Ahhhh
No.
The highlighted part is particularly egregious and is actually the inverse and actually quite accurate for the ranking poll.
First up there's no vote splitting for voting for a trio, you choose the 3 best options, factoring in everything btw, from all of the players to have ever played the game, who are best suited to form the attack.
The poll was started to prove mine was wrong, and that given a choice, most wouldn't choose the best three bowlers, but the best three batsmen among the bowlers. My guy finished last, but the top3 bolwers finished on top and it wasn't remotely close.
Of the 54 votes each received
Marshall - 51 (94%)
Next were
McGrath and Hadlee - 29 (54%)
&
Imran and Wasim - 17 (31%)
Note the separation only two players in the 20's and Imran reviving only a third of the vote and tied with Wasim for said 4th. He was closer to Ambrose in 6th than he was to 3rd. That's not votes being split, and quite definitive.
While the bowling trio poll was had a good sample size and votes definitive, while having a clear objective and definition ... The player rankings tended to be more haphazard, greater about of players factored in, and with no definition, some just turn it into a listing of all rounders, and yes, this is where the vote splitting occurs. Not to mention the massive gap between 2nd and 3rd.
The poll being referenced had only 24 participants, so you're starting with a much smaller sample size, which when added to point allocations, gives greater impact to a few disproportionate votes.
There were also much more persons nominated, especially considering the far smaller vote count.
So with all of that being said...
Oh, and if you're wondering why didn't the persons who voted him 3rd (or better), also not vote for him in the blowing trio thread? No need to wonder, they all did.
Of the 24 participants, how many actually ranked Imran 3rd or higher?
Seven (7).
One person voted him 2nd, no prizes for guessing who.
Six voted him 3rd, again no need for guesses.
Out of 24 votes, only 7 persons voted him into the position he ended up, btw that's what vote splitting looks like.(Similar to the Cricinfo votes after 2nd)
So again, if the majority of the forum thought he was top 3 (which apparently they don't), they would have also voted him into the top trio.
Think about it, it's like having the best possible group of players available for your club team and saying Timmy is easily the 3rd best, but he's not making the team?
Subz loves to maintain that Wisden's only allowed on all-rounder, with zero evidence mind you. The truth is that none of us has a clue how they came to their conclusions.
Yes Imran was a top 10 bowler and really good lower order batsman, not arguing that in the slightest, but in the end shouldn't we be ranking them on what they were primarily selected to do? It's at least arguable.