Alastair Cook vs Graeme Smith

[capt_Luffy]

OFC home is more important than some random country. It becomes increasingly less reliable as a better measure of quality the more you prune from it. It's just sample size and number of opponents that make it more reliable.

Nobody is claiming that Smith was good in RSA. With or without excluding any of his record. But nor were the oprning contemporaries from other countries he gets compared to. 34 is the highest average any of them had. Comparing averages without context makes Smith look better than he actually was at home relative to them.

Without going into which bowlers were better at home, what reason is there for your 'Warne better away' logic not applying to Smith?

Warne was overall still Great at home, like ATG great. That's not a good comp and you know that.

 

[capt_Luffy]

Even accounting for home conditions, really?

Yes.

 

[Prince EWS]

Why is Graeme Smith rated this much higher that Alastair Cook, if I may ask?

Batting.

 

[Bolo.]

Luffy does have Smith above Cook, but Cook has advantage even away from Home in Australia and India. Smith's advantage is in New Zealand and England, it depends what you value more I guess, but Cook vs Smith away isn't the run away Victory one that Warne vs Ashwin away is.

I'm speaking more about Sehwag and Hayden here. Hardly anyone rates Cook above Smith.

These country breakdowns don't work in the way you are suggesting for Smith/Cook. Even if ignoring the vastly superior record that Smith has in RSA, Eng, and NZ, they still have fairly comparable records elsewhere. Country breakdowns are never going to work for an opener averaging 55 away who was at least decent everywhere. I reckon Cook may have had a rougher ride away, and maybe the numbers shouldn't be taken at face value. If this is true, I doubt it's by the degree their averages suggest.

 

[Bolo.]

Warne was overall still Great at home, like ATG great. That's not a good comp and you know that.

Applying the same principles to different players is a good way of comparing. We don't need to be comparing players of the same quality for this to be true. Either we count away records more, or we don't.

 

[BazBall21]

Smith

 

[Johan]

I'm speaking more about Sehwag and Hayden here. Hardly anyone rates Cook above Smith.

These country breakdowns don't work in the way you are suggesting for Smith/Cook. Even if ignoring the vastly superior record that Smith has in RSA, Eng, and NZ, they still have fairly comparable records elsewhere. Country breakdowns are never going to work for an opener averaging 55 away who was at least decent everywhere. I reckon Cook may have had a rougher ride away, and maybe the numbers shouldn't be taken at face value. If this is true, I doubt it's by the degree their averages suggest.

RSA isn't generally fair as a comparision point, Cook was facing an ATG attack in foreign land, at most you can say Smith was better in Cook's home than Cook was in Smith's, regardless when home numbers are compared Cook's output in England is actually vastly superior to Smith's output in South Africa. Cook's numbers are vastly superior in Australia and India by the way. so that's three points in Cook's favour already. Smith averages 55 away sure but I don't think that can be taken at face value either.

 

[capt_Luffy]

Applying the same principles to different players is a good way of comparing. We don't need to be comparing players of the same quality for this to be true. Either we count away records more, or we don't.

That's a strange hill imo. I think we should count home/away record around equally; probably 55-45 for away and home split.

 

[trundler]

Smith is perennially overrated but still better here

 

[BazBall21]

Hayden
Smith
Cook
Sehwag

 

[sayon basak]

Hayden
Smith
Cook
Sehwag

@shortpitched713 is this ranking okay?