Greatest batting/bowling styles in the world.

[Langeveldt]

Spin - Shane Warne, Brad Hogg
Pace - Allan Donald, Dale Steyn, Fidel Edwards, Lasith Malinga
Batting - Herschelle Gibbs, Mark Boucher

 

[Richard]

Shivnarine Chanderpaul's batting style fascinates me. I like individuality. I don't think it is particularly ugly a some people say, beauty's in the eye of the beholder. It has a kind of grace, the shuffle across, the footwork, the bat coming down all in one fluid movement, making breaking all the rules of batting look effortless.

Chanderpaul is indeed a fascinating one, though to me for different reasons to you. What I love about Chanderpaul is the way he's basically two completely polarised batsmen. One who's in second gear, the other in fifth, sometimes even seventh or eighth which most batsmen have no power to get into.

And he will often swap between the two in a second's notice. I don't think even he decides which one at which time, it's just a question of which mood takes him.

 

[andyc]

Agree with some others about McGrath and the pure simplicity and ease of his action. No excess strain, just did what was needed to get the ball there. Also agree with others about Brett Lee as well, just a nice rhythmic approach to the wicket, and if I could relearn to bowl I'd probably try to learn from his action.

 

[garypleavin]

Batting:
1) Sachin Tendulkar
2) Michael Vaughan
3) Stephen Fleming
4) Aravinda De Silva
5) Brian Lara

Bowling:
1) Glenn McGrath
2) Shane Warne
3) Allan Donald
4) Wasim Akram
5) Waqar Younis

 

[silentstriker]

Spin Bowling? Ramesh Powar
Fast Bowling? Brett Lee
Batting? Jacques Kallis

Thought it was for current players only.

All time:

Spin bowling: Bishan Bedi
Fast Bowling: Glenn McGrath & Michael Holding (beautiful in different ways)
Batting: Boycott, Gavaskar

 

[Goughy]

Personally, battingwise, I love the butchers.

Those that you could imagine when faced with an opponent shouting "En Garde" and waving an epee, kick them in the balls and put a cleaver through the skull.

Im not overly interested in the artistry and classicness (is that a word?) but in improvisation, fight and nastiness.

For my own enjoyment, Id take watching Richards (V), Zulu and Gilchrist.

Someone like a Gower is, to me, annoying as hell. Loose and you want to slap him to reign in the airy fairy stuff.

Bowlingwise, Im a little different. I like the explosive classic quicks and that is characterised to me in Donald and Lee. I also loved Waqar bending that ball at good pace.

 

[Langeveldt]

Can't stand Chanderpaul's batting, actually makes me want to change channels when he's batting.. Horrific

 

[Woodster]

My favourites are :

Batting : Michael Vaughan, Kumar Sangakkara, Carl Hooper, Mark Waugh, Sachin Tendulkar amongst others

Spin : Shane Warne, Virender Sehwag, MSP.

Seam/Swing : Michael Holding, Brett Lee, Allan Donald, Winston Benjamin, Ian Botham

 

[Julian87]

Pace Bowling: Wasim Akram, Terry Alderman and Alan Donald.
Spin Bowling: Shane Warne and Brad Young.
Batting: Mark Waugh, Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara.

 

[Julian87]

And I agree with Goughy, as much as I admire the technique of aforementioned players, I too, like the aggressors.

Gilchrist and Klusener are the first to pop into my mind. But on their day, I always enjoyed watching Chris Cairns, John Davidon (albeit terribly inconsistent) and Craig mcMillan bat. I can't wait to see Brad Haddin play a lot of international cricket as well, because he is naturally and aggressor.

 

[pasag]

Those that you could imagine when faced with an opponent shouting "En Garde" and waving an epee, kick them in the balls and put a cleaver through the skull.

Enjoy both types immensely tbh.

 

[Jono]

Yeah I think most fans can appreciate most, and those that can't deny themselves a part of the game (whichever it be) which makes cricket so great.

But Goughy seems to suggest its either black or white, which is false. Someone like Sangakkara is technically very attractive, yet can dominate attacks, and often does. Tendulkar in his pomp fits this description as well, and Vaughan too. They're hardly grafters or people that are 'airy fairy', but at the same time are great on the eye.

 

[bagapath]

players i have seen extensively

battting: brian lara
fast bowling: wasim akram
spin bowling: shane warne

players i have seen in old footage

batting: garfield sobers
fast bowling: dennis lillee
spin bowling: bishan singh bedi

players i would love to see (from what i have read)

batting: denis compton
fast bowling: ray lindwall
spin bowling: bill o reilly

 

[vic_orthdox]

Used to love watching Chris Cairns bat.

 

[NZTailender]

Used to love watching Chris Cairns bat.

Yeah agreed. He was the reason I got into cricket, both his batting and bowling I loved to watch.

Personal favourites:

Bowling: Cairns, Bond, Lee, D. Fleming, Gough, McGrath, Hooper (always fascinated me. Used to replicate it at school).

Batting: Slater, Bevan, Vincent (when in form), I. Bell, Cairns, Sangakkara, Katich, Tendulkar, Ul-Haq.

 

[Richard]

Ul-Haq.

Misbah? ITSTL.

 

[Richard]

Pace Bowling: Wasim Akram, Terry Alderman and Alan Donald.
Spin Bowling: Shane Warne and Brad Young.
Batting: Mark Waugh, Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara.

Brad Young, ITSTL. Only thing I've ever seen him do is rearrange some ad-hoardings, dislocating about 3 joints in the process.

Be good to see him bowl sometime.

 

[Burgey]

From the "purity"/ asthetics of their /technique/ action/ style:

Fast bowlers: Hadlee, Lillee, Holding, Donald, Lee.
Spinners: Warne, Kumble, Bedi.
Batsmen: Laxman, Tendulkar, M Waugh, G Chappell, Vaughan, Vengsarkar, Rowe, Gower.
Keepers: Healy, Knott.

 

[subshakerz]

For batting, it has to be either Lara or Richards. For fast bowling, its Akram easily, and for spin its Warne. When these guys were firing, it felt as if you were watching cricket from another planet.

 

[Dan]

I am going to keep this to reasonably current players, I don't date back far enough to remember anything pre-2000, although my knowledge is growing...

BATTING

Pull - Ponting, easily

Cover Drive - Hussey's is a thing of beauty

Sweep - Hayden (albeit he got out from it yesterday)

Reverse Sweep - Heard a lot about Jonty Rhodes, so he gets an honourable mention, otherwise Hussey again

Power Batting - Chris Cairns, Matty Hayden and Andrew Symonds, Lance Kluesner

Facing Spinners - Michael Clarke

Overall - Bradman obviously, Gower, Slater, Martyn, M Waugh, and Langer seemed somewhat appealing when in form, in addition to all mentioned above.

BOWLING

Pace - Donald, Lindwall (from what I've read), Lillee, Lee, McGrath, Bracken, Hadlee, Akram

Spin - Warne, Vettori, Chawla from what I saw yesterday, Panesar. (I hate Harbhajan's action, looks to dodgy and cluttered for me)

WICKETKEEPING

Technically - Healy, Boucher, Knott, Tallon

Visually (spectacular catches/stumpings) - Gilchrist, Healy, Boucher