Rank your Top 20 Bowlers of the modern era

[abmk]

I can't help but feel if Bond had managed to stay fully fit (if my aunty had bollocks etc.) that he would have been behind only Ambrose, McG, Murali, Warne and Wasim. Unlucky guy.

agreed. Bond was as complete a bowler as any IMO ( minus the fitness aspect )

 

[abmk]

IMO Steyn has already surpassed some of the great South African fast bowlers like the Pollock father-son and currently sits in the highest echelon of South African fast bowlers of all-time along with Donald, Adcock and Procter. Only time will tell whether he can establish himself as the best ever South African bowler by the time he retires.

IMO pollock > adcock, proctor

steyn vs pollock is debatable ATM

 

[centurymaker]

I rate Steyn very highly. Expect him to end his career in the McGrath-Marshall-Ambrose league of bowlers.

Just needs to maintain his current form for another 2-3 years/ 100-120 wickets

Already has 238 wickets from 46 games.

Holding- 249
Garner- 259
Donald - 330
Lillee- 355
Imran K - 362
Waqar- 373
Marshall - 376
Botham - 383

 

[Burgey]

IMO, if you're judging only by performances against your own team, its quite unfair.

Kumble was poor, and I repeat poor , abroad till that series vs Aus in 2003-04.

At home , both Pollock and Kumble were lethal, about equal. But abroad , Pollock was by some distance better

I'm not judging it by that alone though. If I did Waqar wouldn't be in the list at all. I'm sayin it's a factor which comes into play when comparing bowlers I've seen over the years, especially when they are comparatively close.

Pollock never worried me as an Australian supporter. Kumble did.

 

[a massive zebra]

1. Muttiah Muralidaran
2. Curtley Ambrose
3. Glenn McGrath
4. Waqar Younis
5. Alan Donald
6. Dale Steyn
7. Wasim Akram
8. Shane Warne
9. Shaun Pollock
10. Courtney Walsh
11. Shoaib Akhtar
12. Saqlain Mushtaq
13. Jason Gillespie
14. Anil Kumble
15. Ian Bishop
16. Shane Bond
17. Mohammad Asif
18. Graeme Swann
19. Chaminda Vaas
20. Heath Streak
-------------
21. Zaheer Khan
22. Darren Gough
23. Harbhajan Singh
24. Mushtaq Ahmed
25. Craig McDermott
26. Makhaya Ntini
27. Andrew Flintoff
28. Stuart MacGill
29. Angus Fraser
30. Javagal Srinath

 

[Blaze 18]

The top ten ATGs post 1990 :

1) Glenn McGrath
2) Shane Warne
3) Curtly Ambrose
4) Wasim Akram
5) Muttiah Muralitharan
6) Waqar Younis
7) Allan Donald
8) Shaun Pollock
9) Dale Steyn
10)Courtney Walsh

The top ten "very good" bowlers post 1990 :

1) Mohammad Asif
2) Shoaib Akhtar
3) Shane Bond
4) Jason Gillespie
5) Brett Lee
6) Zaheer Khan
7) Anil Kumble
8) Chaminda Vaas
9) Makhaya Ntini
10)Craig McDermott

I'm sure I've missed a few names. Ah well....

 

[vcs]

The top ten ATGs post 1990 :

1) Glenn McGrath
2) Shane Warne
3) Curtly Ambrose
4) Wasim Akram
5) Muttiah Muralitharan
6) Waqar Younis
7) Allan Donald
8) Shaun Pollock
9) Dale Steyn
10)Courtney Walsh

The top ten "very good" bowlers post 1990 :

1) Mohammad Asif
2) Shoaib Akhtar
3) Shane Bond
4) Jason Gillespie
5) Brett Lee
6) Zaheer Khan
7) Anil Kumble
8) Chaminda Vaas
9) Makhaya Ntini
10)Craig McDermott

I'm sure I've missed a few names. Ah well....

I hope your "very good" ones are in no particular order, because Kumble should be above quite a few of those names.

 

[Blaze 18]

Yeah, they aren't in any particular order.

 

[akilana]

with the asifs and bonds, I'll put F de villiers. was a good bowler.

 

[GotSpin]

1. Courtney Walsh


---->>> The Rest

 

[Burgey]

The top ten ATGs post 1990 :

1) Glenn McGrath
2) Shane Warne
3) Curtly Ambrose
4) Wasim Akram
5) Muttiah Muralitharan
6) Waqar Younis
7) Allan Donald
8) Shaun Pollock
9) Dale Steyn
10)Courtney Walsh

The top ten "very good" bowlers post 1990 :

1) Mohammad Asif
2) Shoaib Akhtar
3) Shane Bond
4) Jason Gillespie
5) Brett Lee
6) Zaheer Khan
7) Anil Kumble
8) Chaminda Vaas
9) Makhaya Ntini
10)Craig McDermott

I'm sure I've missed a few names. Ah well....

Brett Lee is the worst bowler to take 300 test wickets, sadly. He was excellent for 18 months when he started, hurt his elbow, was in and out of the team, then seemed to have learned nothing for half a decade before being very good (and showing us what might have been) for about 18 months-two years.

Harbhajan is, imo, the most limited to have taken 400.

Though I should say, in both cases you are comparing them with pretty elite company.

Can't agree with you about Zaheer yet. He's been very, very good for a few years, but like Lee I can't help but recall how embarrassing he was earlier in his career.

 

[bagapath]

the best list ever

mcgrath
warne
murali
ambrose
akram
steyn
waqar
pollock
walsh
kumble
gillespie
saqlain
akhthar
asif
bond
ntini
harbhajan
swann
mcgill
vaas

 

[vcs]

the best list ever

mcgrath
warne
murali
ambrose
akram
steyn
waqar
pollock
walsh
kumble
gillespie
saqlain
akhthar
asif
bond
ntini
harbhajan
swann
mcgill
vaas

You missed out Donald..

 

[Dan]

• Warne
• Muralitharan
• McGrath
• Ambrose
• Walsh
• Steyn
• Kumble
• Donald
• Pollock
• Wasim Akram
• Waqar
• Saqlain
• Gillespie
• Vaas
• Swann
• Anderson
• Bond
• Vettori (His all-round contribution to his side)
• Asif
• Streak
• Zaheer Khan

Then you have names like Lee, Mushtaq Ahmed, Akhtar, MacGill, de Villiers, Aamer, Gough etc. that are pretty close to making it for different reasons, but aren't quite at that level IMO. Couldn't pick one of the above to leave out

Order's a bit VERY rough, but you get the picture.

 

[bagapath]

You missed out Donald..

so obviously it was not the best list ever.

now it is. check it out.

the best list ever ver 2.0

mcgrath
warne
murali
ambrose
akram
donald
steyn
waqar
pollock
walsh
kumble
gillespie
saqlain
akhthar
asif
bond
ntini
harbhajan
swann
mcgill

 

[Blaze 18]

Brett Lee is the worst bowler to take 300 test wickets, sadly. He was excellent for 18 months when he started, hurt his elbow, was in and out of the team, then seemed to have learned nothing for half a decade before being very good (and showing us what might have been) for about 18 months-two years.

Harbhajan is, imo, the most limited to have taken 400.

Though I should say, in both cases you are comparing them with pretty elite company.

Can't agree with you about Zaheer yet. He's been very, very good for a few years, but like Lee I can't help but recall how embarrassing he was earlier in his career.

I agree with pretty much everything you've said there, Burgey (maybe I rate Lee a tad higher). Neither of the lists were supposed to be in order (the first one's roughly how I'd rate them, though).

Just as an aside, from an Indian POV, I'd rate Zaheer's contribution to the Indian cricket just as important as Kumble's. Good spinners we've almost always had but decent pacers? Barring the odd exception, never.

 

[vcs]

I agree with pretty much everything you've said there, Burgey (maybe I rate Lee a tad higher). Neither of the lists were supposed to be in order (the first one's roughly how I'd rate them, though).

Just as an aside, from an Indian POV, I'd rate Zaheer's contribution to the Indian cricket just as important as Kumble's. Good spinners we've almost always had but decent pacers? Barring the odd exception, never.

Hmm... I'd say Zaheer has a long way to go before he wins us as many matches as Kumble did...

 

[centurymaker]

Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo

Guys who bowled well at home

 

[smash84]

actually I noticed that when I was looking at Imran's stats at home. Has a home average of 19. It turns out it is the second best home average ever for bowlers over 100 wickets

 

[bagapath]

actually I noticed that when I was looking at Imran's stats at home. Has a home average of 19. It turns out it is the second best home average ever for bowlers over 100 wickets

actually the huge difference between his home and away records (6 runs) is one of the reasons why marshall, hadlee, lillee, barnes and mcgrath get picked above him in most of the all-time XIs as fast bowlers. they had more all round success (in purely relative terms). it is difficult to shake off the criticism that imran benefited a bit from home advantage - though not as much as miandad or kumble who averaged with bat and ball, respectively 60/45 and 24/37 in home/away games. it is the same reason why ponting and lara lose out the middle order slot to tendulkar in these dream teams. their home record is significantly superior to their away records. we tend to recall overseas performances with more fondness.