SJS
Hall of Fame Member
Lloyd's only choice for the World XI from outside West Indies....
In the very first sentence there, Lloyd makes it clear, who is his number 1 and in the last one it, more or less, confirms who is the number two. With Roberts and Holding making up his best four fast bowlers.
He does mention some others to indicate the others he rates highly.
DENNIS LILLEE
whom he considers "the greatest of them all"
There have been a lot of outstanding fast bowlers over the last fifteen years but none has quite matched Lillee, who I consider to be the greatest of them all.
As a batsman, you can never relax against him. even if you are past a century and doing well. He has the power to think players out, always willing to try something, never mechanical.
Strong and well built, he has just about the perfect action and, at his peak, was as fast as anyone. I first struck him - or perhaps it should be the other way around - when he played for Australia against the World team in 1971-72, a series in which he made his name, and his eight wicket spell in our first innings at Perth was just about the quickest bowling I have ever experienced.
He can bowl just about anything - the out-swinger, the in-swinger, the off-cutter, the leg-cutter, a good bouncer, even a change-ball leg-break, Like Hall he has the stamina which enables him to bowl fast for long periods, and his effort is never less than 100 percent. If by some time capsule devise, to have himself and Hall operating at opposite ends while at their peak what a sight that would make, for the spectators if not for the batsmen.
whom he considers "the greatest of them all"
There have been a lot of outstanding fast bowlers over the last fifteen years but none has quite matched Lillee, who I consider to be the greatest of them all.
As a batsman, you can never relax against him. even if you are past a century and doing well. He has the power to think players out, always willing to try something, never mechanical.
Strong and well built, he has just about the perfect action and, at his peak, was as fast as anyone. I first struck him - or perhaps it should be the other way around - when he played for Australia against the World team in 1971-72, a series in which he made his name, and his eight wicket spell in our first innings at Perth was just about the quickest bowling I have ever experienced.
He can bowl just about anything - the out-swinger, the in-swinger, the off-cutter, the leg-cutter, a good bouncer, even a change-ball leg-break, Like Hall he has the stamina which enables him to bowl fast for long periods, and his effort is never less than 100 percent. If by some time capsule devise, to have himself and Hall operating at opposite ends while at their peak what a sight that would make, for the spectators if not for the batsmen.
In the very first sentence there, Lloyd makes it clear, who is his number 1 and in the last one it, more or less, confirms who is the number two. With Roberts and Holding making up his best four fast bowlers.
He does mention some others to indicate the others he rates highly.
THOMSON, GRIFFITH and SNOW
There are several other bowlers who had such merit that it is difficult to resist the temptation to include them. Perhaps I should have given myself the latitude of a seventeen member squad instead of a playing eleven!
There were no more dangerous fast bowlers, for example, than Jeff Thomson and Charlie Griffith. The former was really fast when at his best. with the ability to make the ball fly from an awkward length. But he was not the all round bowler in the sense that Lillee and Roberts are, since he relied on speed alone and needed the pitches to assist him to be truly effective.
Griffith
was a similar type, a really strong man who had the ability to get the ball to lift steeply with the yorker to complement the tactic. Of course, his career was unfortunately plagued by controversy over his action but he was never once called in Tests all over the world and, with Hall, formed a tremendous partnership.
John Snow was certainly a fast bowler of the highest class - one who used his head better than most and one who proved himself in England, in Australia and in the West Indies. He might not have been quite as fast as Lillee, Hall or Roberts but his bowling lost nothing because of this. Because of his high action, he would hit the pitch hard and he used the seam expertly.
There are several other bowlers who had such merit that it is difficult to resist the temptation to include them. Perhaps I should have given myself the latitude of a seventeen member squad instead of a playing eleven!
There were no more dangerous fast bowlers, for example, than Jeff Thomson and Charlie Griffith. The former was really fast when at his best. with the ability to make the ball fly from an awkward length. But he was not the all round bowler in the sense that Lillee and Roberts are, since he relied on speed alone and needed the pitches to assist him to be truly effective.
Griffith
John Snow was certainly a fast bowler of the highest class - one who used his head better than most and one who proved himself in England, in Australia and in the West Indies. He might not have been quite as fast as Lillee, Hall or Roberts but his bowling lost nothing because of this. Because of his high action, he would hit the pitch hard and he used the seam expertly.
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