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Imran averaged 24 away, same as Steyn, before he became more of a batsman. The fact that he had a better home record is a point in his favour and somewhat makes up for that marginally worse away record with a better home record. You are working backwards from "Imran's home record is too good, must discount that". Imran won his side matches with big hauls everywhere he played. If he had averaged 24 away in a James Anderson in Australia in 2021 manner, scarcely being a wicket taking threat then you'd have a point but he wasn't. His record in the West Indies is incredible even if it doesn't meet your arbitrary criteria of having a sub 24 average. In England he took a 10fer in the only positive result in '87 in a 5 test series that went 1-0, including a match where 700+ runs were scored in an innings. To not acknowledge Imran's record in England as extraordinary is shallow and the worst of analysis by checklist. Famous HTB Miandad murdered Hadlee in the same tests Imran played in NZ. There's literally no country where he wasn't great and he had an impact everywhere he played.
That's where you're deliberately missing my point.
I'm not anywhere saying discount Imran's home record, I'm saying take it into context, and you keep saying marginal difference between his home and away record, when it clearly not only isn't marginal, but the largest off all the bowlers he's being compared to and it's not close. So no he doesn't get extra credit for being that much better at home.
And again, my biggest point you're deliberately missing is that I've never said he wants a great bowler and amongst the greatest of all time. Imran was immense, even when I was naming a hypothetical short list or practice squad for an all time 11, that included 21 /22 players he was in it. Think the last spot was between him and Wasim and he had the advantage with the bat, though if I were going strictly as bowlers I may have gone with Wasim. This is no hated of Imran or saying he want great, it's an acknowledgment of what was, that everyone else tries to sweep under a carpet.
Since you love to troll and bring West Indian players into the (totally unrelated) argument because you obviously believe I'm anti Pakistani players, which I'm not even remotely. I love Headley, he had to carry a barely capable batting lineup on his own and against multiple on and off the field challenges, even locally. Many who saw him though he was just below Bradman and the equal of Hammond etc, he never got the exposure and opportunities the other two got and had comparatively long gaps between test matches.
But I can't place him in the top tier, he didn't get to face full strength touring teams and like Pollock 22 tests, even though his was over a longer period of time, just isn't quite enough to get him there.
Lara doesn't make my all time XI, even though I believe that at his best, he was better than anyone who ever played and he potentially brings more to a team with his above average catching and being a LHB, but he wasn't there often enough and Sachin has to be seen as the better of the two and best of the era.
Sobers though, I will defend and for me is the greatest cricketer ever, but that has more to do with the fact that he mastered two skills (one acknolwedgly, which I rate higher than most) and was very good at a third which gives him more value than just a batsman, but that's arguable.
But back to the point, you have to look at circumstance and context, which you are refusing to, just to make a point.
So 1, this isn't a witch hunt vs Imran and w, I do believe he's an all time great, if I had to place him off the top of my head, probably 8th all time, that's not slandering of discounting his greatness as a bowler at all.
Additionally, most players have instances when they played and wasn't test level. Marshall came into the team because of wsc if I recall correctly, Sobers started his career as a left arm spinner who batted at 8 or 9, of all his gifts and talents that was what he ended up being the absolute worst at.
And we can't discount the latter part of Imran's bowling career, because then we have to discount some of his best batting periods, which is used when discussing his overall batting average. I'm just saying that the great man had a complicated career, but he was a great man, let's just not omit some of the parts we don't like.
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