Exciting batsmen

[Richard]

Presently I wouldn't call Shahid Afridi a batsman; 18 months ago, yes, but not at the moment.
A point was made that fast-scoring isn't the sole denotation of "entertainment", and it most certainly isn't - I don't find Flintoff, Gilchrist or Hayden in the least entertaining because I put far more value on style than speed.
However, the question excitement is a little better phrased. For me, if I'm going to watch the ball hammered round the park (in the first 15 overs of a ODI, I add, not especially any other time) I like to see it done by any of the following with just about equal:
Jayasuriya, Kaluwitharana, Afridi, Ganguly, Sehwag, Gayle, Gilchrist, Gibbs. I used to love Neil Johnson too - sadly I haven't seen him since 2001 - and of course Saeed Anwar.
And if any decent bowlers get a mauling - forget it. Excitement gone for me. Unless they've bowled absolutely terribly.

 

[Eclipse]

And if any decent bowlers get a mauling - forget it. Excitement gone for me. Unless they've bowled absolutely terribly.

Dont you like to see a good battle between a good agressive batsman and a good fast bowler??

So long as the batsman is playing good proper cricket shots I dont see what your problem is. I have seen Tendulkar take Akram apart once or twice with just fantastic shots and there was nothing wrong with the bowling. Same with Ponting Vs Shoaib Akhtar or Brian Lara vs Shane Warne.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Dont you like to see a good battle between a good agressive batsman and a good fast bowler??

So long as the batsman is playing good proper cricket shots I dont see what your problem is. I have seen Tendulkar take Akram apart once or twice with just fantastic shots and there was nothing wrong with the bowling. Same with Ponting Vs Shoaib Akhtar or Brian Lara vs Shane Warne.

I agree with every word.

And I believe this may be a first time, too

 

[Richard]

Dont you like to see a good battle between a good agressive batsman and a good fast bowler??

So long as the batsman is playing good proper cricket shots I dont see what your problem is. I have seen Tendulkar take Akram apart once or twice with just fantastic shots and there was nothing wrong with the bowling. Same with Ponting Vs Shoaib Akhtar or Brian Lara vs Shane Warne.

What you've just described isn't a battle - it's one player taking another apart. I don't find that in the least enthusing, no matter what the reputation of the participants was. If someone gets taken apart, they haven't bowled well enough on the day, even if on another day how they bowled would probably have been OK.
I love to see a good battle, which is a good defensive batsman resisting a sustained spell of accurate, probing bowling eg Atherton did many times, to the like of Donald, Ambrose, Saqlain Mushtaq etc. And he made massive contributions to critical victories in these passages, too. Another such example was Gary Kirsten and Neil McKenzie in the recent home series.
But I don't get any enjoyment from seeing a batsman take a bowler apart.

 

[Tom Halsey]

What you've just described isn't a battle - it's one player taking another apart. I don't find that in the least enthusing, no matter what the reputation of the participants was. If someone gets taken apart, they haven't bowled well enough on the day, even if on another day how they bowled would probably have been OK.
I love to see a good battle, which is a good defensive batsman resisting a sustained spell of accurate, probing bowling eg Atherton did many times, to the like of Donald, Ambrose, Saqlain Mushtaq etc. And he made massive contributions to critical victories in these passages, too. Another such example was Gary Kirsten and Neil McKenzie in the recent home series.
But I don't get any enjoyment from seeing a batsman take a bowler apart.

Personally I love seeing McGrath or Warne being smashed around, it is so darn rare (and I hate to admit it )

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Flavour of the week: Chris Gayle.

 

[Richard]

Personally I love seeing McGrath or Warne being smashed around, it is so darn rare (and I hate to admit it )

Oh, I love seeing McGrath hammered around, if I like the batsmen. But if it started happening too often the enjoyment would go out of it. It's especially good if Lee's going round the park at the other end.
Like in WC2003 when Knight and Trescothick had one of their Aussie-bashing sessions that they excelled in better than some. I was only listening to the radio there, but I revelled in every ball.
But it still wasn't a battle. It was Tres and Knightie hammering some rubbish bowling and some perfectly decent bowling from two bowlers I like seeing get hammered. Lee, I'll never tire of, McGrath had just taken 7-15 off 7 so it wasn't like he couldn't afford it.

 

[Craig]

I would loved to have watched Viv Richards, Barry Richards, Greame Pollock, Don Bradman, Garry Sobers, Jack Hobbs (quite one the games most extrondary batsmen), George Headley etc.

Actually I'm jealous of LE who got to watch Pollock, Viv, Sobers and some of the greats from 1965 onwards.

 

[bennyr]

Personally I love seeing McGrath or Warne being smashed around

Watching Glenn McGrath get smashed around is funny. He does not handle it at all well.


Viv Richards was just awesome. Most exciting I've ever seen, but these days, I'll take Brian Lara. I may enjoy watching Ponting or Gilchrist a bit more (I am an Aussie), but for pure exciting batting - Lara.

 

[THE MINGSTER]

Chris Cairns is the biggest hitter.

 

[Craig]

Step number one in how to wind up a fast bowler: Hit him around the park.

I can never work it out for the life of mine is when a batsmen hits a fast bowler for four they bowl a bouncer. IMO that is very predictable and will likely to get hit again.

 

[Eclipse]

you obviously arent a fast bowler Craig.

 

[Craig]

Agression of one, but not the pace.

I'm fairly short tempered so I suit that of a quicck bowler.

 

[Eclipse]

I was never very fast so I cant speak on the fast bowlers behalf but I think it's just a common thing they all have.

 

[age_master]

Gilly for mine too - just look at the Strike rates - Lara would be my 2nd choice - preferably when hes playing someone other than Australia though

 

[marc71178]

Style > S/R IMO.

 

[Gaijin-san]

Style > S/R IMO.

If the batsman is truly good it's a package deal.
I think Abdul Razzaq should make that list the way he's been playing lately, he'd knock Afridi's socks off. In the last 3 matches he's made 123 runs off 53 balls at an average of 123, strike rate 227.7.
He comes in with a few overs to go and just belts the crap out of the ball.

 

[Tim]

As one of the few that has seen Razzaq bat in the last couple of ODI's, he's been a man on a mission. As a fielder I would be absolutely sh*t scared if I was in close..basically every ball he was middling the bat.

 

[Gaijin-san]

It's good if you can get the consistency of Razzaq at the moment, but ****, he barely takes 20 balls to turn a good score into an unbeatable score.

 

[Tim]

The in-experience of the NZ bowlers & their lack of pace hasn't helped, but some of his shots have been unbelievable. He really is in golden form with the bat at the moment.