2nd best batsman ever

[harsh.ag]

Grace by a distance. Ridiculous poll.

 

[Gowza]

Tough call between Hobbs, Tendulkar, Viv, Sobers and Barry Richards. Graeme pollock couldn't be far off either.

 

[G.I.Joe]

There's always one..

He's got a point.

Kohli really needs to be added to the poll options for the benefit of those who don't consider him the automatic #1 of all time.

 

[Howe_zat]

Conniving attempt to split the Hutton vote with two poll options

Hutton ftr #congs

 

[Pratters]

Chris Gayle. I saw him as a kid. What a memorable childhood. Good old days.

 

[Geoffboycott]

2nd greatest ever is don bradman. Greatest in Jack Hobbs. Greatest 2 batsman since 1970 are 1.geoffrey boycott 2. Sunil Gavaskar

 

[Prince EWS]

My answer to this changes depending on precisely what the question is ('second best batsman' or 'second best Test batsman') and how I'm feeling at the time, but to me it's either Grace, Hobbs, Sobers or Tendulkar.

 

[fredfertang]

He's only played 4 tests though

Your point being?

 

[watson]

From 1958 to 1968 Sobers scored 4821 runs at an average of 73.04. That's OK, but he was also able to entertain and pulverise an attack at the same time. Marginally better than the other greats listed IMO.

 

[Mr Singh123]

Your point being?

How can he be seen as the 2nd best batsmen if he's only played 4 tests? Cant judge a player after 4 tests, he needed to play many more matches to even be considered as a good batsmen let alone 2nd best to the Don

 

[The Battlers Prince]

How can he be seen as the 2nd best batsmen if he's only played 4 tests? Cant judge a player after 4 tests, he needed to play many more matches to even be considered as a good batsmen let alone 2nd best to the Don

It's not as though he never played any other matches. Barry Richards hit the ball with such ease its hard to imagine many better honestly.

I'm not particularly sold on anyone as next behind Bradman, similar list of greats as other people really

 

[fredfertang]

Youth is, as they say, wasted on the young. You clearly never saw Richards bat, as you wouldn't come up with such nonsense if you had.

 

[viriya]

I can't believe Lara doesn't have a single vote.

Also, are we just focusing on Tests here?

 

[Red]

Sobers for mine, but as Fred says, sooo many good judges rate Barry Richards the second best of all time that it's hard to ignore. His record in the Supertests gives a bit of an indication of how good he was.

Graham Pollock worth a shout too. Few more chances at test level than Barry Richards and showed he was clearly in the very top tier of all time batsmen. Read a quote from him the other day where he said something like - sure I was disappointed I didn't get a longer test career, but with what was happening in SA at the time we shouldn't have been allowed to participate in world sport - so clearly a good guy too.

Such a shame both those guys didn't play 50+ tests each.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

(Just realised I listed Hutton twice not sure how to change it to Headly)

You also misspelt Greg Chappell as Sangakkara.

 

[Hurricane]

From 1958 to 1968 Sobers scored 4821 runs at an average of 73.04. That's OK, but he was also able to entertain and pulverise an attack at the same time. Marginally better than the other greats listed IMO.

great post.

I voted for him purely because they said in that rest of the world match his boundaries kept rebounding off the fence ten metres back on to field, No one does that today.
Plus six sixes.

I met the man who was hit for six sixes (Malcom Nash I think iirc) it ruined his life and he walked around with a scowl on his face that read "don't ask me about that over". It truly ruined his life. It didn't need to - but he let it ruin it.

 

[The Sean]

great post.

I voted for him purely because they said in that rest of the world match his boundaries kept rebounding off the fence ten metres back on to field, No one does that today.
Plus six sixes.

I met the man who was hit for six sixes (Malcom Nash I think iirc) it ruined his life and he walked around with a scowl on his face that read "don't ask me about that over". It truly ruined his life. It didn't need to - but he let it ruin it.

Having that happen would destroy any bowler for life. I mean, look at Stuart Broad now - total hack.

 

[Hurricane]

Having that happen would destroy any bowler for life. I mean, look at Stuart Broad now - total hack.

Yeah I was thinking of Stuart when I made my post.

(Not sure if you are agreeing or disagreeing with my post by the way - which is a good thing - keeps me guessing)

I would suggest that because his effort happened during some slog fest it was soon "forgotten". Nash's six sixes are legendary. I learned about them as a 7 year old. Most 7 year olds would not know about Stuart's over.

 

[The Sean]

Yeah I was thinking of Stuart when I made my post.

(Not sure if you are agreeing or disagreeing with my post by the way - which is a good thing - keeps me guessing)

I would suggest that because his effort happened during some slog fest it was soon "forgotten". Nash's six sixes are legendary. I learned about them as a 7 year old. Most 7 year olds would not know about Stuart's over.

Yeah for sure, Sobers is definitely the most celebrated one from my point of view. Shastri and Gibbs have done it too as well as Yuvraj, but none of the others are as famous as Sobers’ effort.

That being said, ask someone younger than me and/or in a different part of the world, and they may see it completely differently.

 

[Chrish]

Some accounts mention that Bradman didn't like facing intimidating pace bowling. This is not particularly in regards to bodyline series. A number of English players and commentators noted Bradman's discomfort in playing the short, rising delivery during his 232 in Oval in 1930 series, Larwood mentioned:

"Our sole object was in curbing Bradman because we'd had this experience in 1930 with him; he absolutely murdered us. I think I had one for about 134 at Leeds, something like that. But the wickets rolled very, very slow, terrible slow, and the last time we played at The Oval, there was some rain got on the wicket and the ball was flying about, and I saw Bradman flinching. And I went to Jackson, at the other end, he played like a hero, (a big friend of mine, Archie was) but we all thought that Bradman was flinching. Well we thought, you may disagree, but we thought his leg-side attacking was very open to it. So we thought we'd all give it a go when we were out here, and we were successful with it. And then after we found out that other people were the same, one or two of them, so we kept at it."

Bradman being windy against quality pace bowling: myth or there is some truth in it?

This is a genuine question.