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Jimmy Anderson vs Ashwin

Better Bowler

  • Jimmy Anderson

    Votes: 24 50.0%
  • Ashwin

    Votes: 24 50.0%

  • Total voters
    48

Johan

International Captain
My favourite slow pitch spell from Jimmy is actually his 6/40 at Galle, that pitch was one of the most classical slow spinny day 1 pitches I've seen and English spinners ****ed it up and got taken to the cleaners, but Jimmy bowling 30 overs, giving only 40 runs and taking 6 wickets (5 proper bats) bowled Sri Lanka out under 400 which allowed Root to display a masterclass on how to play spin and allowed us to whitewash Sri Lanka.

Sensational spell, he didn't have the penetrative capabilities of Roberts or Macko but excellent in Asia regardless.
 

Randomfan

U19 Debutant
Out of home record:

Anderson: 82 tests - Avg 29.8 SR 64 8 5-fers
Ashwin : 41 tests - Avg 30.05 SR 62 8 5-fers

Great pacers have normally advantage in Avg and SR compared to great spinners, but away average & SR are in the same range for both. Both have 8 5-fers but Anderson played double the number of tests for the same number of 5-fers.

At home record:
Anderson: 106 tests - Avg 24.4 SR 52 24 5-fers [ 56% of career games ]
Ashwin : 65 tests - Avg 21.5 SR 46 29 5-fers [ 61% of career games at home ]



Away, there is no huge gap. At home Ashwin blows Anderson in all metrics( avg, SR , 5-fers rate )


Ashwin has 11 MOS in 106 tests. Anderson has 5 MOS in 188 tests. I think it does not capture only their bowling because Ashwin scored runs as well, but most of the MOS should have come due to his bowling. Some one can try to see series by series to isolate batting being a huge factor in any series and elimiate that. I am sure, Ashwin will have more than 5 MOS simply due to his bowling despite playing 106 tests versus 188 for Anderson. Ashwin was a huge factor in India being so dominating at home for so long.

I think Ashwin is closer to tier 1 spinners than Anderson to tier 1 pacers. Ashwin has poor avg in 2 venues out of all venues( Aus and SA). Top tier spinners Murali/Warne also had poor record in 2 venues. Not saying that Ashwin is in same class, but normally spinners are not going to have great record in all venues compared to pacers and yet Ashwin has same avg/SR and double the 5-fer rate playing away compared to Anderson.

I will go with Ashwin here. Not by much though.
 
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Johan

International Captain
Out of home record:

Anderson: 82 tests - Avg 29.8 SR 64 8 5-fers
Ashwin : 41 tests - Avg 30.05 SR 62 8 5-fers

Great pacers have normally advantage in Avg and SR compared to great spinners, but away average & SR are in the same range for both. Both have 8 5-fers but Anderson played double the number of tests for the same number of 5-fers.

At home record:
Anderson: 106 tests - Avg 24.4 SR 52 24 5-fers [ 56% of career games ]
Ashwin : 65 tests - Avg 21.5 SR 46 29 5-fers [ 61% of career games at home ]



Away, there is no huge gap. At home Ashwin blows Anderson in all metrics( avg, SR , 5-fers rate )


Ashwin has 11 MOS in 106 tests. Anderson has 5 MOS in 188 tests. I think it does not capture only their bowling because Ashwin scored runs as well, but most of the MOS should have come due to his bowling. Some one can try to see series by series to isolate batting being a huge factor in any series and elimiate that. I am sure, Ashwin will have more than 5 MOS simply due to his bowling despite playing 106 tests versus 188 for Anderson. Ashwin was a huge factor in India being so dominating at home for so long.

I think Ashwin is closer to tier 1 spinners than Anderson to tier 1 pacers. Ashwin has poor avg in 2 venues out of all venues( Aus and SA). Top tier spinners Murali/Warne also had poor record in 2 venues. Not saying that Ashwin is in same class, but normally spinners are not going to have great record in all venues compared to pacers and yet Ashwin has same avg/SR and double the 5-fer rate playing away compared to Anderson.

I will go with Ashwin here. Not by much though.
there are 15 ATG pacers to 3 ATG spinners in the history of this great sport, so Ashwin being closer to the top tier of spinners doesn't mean anything, someone like Lyon is closer to Warne than Anderson is to Marshall, doesn't mean anything. Ashwin and Anderson played 2010-2024, using your formula of top 5 sides by WL that you so eagerly apply on every single Pakistani pacer to ever exist.


Anderson: 149 @ 29.7
Ashwin: 72 @ 39.5

not to mention, 10 of Anderson's tests in Australia come in the flattest conditions ever (Ashes 2010 and 2017) and he got 41 @ 26.8, plus also bowled 5 games with broken ****ing ribs, with your logic/formula, Anderson has a clear advantage.
 

Randomfan

U19 Debutant
There isn't a huge gap because Ashwin pillaged SL and WI.

Ashwin has zero fifers in SENA.
Jimmy played 17 tests in SL/WI and Ashwin played 12. So more oppurtunity for Anderson to pillaged SL/WI. He was not able to do that.

In SENA, a pacer should have a better reccord than a spinner otherwise entire copmparison would have been lopsided. Ashwin not being penetrative enough in SENA is reflected in his lack of 5-fers in SENA and it counts as negative. Point was, both got friendly and unfriendly conditions away and yet Ahswin has doube the rate of 5-fers per tests when playing away. That counts as positve for Ashwin.

Over all gap is not big away, but home over all gap is a big one.
 

Johan

International Captain
In SENA, a pacer should have a better reccord than a spinner otherwise entire copmparison would have been lopsided. Ashwin not being penetrative enough in SENA is reflected in his lack of 5-fers in SENA and it counts as negative. Point was, both got friendly and unfriendly conditions away and yet Ahswin has doube the rate of 5-fers per tests when playing away. That counts as positve for Ashwin.
ok so Asia is friendly for spinners and SENA for pacers, so SENA should be treated as the test for spinners and Asia for pacers, during Ashwin's career:

Anderson in Asia: 80 @ 24.82.
Ashwin in SENA: 72 @ 39.55.

concede, Away from home isn't close.
 

Randomfan

U19 Debutant
there are 15 ATG pacers to 3 ATG spinners in the history of this great sport, so Ashwin being closer to the top tier of spinners doesn't mean anything,
About performance aginst top teams, top 4 sides during Anderson's career were Aus, Ind, SA and Eng by a wide margin and there is a big drop after that.

Top 4 teams.jpg



Anderson's record in test involving top 4 teams is not great:

1739632064348.png


Since SL and NZ are so close, you can go for top 6 test nations during Anderosn's career,

Anderson's record in tests involving top 6 test sides,

1739632251486.png



You can even take all test nations,

Anderson's output against all 8 test nations:

1739632811252.png


Anderson is averaging 28-29 ( home and away combined) in tests involving top 6 test nations. Anderson is aveaging 30 ( home and away combined) in tests involving top 4 test nations. Lack of quality by Anderson against top sides is clearly visible.

That's the main reason for Ashwin being closer to top tier spinner than Andetson being close to top tier pacers. It's not due to 3 ATG spinners Vs 15 ATG pacers. Ashwin is higher quaoity bowler than Anderson.

Performance against top sides are very good metric to judge anyone's class. Be it Pakistani pacers, Anderosn, Ashwin , Mcgrath or anyone else. How else we can judge anyone class , it can't be hey I stepped up against bottom tier or minnow teams. If you think it's not a good way to judge anyone, I am happy to hear counter arguments.
 

subshakerz

Hall of Fame Member
Jimmy played 17 tests in SL/WI and Ashwin played 12. So more oppurtunity for Anderson to pillaged SL/WI. He was not able to do that.

In SENA, a pacer should have a better reccord than a spinner otherwise entire copmparison would have been lopsided. Ashwin not being penetrative enough in SENA is reflected in his lack of 5-fers in SENA and it counts as negative. Point was, both got friendly and unfriendly conditions away and yet Ahswin has doube the rate of 5-fers per tests when playing away. That counts as positve for Ashwin.

Over all gap is not big away, but home over all gap is a big one.
Yeah but Anderson was superb in UAE and Pakistan and has matchwinning spells in India and SL.

Ashwin only has more fifers in spin conditions and WI. Outside that he is poor generally.
 

Johan

International Captain
About performance aginst top teams, top 4 sides during Anderson's career were Aus, Ind, SA and Eng by a wide margin and there is a big drop after that.

View attachment 45389



Anderson's record in test involving top 4 teams is not great:

View attachment 45390


Since SL and NZ are so close, you can go for top 6 test nations during Anderosn's career,

Anderson's record in tests involving top 6 test sides,

View attachment 45391



You can even take all test nations,

Anderson's output against all 8 test nations:

View attachment 45392


Anderson is averaging 28-29 ( home and away combined) in tests involving top 6 test nations. Anderson is aveaging 30 ( home and away combined) in tests involving top 4 test nations. Lack of quality by Anderson against top sides is clearly visible.

That's the main reason for Ashwin being closer to top tier spinner than Andetson being close to top tier pacers. It's not due to 3 ATG spinners Vs 15 ATG pacers. Ashwin is higher quaoity bowler than Anderson.

Performance against top sides are very good metric to judge anyone's class. Be it Pakistani pacers, Anderosn, Ashwin , Mcgrath or anyone else. How else we can judge anyone class , it can't be hey I stepped up against bottom tier or minnow teams. If you think it's not a good way to judge anyone, I am happy to hear counter arguments.
at home Ashwin is obviously better.

the discussion was away, and Anderson is clearly leagues ahead in Asia than Ashwin in SENA, Ashwin's advantages coming from West Indies where during Ashwin's career, Anderson averages 20.4.

if you concede Anderson is far better away I'll discuss their home records.
 

Randomfan

U19 Debutant
ok so Asia is friendly for spinners and SENA for pacers, so SENA should be treated as the test for spinners and Asia for pacers, during Ashwin's career:

Anderson in Asia: 80 @ 24.82.
Ashwin in SENA: 72 @ 39.55.

concede, Away from home isn't close.
Away from home means away from home. It includes friendly and unfrendly conditions.

You can surely say that Anderson was better in pacer's friendly conditions. You can also say that Ashwin was not great in SENA. All of that will be correct.

But away( whcih includes freindly and unfriendly both for Anderson), his avg of 30 with just 8 5-fers. That captures his away record. Same for Ashwin.
 

capt_Luffy

International Coach
at home Ashwin is obviously better.

the discussion was away, and Anderson is clearly leagues ahead in Asia than Ashwin in SENA, Ashwin's advantages coming from West Indies where during Ashwin's career, Anderson averages 20.4.

if you concede Anderson is far better away I'll discuss their home records.
Australia and SA
 

Randomfan

U19 Debutant
at home Ashwin is obviously better.

the discussion was away, and Anderson is clearly leagues ahead in Asia than Ashwin in SENA, Ashwin's advantages coming from West Indies where during Ashwin's career, Anderson averages 20.4.

if you concede Anderson is far better away I'll discuss their home records.
Disagree with the bold part. If you show it to anyone and say that one is pacer and one is spinner, no one will say that one is clearly leagues ahead. You can surely make a case of one being ahead though.

Out of home record:

Anderson: 82 tests - Avg 29.8 SR 64 8 5-fers
Ashwin : 41 tests - Avg 30.05 SR 62 8 5-fers
 

Johan

International Captain
Away from home means away from home. It includes friendly and unfrendly conditions.

You can surely say that Anderson was better in pacer's friendly conditions. You can also say that Ashwin was not great in SENA. All of that will be correct.

But away( whcih includes freindly and unfriendly both for Anderson), his avg of 30 with just 8 5-fers. That captures his away record. Same for Ashwin.
Anderson was better in tough away conditions for pacers aka Asia than any pacer in the last 10-15 years.


Ashwin averages 40 in SENA which is the Asia equivalent for spinners, there's no shame in conceding Anderson was a league ahead in conditions tough for his bowling
 

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