Greatest West Indian Batsman

[Ikki]

Yeah and they didnt beat ne one else. And for that matter the series they won vs India was also a one off test and they beat pakistan 1 nil when Pakistan were in position in the 2nd test to win etc. In ne event i just realised sumthing, I rate Viv as the best west Indies batsman anyway and quite easily at that.

Yes, but Zimbabwe didn't have anyone on their level to beat either than the those they did. NZ, Pakistan and India were roughly even and would beat one another.

And I rate Viv also, but easily the best? Why so?

 

[neobuxadmin]

Brian Lara because I seen only few players from the list and from that few Lara is the best.

 

[MrIncredible]

Yes, but Zimbabwe didn't have anyone on their level to beat either than the those they did. NZ, Pakistan and India were roughly even and would beat one another.

And I rate Viv also, but easily the best? Why so?

ok then how do u explain Pakistan also beating Aust, Eng and WI the 3 established teams. And India beat all the above teams as well (during Sobers' time) in atleast one test.

As for Viv maybe easily is an exaggeration. But he's above Lara for sure and shades it vs Sobers.

 

[MrIncredible]

Welcome to CW. If you read the forum archives you will discover many more gems.

Thanks. I think I'll do just that.

 

[GuyFromLancs]

I've gone for Sobers in this list. I don't usually comment on players before my era of watching the game but from what I have seen and heard he had all the gifts in the world, the magical high backlift, great footwork, but also a steely resolve that perhaps Lara didn't have.

 

[BhupinderSingh]

All of them are alltime greats but IMO:

Viv Richards>Brian Lara=George Headley=Garry Sobers

 

[wfdu_ben91]

I'll go for Viv as I always thought that Sobers was always overrated as a batsman.

 

[King Pietersen]

Sobers over-rated? What's your logic behind that one?

 

[SJS]

Sobers over-rated? What's your logic behind that one?

I've always thought that logic is highly over rated

 

[archie mac]

I'll go for Viv as I always thought that Sobers was always overrated as a batsman.

When Bradman said that Sobers played the greatest innings he ever watched in Australia and his memory went back to a Test match in Sydney in 1920/21. I think that suggests that he was no mug!

Bradman watched every innings that Hammond played in 1928/29, all from close quarters, plus the GG, the three Ws, Hobbs and Sutcliffe, Headley, STR, Viv, Pollock, Lara, Sunny and too many others to mention, so I think you had better come up with some facts to support this claim

And no crap such as going by stats Zims were as good as Pakistan and India of his era

 

[wfdu_ben91]

Sobers over-rated? What's your logic behind that one?

Because he was more of a lower-middle order batsman and Kallis acchieved everything that Sobers has whilst being a top-order batsman on bowler-friendly South African wickets. I've also heard that West Indian pitches were featherbeds during the majority of Sobers' career.

 

[Richard]

Sobers was not by any stretch of the imagination a lower-middle-order batsman. Even if he was, the significance would not be enormous.

 

[archie mac]

Because he was more of a lower-middle order batsman and Kallis acchieved everything that Sobers has whilst being a top-order batsman on bowler-friendly South African wickets. I've also heard that West Indian pitches were featherbeds during the majority of Sobers' career.

But Sobers proved his greatness on every type of pitch in the world????????

Although never against a South African Test team, and for some reason not against the Kiwis, not sure how that happened tbh

I am sure that if Sobers cared he would have made sure he smashed them (NZ) to all parts. His record in his 2 seasons of SS is enough to tell me that he was just about the 2nd greatest player to have ever played FC cricket in this Country

 

[King Pietersen]

Because he was more of a lower-middle order batsman and Kallis acchieved everything that Sobers has whilst being a top-order batsman on bowler-friendly South African wickets. I've also heard that West Indian pitches were featherbeds during the majority of Sobers' career.

Quick question before we go any further, have you ever seen Garfield Sobers bat? Or is this a purely stat-based argument with the odd piece of information you've overheard in a pub?

Garfield Sobers vs Dennis Lillee If you've not seen Sobers bat, then you have to give this video a watch.

 

[archie mac]

Quick question before we go any further, have you ever seen Garfield Sobers bat? Or is this a purely stat-based argument with the odd piece of information you've overheard in a pub?

If so the bloke talking was either drunk or taking the piss or both

 

[wfdu_ben91]

Sobers was not by any stretch of the imagination a lower-middle-order batsman. Even if he was, the significance would not be enormous.

When you bat your majority of your career at 5 and below then you are a lower-middle order batsman and yes it does make a difference because if you are so great then you shouldn't have to have more then 1 lesser batsman bat ahead of you in the middle order.

But Sobers proved his greatness on every type of pitch in the world????????

Although never against a South African Test team, and for some reason not against the Kiwis, not sure how that happened tbh

I am sure that if Sobers cared he would have made sure he smashed them (NZ) to all parts. His record in his 2 seasons of SS is enough to tell me that he was just about the 2nd greatest player to have ever played FC cricket in this Country

He proved his greatness, but realistically Pakistan, India and New Zealand during Sobers era weren't high quality opposition.

 

[archie mac]

When you bat your majority of your career at 5 and below then you are a lower-middle order batsman and yes it does make a difference because if you are so great then you shouldn't have to have more then 1 lesser batsman bat ahead of you in the middle order.


He proved his greatness, but realistically Pakistan, India and New Zealand during Sobers era weren't high quality opposition.

But England and Aust. were, and he did very well against them

 

[Dissector]

Tough choice but I would go with Sobers for his consistency and longevity. Incidentally any analysis of Sobers should definitely include the ten tests played against England and Australia for the ROW which by all accounts were played at a very high standard. In those ten tests he averaged 62 including of course the legendary double hundred in Australia. If you add them to his test record he averages 55 against England and Australia and 53 in England and Australia; by any reasonable standard an excellent record.

 

[wfdu_ben91]

Quick question before we go any further, have you ever seen Garfield Sobers bat? Or is this a purely stat-based argument with the odd piece of information you've overheard in a pub?

Garfield Sobers vs Dennis Lillee If you've not seen Sobers bat, then you have to give this video a watch.

Some of the comments in that video illustrate why I think Sobers is a tad overrated. Especially Ian Chappell saying that as far as allrounders go, Sobers is as far ahead of the next best as what Bradman is on batting average to the next best. What rubbish. Imran Khan, Keith Miller and Jacques Kallis are all arguably as good, if not better.

 

[King Pietersen]

I don't see how Sobers is over-rated. As far as I'm concerned he's the most talented all-round cricketer that ever lived. A magnificent batsman capable of taking on the best bowlers in the world, a brilliant fielder (especially close to the wicket), capable of bowling very handy left-arm spin and medium pace but also more than capable of bowling genuinely quick spells of fast, hostile bowling, as Dennis Lillee found out in that ROW vs Australia series.