Battle of the Test Innings

[Dasa]

Tendulkar's innings would have to be something pretty special to be better than what Bradman called the best innings he'd ever seen, I'd say.

Bradman didn't call it the best he'd ever seen, he remarked that he wished he could bat like that.

 

[LongHopCassidy]

Still, he wasn't one for doling out gigantic compliments on a daily basis.

 

[Benny2k1]

Stan McCabe

 

[Jono]

Still, he wasn't one for doling out gigantic compliments on a daily basis.

True, but that doesn't justify altering quotes from the great man. Its like saying the Don claimed Sachin was as good as him, when instead he said he "is playing much the same I used to play by looking at him." Totally changes it doesn't it?

Obviously McCabe's knock was awesome, and for Bradman to claim he wished he could bat like that, it must have been something very special, but misquoting Bradman can mislead people to voting. And as you've indirectly pointed out, people can easily vote just because Bradman said one thing or another.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

My humblest apologies. It was an error and nothing more.

 

[Jono]

Not having a go Faaip, just saying people do follow the Don. He's almost like quoting God when it comes to cricket

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

7 tons and 2 double tons? Quite the run fest, and there is a difference between how flat a wicket is. There isn't just a standard "flat pitch" which all flat tracks come under, their are various levels, and to suggest this WACA wicket was as flat as a track with that amount of runs scored is a bit rich.

I'll vote Sachin.

Not necessarily. Keep in mind the quality of batsmen in the Ashes test. You could argue that Australia and England tests in the late 30s had the highest quality of batsmen ever assembled across two teams, or at least very close to it. Certainly England's lineup including Hutton, Edrich, Paynter, Hammond, Compton and Ames is absolutely phenomenal, and Australia had a few decent batsmen too. It's really impossible to say how flat the wicket was, but it's fair to say that there was at least something in the bowling or the pitch to reduce a team like that to 6/194, and McCabe making a run a minute double century under those circumstances is remarkable. I don't see anything in the bowling or the situation to make Tendulkar's innings comparable.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Not having a go Faaip, just saying people do follow the Don. He's almost like quoting God when it comes to cricket

Indeed, and I don't ascribe to the "Bradman said it, therefore it is true" school, I just mentioned it because well, he saw the game and we didn't.

 

[Autobahn]

I will go for McCabe simply because it was a live match as opposed to a dead match and obviously with much more on the line.

Couple of points though:

-The big scores in the McCabe game Wisden attributes to both sides having the wrong attacks i.e. very spin heavy, when the ball wasn't turning and stonewalling in Aus's second innings.

- Sachin's knock was a very good one considering he was facing the only real fast bowler of any quality (McDermott) in the test on what looks like the classic WACA trampoline.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Sachin.

 

[LongHopCassidy]

Voting closed. McCabe makes a big break in the home stretch to win 7-5.

Next up:

Allan Border 98* and 100* v West Indies, Port of Spain, 1984
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1983-84/AUS_IN_WI/AUS_WI_T2_16-21MAR1984.html

vs.

Garry Sobers 365* v Pakistan, Sabina Park, 1958
[URL="http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1950S/1957-58/PAK_IN_WI/PAK_WI_T3_26FEB-04MAR1958.html"]http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1950S/1957-58/PAK_IN_WI/PAK_WI_T3_26FEB-04MAR1958.html[/URL]

 

[Burpey]

Allan Border 98* and 100* v West Indies, Port of Spain, 1983

West Indies v Australia
Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad
16,17,18,20,21 March 1984 (5-day match)

Well done, Longers.



AB by the way.

 

[LongHopCassidy]

Ta. Edited.

 

[silentstriker]

Gotta go with Sobers.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Ab.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Have to go with AB, given the unbelievable quality of the opposition and the fact that he carried the team in both innings. Check out Fazal Mahmood's overs bowled in the Sobers game though... almost 100 for a seamer!

 

[Dasa]

Border.

 

[Jono]

Border, what a gun. Two brilliant knocks.

 

[marc71178]

It's rare to see a World record be overshadowed, but Pakistan were what, 2 front-liners down, and Border's pair of knocks were pretty much a single-handed draw-earner against one of the best sides of all time.

 

[bagapath]

Ab