2nd best, after Bradman ?

Belnakor

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If you judge strictly by averages then kumar sangakkara is the 2nd best ever (counting only batsman who have made 10,000+ runs). 12,400 runs at an average of 57.40.

By comparison ponting made 13,378 runs at an average of 51.85.

Sanga was a top class batsmen but his record was significantly padded by him filling his boots against the minnows.

The main thing about Smith is that he has made alot of his runs against India and England who are top flight teams. Though he did also gorge on WI :)
 

Belnakor

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Ponting was a bit overrated IMO.

His career had three distinct stages.

1995-2001: Young, talented, but inconsistent middle order player.

2002-2007: Unbelievable form at #3. As good as you'll ever.

2007-2012: Past his prime, still had the ego to go for every short ball but not the reflexes to match. A walking wicket towards the end.

I know, a five year dominant period is still an epic effort, and he goes down as one of the greats, but I reckon his reputation would have been enhanced if he retired in 2007 with the rest of the invincibles. He averaged 59 then, it finished early 50s. He was way too young to retire at that point, but that's what I think in hindsight.

I'd have Punter behind all of Tendulkar, Lara and Kallis from that era.

Smith has had a similar career trajectory to Punter, but hopefully doesn't fall off a cliff at 32!

Tendulkar is basically the poster child for the guy who damaged his legacy by playing for too long.

The thing about Punter is he was also captain which is pretty tough. Sachin, Lara and Kallis didn't captain their teams much.
 

Belnakor

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Steve Smith

He's outright second behind only Bradman on the ICC peak ratings chart. http://www.relianceiccrankings.com/alltime/test/

Punter was really high up there too which shows just how dominant he was back in the day.

Smith's series in India was the best i've seen someone play, i doubt we will ever see someone play like that again in India against India.
 
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Of Australians, judging by the options listed. Take your pick, either Wayne Phillips.

I have to say Ponting would be best since Bradman. We're yet to see if Smith's technique holds up in his decline. Ponting's did for a while, except against true pace where in the end South Africa destroyed him in a sad way (similar to Dravid's final matches).

Best after Bradman, even harder to say but going on reputation alone possibly Trumper.
 

woota

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Punter was really high up there too which shows just how dominant he was back in the day.

Smith's series in India was the best i've seen someone play, i doubt we will ever see someone play like that again in India against India.

Clarke's series against india when he scored that triple and multiple double centuries is the best series I've ever seen anyone play. Smith's might still be more impressive given that it was in india while clarke's was on home turf. At that point in clarke's career, I thought he was headed for being the best since bradman but his form tapered off in the last couple years because of that recurring hamstring problem.
 
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Clarke's series against india when he scored that triple and multiple double centuries is the best series I've ever seen anyone play. Smith's might still be more impressive given that it was in india while clarke's was on home turf. At that point in clarke's career, I thought he was headed for being the best since bradman but his form tapered off in the last couple years because of that recurring hamstring problem.

I was going to say this. People had Clarke being better than Punter for a while. Wait until Smith is done until you can compare with Ponting.
 
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For me personally given the quality of the attacks that he not only scored runs against, but absolutely tore apart, I can’t go past Ponting. Smith can’t ckntrol who he plays against, and he’s been simply amazing. And that’s a big compliment coming from an Aussie basher. The guy is so good it’s not funny.

Smith has played against a lot of good bowlers and I guess you could make the argument that England and New Zealand especially have been far better in his time than they were in Ponting’s.

But the pitches were almost invariably tougher when Ponting played so that goes in his favour, and the subcontinent especially had worse pitches and better bowlers then than they do now. And true enough he failed in India badly for a time but he redeemed himself there and in Sri Lanka.

He could also dominate better than smith could. The thing that separates the absolute geniuses from the other greats is their ability to dominate, for me. It’s why I put Ponting, Lara and De Villiers in a slightly higher league to say, Kallis, Tendulkar (still could dominate but not to the same degree), Sanga and Dravid.

Smith isn’t losing any friends though, that has to be acknowledged. And the way he scored with two tailenders last night shows he’s getting better at dominating
 
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Clarke's series against india when he scored that triple and multiple double centuries is the best series I've ever seen anyone play. Smith's might still be more impressive given that it was in india while clarke's was on home turf. At that point in clarke's career, I thought he was headed for being the best since bradman but his form tapered off in the last couple years because of that recurring hamstring problem.

Can’t argue with how well he batted in that series but they were made on roads against a very average attack. It was a man playing boys.
 
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Of Australians, judging by the options listed. Take your pick, either Wayne Phillips.

I have to say Ponting would be best since Bradman. We're yet to see if Smith's technique holds up in his decline. Ponting's did for a while, except against true pace where in the end South Africa destroyed him in a sad way (similar to Dravid's final matches).

Best after Bradman, even harder to say but going on reputation alone possibly Trumper.

Fair point absolutely (love the Phillips reference btw - how good was opener Wayne Phillips’ effort at the WACA in 1992)

But Dravid’s decline did get a brief amount of respite from a fantastic renaissance in England when everyone including yours truly thought it was just pointless picking him.

Personally I’m hoping without much faith that Hashim Amal does something similar
 

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Interesting though I wonder if a generation of young men killed in WW1 made a difference. Of course it would have. We could argue all day about the quality and differences of everything...bats wickets grounds players bowlers etc etc. My aunty watched Bradman bat 3 times he made a Blob 4 and a Blob. Historically Bradman will always be regarded as the best like Babe Ruth in US Baseball...it's not who is best that is moot...it's the whole discussion. Easy to favour Smith as of now at no2 because he is the now and he just made 144.

This clutching at straws. Bradman's generation was too young to have fought in the war. The guy was a freak.
 
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Tendulkar is basically the poster child for the guy who damaged his legacy by playing for too long.

The thing about Punter is he was also captain which is pretty tough. Sachin, Lara and Kallis didn't captain their teams much.

Tendulkar actually stayed fairly consistent to the end. Last 50 matches he still averaged over 50. At that point Ponting was averaging 40.
 

Belnakor

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Clarke's series against india when he scored that triple and multiple double centuries is the best series I've ever seen anyone play. Smith's might still be more impressive given that it was in india while clarke's was on home turf. At that point in clarke's career, I thought he was headed for being the best since bradman but his form tapered off in the last couple years because of that recurring hamstring problem.

tbh his series against SA was better
 

DAlembert

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This clutching at straws. Bradman's generation was too young to have fought in the war. The guy was a freak.
Not quite what I was getting at but no one me included is going to argue DB legacy to the game and nation.
 
Steve Smith

He's outright second behind only Bradman on the ICC peak ratings chart. http://www.relianceiccrankings.com/alltime/test/
The man we all knew as Yousef Youhana only being 15th on that list is a joke.

- 9 centuries in 2006. World record.
- Most runs in a calendar year. Broke Sir Viv's 30 year old record.
- Most runs in a 3 match series for Pakistan. Broke Zaheer Abbas' record.
- Equalled Sir Don's record of centuries in 6 successive matches.
- Calendar year average of 99.33 with 1788 runs.

Seemingly he appears to be harshly judged down by their weighting of previous years contributions.

As for this OP I'd say Apartheid may have robbed us all of that answer. Graeme Pollock was once described by the Don as the best left hander he'd seen and only Sobers was his equal. Averaged virtually 61 with his career cut down in its prime
 

DAlembert

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The man we all knew as Yousef Youhana only being 15th on that list is a joke.

- 9 centuries in 2006. World record.
- Most runs in a calendar year. Broke Sir Viv's 30 year old record.
- Most runs in a 3 match series for Pakistan. Broke Zaheer Abbas' record.
- Equalled Sir Don's record of centuries in 6 successive matches.
- Calendar year average of 99.33 with 1788 runs.

Seemingly he appears to be harshly judged down by their weighting of previous years contributions.

As for this OP I'd say Apartheid may have robbed us all of that answer. Graeme Pollock was once described by the Don as the best left hander he'd seen and only Sobers was his equal. Averaged virtually 61 with his career cut down in its prime
Barry Richards many say was the equal of Pollock and possibly even better. Both were robbed of great careers because of the SA regime and the resistance to it. I saw both play but possibly a bit more of BR. One of the Best Ever opening batsman.
 
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Lara was often rated higher than his average because of how often it was just Lara and the scrubs and the same thing needs to be done with Smith, so many times a test match for us simply becomes if Smith goes now it's over even last ashes at home we likely lose the Gabba test if not for him.

Best since the Don it's not at that stage yet but clearly the best test batsmen of this era.
 

Belnakor

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Chappell then Ponting then Smith

The only reason I have them in this order is the quality of their opposition at the time and the introduction of helmets, bigger bats and smaller fields

batsman now have to contend with DRS which is significant for bowling teams and i think cancels out the "bigger bats" argument (smith isn't a power hitter anyway).
 

Belnakor

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