Dudley Nourse vs Hashim Amla

[harsh.ag]

A good old fashioned player comparison.

Who do you think is the better batsman? Who would you pick for the South Africa ATG XI? Who do you think was more rounded? Who do you think wore a beard better?

Nourse's stats

Amla's stats

 

[StephenZA]

With the way Amla is going... probably Nourse over Amla. However in the ATG SAXI there is space for both. I can't say at the moment because if Amla picks up again...?

 

[harsh.ag]

With the way Amla is going... probably Nourse over Amla. However in the ATG SAXI there is space for both. I can't say at the moment because if Amla picks up again...?

Really? Kallis, Pollock, ABdV are locks, no? That leaves one spot.

Edit: Oh unless ABdV is the keeper. Yeah.

 

[oblongballs]

Amla...by miles. It isn't even a comparison tbh. Amla has had to play good swing bowling, some decent pace, some very good spin and done so in more matches, in more condition and against more sides. A lot of the SA team post ban would make an all time XI.

 

[SeamUp]

Dudley Nourse at this stage is a lock.

Hash & AB are very very close.

Nourse was our first truly great batsman (We had Aubrey, Herby and Bruce come before him & Bruce play a bit with him like Melville/E.Rowan/Waite/McGlew etc but he took batting to a new excellence of when a test average of 40+ wasn't enough and took to 50 and beyond.

Wisden on Dudley Nourse : Wisden - Dudley Nourse

Article on Nourse's greatness : Blogs: Stuart Wark: Let us now praise Dudley Nourse | Cricket Blogs | ESPNcricinfo

 

[Himannv]

Really? Kallis, Pollock, ABdV are locks, no? That leaves one spot.

Edit: Oh unless ABdV is the keeper. Yeah.

Yeah ABdV might only be able to make it as a keeper anyway. Unless you plan on dropping Faulkner and playing Lindsay, Cameron, Waite or Boucher as the keeper.

01. Barry Richards
02. Graeme Smith
03. Jacques Kallis
04. Graeme Pollock
05. Dudley Nourse
06. AB de Villiers+
07. Aubrey Faulkner
08. Shaun Pollock
09. Mike Proctor
10. Dale Steyn
11. Allan Donald

 

[StephenZA]

Really? Kallis, Pollock, ABdV are locks, no? That leaves one spot.

Edit: Oh unless ABdV is the keeper. Yeah.

I probably would not play ABDV as keeper, Waite is the best keeper. But we also don't need 5000+ allrounders. Half the team are all rounders!. Do they really need Proctor/Faulkner/Pollock and Kallis? I`ve always been one those that drops Faulkner/Pollock But at the same time I was also a person who wanted Amla in the team before ABdV. Don't know about that now. And also could Amla have been an opener and would he be a better pick than Smith?

 

[ankitj]

Nourse because Amla never made a double hundred with a broken thumb.

 

[weldone]

Interesting comparison, and a close one. I'll reserve my judgement till Amla's retirement.

 

[fredfertang]

Nourse never had a gentle workout. He only ever played against England and Australia so he shades it for me

 

[Gob]

Hash

 

[jimmy101]

Amla...by miles. It isn't even a comparison tbh. Amla has had to play good swing bowling, some decent pace, some very good spin and done so in more matches, in more condition and against more sides. A lot of the SA team post ban would make an all time XI.

What makes you think Nourse didn't play quality bowling? Also, the whole fact that Amla has played more matches doesn't really mean anything when you consider the international calendar has mushroomed inexorably since Nourse's era.

 

[DriveClub]

Amla the better player against spin so amla. More versatile and dynamic

 

[Starfighter]

Amla the better player against spin

Not sure how you figure that. Nourse scored a double against O'Reilly and Grimmett, a better spin attack than any Amla ever faced.

Amla...by miles. It isn't even a comparison tbh. Amla has had to play good swing bowling, some decent pace, some very good spin and done so in more matches, in more condition and against more sides. A lot of the SA team post ban would make an all time XI.

Lindwall and Miller were better than any pace bowler Amla has played, and Bill Johnston wasn't to shabby either. All better swing bowlers than anyone today except maybe Anderson in England (Steyn plays on the same team, he doesn't count). And while England was weaker Alec Bedser was a very fine bowler as well. Also see above.

 

[weldone]

Lindwall and Miller were better than any pace bowler Amla has played

McGrath

 

[Coronis]

McGrath

Amla never played against McGrath.

 

[S.Kennedy]

For Nourse, he would've faced Hedley Verity also as well as Hammond's medium-fast; he probably faced Bill Bowes also. Australia had Grimmett and O' Reilly during this era. Bedser and Laker who Nourse would've faced after the war were yet to reach their peak when Nourse was winding down his career.

 

[Victor Ian]

Love these threads where I gain admiration for another player I hardly knew anything about.

 

[bagapath]

Dudley by half a milli meter.

 

[ankitj]

Not sure how you figure that. Nourse scored a double against O'Reilly and Grimmett, a better spin attack than any Amla ever faced.


Lindwall and Miller were better than any pace bowler Amla has played, and Bill Johnston wasn't to shabby either. All better swing bowlers than anyone today except maybe Anderson in England (Steyn plays on the same team, he doesn't count). And while England was weaker Alec Bedser was a very fine bowler as well. Also see above.

Why isn't Nourse rated higher? He isn't even considered in the tier below the gold tier. Certainly deserves to be mentioned alongside Dravid, Miandad, 3Ws etc.