Greatest cricketers since 1980

[vic_orthdox]

Gilchrist was awesome for the greater part of the decade than Ponting? Not with the bat.

 

[vcs]

Not better than Ponting purely as a batsman but his wicket-keeping, the balance he gave Australia (as he was effectively their allrounder), his explosiveness and captaincy when called upon. Also, he usually came up big on the big occasions (WC and other tournament finals, and several occasions when Australia needed something from the lower order in Test matches).

Obviously, Murali and Kallis are also extremely close, but given the success Australia had over the decade, you'd be hard-pressed to give it to anyone but an Australian and I think Gilchrist has a very good claim. And so do McGrath and Hayden TBF.

 

[Furball]

Not better than Ponting purely as a batsman but his wicket-keeping, the balance he gave Australia (as he was effectively their allrounder), his explosiveness and captaincy when called upon. Also, he usually came up big on the big occasions (WC and other tournament finals, and several occasions when Australia needed something from the lower order in Test matches).

Obviously, Murali and Kallis are also extremely close, but given the success Australia had over the decade, you'd be hard-pressed to give it to anyone but an Australian and I think Gilchrist has a very good claim. And so do McGrath and Hayden TBF.

Not a great comparison. Obviously if Gilchrist blasts a run-a-ball ton when you're 150/5 then it's phenominally useful, but Ponting, by batting at 3, comes in when the side doesn't particularly need "rescued."

Also ignores innings like Ponting's innings at Old Trafford in 2005, which single-handedly kept the series alive.

 

[vcs]

Don't get me wrong, Ponting certainly contributed more purely as a batsman. But having Gilchrist to come in at number 7 certainly gave the top order a sense of freedom. And yeah, Gilchrist did blast some big runs in "easy" looking situations (say 250/5) but that is like effectively delivering a knockout blow to the opposition that might have sniffed a chance against any other batting lineup. It happened countless times that Australia lost 2-3 quick wickets after the top 3 batsmen had given a good start, only for Gilchrist to come in and completely snuff out any hope for the bowling team within a session.

Also, Gilchrist was capable of scoring runs from scratch as his one-day exploits proved. As an overall cricketer, I certainly think his value to that Australian team was pretty close to Ponting.

 

[smash84]

Agreed with Ikki

The reason I didn't put Murali in Level 1 is because I don't think as a whole cricketer he was as good as McGrath or Gilchrist. Gilchrist I rate in the pantheon of great cricketers. He practically revolutionised his position and is one of the few dead certs in an all-time great XI. McGrath I rate simply because I don't think any fast bowler will have his record, or play long enough to have it - or have a record as good as his if they played as long - and is one of the bright spots in what hasn't been the best era for fast bowling. I think I rate his intangibles also, in that it's largely due to characters like his and Warne that we were #1 for so long. I think Ponting is well-placed and is only easily outshined by the top 3 in my list of my players. His all-time great batting, his all-time great fielding and his record breaking captaincy puts him on a higher plane than Murali IMO, obviously. I think if there wasn't a Warne who did what he did, at least to the same degree, then he'd be up there. But already having Warne, with all his other qualities I guess makes me rate him less. It would be like having an equivalent to Gilchrist.

WRT to Chappell, I just think he played too little cricket. Gavaskar suffers worse because his record is not very good post 1980.

I think the neutral choice, in terms of what most people would agree to being the greatest cricketer post 1980, would be Imran. His captaincy, bowling, even batting towards the end...and in general how he made Pakistan a force is hard to beat. The only reason I have Warne above him is because I saw much more of him (his whole career practically) and am convinced he is the greatest match-winner of all-time - however I may seem to define that.

I didn't really think about it a lot, I'm sure there are players I could swap around if I thought about it more.

Very well written. Considering the fact that Warne is called as the best captain Australia never had he definitely warrants a name somewhere near the top of the list for influencing the great aussie team of the 90s and 00s. And although I am trying to be neutral (which I think I am not) I would again agree with you for Imran as the best cricketer from 1980s onwards for the sheer impact of his game and personality on shaping Pakistan cricket. He was the reason that cricket became popular among the females in Pakistan as well ......Being a Pakistani I would rate him higher than Warne......cant say for sure with neutrality.

 

[bagapath]

would like to upgrade kallis to tier 1.

 

[smash84]

would like to upgrade kallis to tier 1.

Greatest cricketer since 1980. This should have been a poll. In fact I am thinking of making one