I'll say something people might not have anticipated me saying but as a cricketer and a character I adore Imran. More than Lillee and almost as much as Miller and Warne. He dragged Pakistan almost to the top of the Test arena (he did it in ODIs) through sheer force of character and ability as a cricketer.
The sensitivity with Lillee is due to the fact that his record, because of various factors, are all over the place. Some don't consider these factors and you hear people calling him overrated, etc, and that's where it starts. But if you do take into account everything then you'll start beginning to understand why he is so highly rated, not just by Australians but by all. The WI of that era, both their batsmen and their bowlers, rated Lillee the greatest. Not because they were absolutely creamed by him and not because they didn't have bowlers themselves to compare, but in that upper echelon of players I think he had a slight gear above the others.
Personally, I don't consider Imran better than Lillee and a few other of his contemporaries. But I have no problem if people want to rate him that high - as I said to Smali, I'd disagree, but it is fair enough. Statistically all these players are pretty close. I have been putting forward arguments why others (and myself, too) usually put Lillee so high and why so many have him as top pick.
......Shri teh troll, as always 