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Jacques Kallis vs Dale Steyn

Who is the greater test cricketer


  • Total voters
    32

kyear2

International Coach
Steyn was (definitely) the better specialist and imo the better match winner.

Steyn for me
 

subshakerz

Hall of Fame Member
Top tier fast bowlers are better than Kallis the all-rounder.

Steyn was the best bowler in the world for like 7-8 years. Kallis was never the best bat of his era.
 

shortpitched713

International Captain
Kallis either just makes, or at the very least is closer to making a modern best XI, for mine. Don't necessarily know if that's the best way to pick between the two, but in such tomfoolery comparisons it's the most I've got.
 

Bolo.

International Captain
Top tier fast bowlers are better than Kallis the all-rounder.

Steyn was the best bowler in the world for like 7-8 years. Kallis was never the best bat of his era.
Your underrating of Kallis' batting aside, he was the best AR in the world for a lot longer than 7-8 years, and ARs are inherently better.

This doesn't actually mean Kallis was better, because it's an inherently flawed way of judging a player. But Kallis was better.
 

subshakerz

Hall of Fame Member
Your underrating of Kallis' batting aside, he was the best AR in the world for a lot longer than 7-8 years, and ARs are inherently better.

This doesn't actually mean Kallis was better, because it's an inherently flawed way of judging a player. But Kallis was better.
No they aren't. Returns on primary specialisation level for ATGs generally matters more unless your secondary skills are good enough to be a specialist bat or bowler.

Steyn is a top tier fast bowler, the best of his era, and he is a level above Kallis the bat who to me wasn't in the top 20 bats of all-time.

Kallis' bowling skills are overrated, he wasn't good enough to be selected as a bowler alone in most teams based on his output.

The value of Steyn's extra bowling quality outweighs any perceived benefits of Kallis' bowling.
 

Bolo.

International Captain
No they aren't. Returns on primary specialisation level for ATGs generally matters more unless your secondary skills are good enough to be a specialist bat or bowler.

Steyn is a top tier fast bowler, the best of his era, and he is a level above Kallis the bat who to me wasn't in the top 20 bats of all-time.

Kallis' bowling skills are overrated, he wasn't good enough to be selected as a bowler alone in most teams based on his output.

The value of Steyn's extra bowling quality outweighs any perceived benefits of Kallis' bowling.
They are definitionally superior. An AR can be better than a specialist in both disciplines. A specialist can only be better in 1.

Stick 4 of the best ARs in a team together and you probably have an ATG team (unless heavily favouring batting ARs). Stick 4 stupid good specialists in and you might end up pretty close to RSA a few years ago, or India in the 2000s.

The fact that a specialist can be better than an AR is not relevant to the argument you are making about number 1s.
 

subshakerz

Hall of Fame Member
They are definitionally superior. An AR can be better than a specialist in both disciplines. A specialist can only be better in 1.

Stick 4 of the best ARs in a team together and you probably have an ATG team (unless heavily favouring batting ARs). Stick 4 stupid good specialists in and you might end up pretty close to RSA a few years ago, or India in the 2000s.

The fact that a specialist can be better than an AR is not relevant to the argument you are making about number 1s.
No, they aren't. It's a about overall value you give to the side. Would you rate Miller ahead of Tendulkar as a cricketer?

In the case of Kallis vs Steyn, he isn't better in his main discipline, and their level of difference overrides his bowling ability.
 

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