mr_mister
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Trying to shorten my titles a bit.
So, in my lifetime watching cricket these have to be the 2 series batting performances that stuck with me most - to me I can't think of any that can quite compare in terms of skill under pressure, magnitude and dominance(in multiple ways)
Let's break them down statistically first:
Lara: 4 matches, 546 runs @ 91 with 3 tons and a fifty. Lowest score in a match: 62. Highest score in a match: 213
He scored 31.65% of his team's runs across the series, with the next best being Sherwin Campbell's 197 runs @ 28.
Smith: 4 matches, 774 runs @ 110.5 with 3 tons and 3 fifties. Lowest score in a match: 80. Highest score in a match: 211
He scored 27.93% of his team's runs across the series, with the best being Marnus Labuschagne's 353 runs @ 50.5
Brian Lara came into the series in a 2 year century drought and in the worst form of his life. Since his last ton in early '97 his average had dropped from 55 to 49 and his side had just come off a 5-0 shellacking to South Africa. Not only that, he was publicly chewed out by his board and give a 2 test probation on his captaincy - he wasn't even trusted with the reigns for the whole series. And the 1st test resulted in his side being skittled for 51 in the 4th innings to lose by 300+ runs. Australia's bowling armoury was star studded and clinical in that first test.
With hardly any support from his teammates(though some like Adams were decent at holding up an end), he then hit 213, 153* and 100 in consecutive tests. 2 were match winning and the one that wasn't came in 82 balls and could easily have been had the Windies been a better side.
Lara's 213 included 200+ runs in a 300 odd run stand with Adams. This one saved his captaincy if not his career and gave his side a startling comeback win. Enough has been written about the 153 but it was Stokes/Perera style knock, a 4th chase epic that came down the final wicket. It involved Lara scoring 153 of the 213 runs remaining to win when he came to the crease.
In the final test he came to the crease at 2-20 and left at 3-136, having scored a lightning century off 82 balls with include 78 runs in boundaries. After all the mental and physical fatigue he must have been feeling to pull this type of knock off was something else. If he had gone off with it to ensure at least a draw it's fair to say this would have gone down along with Bradman's 1930 series IMO. As it stands it's still damn close.
Smith scored more runs, but Lara certainly brought his A+ game(despite missing out a few times) in what wasn't even a particularly high scoring series.
~
Smith came into the 2019 ashes under a dark cloud as well. Had he lost his touch since his ban? How would he handle the hostile chants of cheat every time he came out to bat? Could he help Australia finally win/retain the ashes in England for the first time since 2001?
He started proceedings with twin 140s to give his side a 1-0 lead. He then scored a gritty 92 and copped a concussion and nearly broken wrist doing so. Archer appeared to maybe have his number and a lot of people thought he had finally been find out or exposed as vulnerable to the short ball, until he then popped a double ton on return like it was nothing. Scored two more 80s after to really hammer the point home that he was out of Archer's class(for now)
He had Labuschagne offering a fair bit of help and even maybe taking some of the spotlight off due to his own interesting story(we're not gonna discuss Stokes) - but there was so much drama surrounding just Smith alone it's hard to argue it's not equally as memorable as Lara's vigil.
~
McGrath, Gillespie and Warne were great, great bowlers. England have some amazing bowlers at home too. It's fair to say it's hard to split these 2 performances and I'm abstaining from voting, but I'm curious what CW rates more.
So, in my lifetime watching cricket these have to be the 2 series batting performances that stuck with me most - to me I can't think of any that can quite compare in terms of skill under pressure, magnitude and dominance(in multiple ways)
Let's break them down statistically first:
Lara: 4 matches, 546 runs @ 91 with 3 tons and a fifty. Lowest score in a match: 62. Highest score in a match: 213
He scored 31.65% of his team's runs across the series, with the next best being Sherwin Campbell's 197 runs @ 28.
Smith: 4 matches, 774 runs @ 110.5 with 3 tons and 3 fifties. Lowest score in a match: 80. Highest score in a match: 211
He scored 27.93% of his team's runs across the series, with the best being Marnus Labuschagne's 353 runs @ 50.5
Brian Lara came into the series in a 2 year century drought and in the worst form of his life. Since his last ton in early '97 his average had dropped from 55 to 49 and his side had just come off a 5-0 shellacking to South Africa. Not only that, he was publicly chewed out by his board and give a 2 test probation on his captaincy - he wasn't even trusted with the reigns for the whole series. And the 1st test resulted in his side being skittled for 51 in the 4th innings to lose by 300+ runs. Australia's bowling armoury was star studded and clinical in that first test.
With hardly any support from his teammates(though some like Adams were decent at holding up an end), he then hit 213, 153* and 100 in consecutive tests. 2 were match winning and the one that wasn't came in 82 balls and could easily have been had the Windies been a better side.
Lara's 213 included 200+ runs in a 300 odd run stand with Adams. This one saved his captaincy if not his career and gave his side a startling comeback win. Enough has been written about the 153 but it was Stokes/Perera style knock, a 4th chase epic that came down the final wicket. It involved Lara scoring 153 of the 213 runs remaining to win when he came to the crease.
In the final test he came to the crease at 2-20 and left at 3-136, having scored a lightning century off 82 balls with include 78 runs in boundaries. After all the mental and physical fatigue he must have been feeling to pull this type of knock off was something else. If he had gone off with it to ensure at least a draw it's fair to say this would have gone down along with Bradman's 1930 series IMO. As it stands it's still damn close.
Smith scored more runs, but Lara certainly brought his A+ game(despite missing out a few times) in what wasn't even a particularly high scoring series.
~
Smith came into the 2019 ashes under a dark cloud as well. Had he lost his touch since his ban? How would he handle the hostile chants of cheat every time he came out to bat? Could he help Australia finally win/retain the ashes in England for the first time since 2001?
He started proceedings with twin 140s to give his side a 1-0 lead. He then scored a gritty 92 and copped a concussion and nearly broken wrist doing so. Archer appeared to maybe have his number and a lot of people thought he had finally been find out or exposed as vulnerable to the short ball, until he then popped a double ton on return like it was nothing. Scored two more 80s after to really hammer the point home that he was out of Archer's class(for now)
He had Labuschagne offering a fair bit of help and even maybe taking some of the spotlight off due to his own interesting story(we're not gonna discuss Stokes) - but there was so much drama surrounding just Smith alone it's hard to argue it's not equally as memorable as Lara's vigil.
~
McGrath, Gillespie and Warne were great, great bowlers. England have some amazing bowlers at home too. It's fair to say it's hard to split these 2 performances and I'm abstaining from voting, but I'm curious what CW rates more.
