Slifer
International Captain
No it's not. They very rarely played at number 3. Smh.
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Best number 3 of all time?
- Thread starter Red
- Start date
shortpitched713
International Captain
Modern cricket number 4, without a doubt for Tests.
Fuller Pilch
Hall of Fame Member
Not always. Many openers have been the best batsmen in their teams. Sobers, S Waugh, and Clarke had times of being the best and being at 5, while Vettori was the best for 2-3 years and was at 8!
Immenso
International Vice-Captain
This is not the traditional thinking in NZ, though.
NZ is traditionally in the England-style thinking of having a 3rd-opener style player at 3, with the 'best' batsman more protected at 4. Because of the typical traditional (green) conditions.
Not always the case, though. Williamson and Fleming (in parts) and early Geoff Howarth are examples of NZ's best batsman at the time batting 3.
Actually, we just have such a terrible batting heritage that this trend is not easy to spot once you get to our test team ....
Slifer
International Captain
I respectfully disagree. I can only think of Gavaskar, Hobbs and Hutton who were the best among their teammates. Ditto number 5s like Waugh and Sobers.
For every Sobers there's a : Headley, Lara, Viv, Weekes
For a Waugh/Border: Don, Ricky, Smith, Chappell etc
Pakistan: Javed, Inzi, Younis, Babar
Etc etc
thierry henry
International Coach
There seem to be a lot of valid holes that you can poke in Williamson's record - is the fact that his success has been batting #3 in a team who typically had at least one poor opener a bit of a counterpoint?
Slifer
International Captain
No. Gooch wasn't better than Gower, Anwar wasn't better than Inzi and Cook wasn't better than Kevin.
The fact of the matter is, you look at most teams, their best tend to be middle order and particularly 3 and 4. Maybe that's because opening is inherently more difficult idk.
Nintendo
Cricketer Of The Year
Marnus>Viv
Red
The normal awards that everyone else has
Loooool
Adders
Cricketer Of The Year
Did you seriously just write that?
OverratedSanity
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Gooch was arguably the best batsman in the world at points let alone the best in his own team.
Slifer
International Captain
Yes I did. Gooch was the best batsman for England from the early 90s for maybe 5 years or so. Up until the end of the 80s Gower was better.
Gooch was clearly better than Gower towards the end of their careers, Anwar was certainly better in the 90's before average inflation occurred and from 2010-2014 Cook was streets ahead of Kev
I think it's more a case of he was never mentioned in the same terms as May and Compton - I bet if we had an "England players draft" Barrington would get picked before them.
Besides the issue of stylish batting, you can see why the older England fans in the 1980s (with a bias towards remembering Ashes Tests) would have happier memories of May and Compton, who played in the Ashes wins in 1953, 54/5, 56, than of Barrington, who played in the 5 series in the 60s, none of which England won. Although Barrington was clearly England's top batsman in those series, and has a far better average against Australia than May or Compton, you couldn't say "remember that great innings by Ken which won/retained us the Ashes?" He didn't even play a notable innings in any of the Tests which England won.