DoG's Top 100 Test Batsmen - The Top 25

[bagapath]

Think it's time (and probably past) that Headley made an appearance.

I have this strange feeling that headley is not on this list at all. the fourth remaining batsman, besides the don, sobers and hobbs, could actually be nasser hussein.

 

[Dan]

#4 Jack Hobbs
#3 Gary Sobers
#2 Don Bradman
#1 Steve Tikolo

 

[smash84]

 

[Slifer]

I've learned never to take nething that hypocrite/waste of space Colin Croft says seriously !!

 

[kyear2]

I've learned never to take nething that hypocrite/waste of space Colin Croft says seriously !!

Agreed. Don't even know why he was a part of West Indies cricket after his ban.

 

[Burgey]

I've learned never to take nething that hypocrite/waste of space Colin Croft says seriously !!

He was right. Up to that point Lara had sometimes gone missing. The 1999 series certainly put that to bed though.

 

[Slifer]

He was right. Up to that point Lara had sometimes gone missing. The 1999 series certainly put that to bed though.

Unless ur Don Bradman then as a batsman u cant b expected to perform all the time. In ne event, my major qualm was Colin Croft offering that type of opinion in the first place. Same guy who sold his soul to be an "honorary white".

 

[bagapath]

Unless ur Don Bradman then as a batsman u cant b expected to perform all the time. In ne event, my major qualm was Colin Croft offering that type of opinion in the first place. Same guy who sold his soul to be an "honorary white".

Obviously, I am anti-apartheid too. But I won't judge those rebel tourists so quickly. Playing cricket for money is a very honourable option compared to rotting in poverty and stealing food. We don't know how badly they needed the money. So lets not make them out to be the bad guys.

 

[Furball]

Obviously, I am anti-apartheid too. But I won't judge those rebel tourists so quickly. Playing cricket for money is a very honourable option compared to rotting in poverty and stealing food. We don't know how badly they needed the money. So lets not make them out to be the bad guys.

Surely that wouldn't apply to Croft?

 

[Furball]

Anyway, I'm going for Sobers, Hobbs, Headley, Bradman.

 

[uvelocity]

most of the spams i get lately begin with 'hello dear' or something like that. mayhaps i've found the author

 

[Days of Grace]

4. Jack Hobbs (England) (1908-1930)

Career Length (Days): 8263
Percentage of team's matches played: 67%
Career Average: 56.94
Adjusted career average: 57.56 (rank 5th)
Adjusted away average: 62.25 (rank 3rd)
Adjusted top-opposition average: 53.24
Top Tier centuries: 5
Second tier centuries: 3
Third tier centuries: 5
Significant innings: 25
Significant innings per match: 0.41

Great innings: 1
3rd Test: South Africa v England at Johannesburg, Feb 26-Mar 3, 1910 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo 15.66


Innings worth average: 3.97 (rank 6th)

25 Test peak adjusted average: 72.74 (1910-1924) (rank 9th)
50 Test peak adjusted average: 63.10 (1908-1928) (rank 8th)


Quality Points: 677 (rank 4th)
Career Points: 80
Peak Points: 173 (rank 2nd)
TOTAL POINTS: 930


The greatest opening batsmen of all-time and unquestionably the best before the Don, Sir Jack Hobbs was English batting for more than 20 years. What he would have averaged if not for the Great War which took away 7 years of his peak we will never know. What gets Hobbs as high as no.4 is his longevity, outstanding peak (the length of it being a key factor), and his sheer consistency. He may only have one great innings, but he has a very high significant innings per match count and an outstanding away average. The lack of great innings or double centuries perhaps gives credence to the speculation that Hobbs often gave it away after scoring a century. If he had the hunger for runs of a Lara or Bradman to go with his undoubted skill and consistency, then we would probably be looking at a clear no.2.

 

[bagapath]

Something terribly ****ed up with DoG's methodology. There is no ****ing way Headley can be ranked above John Berry Hobbs. No way!

 

[The Sean]

*sigh*

Headley's going to be number one, isn't he?

Note: the above sigh is in no way a reflection of your work DoG, which continues to be superb.

 

[Prince EWS]

Absolutely nothing wrong with Headley being rated highly. He's a bit of a tough one for various reasons but he's every bit as qualified for the #2 spot as the 10 or so other blokes with claims to the throne.

 

[smash84]

It might be that there is no Headley in the list and WG Grace to finish ahead of Sobers

 

[Pothas]

Something terribly ****ed up with DoG's methodology. There is no ****ing way Headley can be ranked above John Berry Hobbs. No way!

Needless post.

 

[The Sean]

Absolutely nothing wrong with Headley being rated highly. He's a bit of a tough one for various reasons but he's every bit as qualified for the #2 spot as the 10 or so other blokes with claims to the throne.

Yeah, I’ve just looked back through DoG’s original explanation of the calculations and I realised that Headley won’t be punished as much as I thought for his 49% matches played ratio. I’d thought that the lower the ratio (under the 75% cut off), the bigger the points reduction, but this isn’t the case. So any reduction will no doubt be compensated for by his 24-year career length.

His quality points, on the other hand, look like they are going to be immense – which is probably fair enough. His quality/innings ratio was unquestionably exceptional.

I still can’t fathom him ahead of Hobbs though.

 

[bagapath]

Is it going to be Pujara at 3?

 

[Prince EWS]

I still can’t fathom him ahead of Hobbs though.

Well there was barely a difference between them in this analysis, and DoG's has a great innings function - of which Hobbs only had 1 - so it makes perfect sense to me for Headley to essentially climb him based on that. I certainly don't think there's anything wrong with Headley being rated ahead of Hobbs at all. I think Hobbs gets a slight bonus in our minds, perhaps subconsciously, for doing it as an opener while most of the other really great batsmen did it at first or second drop.