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Kapil Dev vs Ryan Harris

Who was the better bowler?(Tests)

  • Kapil Dev

    Votes: 32 71.1%
  • Ryan Harris

    Votes: 13 28.9%

  • Total voters
    45

_00_deathscar

International Regular
Everton Seymour's point is well made and important to take into consideration, but subshakerz is right here. Not necessarily taking about this specific comparison, but in general you can't go around picking the best statistical stages of someone's career and comparing them like that and always get reasonable conclusions.
Weren’t you of the opinion that it’s silly to have Bond over Kapil?
The same applies for Harris.
 

Daemon

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Weren’t you of the opinion that it’s silly to have Bond over Kapil?
The same applies for Harris.
There’s a difference between the two tbf. Bond’s record was cool but inflated by minnow bashing and friendly wickets. Harris actually did the business against all comers for like 40% more tests.
 

Burgey

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You simply can't rate guys like Bond or Harris who barely picked 100 wkts. People feel like being fit is no longer essential part of sportsmen.


Australia are lucky Harris didn't play in BG Trophy 18 or 20. Guy would have been injured in the middle of the test (MCG or SCG) making the life of their bowlers even difficult.
They’re probably lucky they didn’t pick him because he’d been retired for three and five years respectively, so he probably would have been under done
 

social

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Harris' test career was exceptional but the problem was that it was all too brief & longevity matters
 

subshakerz

Hall of Fame Member
Kapil had the better career by virtue of length but Harris is a better bowler, the same way Mohammad Asif, Colin Croft, Ian Bishop and Shoaib were better bowlers than Kapil.
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
Kapil had the better career by virtue of length but Harris is a better bowler, the same way Mohammad Asif, Colin Croft and Shoaib were better bowlers than Kapil.
The absolute best version of Harris might have been better than the absolute best version than Kapil but that doesn't make him a better bowler.

The worst thing about this kind of comparison is that being meh in Tests seems to count much more against players than being nowhere near good enough for Tests at the same age.
 

Fuller Pilch

Hall of Fame Member
Harris is the 3rd* best Australian seamer I've seen behind McGrath and Cummins.

* Didn't see enough/can't remember enough of Bruce Reid.

Better than McDermott, Big Merv, Reiffel, Gillespie, Clark, Johnson, Pattinson, Hazlewood, Starc
 
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cnerd123

likes this
If the criteria is who bowled the best single delivery during their Test career then maybe it's Harris for that ball to Cook. But any other criteria or metric then no ****ing way.

Harris barely belongs in the same breath as Kapil. They're two men who bowled fast swing at Test level. That's it. One is monumentally more accomplished than the other.
 

subshakerz

Hall of Fame Member
The absolute best version of Harris might have been better than the absolute best version than Kapil but that doesn't make him a better bowler.

The worst thing about this kind of comparison is that being meh in Tests seems to count much more against players than being nowhere near good enough for Tests at the same age.
Harris' was a completely worldclass bowler for his entire career bowling consistent, quality, tireless spells in different conditions. He was rated very highly by his opposition and peers of his time. It is just that his career was brief.

We don't know how Harris would have done if he debuted earlier. Maybe he would have failed, maybe he would have stepped up to the plate. Better to judge him by his actual career as an international bowler.

Kapil had his good years but was never seen in the same light as Lillee, Imran, Hadlee, etc. or even as Garner, Holding, etc. even during his peak from 78 to 83.

I don't mind those putting Kapil ahead by default for having a full career, but I think those who recognize that Harris' brief career was enough to establish him in a superior class of bowler should be understood as well. The same way posters who recognize Bumrah and Cummins are simply better bowlers than Kapil despite being early in their careers.
 
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sunilz

International Regular
Yeah Kapil certainly wasn't rated very high by his peers. This is why in Wisden's 5 cricketers of the century votes Kapil received 5 votes , Marshall, Akram received 3 votes , Ambrose, Donald received 1 vote and Waqar received 0 votes. ??

So either peer rating is flawed method to compare cricketers or Kapil is highly under rated cricketer by statsguru morons on this forum
 

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subshakerz

Hall of Fame Member
Yeah Kapil certainly wasn't rated very high by his peers. This is why in Wisden's 5 cricketers of the century votes Kapil received 5 votes , Marshall, Akram received 3 votes , Ambrose, Donald received + vote and Waqar received 0 votes. ??

So either peer rating is flawed method to compare cricketers or Kapil is highly under rated cricketer by statsguru morons on this forum
So you are saying Kapil was rated up there with Lillee and Marshall as a bowler in his time?
 

Fuller Pilch

Hall of Fame Member
In 2018 DOG ranked the top 100 bowlers (top 10: Murali, Barnes, Hadlee, Steyn, Warne, McGrath, Marshall, Imran, Lillee, Waqar).

Kapil was 53rd.
Harris was 34th.

I found it through a Google search of "top 100 bowlers of all time".
 
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