Who was better: Hadlee or McGrath?

[silentstriker]

and I hardly think that Kallis was his bunny, was certainly the best batsman to tour here from SA imo (since they have made their return)

Those two are not mutually exclusive.

 

[archie mac]

Those two are not mutually exclusive.

True but I never had the impression that Kallis was his bunny

 

[Ikki]

Those averages are a bit misleading though. If anything, it backs up what I was saying earlier about McGrath that if he didn't get batsmen out early he didn't tend to come back and clean them up. Which shows why those averages stayed so low, he didn't take the wickets once he was hit around. Because it's not like Kallis and Dravid don't score runs against Australia.

 

[grecian]

Whats happened to this poll, is it a glitch or summat? Pup Clarke seems to have voted twice, for the same option.

 

[adharcric]

McGrath. He did what Hadlee did ... on flatter pitches.

 

[James]

Throw in Hadlee's batting ability and its just got to be the New Zealander IMO.

Would you take McGrath over any of the talented all-rounders of the 80's? I wouldn't.

 

[Athlai]

Throw in Hadlee's batting ability and its just got to be the New Zealander IMO.

Would you take McGrath over any of the talented all-rounders of the 80's? I wouldn't.

Its strictly bowling apparently.

 

[Ikki]

Throw in Hadlee's batting ability and its just got to be the New Zealander IMO.

Would you take McGrath over any of the talented all-rounders of the 80's? I wouldn't.

I still probably would. Those all-rounders didn't do consistently well with bat AND ball in the same game. Most of the time it was one or the other.

 

[Athlai]

McGrath did hit a half century after all.

 

[James]

Its strictly bowling apparently.

Really That seems quite bizzare.

 

[Goughy]

I still probably would. Those all-rounders, apart from Botham, didn't do consistently well with bat AND ball in the same game. Most of the time it was one or the other.

Corrected

 

[silentstriker]

Corrected

For the first four or five he was indomitable. Then he did neither particularly well.

 

[LongHopCassidy]

I still probably would. Those all-rounders, apart from Botham for two glorious summers until the Limey pissant discovered hashish, frisky barmaids and wholesale pies, didn't do consistently well with bat AND ball in the same game. Most of the time it was one or the other.

Corrected.

 

[SJS]

If you can't figure out when to play with the bat and when to leave, the best defensive technique won't do you any good.

Knowing which ball to play and which to leave is the corner stone of great test match batting. Its the major difference between a player with great defensive 'strokes' and a player with a great defensive techninique.

From what you say, its clear you have never seen anyone like Gavaskar bat. He would leave so many deliveries that it wasnt funny.

WE have come a long way from the advise given by Sobers (and he was an aggressive batsman) that if a ball is not going to end up hitting the stumps NEVER play it unless you can play it for runs. This clearly means " Do not play a defensive shot to a delivery that is not going to hit the stumps - leave it alone" and you cant do it unless you know exactly where you are, where your stumps are, where the ball is going as it goes past your body.

For this the first requisite is great feet movement. I cant think of any player in the last twenty year with really great feet movement barring Brian Lara. Add Brian Lara's feet movement and Gavaskar's (or Haneef's) batting and you can leave msot deliveries alone. Of course, they still made mistakes and thats where we talk of those great bowlers who defeated them , inspite of their great techniques. Thats where we talk of the difference between Hadlee/Imran/Lillee from someone like McGrath.

The difference is HUGE.

PS : Its my opinion anyway

 

[silentstriker]

From what you say, its clear you have never seen anyone like Gavaskar bat. He would leave so many deliveries that it wasnt funny.

Isn't that what I was saying though? He'd leave one that would hit his pads or the stumps.

WE have come a long way from the advise given by Sobers (and he was an aggressive batsman) that if a ball is not going to end up hitting the stumps NEVER play it unless you can play it for runs. This clearly means " Do not play a defensive shot to a delivery that is not going to hit the stumps - leave it alone" and you cant do it unless you know exactly where you are, where your stumps are, where the ball is going as it goes past your body.

I think you are misunderstanding me. I said it is impossible to accurately figure out which balls to leave and which to hit, because his line and length makes it impossible to accurately judge the ball.

 

[Sanz]

McGrath. He did what Hadlee did ... on flatter pitches.

 

[The Sean]

Whether you agree with his choice of McGrath or not, I'm really not sure why what adharcric said is rolleyes-worthy, tbh.

 

[PhoenixFire]

???

 

[Sanz]

Whether you agree with his choice of McGrath or not, I'm really not sure why what adharcric said is rolleyes-worthy, tbh.

???

Because it is a huge generalization and perhaps an statement made on the basis of hearsay rather than any kind of research. Pitches may be flatter in England, Australia or West Indies than they were when Richard Hadlee played, I dont remember enough about these countries to claim for or against that.

Infact one Ind-Eng series that I watched in 80s, it didn't seem like pitches were any less flat/lively than they are now and same can be said about NZ pitches. Pitches in India and Pakistan were a lot flatter during Hadlee's era than they are today.

 

[silentstriker]

Because it is a huge generalization and perhaps an statement made on the basis of hearsay rather than any kind of research. Pitches may be flatter in England, Australia or West Indies than they were when Richard Hadlee played, I dont remember enough about these countries to claim for or against that.

Infact one Ind-Eng series that I watched in 80s, it didn't seem like pitches were any less flat/lively than they are now and same can be said about NZ pitches. Pitches in India and Pakistan were a lot flatter during Hadlee's era than they are today.

Seriously? NZ purposefully prepared the greenest tracks you can think of when Hadlee was playing (and rightfully so, why wouldnt they?)