Who is your favourite cricketer?

[Richard]

Wow, unexpected identity of digger here.
Was expecting it to be Dizzy #4.

 

[Marcus]

Jonty Rhodes? a great player and welcomed werever he played....he was loved by the Gloucestershire supporters during his spell with the club the other season....from the past Ian Botham. and Viv Richards 2 greats that simply entertauined the crowds....viv still gets standing ovations every time he plays (for Lashings) a true great of the game that is universally popular.......Steve Waugh and Adam Gilchrist are also contenders....everybody talks highly of them....Tendulker has respect all over the world.....and the true greats of the Kenyan Cricket team of the 2003 world cup.....that team came from no were...and secreatly we all wanted them to win the whole thing..shame that didnt happen...but that team had no enemies and again were universally celebrated for there achievements

 

[a massive zebra]

Murali and Dravid

 

[Langeveldt]

I guess with Allan Donald moving on to pastures new, I've had to appreciate some other guys Here are the "honourable mentions"..

1) Martin van Jaarsveld
2) Daren Ganga
3) Ray Price
4) Boeta Dippenaar
5) Abraham de Villiers
6) Alec Stewart
7) Charl Langeveldt
8) Shane Warne

A number of whom, unfortunatly, have been real underachievers..

 

[Marcus]

I have to add Phil Tuffnell to my original selection...although its career after cricket that has made him a world favourite

 

[Anil]

my favourite batsman to watch has been david gower, favourite bowler malcolm marshall, favourite fielder jonty rhodes....

 

[Langeveldt]

my favourite batsman to watch has been david gower, favourite bowler malcolm marshall, favourite fielder jonty rhodes....

The Jaunty one was a brilliant brilliant cricketer, as well as an ambassador for South Africa and if you are looking for a role model, you can look no further.. One of the nicest guys around..

 

[howardj]

My fave is/was Mark Edward Waugh. Honourable mentions to Mike Atherton and the always ebullient Michael Slater.

 

[marc71178]

In regards to Hadlee being knighted, he was one of only two cricketers I believe who was knighted while still playing.

Can anyone help me out and let me know who the other one was?

Was it Hutton?

 

[Smudge]

Was it Hutton?

That's what I thought, and Cricinfo seems to suggest that (in a roundabout way):

The previous year MCC had made him an honorary member while he was still playing, and in June he received a knighthood for his great services to the game

http://uk.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/PLAYERS/ENG/H/HUTTON_L_01000694/

 

[Swervy]

IMO Marshall and Hadlee, indeed even Imran, were all more complete bowlers than Lillee.
Maybe the last didn't have his accuracy but they all bowled reverse-swing - Lillee picked-up, what, 3 wickets in his career in the subcontinent?

reverse swing...or conventional in-swing????

Lillee could swing the ball and cut it off the wicket like nobodys business.So what if Lillee didnt get many subcontinent wickets, he hardly played there. SF barnes didnt take any wickets on the sub continent..and yet everyone is up his **** (the fact he didnt play there is not the point!!! ).

Hadlee and Lillee were similar-ish type of bowlers ,both equally effective..both all time greats.

and Marshall was right up there on a level pegging.


This notion that you have to have reverse swing to be a good bowler winds me up...there are other waepons a fast bowler can use,and Lillee had just about all of them.

 

[SJS]

Viv Richards

 

[Richard]

reverse swing...or conventional in-swing????

Lillee could swing the ball and cut it off the wicket like nobodys business.So what if Lillee didnt get many subcontinent wickets, he hardly played there. SF barnes didnt take any wickets on the sub continent..and yet everyone is up his **** (the fact he didnt play there is not the point!!! ).

Hadlee and Lillee were similar-ish type of bowlers ,both equally effective..both all time greats.

and Marshall was right up there on a level pegging.


This notion that you have to have reverse swing to be a good bowler winds me up...there are other waepons a fast bowler can use,and Lillee had just about all of them.

God, why did this thing have to be dug-up!!!!! Now I've gotta explain myself to the latecomers.
It's very simple - if X and Y are the same in accuracy, the ability to conventionally swing, seam-move and cut the ball, and are of comparable pace, then none of these can separate them.
If X can bowl reverse-swing and Y can't, though, I'd say X is the more complete bowler.
No, you don't have to be able to bowl reverse to be a great bowler - but it sure as helps.

 

[Matt79]

Favourite cricketer

There's a most disliked cricketer thread - I'm curious who's people's favourite player is. To make it somewhat objective, lets say favourite cricketer not in your country's team.

Mine would probably be Dravid - he just seems to be a class act on and off the field.

Also I like watching Sehwag bat (in the first innings, not the second). I really enjoyed watching Nel play this season in Australia - the guy's kinda nuts but he takes you on a journey with him. Finally, I was very impressed with Flintoff during the ashes, in terms of his performance, but also his sportsmanship with Brett Lee after we lost one of the tests.

 

[luckyeddie]

There are four for me of those playing today, and please don't ask me to separate them.

Warney - absolute legend
Angry Nel - best gurner in cricket
Inzy - he'll eat me if I leave him out
Crystal 'Oops' Gayle - no man who looks that cool ought to never be ignored.

As far as all-time goes, Graeme Pollock, Garfield Sobers and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar

 

[Barney Rubble]

If I had to pick just one, Shane Warne would just about edge out Sachin Tendulkar and Herschelle Gibbs.

(FAO Neil: That's assuming MJW doesn't count as a cricketer, of course. )

 

[archie mac]

It is the batsman I love to watch, and the one I enjoy the most when he is going is Brian Lara.

Others over the years are David Gower and a certain disgraced captain who played 99 Tests

 

[Tom Halsey]

At the moment, it's Warney.

EDIT: Didn't read the thread.

 

[Fusion]

From the current lot, can't pick just one, so I'll list a few in no particular order:

(1) Dravid - One of my all time favorites
(2) Lara - When at his best, inspires awe
(3) Tendulkar - Same comment as Lara
(4) McGrath - IMO, the bowling version of Dravid (or vice versa). Simply a match winner.
(5) Flintoff - Brings excitement to the game

 

[Slats4ever]

probably lara... i hate it so much when he dominates australia but dang he can bat...

then i like watching murali. there's always something happening and there's so much controversy...

i also like watching Nel's. He's a bit've a clown.