Tendulkar and McGrath or Smith and Hadlee

[HouHsiaoHsien]

Btw, not exactly on topic, but I see Glenn McGrath on the table across me, here in Chennai

 

[_00_deathscar]

Btw, not exactly on topic, but I see Glenn McGrath on the table across me, here in Chennai

Ask him whom he would pick out of this combo then…

 

[HouHsiaoHsien]

Ask him whom he would pick out of this combo then…

Too late. He left

 

[kyear2]

Smith in slip, hmm I remember him shelling some really important chances tho. He wasn't Mark Waugh or something.

And Bradman recorded ducks.

He caught way more than he dropped and takes the ridiculous ones.

He's not Mark, but think he's closer to Waugh than let's say a Root.

 

[subshakerz]

And Bradman recorded ducks.

He caught way more than he dropped and takes the ridiculous ones.

He's not Mark, but think he's closer to Waugh than let's say a Root.

Sure he caught way more than dropped but he didn't seem as nearly immaculate as someone like Waugh to justify his slip fielding as this extra skill.

 

[Jumno]

I love Tendulkar, rate him as one of the best. However these are some of his failings(there was a big discussion back in those years 05-08 regarding Tendulkar's ability to play under pressure 4th innings):

Tendulkar eden gardens 2001,
Vital test against WI 2001,
Second test Vs NZ in NZ 2002,
Afridi dismissed him 2005 test,
Eng 2006 final innings in India test,
Asif bowled him in Pak vital test where Yuvraj scored a hundred,

 

[kyear2]

Sure he caught way more than dropped but he didn't seem as nearly immaculate as someone like Waugh to justify his slip fielding as this extra skill.

While not quite as much as someone like @TheJediBrah, I've watched a lot of him. Even of late, the last two matches (not the current one), think he caught 4 and dropped 1, and the last one caught 3, including two blinders. He seems to be better at the difficult ones, slotting him in at 3 next to Sobers and that should be an ideal position for him (and an upgrade over any alternative), where he migrates into the outfield (where he's also brilliant) when not required and fielding at 1st to the spinners where he's been spectacular.

Again he's not as consistent as say Ponting, or Kallis or quite in the tier of Hammond, Waugh or Sobers, but he's pretty damn good. We're just seeing him live and seeing the lapses in between in real time.

Was Imran constantly forming a rear guard action and saving games for Pakistan? Did Sobers rip through opponents? Smith (plus Sobers, Hammond, Kallis etc) is way better and way closer to ATG at this than Hadlee, Imran, Sobers, Kallis is at their secondary skills and just as valuable if not more so.

but we can agree to disagree.

 

[subshakerz]

While not quite as much as someone like @TheJediBrah, I've watched a lot of him. Even of late, the last two matches (not the current one), think he caught 4 and dropped 1, and the last one caught 3, including two blinders. He seems to be better at the difficult ones, slotting him in at 3 next to Sobers and that should be an ideal position for him (and an upgrade over any alternative), where he migrates into the outfield (where he's also brilliant) when not required and fielding at 1st to the spinners where he's been spectacular.

Again he's not as consistent as say Ponting, or Kallis or quite in the tier of Hammond, Waugh or Sobers, but he's pretty damn good. We're just seeing him live and seeing the lapses in between in real time.

Was Imran constantly forming a rear guard action and saving games for Pakistan? Did Sobers rip through opponents? Smith (plus Sobers, Hammond, Kallis etc) is way better and way closer to ATG at this than Hadlee, Imran, Sobers, Kallis is at their secondary skills and just as valuable if not more so.

but we can agree to disagree.

That consistency is what makes a fielder elite, and unless he is an elite fielder, I don't see the point of bringing his fielding as some extra skill comparable to primary ones. But we can disagree.

 

[kyear2]

That consistency is what makes a fielder elite, and unless he is an elite fielder, I don't see the point of bringing his fielding as some extra skill comparable to primary ones. But we can disagree.

To spin I do believe he is elite and to to pace he's above average to special and have had moments of greatness.

I would genuinely love to see his catch percentage compared to some others and compare that to the fail rate of players in their secondary roles, especially some of the touted bowling all rounders.

 

[ankitj]

Hadlee can bat so him

 

[OverratedSanity]

That consistency is what makes a fielder elite, and unless he is an elite fielder, I don't see the point of bringing his fielding as some extra skill comparable to primary ones.

100%. Reliably catching the catchable ones is what makes a great slip fielder. Flashy blinders look good in highlights but it's not worth a whole lot if you're dropping sitters at the rate Smith has at times. He's not even close to an elite slip fielder imo.

 

[ataraxia]

I would genuinely love to see his catch percentage compared to some others and compare that to the fail rate of players in their secondary roles, especially some of the touted bowling all rounders.

Smith is an ATG slipper because he has a similar catch percentage to the % of times Bradman reaches 30 – the more you know

 

[kyear2]

Smith is an ATG slipper because he has a similar catch percentage to the % of times Bradman reaches 30 – the more you know

Not what I said, but troll on.

 

[kyear2]

So to be clear, yes his consistency is less than I would prefer, he doesn't even make by to tier list, but his exceptional grabs makes up for it to a certain degree, at least for me. Placed in match high states match conditions I (perhaps naively) trust him to perform up to his ability, as I would Lara with the bat.

 

[ataraxia]

Not what I said, but troll on.

What are you saying then?

 

[honestbharani]

I honestly think Lara was a better slip fielder than Smith.

 

[Jumno]

Looking at this again, Hadlee can bat and is an ATG bowler.

 

[kyear2]

I honestly think Lara was a better slip fielder than Smith.

I loved Lara's technique, his soft hands and how he got into position so quickly. But like a couple Aussie posters, because I've seen almost every innings he fielded and seen every drop I think I over focus on that and under rate him? Plus I rate those who stood at 2nd a bit higher (something akin to an opened tax I guess). But no Ambrose or Walsh highlight reel is complete without Lara featuring at 1st slip, he wasn't as good as Hooper or Richardson though who were among the very best ever.

But that aside, if it were Lara instead of Smith, would it make a difference in this poll?

 

[Jumno]

I love Tendulkar, rate him as one of the best. However these are some of his failings(there was a big discussion back in those years 05-08 regarding Tendulkar's ability to play under pressure 4th innings):

Tendulkar eden gardens 2001,
Vital test against WI 2001,
Second test Vs NZ in NZ 2002,
Afridi dismissed him 2005 test,
Eng 2006 final innings in India test,
Asif bowled him in Pak vital test where Yuvraj scored a hundred,

Tendulkar eden gardens 2001

Vital test against WI 2001

Second test Vs NZ in NZ 2002

Afridi dismissed him 2005 test

Eng 2006 final innings in India test

Asif bowled him in Pak vital test where Yuvraj scored a hundred

Cape town 2006 third innings (scored first innings

Sydney 2008 4th (scored first innings)

Where opposition won and series still alive