DoG's Top 100 Test Batsmen Countdown Thread

[ankitj]

Update

Did some rankings change? It will be good to probably finish the countdown without changing the rankings. Changes can be re-published at a later stage. Just a suggestion

 

[OverratedSanity]

Who is the better bowler in your opinion? Shane Bond or Makaya Ntini.
For me, Bond is the better bowler despite Ntini being more accomplished.

In the comparison we're talking about its more analogous to Shane Bond vs Curtly Ambrose

 

[Days of Grace]

Did some rankings change? It will be good to probably finish the countdown without changing the rankings. Changes can be re-published at a later stage. Just a suggestion

There are test series going on at the moment so yes, some rankings will change. I highly doubt the current standings of the top 30 will be affected though.

 

[h_hurricane]

One that I firmly disagree with being that high. Also Sehwag over Hayden is another I don't agree with.

Still, it's mostly turned out roughly how one would expect.

Sehwag above Hayden wouldn't be a shocker by any means. If you would rate Gavaskar and Hayden in the same class, were would you rate Sehwag ? The gulf between Gavaskar and Hayden/Sehwag is a lot more than one between Hayden and Sehwag (regardless of who among these two you consider better).

 

[Bolo.]

Considering how many different measures are used, the ratings track career average surprisingly closely.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Solid all round numbers for Inzi there. Surprisingly high quality opposition average considering his poor records against SA and Aus, probably because he scored some superb hundreds against Walsh/Ambrose in the 90s?

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Wouldn't mind seeing a comparison between their home & away records actually.

Allah had a better first chance average

 

[ataraxia]

Got 31 and 30 correct, nice. Not sure who's next. Nourse or Sehwag?

 

[Migara]

Here is the country wise record for a spinner and a pace bowler. You can judge for yourself who is more condition reliant.

Spinner

Aus - 28.57
Eng - 42.37
Ind - 20.98
NZ - 85.66
SA - 25.66
SL - 28.76
WI - 25.55

Macho man

Aus - 23.73
Eng - 20.56
NZ - 22.50
Pak - 101.00
SL - 35.66
WI - played,no wickets,not good enough to have an average
Ind - not good enough to play,escaped hammering

And a minnow

 

[Migara]

Was Carl Hooper the last one to rock those type of helmets? Or was it Sanath Jayasuriya?

Aravinda de Silva IIRC.

 

[pardus]

Solid all round numbers for Inzi there. Surprisingly high quality opposition average considering his poor records against SA and Aus, probably because he scored some superb hundreds against Walsh/Ambrose in the 90s?

Inzi scored 2 hundreds against Walsh/Ambrose, first in 93 and then in 97. I watched Inzi's 1993 series live on TV. To my eyes Inzi didn't look that great in that series. He just didn't look comfortable against the short ball.
Perhaps my expectations were very high since Imran hyped Inzi a lot those years (frequently told Inzi was the best player of pace he had seen since young Viv Richards).
Basit Ali - another Pakistani batsman - looked very very good against Walsh/Ambrose in that 1993 Test series. Sadly his career just frittered away.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

And let's not forget that at one point Graeme Smith was the best spinner in Africa; something Sehwag was not for his respective continent.

 

[Days of Grace]

No.29

Dudley Nourse (South Africa) 801

Quality Points: 762
Career Points: 39

Career/Runs: 1935-1951, 2960 (rank 149)

Overall average/Runs per innings/Strike-rate: 52.91 (53.81) 46.94 (47.74) 49.86 (42.69) (rank 15)
50 Innings Peak Average/Runs per innings/Strike-rate (1935-1951): 62.02 54.58 50.61 (rank 35)
Non-Home Average/Runs per innings/Strike-rate: 45.05 43.17 51.72 (rank 58)
Quality Opposition Average/Runs per innings/Strike-rate: 52.47 47.47 51.66 (rank 14)

A superb South African middle-order batsman, Dudley Nourse's career, like those of Headley, Hutton, Hammond and Compton, was sadly interrupted by the Second World War. Playing for a weak team and against such luminaries as O'Reilly, Grimmett and Bedser, he averaged over 45 in every statistical measure and over 50 against quality opposition, one of only 20 batsmen in this countdown to do so. He still commands a place in South Africa's ATXI middle order, almost 70 years after he finished playing.

 

[Coronis]

A player who at a closer look, is clearly overlooked amongst his contemporaries and later SA batsmen. Might have to rethink my SA XI.

 

[trundler]

Dat quality opposition average tho. Legend.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Can't have been more than 15-20 tests though, can it? Great numbers nonetheless.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

34 tests

 

[OverratedSanity]

34 tests

I meant against quality opposition

 

[ankitj]

Very pleased to see Nourse getting ranked in top 30. True legend. Once score a double hundred with a broken hand.

 

[ataraxia]

Nourse is incredibly underrated. Definite ATG.