The Best of...

[JBMAC]

Over 60 years seen some good players and I am often asked on here to compare. Both as a player and here is a list I wrote up for another forum. You may find it interesting I hope

Batsmen
1. Don Bradman
2. Garry Sobers
3. Sachin Tendulkar
4. Greg Chappell
5. Vivian Richards

Fast Bowlers
1. Dennis Lillee
2. Malcolm Marshall
3. Keith Miller
4. Imran Khan
5. Fred Trueman

Spinners
1. Shane Warne
2. Richie Benaud
3. Bishen Bedi
4. Tony Locke
5. Lance Gibbs

Keepers
1. Don Tallon
2. Wally Grout
3. John Maclean
4. Engineer
5. Bob Taylor

Fastest Bowlers
1. Jeff Thompson
2. Malcolm Marshall
3. Michael Holding
4. Bob Willis
5. Shoab Ahktar

Graceful Batsmen
1. Peter May
2. Greg Chappell
3. David Gower
4. Arthur Morris
5. Nahwab of Pataudi(junior)

Best Slippers
1. Colin Cowdrey
2. Greg Chappell
3. Mark Taylor
4. Neil Harvey
5. Seymour Nurse

Number Threes
1. Don Bradman
2. Neil Harvey
3. Ricky Ponting
4. Greg Chappell
5. David Boon

Openers
1. Greenidge/Haynes
2. Hayden/Langer
3. Lawry/Redpath

Fielders
1. Norm O'Neill
2. Colin Bland
3. Derek Randall
4. Andrew Symonds
5. Mark Waugh
Opening Bowlers
1. Lillee/Thompson
2. Griffith/Hall
3. Trueman/Statham
4. Lindwall/Miller

Outstanding Outfielders
1. Seymour Nurse
2. Rohan Kanhai
3. John Dyson Hard not to include Solomon/Rammadin from WI
4. Paul Sheehan
5. Jacque Kallis

All Rounders
1. Garfield Sobers
2. Imran Kahn
3. Ian Botham Hard not include Miller/Davidson from Aus
4. Kapil Dev
5. Jayasurya

So read and weep guys/gals.These are players I have actually seen or played with

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Only one i could possibly say against is not having Mark Waugh in the slip fielding top 5 as for me he was the best I have seen in the cordon and would have him ahead of Tubby Taylor.

 

[Ruckus]

Very impressive list! As someone who seen so much vintage cricket JBMAC, in you honest opinion how much has bowling and batting changed since the days of Bradman? Would greatly appreciate any insight.

 

[smash84]

Over 60 years seen some good players and I am often asked on here to compare. Both as a player and here is a list I wrote up for another forum. You may find it interesting I hope




So read and weep guys/gals.These are players I have actually seen or played with

awesome list......:::

 

[wpdavid]

So read and weep guys/gals.These are players I have actually seen or played with

'or played with .......'

as well as seeing Bradman and interviewing the Beatles.

Who is this man?

 

[JBMAC]

Very impressive list! As someone who seen so much vintage cricket JBMAC, in you honest opinion how much has bowling and batting changed since the days of Bradman? Would greatly appreciate any insight.

It has changed a lot! Wickets have become more sophisticated.. Bats have changed..Balls have changed...Laws of the game have changed..TV and referrals have changed the way the game is played and viewed/watched. Having said that the basics are still the same...The Batsman has a range of shots which he can play, the bowler(except for reverse swing) can only bowl a certain number of ways to get the ball to do what he wants. The term reverse swing amuses me. The bowler used to bowl an inswinger or outswinger and bugger me if i can tell the difference between reverse swing and the out swinger ie a ball moving in the opposite direction to the shine.
Being an old bastard I am NOT a fan of pyjama cricket or the new backyard stuff called 20/20 but i do recognise the younger generation, to get interested in the game and the administrators to get "bums on Seats" ( ie MOney) have to have it.I just wonder though whether the game has evolved too far in this direction and Test Cricket,the doyen of the game, will be eventually treated as an afterthought.
As in all sports in each generation comes a "freak" in our game.Warne is a perfect example of this. NO, Bradman is not one of those as from a very young age he would practice, practice and when he was tired he would practice again to make something of himself.

 

[JBMAC]

'or played with .......'

as well as seeing Bradman and interviewing the Beatles.

Who is this man?

Some old bastard who is prepared to pass on his impressions of a long and somewhat fruitful life

 

[Outswinger@Pace]

Pearls of wisdom from you, JBMAC. Top stuff!

I am quite curious to notice that you've rated Miller ahead of Ray Lindwall in your list of great fast bowlers. Not sure if that's a popularly held perception, but I'd be interested to know what your line of reasoning is.

Lindwall looks frighteningly fast in every video clip that I've seen of him. And to quote Richie Benaud, "he could swing/seam the ball away by a bat's width almost at will."

 

[JBMAC]

Pearls of wisdom from you, JBMAC. Top stuff!

I am quite curious to notice that you've rated Miller ahead of Ray Lindwall in your list of great fast bowlers. Not sure if that's a popularly held perception, but I'd be interested to know what your line of reasoning is.

Lindwall looks frighteningly fast in every video clip that I've seen of him. And to quote Richie Benaud, "he could swing/seam the ball away by a bat's width almost at will."

Ray Lindwall was pretty quick and a perfect foil for Miller at the other end. Even though he outlasted Miller in the Test scene, there was always some doubt among some pundits as to whether his "drag" made all his deliveries legal. Miller should have Captained the Aussies to South Africa but he was not one to conform to what The ACA wanted him to be

 

[Outswinger@Pace]

Over 60 years seen some good players and I am often asked on here to compare. Both as a player and here is a list I wrote up for another forum. You may find it interesting I hope

Graceful Batsmen
1. Peter May
2. Greg Chappell
3. David Gower
4. Arthur Morris
5. Nahwab of Pataudi(Senior)

So read and weep guys/gals.These are players I have actually seen or played with

Wow! When did you get to see the senior Nawab in his pomp? Didn't the man make his only century a few years before your birth (Sydney, 1932)?

If you have any personal recollections of his batting style, I, for one, would be very eager to listen.

 

[JBMAC]

Wow! When did you get to see the senior Nawab in his pomp? Didn't the man make his only century a few years before your birth (Sydney, 1932)?

If you have any personal recollections of his batting style, I, for one, would be very eager to listen.

Sorry mate. Should have been Junior. Saw him in Brisbane Test on Indias 67/68 tour

 

[smash84]

Great to see Imran Khan in your list of top fast bowlers (My favorite cricketer. I only started watching cricket from the late 80s). His bowling often gets forgotten due to his captaincy or because of him being labeled an all rounder.

 

[Days of Grace]

It has changed a lot! Wickets have become more sophisticated.. Bats have changed..Balls have changed...Laws of the game have changed..TV and referrals have changed the way the game is played and viewed/watched. Having said that the basics are still the same...The Batsman has a range of shots which he can play, the bowler(except for reverse swing) can only bowl a certain number of ways to get the ball to do what he wants. The term reverse swing amuses me. The bowler used to bowl an inswinger or outswinger and bugger me if i can tell the difference between reverse swing and the out swinger ie a ball moving in the opposite direction to the shine.
Being an old bastard I am NOT a fan of pyjama cricket or the new backyard stuff called 20/20 but i do recognise the younger generation, to get interested in the game and the administrators to get "bums on Seats" ( ie MOney) have to have it.I just wonder though whether the game has evolved too far in this direction and Test Cricket,the doyen of the game, will be eventually treated as an afterthought.
As in all sports in each generation comes a "freak" in our game.Warne is a perfect example of this. NO, Bradman is not one of those as from a very young age he would practice, practice and when he was tired he would practice again to make something of himself.

Legend. Agreed with everything you say.

My one question is how quick do you think Alec Bedser was (keeper stood up to him often), and do you think he would be successful in test cricket today?

 

[Outswinger@Pace]

Sorry mate. Should have been Junior. Saw him in Brisbane Test on Indias 67/68 tour

Cool! Thanks for the clarification. My grandfather also saw Nawab Jnr. in his prime and he believed that before the eye injury his sense of timing was as good as anyone's.

Also good insight on the Lindwall-Miller point. I am sure this thread will generate plenty of good discussion

 

[Ruckus]

It has changed a lot! Wickets have become more sophisticated.. Bats have changed..Balls have changed...Laws of the game have changed..TV and referrals have changed the way the game is played and viewed/watched. Having said that the basics are still the same...The Batsman has a range of shots which he can play, the bowler(except for reverse swing) can only bowl a certain number of ways to get the ball to do what he wants. The term reverse swing amuses me. The bowler used to bowl an inswinger or outswinger and bugger me if i can tell the difference between reverse swing and the out swinger ie a ball moving in the opposite direction to the shine.
Being an old bastard I am NOT a fan of pyjama cricket or the new backyard stuff called 20/20 but i do recognise the younger generation, to get interested in the game and the administrators to get "bums on Seats" ( ie MOney) have to have it.I just wonder though whether the game has evolved too far in this direction and Test Cricket,the doyen of the game, will be eventually treated as an afterthought.
As in all sports in each generation comes a "freak" in our game.Warne is a perfect example of this. NO, Bradman is not one of those as from a very young age he would practice, practice and when he was tired he would practice again to make something of himself.

Interesting stuff. The topics probably been done to death, but how do you think something like bowling speed has changed? If someone like Stuart Broad bowls at a speed pretty typical of many fast bowlers these days, how would you say players like Lindwall and Miller etc. compared? Also was batting technique back in Bradman's time just as compact and rigid as it is today, or was there more of a tendency for batsmen to improvise and stray away from the 'ground rules' of batting technique (e.g. keeping bat and pad close together etc.)? Many thanks for the responses.

 

[Ikki]

Would love your rationale on these points:

Batsmen: Tendulkar over Chappell and Richards. And Chappell over Richards. I generally think Greg's record is outstanding but found the universal acknowledgement of Richards too big to ignore. Tendulkar I am surprised because ability-wise I don't think he is even the best of his era - although I'd say uptil now he has had the best career.
Bowlers: Miller as #3? Really that good? I thought people considered Lindwall better.

A question: is Bradman your first pick in a team? And if it is, who is your second?

 

[JBMAC]

Would love your rationale on these points:

Batsmen: Tendulkar over Chappell and Richards. And Chappell over Richards. I generally think Greg's record is outstanding but found the universal acknowledgement of Richards too big to ignore. Tendulkar I am surprised because ability-wise I don't think he is even the best of his era - although I'd say uptil now he has had the best career.
Bowlers: Miller as #3? Really that good? I thought people considered Lindwall better.

A question: is Bradman your first pick in a team? And if it is, who is your second?

Just about to catch some zeds. So will answer the simple question first if you don't mind. The second player selected would be *drum roll*... Don Tallon

will answer the others tomorrow

 

[JBMAC]

To answer your question about Lindwall read post #9 in this thread Thanks

 

[aussie tragic]

Over 60 years seen some good players and I am often asked on here to compare. Both as a player and here is a list I wrote up for another forum. You may find it interesting I hope

[Number Threes
1. Don Bradman
2. Neil Harvey
3. Ricky Ponting
4. Greg Chappell
5. David Boon

Great list but I'm interested to know why you rate Greg higher than Ian Chappell at number 3? From what I've read Ian was the best Aussie number 3 since Bradman and I thought Greg pretty much batted at 4 throughout his career?

 

[99.94]

Over 60 years seen some good players and I am often asked on here to compare. Both as a player and here is a list I wrote up for another forum. You may find it interesting I hope

............

I know you haven't coined up this group yet, but could you name the top 5 openers you've seen pls!