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*Official* New Zealand in England 2015

Hurricane

Hall of Fame Member
not in odis

i'll fight you
I'll fight your face was an in joke at trade me when I worked there.

As much as Ross is an up hill skier personified in both formats, Crowe dispensed with skis and scaled mountains barefoot. I am sure that analogy is an epic fail, but Crowe sweated blood for his country and Ross needs to do a few more one handed jobs without another NZ ATG to help him like Kane at the other end.

That entire world cup semi where we posted 270 odd against Pakistan was really him until Ian Smith decided to run him out, we would have won that match had Ian not done that. I remember him at the end on one leg playing inside out lofted off drives over extra cover for doubles. I have never seen Taylor loft it over extra cover for 2 in his career. Crowe was a more complete batsman, more elegant, and even more of a fighter. Even though that last point seems difficult to imagine.
 

Skyliner

International 12th Man
Ross seems to be standing more upright, seems more balanced and more in a position to play good shots. He just looks technically much better from a basic posture point of view than when he was going through his 'slump'. During the 'slump', he seemed to be slouched in his posture and more front on when in his batting stance. It was very noticeable to me and just looked awkward and uncomfortable. He seemed to be carrying a bit more weight than he is now....maybe he has been working more in the gym and on his fitness, in conjuction with some technical changes with his stance.
 

Flem274*

123/5
crowe was prettier, more complete, more composed, more lots of things.

ross is more effective. he gets **** done. he looks like mud when he's coming in at 10/2 and edging and playing and missing and getting a few hairy cut shots off middle stump away, but he's coming for you and he will get you.
 

Skyliner

International 12th Man
Crowe was poetry in motion. So fluent. He was like a surgeon but he had a muscularity to his game as well, though not in any brutish sense. Just elegant. Kane is like a surgeon as well, but he is not as aesthetically pleasing as Crowe. I loved watching Lara bat.....some batsmen just have style, they just seem in total control but are exuding it through their body language as well, and seem to have plenty of time....nano-seconds seen to stretch out longer when they bat. Just the range of shots they play....you get the feeling that they can hit any given ball practically anywhere. Viv Richards a prime example of that swagger too. Crowe had swagger, his body language always said he knew he was a gun.
 

Hurricane

Hall of Fame Member
Crowe was poetry in motion. So fluent. He was like a surgeon but he had a muscularity to his game as well, though not in any brutish sense. Just elegant. Kane is like a surgeon as well, but he is not as aesthetically pleasing as Crowe. I loved watching Lara bat.....some batsmen just have style, they just seem in total control but are exuding it through their body language as well, and seem to have plenty of time....nano-seconds seen to stretch out longer when they bat. Just the range of shots they play....you get the feeling that they can hit any given ball practically anywhere. Viv Richards a prime example of that swagger too. Crowe had swagger, his body language always said he knew he was a gun.
He also had an ace backlift and way of tapping his bat that said he was in charge. Good to have you with us skyliner enjoying your work.
 

harsh.ag

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Crowe was poetry in motion. So fluent. He was like a surgeon but he had a muscularity to his game as well, though not in any brutish sense. Just elegant. Kane is like a surgeon as well, but he is not as aesthetically pleasing as Crowe. I loved watching Lara bat.....some batsmen just have style, they just seem in total control but are exuding it through their body language as well, and seem to have plenty of time....nano-seconds seen to stretch out longer when they bat. Just the range of shots they play....you get the feeling that they can hit any given ball practically anywhere. Viv Richards a prime example of that swagger too. Crowe had swagger, his body language always said he knew he was a gun.
He also had an ace backlift and way of tapping his bat that said he was in charge. Good to have you with us skyliner enjoying your work.
Yes to both, and apart from that, it was just Crowe's body language, in that it seemed he knew what he was doing. The "busy-ness" aspect also highlighted him for me. Always looked busy at the crease. Kept things humming,
 

Hurricane

Hall of Fame Member
Yes to both, and apart from that, it was just Crowe's body language, in that it seemed he knew what he was doing. The "busy-ness" aspect also highlighted him for me. Always looked busy at the crease. Kept things humming,
Is that you Shane Warne?

Just kidding, thanks for that post.
 

Skyliner

International 12th Man
Imagine if Kane started to develop some swagger and some strut at the batting crease. More than a bat twirl I mean. Just some "I am the man" body language. Superstar of international cricket? Big ebullient personalities like Viv, Warne, Botham, McCullum...their swagger seems to go in tandem with their skills and deeds, and the adoration of the public. Paddles had plenty of dominant body language and theatrics.
 

Zinzan

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Ross Taylor is the best ODI batsman we have ever produced.

There I said it.

That ND bastard will take his mantle but until then Ross is Boss.
Yeah, if we're talking purely ODIs, there's no massive argument from me against Taylor > Crowe. Can see the arguments either way. Although I will say Taylor's numbers of 42 @ 82 aren't all that much more impressive than Crowe's 38 @ 72 considering their respective eras.

That said, I think KW has already done enough in ODIs to > both Taylor & Crowe and hence deserves to be rated as our best.

Even with Taylor's great record in the last 2 years, Williamson has in fact been better in every aspect aside from converting hundreds. ( I think he's had 3-4 90s).

I'd also wager that KW is the key wicket at the start of every ODI innings from the oppositions POV these days.

 
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Hurricane

Hall of Fame Member
Imagine if Kane started to develop some swagger and some strut at the batting crease. More than a bat twirl I mean. Just some "I am the man" body language. Superstar of international cricket? Big ebullient personalities like Viv, Warne, Botham, McCullum...their swagger seems to go in tandem with their skills and deeds, and the adoration of the public. Paddles had plenty of dominant body language and theatrics.
When I grew up in the 80s all us high school batsman tried to have a swagger. Seems funny looking back on it. We tried to own the opposition before we even faced a ball. We were all good high school players though and wouldn't have dreamed of doing that if we couldn't have backed it up.
 

Skyliner

International 12th Man
I mean ebullient in the sense that these superstars of the game looked like they were enjoying themselves. As much as Viv was described as 'arrogant' I reckon he loved being the man and he loved to entertain and above all to win, and his persona was a big part of him doing that. I reckon the personas these guys developed were what enabled them to go to the extra level: apart from the superlative skills, they couldn't be seen to be bested. The personas could have started with an element of acting and then they had to live what they had created. I found it interesting that when Sodhi went to Melbourne to work with Warne, one of the things Warne told him to do was develop a persona.
 

Skyliner

International 12th Man
There's a lot of theatre in cricket, or there was or should be. Paddles and Warnes appeals both the best ever I reckon, joint first place. Just absolutely demanding the umpire give it out with total conviction. Paddles even had a follow through to his iconic appeal: feet splayed wide, legs bent at the knees, hands open wide thrusting skyward as he roared at the umpire. Then once it was given, the slump forward in relief that the umpire had seen what had been so apparently obvious, fingertips brushing the pitch.
 

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