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Dale Steyn vs Allan Donald vs Shaun Pollock

Who is the better bowler?

  • Total voters
    123
honestbharani

honestbharani

Whatever it takes!!!
Once again, no qualms about your ODI rating. But I am following the unwritten rule of CW CC that unless otherwise specified, all discussion is in the context of Test Cricket. And I have never seen Donald be all that successful with reverse swing, longer spells and the SC. And Steyn's yorkers are a level better than Donald's and he could also produce them more often IMO. Obviously the skiddy action helps.
 
P

pardus

U19 12th Man
honestbharani said:
And Donald was taken apart by Sachin, Azhar and Dravid (of all people) and all of this in his 1996 peak.
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Man, are you serious? I mean, seriously?
Donald took 20 wickets @15.95 in 3 Tests against India at home in 1996
Donald took 10 wickets @14.10 in 2 Tests against India in India in 1996

When was Donald ever taken apart by them in 1996?

In both of Azhar's blitzkrieg Test innings at Eden Gardens in 1996 & Capetown in 1997 (both of which came in losing causes), the real victim was Lance Klusener.
 
P

pardus

U19 12th Man
honestbharani said:
Once again, no qualms about your ODI rating. But I am following the unwritten rule of CW CC that unless otherwise specified, all discussion is in the context of Test Cricket. And I have never seen Donald be all that successful with reverse swing, longer spells and the SC. And Steyn's yorkers are a level better than Donald's and he could also produce them more often IMO. Obviously the skiddy action helps.
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I don't know if you are confusing Donald with some other bowler. Donald's stats in Indian subcontinent (India/Pak/SL) are pretty stellar.
36 wickets in 9 matches @20.33 with a SR of 48.

Yes, the batting lineups Donald bowled at in the Indian SC might not have been as strong as the ones that Steyn bowled at, that's a different matter.
But how you can say, Donald wasn't as successful in the SC, is beyond me.
 
P

pardus

U19 12th Man
***** said:
the only thing Steyn has on Donald is that, IMO, he bowls a more unplayable wicket-taking deliveries. This ties into what I mentioned earlier - I think it's a result of him being more willing to bowl it full and look for swing. He's quite a bit like Wasim and Waqar that way, or guys like Bond, Anderson, Boult, etc. Donald is more well rounded, and when he bowls an unplayable delivery it's more often too short to result in a wicket.
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To me, it was quite the opposite. Donald came up with unplayable deliveries against the very best on multiple occasions.
I had previously given a YouTube video of Donald's brilliant delivery to Tendulkar in Durban in 1996.
Here is another such unplayable delivery to get Lara after a phenomenal confrontation they had.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHI5uKyD0gI&t=80s
 
B

Bolo.

International Captain
Donald had a touch more pace, a lot more bounce, was much better at getting seam movement and could move the ball both ways a lot more consistently.

Steyn could bowl according to match situation, and was much better wicket taking balls through the late swing and skiddy stuff.

Donald a much more complete bowler, but Steyn clearly ahead. The difference is so tiny it really doesnt matter though.

Donald appreciably ahead in ODIs, but still a distance behind Pollock.
 
smash84

smash84

The Tiger King
honestbharani said:
I totally agree with *****'s take on Steyn in ODIs but for tests, again Steyn a level above Donald. I will post more and dig up more stats when the lil one lets me but to the point about short pitched bowling,I would refer you to Ian Gould's most recent interview on the best cricket he had seen - Sachin Vs Steyn. Check it out and tell me more about Steyn and short pitched bowling.
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Not sure what you mean by a level above?

I do think Steyn > Donald but level above? Not sure even Marshall or Hadlee would be a level above Donald, unless you define 'level' as miniscule differences tbh.
 
B

Bolo.

International Captain
Slifer said:
Did you really just type win matches in the sub continent?? See 2000 series RSA in India.
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Donald was really good in the sc, but Steyn was a level above. When Donald played, it always seemed like everyone could get wickets. It felt like Steyn or bust in his games. Relative weakness of opposition batting and RSA bowling in those conditions both factors.
 
cnerd123

cnerd123

likes this
I always felt that SA side of the 90s and early 00s was arguably the best side in the world, except for their ability to win pressure situations (the choker tag)

But talent and skill wise, they were incredible. Their underwhelming performances and lack of success makes us rank the players lower than we should.
 
P

pardus

U19 12th Man
Bolo. said:
Donald was really good in the sc, but Steyn was a level above. When Donald played, it always seemed like everyone could get wickets. It felt like Steyn or bust in his games. Relative weakness of opposition batting and RSA bowling in those conditions both factors.
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Steyn was a level above in India? How? Donald's career bowling average in India is 16 (which is stellar beyond words). It is superior to Marshall's, McGrath's and probably that of every great fast bowler who visited India.
Steyn's bowling average in India is 21. Great but significantly less great than Donald's. Yes, for sure Steyn bowled to a better batting line up, but still how is Steyn's performance in India a level above Donald's?

And moreover when Donald bowled in India in 1996 and 2000, it wasn't as if he was bowling to bunnies. Those Indian teams still had Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, Azhar (& Laxman in the 2000 series).
India actually won the home Test series in 1996.

And virtually the same Indian batting line up which failed against Donald in 2000 because it was supposedly weak (despite having Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly at the prime of their youth), did pretty well
against McGrath & Gillespie an year later in 2001

That Indian batting line up was darn good at home. It isn't like Donald earned his bowling figures while bowling to Indian batsmen with batting calibers of Devon Malcolm & Courtney Walsh while
Steyn earned his figures while bowling to Indian batsmen with calibers of Bradman & Hobbs. Nah, the gap wasn't that extreme. Psychologically it may have appeared that extreme but in reality it wasn't.
 
Slifer

Slifer

International Captain
Bolo. said:
Donald was really good in the sc, but Steyn was a level above. When Donald played, it always seemed like everyone could get wickets. It felt like Steyn or bust in his games. Relative weakness of opposition batting and RSA bowling in those conditions both factors.
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With all due respect, no. Steyn was not a level above or whatever over Donald and especially not in the SC. Donald from his limited tests in Asia has outstanding numbers; just as good if not better than Steyns.
 
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