just far more with Smith because his career has been bipolar.

 

[OverratedSanity]

I'm saying Voges is clearly below Smith. What quality Voges was is irrelevant though except by comparing how good he was in his purple patch to how good he was otherwise.



He's a lock for an excellent career now no matter what. The question though is whether his recent runs have been mostly a result of a purple patch, in which case he won't rise above excellent, or improvement, in which case he will have a superlative career.

It's a question that applies to most bats when assessing them mid career, just far more with Smith because his career has been bipolar.

Smith has already had a superlative career. A stretch of around 50 tests averaging 70-odd is almost unprecedented bar Ponting/Sobers etc. For the sake of this discussion, assume he averages 35-odd for the next 40 tests or so. He'll end up averaging 50 plus even thenn. He is an all time great already. An insane peak like the one he's having is the stuff of legends.

 

[stephen]

It still makes me bitter he was banned for an entire year in his purple patch.

 

[trundler]

I just want to see Smith lead Australia to a series win in England and cement his place as Australia's greatest mortal bat. Like OS said, having the purplest of patches ought to count for a lot too.

 

[trundler]

This really has to be the greatest career transformation since Hadlee decided to give up being a tear away.

 

[Borges]

It still makes me bitter he was banned for an entire year in his purple patch.

Not sure if his purple patch had already ended when he toured South Africa.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Yeah, I'm bitter that he gets to keep his filthy high average by not playing when he was in kinda mediocre form.

 

[trundler]

A year away from international cricket won't do him any good tho

 

[Bolo]

Smith has already had a superlative career. A stretch of around 50 tests averaging 70-odd is almost unprecedented bar Ponting/Sobers etc. For the sake of this discussion, assume he averages 35-odd for the next 40 tests or so. He'll end up averaging 50 plus even thenn. He is an all time great already. An insane peak like the one he's having is the stuff of legends.

Pick different adjectives if you prefer. The point is that significant variation is possible on the heights he will achieve based on his future performances.

I probably wouldn't call him an ATG under the circumstances you describe. 4 years of awesome doesn't offset a long career of mediocrity at this level. Not that I see this happening though- he's too young to decline this fast.

 

[Slifer]

If Steve Smith retired right now, I'd consider him an atg easily. And rightfully so. The man has ridiculous stats. He's had great series away to teams with the best attacks: RSA, England, India and NZ. I believe he averages 40 + home and away vs everyone (except Bangladesh). He's done much better at home but I believe he's the only one among his contemporaries to average 50 + away. What more is left for him to prove??