The Best you have seen

[honestbharani]

Simple premise. Just list the top 3 batsmen, fast bowlers, spinners, wicket-keepers and fielders you have seen in your lifetime. Obviously, I would weigh test cricket at 80% and LO stuff at 20% but if others wanna give different weightages to the formats, that is fine too. Just state from when you started watching/following cricket seriously and your weightages for the formats, as you share your rating. I will go first -

Started watching/following cricket seriously - 1990
Format Weights - 80% tests 20% LO

Batsmen -

1. Lara
2. Sachin
3. Smith


Fast Bowlers -

1. Ambrose
2. Steyn
3. McGrath


Spinners -

1. Murali
2. Warne
3. Ashwin


Wicket-keepers -

1. Gilchrist
2. MSD
3. Pant/Rizwan (??)


Fielders -

1. Jonty
2. Ponting
3.. Hooper

 

[andruid]

Started watching/following cricket seriously - Early 2000s
Format Weights - 40% tests 20% ODIs 40% T20is

Batsmen -

1. Brian Lara
2. Sachin Tendulkar
3. Jacques Kallis


Fast Bowlers -

1. Glenn McGrath
2. Dale Steyn
3. James Anderson


Spinners -

1. Muttiah Muralidaran
2. Shane Warne
3. Anil Kumble


Wicket-keepers -

1. Adam Gilchrist
2. Kumar Sangakkarra
3. Mark Boucher


Fielders -

1. Temba Bavuma
2. Herschelle Gibbs
3. Collins Obuya

 

[govinda indian fan]

Started to watch cricket from 2007
Best batsmen
Sachin tendulkar
Steve smith
Virat kohli (all format)

Best fast bowlers
Dale styen
Jimmy anderson
Jasprit bumarh

Best spinners
Murali
Swann
Ashwin

Best wicket keepers
Adam Gilchrist
Kumar sangakkara
Ms dhoni/rishabh pant

Best fielders
Jadeja
Symonds
Abd

 

[Burgey]

Started following seriously 1977

Format weighting - tests 80%, combined LO 20%
Listings not in any particular order unless stated

Batsmen
Tendulkar
Smith
Lara

Quicks
McGrath
Hadlee
Marshall

Spinners
Murali
Warne
Bedi

Fielders
Ponting
Symonds
Harper

Keepers
Gilchrist
Knott
Healy

I found it hardest to rank the quicks tbh. A lot of guns to choose from there, with the likes of Akram, Ambrose, Garner, Bumrah, Cummins, Imran, Lillee, Steyn all exceptional.

Spinners were relatively easy, though Kumble very unlucky as was His Roundness, who I rated very highly. Ashwin too.

Keepers kind of picked themselves for me, though Pant is excellent, as was Wasim Bari.

Lot of gun batsmen in my time watching - if I went back to when I was a really young kid I would have had Sobers but happily don't have to leave any of the three I picked out. I think those three are just a smallish but discernable cut above the rest I've watched since I got serious about the game, even though others might be more enteratining or have almost comparable records.

 

[Burgey]

Also HB, this is a good thread, so you know...

 

[subshakerz]

Since mid 90s

Best Bat:
Sachin
S. Smith
Lara

Best Fast Bowlers:
McGrath
Steyn
Ambrose

Best Spinners:
Warne
Murali
Lyon

 

[OverratedSanity]

Batsmen:
Lara
Sachin
Smith

Pace bowlers:
McGrath
Steyn
Ambrose

Spinners:
Murali
Warne
Ashwin

Wicketkeepers :
Gilchrist
Watling
Sangakkara

Fielders (ground fielding):
Jonty
Ponting
Symonds

Fielders (slips):
Hooper
M Waugh
Jayawardene

Criteria: 75/25 to tests/odis. Mostly considered skill level rather than just career quality.

 

[sledger]

Not going to get into any great detail here, but I (along with Pothas) was lucky enough to be at Lords for the first day of the 2005 Ashes.

The most memorable aspect of the day by far, predictably, was McGrath running through England in the afternoon.

Ordinarily teenage me would have been annoyed and pissed off at seeing the team I was supporting getting absolutely trounced. But in the back of my mind I could almost hear myself saying to myself the words "You are watching first-hand one of the absolute best ever, performing at close to his absolute best", and I realised this is probably something that very few people are ever lucky enough to get to say/see.

I doubt I will ever experience anything quite like it again.

 

[govinda indian fan]

Started following seriously 1977

Format weighting - tests 80%, combined LO 20%
Listings not in any particular order unless stated

Batsmen
Tendulkar
Smith
Lara

Quicks
McGrath
Hadlee
Marshall

Spinners
Murali
Warne
Bedi

Fielders
Ponting
Symonds
Harper

Keepers
Gilchrist
Knott
Healy

I found it hardest to rank the quicks tbh. A lot of guns to choose from there, with the likes of Akram, Ambrose, Garner, Bumrah, Cummins, Imran, Lillee, Steyn all exceptional.

Spinners were relatively easy, though Kumble very unlucky as was His Roundness, who I rated very highly. Ashwin too.

Keepers kind of picked themselves for me, though Pant is excellent, as was Wasim Bari.

Lot of gun batsmen in my time watching - if I went back to when I was a really young kid I would have had Sobers but happily don't have to leave any of the three I picked out. I think those three are just a smallish but discernable cut above the rest I've watched since I got serious about the game, even though others might be more enteratining or have almost comparable records.

Seems like you have seen many great batters curious how do would rate rohan kanahi gr vishwanth zaheer abass and david gower who were stylish yet underated

 

[govinda indian fan]

Not going to get into any great detail here, but I (along with Pothas) was lucky enough to be at Lords for the first day of the 2005 Ashes.

The most memorable aspect of the day by far, predictably, was McGrath running through England in the afternoon.

Ordinarily teenage me would have been annoyed and pissed off at seeing the team I was supporting getting absolutely trounced. But in the back of my mind I could almost hear myself saying to myself the words "You are watching first-hand one of the absolute best ever, performing at close to his absolute best", and I realised this is probably something that very few people are ever lucky enough to get to say/see.

I doubt I will ever experience anything quite like it again.

Wow you were lucky to witness such a great series

 

[govinda indian fan]

Started to watch cricket from 2007
Best batsmen
Sachin tendulkar
Steve smith
Virat kohli (all format)
Best fast bowlers
Dale styen
Jimmy anderson
Jasprit bumarh
Best spinners
Murali
Swann
Ashwin
Best wicket keepers
Adam Gilchrist
Kumar sangakkara
Ms dhoni/risabh pant
Best fielders
Jadeja
Symonds
Abd

What happend bro @OverratedSanity you didnt like my list

 

[social]

The thing that most impressed me about McGrath when watching him at the ground was how much bounce he got compared to other bowlers

Virtually every ball from McGrath seemed to hit up near the splice whereas Gillespie and Lee were skidding on

 

[OverratedSanity]

What happend bro @OverratedSanity you didnt like my list

Bro I don't know if I like the list or not . I literally can't read it because of that abominable formatting.

 

[sledger]

Wow you were lucky to witness such a great series

The clearest other memory I have of that day is Ian Bell playing one of the nicest looking cover drives I have ever seen (but only getting two runs for it) shortly before getting out. Sums up his entire career in some ways.

 

[govinda indian fan]

Best slip catchers i have seen root kallis taylor and rahane(against spin)

 

[govinda indian fan]

Bro I don't know if I like the list or not . I literally can't read it because of that abominable formatting.

Sorry bro

 

[Burgey]

Seems like you have seen many great batters curious how do would rate rohan kanahi gr vishwanth zaheer abass and david gower who were stylish yet underated

I didn't see much of Kanhai really - I started seriously watching cricket not long after he retired, and keeping in mind there no one really got overseas cricket back then. Vishy I had a soft spot for, he used to take on the bowling and stand up to the quicks and did it well over here, which was a fair effort given the guys he faced. Zaheer was quality, probably had a bigger impact in LO from my perspective as a kid in Australia back then rather than tests. Gower was a great watch, he's the guy out of those you mentioned who I saw the most of. I always feared him a bit as an Australian supporter - was capable of making big scores. Was a briliant player to watch Probably the most elegant left hander I think I've seen tbh.

 

[Burgey]

The thing that most impressed me about McGrath when watching him at the ground was how much bounce he got compared to other bowlers

Virtually every ball from McGrath seemed to hit up near the splice whereas Gillespie and Lee were skidding on

Cummins does this a lot too. Even on flat decks. Makes them so hard to face.

 

[govinda indian fan]

I didn't see much of Kanhai really - I started seriously watching cricket not long after he retired, and keeping in mind there no one really got overseas cricket back then. Vishy I had a soft spot for, he used to take on the bowling and stand up to the quicks. Zaheer was quality, probably had a bigger impact in LO from my perspective as a kid in Australia back then rather than tests. Gower was a great watch, he's the guy out of those you mentioned who I saw the most of. I always feared him a bit as an Australian supporter - was capable of making big scores. Was a briliant player to watch Probably the most elegant left hander I think I've seen tbh.

Thank you sir for your replay great to hear from older cricket enthusiasts who have seen golden era of 70s and 80s my late father was great fan of gower used speak quite highly about him

 

[Burgey]

from older cricket enthusiasts

Oh you'll fit right in here