Which country has produced some of the finest cricketers?

[Craig]

Haha.

My ranking in terms of the all-time XIs and how strong they are would be roughly:

Australia
West Indies
England
South Africa
Pakistan
India
New Zealand
Sri Lanka
Zimbabwe
Bangladesh

I suppose you put New Zealand and Sri Lanka on even terms as they have only produced one truely great cricket each (Hadlee and Murali).

 

[Beleg]

Martin Crowe is a great in my book. So is Arvinda De Silva.

Other Sri-Lankan notables: Jayasuria, Attapatu, Ranatunga, Tilkaratne, Mendis, Vass.
Other NZ-notables: Chris Cairns, Turner, (opener from the fifties, forgot his name), Fleming, John Wright, Lance Cairns. (must be some more)

I'd say NZ hedges Sri Lanka slightly.

My own listing with regard to all time strongest teams:

West Indies
Australia
England
Pakistan
South Africa
India
NZ
Sri Lanka
Zimbabwe
Bangladesh

 

[Craig]

I'm talking about all-time greats here and Martin Crowe didn't make the ESPN top 50.

 

[Craig]

Also can Barry Richards can count as a great player since he was only able to play four Tests and yet he did so well in them?

 

[Pratters]

Also can Barry Richards can count as a great player since he was only able to play four Tests and yet he did so well in them?

Yes. People may bring up the Hick scenario. For me all his international contemporaries who played against him in county cricket vouch for it. The word of the contemporaries has most value and I will take it at face value.

 

[Beleg]

Since when has inclusion in ESPN 50 become the de facto criteria for greatness? Neither did the original poster specify anything of that sort.

It is sad to see so little appreciation for Crowe, even among Kiwi fans. A lot of great characters themselves were big fans of his. (Wasim Akram described him the best player of reverse swing he had played against along with Lara)

 

[cric_manic]

Since when has inclusion in ESPN 50 become the de facto criteria for greatness? Neither did the original poster specify anything of that sort.

It is sad to see so little appreciation for Crowe, even among Kiwi fans. A lot of great characters themselves were big fans of his. (Wasim Akram described him the best player of reverse swing he had played against along with Lara)

yea Akram also said he was one of the most destructive batsmen he played,I think,some one said that

 

[Craig]

Yeah I suppose you could include him in there. For me one of the great things about Hadless is that he was able to stay injury free for so long and changed from a wannabe sppedking into a bowler who used his brains and tatics to get batters out, and he never had any real world class support.

I would be interesting to see how Lillee or any of the 'terrible foursome' (Garner, Marshall, Holding, Roberts/Walsh/Croft) if they didn't have any support with them. I'm not saying as Hadlee is a better bowler, far from it, but it is something worth thinking about.

 

[luckyeddie]

Some one like steve waugh wouldnt able to hit 194 in odis some one like steve waugh wont break 100mhp speed.

So those are your qualifications for 'greatness'?

No wonder GWB is President.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

I suppose you put New Zealand and Sri Lanka on even terms as they have only produced one truely great cricket each (Hadlee and Murali).

New Zealand ahead of Sri Lanka for me. They might only have one all-time great player each (although I would also include Crowe), but for me New Zealand having been around longer has produced more quality players than Sri Lanka.

The only ones that are close for me at the top three, where Australia the West Indies and England are all fairly close, and Pakistan/South Africa, where I just went for South Africa because I feel they've produced more great batsmen, while Pakistan could muster a brilliant bowling attack with the two Ws, Imran and Qadir/Saqlain.

 

[southern man]

And southern_man, I KNEW some Kiwi would bring that up but he played all his cricket for Aus so right back at ya.

Anyway, if there's one thing us Aussies excell at it's claiming other country's stars as our own. Phar Lap, Mel Gibson (USA) and Russell Crowe come to mind (although, you can have Crowe back..............).

He actually played first class cricket in New Zealand, for Wellington. took 22 wickets. We will still claim him as our greatest ever spin bowler, and rightly so if we had an international team at the time he would of played many many tests for New Zealand.

And we all know there nothing Aussies enjoy more than taking talent for NZ, and claiming it as their own

 

[luckyeddie]

He actually played first class cricket in New Zealand, for Wellington. took 22 wickets. We will still claim him as our greatest ever spin bowler, and rightly so if we had an international team at the time he would of played many many tests for New Zealand.

And we all know there nothing Aussies enjoy more than taking talent for NZ, and claiming it as their own

Is that how they got the Merino sheep?

(Yes, I know they were developed in Spain. Hmmmm. I seem to know rather a lot about sheep - strange that. Must have New Zealand ancestry).

I know a lot about bread too - obviously some Aussie in there somewhere too. Not a lot, mind, because I enjoy beer.

 

[Top_Cat]

He actually played first class cricket in New Zealand, for Wellington. took 22 wickets. We will still claim him as our greatest ever spin bowler, and rightly so if we had an international team at the time he would of played many many tests for New Zealand.

Hey, that's enough logic and clear-cut arguments out of you. He's ours and poo poo to you too, boo boo.

And we all know there nothing Aussies enjoy more than taking talent for NZ, and claiming it as their own

Maybe so but I think Scribe is safe.

 

[Shoaib]

My order

Australia
West Indies
Pakistan
England
South Africa
India
New Zealand
Sri Lanka
Zimbabwe

Bangladesh and Kenya and every one else have been playing for too small a period to disect between them and havent produced substantial number of quality cricketers yet.

I disagree with ya all.West Indies have produced more great players than any other team.Australia r at the top of the icc ratings but this doesn't mean they have produced more great players or they r the best team of all times.West Indian side of 70s/80s was far better than present Australian side and Aussies would probably never be able to produce as great players as WI have like Richards,Richardson,Lara,Marshall,Walsh and many others.Anyways my ratings r
West Indies
Australia
Pakistan
England
India
South Africa
Sri Lanka
New Zealand
It looks silly to declare Pakistan as the best talent producing country.

 

[James90]

Australia
West Indies
England
India
Pakistan
South Africa
New Zealand
Sri Lanka

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Australia r at the top of the icc ratings but this doesn't mean they have produced more great players or they r the best team of all times.

Nobody is saying Australia's great players all play with them now though... you can take McGrath, Warne, Gilchrist and probably Hayden or Langer, and add in Arthur Morris, Don Bradman, Greg Chappell, Steve Waugh, Keith Miller, Alan Davidson and Dennis Lillee, and you've got a team that can match it with anyone.

Anyway, Australia, the West Indies and England are fairly close at the top, but are clearly the best three sides over the whole history of test cricket. After that, you've got South Africa and Pakistan who are fairly close, then India and New Zealand, and then teams who haven't been around long like Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.

 

[cricket player]

Australia
West Indies
England
India
Pakistan
South Africa
New Zealand
Sri Lanka

May I know Why India is Ahead of pakistan and can you please name some of the finest cricketers from india and also from pakistan and match them,

Pakistan should clearly be ahead of India as far as I am concern Sorry for being abit harsh on the indian friends here but every one knows pakistan has produced more great cricketers than India.

 

[cricket player]

Nobody is saying Australia's great players all play with them now though... you can take McGrath, Warne, Gilchrist and probably Hayden or Langer, and add in Arthur Morris, Don Bradman, Greg Chappell, Steve Waugh, Keith Miller, Alan Davidson and Dennis Lillee, and you've got a team that can match it with anyone.

Anyway, Australia, the West Indies and England are fairly close at the top, but are clearly the best three sides over the whole history of test cricket. After that, you've got South Africa and Pakistan who are fairly close, then India and New Zealand, and then teams who haven't been around long like Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.

Mind you Zimbabwe also have produced good cricketers

Andy Flower
Grant Flower
Houghton
Streak
Etc

 

[Swervy]

I disagree with ya all.West Indies have produced more great players than any other team.Australia r at the top of the icc ratings but this doesn't mean they have produced more great players or they r the best team of all times.West Indian side of 70s/80s was far better than present Australian side and Aussies would probably never be able to produce as great players as WI have like Richards,Richardson,Lara,Marshall,Walsh and many others.Anyways my ratings r
West Indies
Australia
Pakistan
England
India
South Africa
Sri Lanka
New Zealand
It looks silly to declare Pakistan as the best talent producing country.

I agree with you up to a point. I find it incredible for an region with such a small land area and small population (remember West Indies isnt a country) that so many increbile players have emerged from WI's.

Of course the problem is with the definition of greatness. Courtney Walsh will be considered an all time great, more for how long he went on for and the sheer consistancy of his play over such a long time..and for holding the world test wickets record...but there are a fair few bowlers over the last 20 years who in fact were better fast bowlesr than Walsh, and so I dont think in terms of ability, Walsh is a great bowler (just a very very good one).

Same with Richie Richardson..a very good batsman, but not up there with the greats.

But I dont think we will see in the next 100 years of test cricket an areas ability to produce a constant stream of players as the WI's did for probably 30 odd years, that was really, IMO, one of the wonders of sport.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

May I know Why India is Ahead of pakistan and can you please name some of the finest cricketers from india and also from pakistan and match them,

Pakistan should clearly be ahead of India as far as I am concern Sorry for being abit harsh on the indian friends here but every one knows pakistan has produced more great cricketers than India.

Yeah, I'd agree here. I'd say India have produced better batsmen than Pakistan, with people like Gavaskar, Tendulkar, Dravid etc being a cut above Pakistan's batsmen, who excluding Miandad and Inzamam are not really that stunning, but Pakistan's bowling is much better, given that India have never really produced a world class pace bowler.

For what it's worth, my best Pakistan side would be something like:
Saeed Anwar
Hanif Mohammad
Javed Miandad
Inzamam-Ul-Haq
Zaheer Abbas
Imran Khan (c)
Moin Khan (k)
Wasim Akram
Fazal Mahmood/Shoaib Akhtar
Saqlain Mushtaq
Waqar Younis

And by way of contrast, India:
Sunil Gavaskar
Varinder Sehwag
Rahul Dravid
Sachin Tendulkar
Mohammad Azharuddin
Mohinder Amarnath
Kapil Dev (c)
Syed Kirmani (k)
Javagal Srinath
Bishen Bedi
Anil Kumble