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Richard Hadlee vs Imran Khan

Who is the better test bowler?


  • Total voters
    29

kyear2

International Coach
The better allrounder is the better cricketer. Otherwise it's a meaningless term.
We can cordially agree to disagree.

And it kinda is.

I believe one of the original definitions was being able to make the team with bat and ball.

Now many players have ever met that, off the top of my head, 6?
 

subshakerz

Hall of Fame Member
We can cordially agree to disagree.

And it kinda is.

I believe one of the original definitions was being able to make the team with bat and ball.

Now many players have ever met that, off the top of my head, 6?
All-rounder to me is just a distinction to separate certain cricketers in a separate category and then we judge them as we normally would. I don't think balanced = better.

So Hadlee > Botham as an AR. But Imran > Hadlee.

Anything else is confusion IMO.
 

subshakerz

Hall of Fame Member
The gap between Imran and Hadlee as bowlers is not a wide as most here would assume though, once you take Imran's early start and late career pure bat phase into context.

I actually think 1990 onwards series with bat and ball shouldn't be considered in Imran's career in these discussions since they downgrade his bowling and upgrade his batting in a misleading way.
 
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ataraxia

International Coach
I believe one of the original definitions was being able to make the team with bat and ball.

Now many players have ever met that, off the top of my head, 6?
It's obviously a stupid definition but there's more than 6.

Noble*
Faulkner
Kelleway*
Miller
Gomez*
Goddard
Sobers
Procter*
Rice
Botham
Imran
Hadlee*
Cairns
Flintoff*
Shakib
Jadeja (in the last 8 years)*

* for those that are particularly questionable
 

capt_Luffy

Cricketer Of The Year
It's obviously a stupid definition but there's more than 6.

Noble*
Faulkner
Kelleway*
Miller
Gomez*
Goddard
Sobers
Procter*
Rice
Botham
Imran
Hadlee*
Cairns
Flintoff*
Shakib
Jadeja (in the last 8 years)*

* for those that are particularly questionable
Noble is definitely not questionable. He had an average of 40 is FC and by far was seen as a leading Aussie bat of his time.
 

ataraxia

International Coach
Noble is definitely not questionable. He had an average of 40 is FC and by far was seen as a leading Aussie bat of his time.
Oh, that was to do with his bowling. But I guess immediately pre-war Australia was almost as high-scoring as post-war periods.
 

shortpitched713

International Captain
Imran and Miller are my equal greatest "all-rounders" for balanced excellence in both disciplines.

But Hadlee is just about my first pick on an all-time team.
 

kyear2

International Coach
Imran and Miller are my equal greatest "all-rounders" for balanced excellence in both disciplines.

But Hadlee is just about my first pick on an all-time team.
Imran and Miller averaged 37 with the bat, that wasn't excellence.

Hadlee isn't my no. 1 selection for an all time team, but I can see where if he's making the team, can easily be a top 5 one.

But of these two, if I were to chose only one for an average test team, it's Hadlee. He's the better bowler and that's the primary discipline for which he's selected.
 

kyear2

International Coach
It's a specialist level average, being carried by one of your top bowlers. There's never been excellence like that.
How many wickets per match did he produced?

Sobers for example provided more top end brilliance and versatility than he did.
 

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