Is there any bowler who's better than Malcolm Marshall or could challenge him?

[Arachnodouche]

Glenn McGrath is the greatest fast bowler to have drawn breath.

 

[zaremba]

Second best in my book, which is still exceptional.
His lack of express pace was both a plus and a minus, but there were times when he was collared, maybe because of it.

Quite capable of express pace.

 

[WindieWeathers]

Marshall was the best ever. End of discussion.

I'm glad it didn't need to take a windies fan to confirm the absolute obvious!! , Macko had everyone and is rightly viewed as the master of all masters in the quick department.

 

[smash84]

Nah, I think they both shaded him in average (all three averaged 19-odd IIRC) but pretty sure Macko's strike rate was unmatched.

you are right. Imran averages a shade above 19 and Macko a shade under 20 for averages. Though SR wise Macko is 44.5 and Imran and Hadlee 47.0 and 47.9 respectively for the whole of 1980s.

Excluding Imran's rapid decline 1989 onwards i.e. taking the period from 1980-1988 Imran is such a gun trumps Marshall significantly in average with a lower SR too

Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[MrPrez]

Although he didn't play enough Tests to prove it, I feel Mike Proctor deserves a mention.

 

[smash84]

Although he didn't play enough Tests to prove it, I feel Mike Proctor deserves a mention.

Deserves to be mentioned as better than Marshall?

 

[MrPrez]

Deserves to be seen as a guy who can't really be judged either way because of his lack of Tests. But people need to realise that if he had played Tests he would have been in the Marshall bracket although it quite probably would have been the Procter bracket.

 

[Black_Warrior]

Second best in my book, which is still exceptional.
His lack of express pace was both a plus and a minus, but there were times when he was collared, maybe because of it.

As far as I remember, Marshall definitely had pace..maybe not as quick as Holding but no medium pacer either.

 

[Ikki]

Warne, Lillee, McGrath, Hadlee, Imran, Wasim, Waqar, Donald, Lindwall, Trueman, Murali, Barnes...nevermind a few of his countrymen. I'd say 'yes'.

 

[Debris]

Deserves to be seen as a guy who can't really be judged either way because of his lack of Tests. But people need to realise that if he had played Tests he would have been in the Marshall bracket although it quite probably would have been the Procter bracket.

Might be best to stick to reality in this thread and leave out the fantasy XI.

 

[kyear2]

As far as I remember, Marshall definitely had pace..maybe not as quick as Holding but no medium pacer either.

I was referring to Mcgrath. Marshall from around '83 was seen as quicker than even Holding.

 

[Howe_zat]

Might be best to stick to reality in this thread and leave out the fantasy XI.

Unfair. At what point is comparing Marshall to Barnes or McGrath anything to do with reality?

 

[L Trumper]

Unfair. At what point is comparing Marshall to Barnes or McGrath anything to do with reality?

 

[Debris]

Unfair. At what point is comparing Marshall to Barnes or McGrath anything to do with reality?

I would tend to agree but at least they all have substantial records at test level. Mike Proctor is basically just guessing.

 

[Black_Warrior]

Unfair. At what point is comparing Marshall to Barnes or McGrath anything to do with reality?

 

[bagapath]

Excluding Imran's rapid decline 1989 onwards i.e. taking the period from 1980-1988 Imran is such a gun trumps Marshall significantly in average with a lower SR too

Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo

proves the point i made in another thread that a lot of us who watched cricket in the 80s would remember imran as the best pacer in the world and not as someone who played second fiddle to lillee, hadlee and marshall as some revisionists suggest these days.

 

[Black_Warrior]

proves the point i made in another thread that a lot of us who watched cricket in the 80s would remember imran as the best pacer in the world and not as someone who played second fiddle to lillee, hadlee and marshall as some revisionists suggest these days.

Because he had the height to handle bounce, footwork to negate swing, timing to counter pace, placement to beat the field, and power to clear the boundary.

Sir, when we meet...it will be my shout

 

[bagapath]

Sir, when we meet...it will be my shout

ha ha ha ha...

 

[Burgey]

At his absolute peak in the early 80s, I would put Imran as perhaps his equal or even slightly above him. Overall career, no fast bowler can match Marshall.

That's a big call.

If what seems to be standard line of reasoning on here is accepted, namely that the 2000s was a great era for batting and averages are inflated, doesn't McGrath's record need to be seen in that light?

 

[kyear2]

That's a big call.

If what seems to be standard line of reasoning on here is accepted, namely that the 2000s was a great era for batting and averages are inflated, doesn't McGrath's record need to be seen in that light?

There seems to be some misconception that after Ambrose, Akram and Donald retired around 2001-2002 that all the pitches were dug up and replaced by roads. The batting averages were inflated because for some reason there was a dearth of fast bowlers, and especially in the s/c where the combintion of the lack of quality fast bowlers and the fact that most pitches (especially Sri Lanka and India) were always roads, it was especially evident.
To expand, Mcgraths average in the 2000's was actually marginally better that his average in the 90's, probably because batsmen were less acostomed to facing quality bowlers. All of the great bolwers from the 90's who played the majority of the following decade, Warne and Murali had no discernable drop off in the 00's.