a massive zebra
International Captain
Or Faulkner if you want a good spinner with real batting ability.
Seems to me like a lot of people really cooled on Maharaj after that India tour, perhaps a bit unfairly as he is far from the first rated visiting spinner to struggle in their first Indian tour. The test for him is if he can do what Lyon has done and learn and adapt from past experience. I personally believe he is good enough to do exactly thatIt's Tayfield, hands down. Or Maharaj if you go post readmission.
Maharaj has so much potential. Shame he hasn't lived up to it in his most recent outings.
It's Tayfield, hands down. Or Maharaj if you go post readmission.
Maharaj has so much potential. Shame he hasn't lived up to it in his most recent outings.
It says it's just players he played with or against.Or Faulkner if you want a good spinner with real batting ability.
Nah it's not that close.WI/SL the strongest. Bradman is a huge advantage but 4-7 of WI > 4-7 Aus and same with the fast bowling for me. And spinner-wise, Murali > Grimmett. So I think WI/SL side is comfortably the strongest overall.
More than fine, everyone entitled to their opinion.Well, I don't think Smith is greater than Sobers at all, but even assuming it to be so, the remaining of the Windies line up still better than the Aussie one. And Murali negates almost half of the Bradman advantage anyways. Like I said, close but clear leader is the Windies + Murali one, for me.
For me, picking Miller means you have 5 legit bowlers, and lets you play 2 proper spinners. If one of those spinners is close to an all rounder, even better balance is struck.Which of these is the best?
Aus/NZ:
RB Simpson* / o
WM Lawry /
DG Bradman /
SPD Smith /
AR Border / o
RT Ponting /
AC Gilchrist / +
KR Miller o /
RJ Hadlee o /
CV Grimmett o (I'm mad)
GD McGrath o
Out of interest I added up all the career averages (obviously averages alone isn't the definitive determinant of which is better, but it's about as close as you can get to one)
Aus/NZ: Batting = 492.16 total
Top 4 bowlers: 91.11 total
WI/SL: Batting = 438.43 total
Top 4 bowlers: 88.33 total
This (admittedly limited) metric would indicate that the bowling is pretty similar, maybe give WI/SL the edge due to having Sobers, a better 5th bowler. But they are also more limited in terms of conditions you would think, largely with the Murali factor.
Aus/NZ comfortably ahead with batting, mainly due to (as stephen points out) the Bradman factor it would seem. Take Bradman out and the teams would look pretty equal on paper.
It would take a bit of mental gymnastics to claim that Aus/NZ aren't significantly stronger tbh
I only said that Smith was Sobers equal, not that he was better than him.
Let's do a ridiculously oversimplified comparison of the two sides on primary skills only:
Simpson = Greenidge
Lawry < Headley
Bradman >>> Lara
Smith = Sobers
Border = Richards
Ponting = Weekes
Gilchrist > Walcott
Miller < Marshall
Hadlee > Holding
Grimmett < Muralitharan
McGrath = Ambrose
Just on primary skills Aus/NZ are way ahead of WI/SL. Factor in the batting difference in the tail between the two sides and it's not even close.
For me, picking Miller means you have 5 legit bowlers, and lets you play 2 proper spinners. If one of those spinners is close to an all rounder, even better balance is struck.
Simpson
Lawry
Bradman
Ponting
Miller
Border
Gilchrist
Benaud/Vettori
Hadlee
Warne
McGrath