Best in the world title belt history

[Athlai]

The Big Dog Roman Reigns

 

[Dan]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICC_Player_Rankings#Year_end_top_ranked_players_in_Test_Cricket

 

[S.Kennedy]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICC_Player_Rankings#Year_end_top_ranked_players_in_Test_Cricket

Much like the test team rankings, it all gets a bit mad and back-and-forth during the modern era - more so in the batting.

 

[Starfighter]

Sobers was ridiculously dominant in his era.

 

[Athlai]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICC_Player_Rankings#Year_end_top_ranked_players_in_Test_Cricket

Post WWII (arbitrarily focusing on dominant player runs, and if they had two years in a row I effectively extend it until its broken by the next bloke with two in a row unless theres multiple years where they aren't at the top)


Bradman (1933-1947)
Len Hutton (1948-54)
Peter May (1955-1958)
Garry Sobers (1959-1974)
Viv Richards (1975-1977)
Sunil Gavaskar (1978-1979)
Viv Richards (1980-1982)
Clive Lloyd (1983-1984)
No clear champion (1985-1988)
Richie Richardson (1989-1990)
Graham Gooch (1991-1993)
Sachin Tendulkar / Brian Lara as co-champs (1994-1995)
Steve Waugh (1996-1997)
Sachin Tendulkar / Brian Lara as co-champs (1998-2002)
Ricky Ponting (2003-2006)
Kumar Sangakkara (2007-2012)
AB de Villiers (2013-2014)
Steve Smith (2015-present

 

[morgieb]

Lara basically had 2 good series and a tendency to make one big score and not much else during the 96-03 period, don’t think he was Tendulkar’s equal during that time even if he was equal to him overall.

EDIT: disregard that, realised that was based on the player ratings rather than consensus.

 

[S.Kennedy]

1985-88, Border, Viv (comeback), Vengsarkar then Miandad.

 

[Slifer]

Lara basically had 2 good series and a tendency to make one big score and not much else during the 96-03 period, don’t think he was Tendulkar’s equal during that time even if he was equal to him overall.

EDIT: disregard that, realised that was based on the player ratings rather than consensus.

What are you on?? Lara had way more than two "good" series between 96 and 03. At home to India 350+ at 48, home to Oz 99, home to Oz 03, away to SL 01, away to RSA 03, home to Eng 98 etc. Unless I'm mistaken a good series for a batsman means averaging over 40. I understand you're probably a SRT kinda guy and yeah he was more consistent than BCL but u can make that point without the fallacies.

 

[OverratedSanity]

What are you on?? Lara had way more than two "good" series between 96 and 03. At home to India 350+ at 48, home to Oz 99, home to Oz 03, away to SL 01, away to RSA 03, home to Eng 98 etc. Unless I'm mistaken a good series for a batsman means averaging over 40. I understand you're probably a SRT kinda guy and yeah he was more consistent than BCL but u can make that point without the fallacies.

He's rIght if it's 96-01. If I'm not mistaken between two ATG series performances in 99 vs Australia and in 01 in sl, Lara had a very dry patch.

 

[Slifer]

He's rIght if it's 96-01. If I'm not mistaken between two ATG series performances in 99 vs Australia and in 01 in sl, Lara had a very dry patch.

He said 96 to 03 firstly. Secondly, in that time Lara was in a slump yes but he still had more than 2 series where he averaged 40+ which as far as i know is considered "good" for a batman.

 

[morgieb]

He said 96 to 03 firstly. Secondly, in that time Lara was in a slump yes but he still had more than 2 series where he averaged 40+ which as far as i know is considered "good" for a batman.

FTR 96 to 03 I mean between the 96 and 2003 World Cup's. The Australia and South Africa series was after that date. Perhaps 96 to 02 would've been more accurate.

The "two series" thing wasn't completely meant to be taken literally. But IIRC he averaged something like 36 in that period when you take out the two ATG series I referred to, which isn't particularly good at all even back then.

And I'm a bigger Lara fan than a Tendulkar one, so...

 

[Slifer]

FTR 96 to 03 I mean between the 96 and 2003 World Cup's. The Australia and South Africa series was after that date. Perhaps 96 to 02 would've been more accurate.

The "two series" thing wasn't completely meant to be taken literally. But IIRC he averaged something like 36 in that period when you take out the two ATG series I referred to, which isn't particularly good at all even back then.

And I'm a bigger Lara fan than a Tendulkar one, so...

Oh well sorry for overreacting

 

[Coronis]

Oh well sorry for overreacting

Its ok its just the internet. Anyhow a "good" series is all relative to the batsman/bowler in question. I wouldn't call Bodyline a good series for Bradman but anybody else would love to average 50+ in a series.

 

[stephen]

The bowler question is much harder. Obviously Steyn dominates the 2007-2014 period but the 90s has arguments for a dozen bowlers -Warne, McGrath, Ambrose, Wasim, Waqar, Donald, Pollock, Murali all were probably the best at one stage.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

1985-88, Border, Viv (comeback), Vengsarkar then Miandad.

Throw Crowe in there too - 1986/7 season.

 

[AndrewB]

For comparison, here's the player who spent most days ranked #1 for each year (from 1902 onwards):

1902-1904: Clem Hill
1905: Stanley Jackson
1906-1909: Clem Hill
1910: Jack Hobbs
1911: Aubrey Faulkner
1912-1922: Jack Hobbs
1923: Herbie Taylor
1924-1927: Jack Hobbs
1928-1930: Herbert Sutcliffe
1931-1948: Don Bradman
1949: Denis Compton
1950: Dudley Nourse
1951-1954: Len Hutton
1955: Clyde Walcott
1956-1959: Peter May
1960-1964: Gary Sobers
1965: Ken Barrington
1966-1968: Gary Sobers
1969: Bill Lawry
1970: Graeme Pollock
1971-1973: Gary Sobers
1974: Glenn Turner
1975: Gundappa Viswanath
1976: Greg Chappell
1977-1978: Viv Richards
1979: Sunil Gavaskar
1980-1983: Viv Richards
1984-1985: Allan Border
1986: Viv Richards
1987: Gordon Greenidge
1988: Dilip Vengsarkar
1989-1990: Javed Miandad
1991-1993: Graham Gooch
1994-1995: Brian Lara
1996-1997: Steve Waugh
1998: Sachin Tendulkar
1999: Brian Lara
2000-2001: Sachin Tendulkar
2002: Adam Gilchrist
2003: Matthew Hayden
2004: Rahul Dravid
2005: Jacques Kallis
2006-2007: Ricky Ponting
2008: Shiv Chanderpaul
2009: Kumar Sangakkara
2010: Virender Sehwag
2011: Jacques Kallis
2012: Kumar Sangakkara
2013: Hashim Amla
2014: AB de Villiers
2015: Kumar Sangakkara
2016-2017: Steve Smith

Note that some players (Richie Richardson (378 days), Doug Walters (324), Everton Weekes (265), Neil Harvey (216) and David Gower (198)) spent longer at #1 in total than some of the players listed above.

 

[S.Kennedy]

I'd almost be tempted to have Viv from 1976 to 1988.

 

[jimmy101]

Cool thread. You could also even have tag-team titles for opening bowling combinations.

 

[Zinzan]

For comparison, here's the player who spent most days ranked #1 for each year (from 1902 onwards):

1902-1904: Clem Hill
1905: Stanley Jackson
1906-1909: Clem Hill
1910: Jack Hobbs
1911: Aubrey Faulkner
1912-1922: Jack Hobbs
1923: Herbie Taylor
1924-1927: Jack Hobbs
1928-1930: Herbert Sutcliffe
1931-1948: Don Bradman
1949: Denis Compton
1950: Dudley Nourse
1951-1954: Len Hutton
1955: Clyde Walcott
1956-1959: Peter May
1960-1964: Gary Sobers
1965: Ken Barrington
1966-1968: Gary Sobers
1969: Bill Lawry
1970: Graeme Pollock
1971-1973: Gary Sobers
1974: Glenn Turner
1975: Gundappa Viswanath
1976: Greg Chappell
1977-1978: Viv Richards
1979: Sunil Gavaskar
1980-1983: Viv Richards
1984-1985: Allan Border
1986: Viv Richards
1987: Gordon Greenidge
1988: Dilip Vengsarkar
1989-1990: Javed Miandad
1991-1993: Graham Gooch
1994-1995: Brian Lara
1996-1997: Steve Waugh
1998: Sachin Tendulkar
1999: Brian Lara
2000-2001: Sachin Tendulkar
2002: Adam Gilchrist
2003: Matthew Hayden
2004: Rahul Dravid
2005: Jacques Kallis
2006-2007: Ricky Ponting
2008: Shiv Chanderpaul
2009: Kumar Sangakkara
2010: Virender Sehwag
2011: Jacques Kallis
2012: Kumar Sangakkara
2013: Hashim Amla
2014: AB de Villiers
2015: Kumar Sangakkara
2016-2017: Steve Smith

Note that some players (Richie Richardson (378 days), Doug Walters (324), Everton Weekes (265), Neil Harvey (216) and David Gower (198)) spent longer at #1 in total than some of the players listed above.

Good effort that, even though if you consider quality of opposition Crowe should have made it for his 2 tons along with a match-winning 80 odd in NZ's drawn 3 Test series against the champion Windies of 86/87.

Also, interesting to see only Sangakkara and Viv, If i'm reading correctly are the only 2 bats since the 70s to have featured 3 separate years.

 

[Zinzan]

Anybody want to have a crack at the title of the best bowler by year, even if it's from 1970 onwards? Might have a crack later myself.