DoG's Top 100 Test Batsmen Countdown Thread

[Spark]

Fair but not really like today where you have strong attacks from NZ, Eng, Ind, Aus, etc. My original point was that in Amla's main period of play he never faced any greats (he was bad before '08). Compare this to say Boycott who faced Lillee and then in the twilight of his career was pitted against a strong Hadlee, Imran, Garner, Holding, Roberts, etc.

Oh yeah the current bowling stocks are the strongest they've been in a generation, but the early 2010s weren't bad, which was the peak of Amla's career. Certainly not as weak as the mid-00s.

And plus, SA pitches at that time were a batsman's nightmare to play on half the time.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Kanhai is a beloved son of Port Mourant, a village about 3 miles away from mine.
He's remembered for that shot on his back.

Kallicharan is the one with the stellar record, but Kanhai is about the grace.

 

[Burgey]

Certainly a terrific player. Was unlucky to be overshadowed by Sobers or you’d think he’d be thought of even more highly.

Surprised Warner was rated higher than Amla, among others. But maybe I’m still ****** with him after the Ashes.

 

[ataraxia]

Oh yeah the current bowling stocks are the strongest they've been in a generation, but the early 2010s weren't bad, which was the peak of Amla's career. Certainly not as weak as the mid-00s.

And plus, SA pitches at that time were a batsman's nightmare to play on half the time.

I think the adjusted average is wrong due to that as well. Like PEWS' adjusted averages putting Philander too high. Feel like possibly Non-Home Average in relation to Adjusted Average gets a bit weird when they are close together. Amla's placing just seems rather weird overall.

 

[honestbharani]

I think the 2000s were some of the worst bowling attacks around in my time of watching cricket. Both the 90s and the 2010s have been way better. Amla was great for a good period of the 2010s, so deserves to be among the top 50 for sure.

 

[stephen]

Yeah bowling attacks worldwide were garbage from about 02 to the late 00s. It was McGrath and then Steyn and no other ATG bowlers until Philander arrived. Some decent bowlers came along towards the end of the 00s, and some of the formerly garbage bowlers started to improve but the new generation of great bowlers really only kicked off from about 2015 or so with the emergence of Rabada, Cummins and Bumrah.

Compare that to the 90s where between 93 and 02 we had McGrath, Warne, Ambrose, Walsh, Bishop, Donald, Pollock, Wasim, Waqar and a bunch of very good bowlers like Fraser and Gough floating around. Then around the turn of the century we started to have the emergence of Murali as a great and Kumble as a very good spinner coinciding with the retirement of most of the 90s generation of ATG bowlers.

 

[honestbharani]

Think you should also remember a lot of the bowlers who did not have great careers were still very very good to great for certain stretches in the early part of 2010s. Zaheer, Sreesanth and Ishant for India. THAT bowling attack Australia put out against us in the 2011 series. Anderson and Broad of course but also blokes like Bresnan for a stretch. Morne Morkel for RSA. Herath always for SL. Pak with what was left of their fast bowling after Aamir-Asif were banned. I honestly think even briefly they showed levels of bowling class much higher than most did in the noughties.

 

[Logan]

Between 2005-2015, Steyn was the only ATG fast bowler.

I don’t think there was any period in cricket history where there was such a shortage of great bowlers.

9 triple centuries were scored in those ten years. The mean batting averages spiked and mean bowling averages increased. There was an imbalance between bat and bowl during that time period.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Anderson - Broad while I wouldn't say they're genuine ATGs, are as difficult to face in their home conditions as any of the ATGs from the 90s imo. Ashwin-Jadeja the same.

 

[Logan]

James Anderson can break Muralitharan’s record and I still wouldn’t consider him an ATG bowler. His away record is poor.

A 30+ average in Aus, SA, SL, Ind and NZ.

A sub-25 average in WI and UAE.

 

[srbhkshk]

James Anderson can break Muralitharan’s record and I still wouldn’t consider him an ATG bowler. His away record is poor.

A 30+ average in Aus, SA, SL, Ind and NZ.

A sub-25 average in WI and UAE.

Which means he is as good as any ATG in England.

 

[Logan]

Name Avg/SR

Steyn : 21 / 40
Marshall : 20 / 42
Hadlee : 23 / 53
McGrath : 22 / 54
Donald : 21 / 45

Anderson : 23/50

Anderson at home was as good as most ATGs

 

[Slifer]

Anderson - Broad while I wouldn't say they're genuine ATGs, are as difficult to face in their home conditions as any of the ATGs from the 90s imo. Ashwin-Jadeja the same.

Awta

 

[ankitj]

Yet to come (39):

Australia (8): Bradman, Chappell, Ponting, Waugh, Smith, Border, Hayden, Clarke
West Indies (8): Sobers, Richards, Lara, Headley, Weekes, Walcott, Chanderpaul, Llyod
England (6): Hobbs, Hutton, Hammond, Suttcliffe, Barrington, Root
India (5): Tendulkar, Gavaskar, Dravid, Kohli, Sehwag
South Africa (4): Pollock, Kallis, de Villiers, Nourse
Pakistan (4): Miandad, Younis, Yousuf, Inzamam
Sri Lanka (2): Sangakkara, Jaywardene
New Zealand (1): Williamson
Zimbabwe (1): Flower

 

[Logan]

So the highest rated WK batsman is Andy Flower. And not Gilchrist. Interesting

 

[mr_mister]

Yet to come (39):

Australia (8): Bradman, Chappell, Ponting, Waugh, Smith, Border, Hayden, Clarke
West Indies (8): Sobers, Richards, Lara, Headley, Weekes, Walcott, Chanderpaul, Llyod
England (6): Hobbs, Hutton, Hammond, Suttcliffe, Barrington, Root
India (5): Tendulkar, Gavaskar, Dravid, Kohli, Sehwag
South Africa (4): Pollock, Kallis, de Villiers, Nourse
Pakistan (4): Miandad, Younis, Yousuf, Inzamam
Sri Lanka (2): Sangakkara, Jaywardene
New Zealand (1): Williamson
Zimbabwe (1): Flower

How confident are you these are the 39?

 

[Coronis]

So the highest rated WK batsman is Andy Flower. And not Gilchrist. Interesting

Apparently he wasn’t that great with the gloves.

 

[Spark]

James Anderson can break Muralitharan’s record and I still wouldn’t consider him an ATG bowler. His away record is poor.

A 30+ average in Aus, SA, SL, Ind and NZ.

A sub-25 average in WI and UAE.

Does this sort of analysis not get extremely dull in its simplicity?

 

[ankitj]

How confident are you these are the 39?

Can't see any of them not making to top 100

 

[stephen]

Can't see any of them not making to top 100

Pollock perhaps with his shortened career.

Root perhaps for not really having a peak.

But both are a stretch and should make it.