Best Test Player

[Nige_Bix]

Its a bit quiet here atm - saw this on an email chat list - thought it might be interesting to think about

Who is the best test player produced by the test playing nations?- apart from Bangladesh as they havent been in long and of course are seemingly well below world standard anyway atm.


Here's a start...

Aus- Bradman
Eng- Hammond - [found this one the hardest - Botham, Hutton, Cowdrey etc could be considered]
Pakistan- Imran Khan
WI- Sobers
South africa- Graeme Pollock
Sri Lanka- De silva, maybe - Murali -but some would not consider him for obvious reasons
Zimbabwe- A Flower
India- Tendulkar
NZ- Hadlee

 

[DaveW]

I'd agree with all your choices there except for England where I'd opt for Sydney Barnes, his bowling record is phenominal. And Sri Lanka has to be Murali.

Bradman, Hadlee, Muralitharan and Flower are far and away their respective country's best performers.

Sobers, Imran, Tendulkar and Pollock are stand outs too, but perhaps with a bit more competition.

 

[Booze Hound]

Grace would have to be comsidered for England as would (as stated) Hobbs.

I think Wilfred Rhodes would also deserve a shout - one of the best (possibly the best) SLA bowlers ever and, after taking his batting more seriously, a very successful opener.

For the others, I would agree for most but Gavaskar and Kapil Dev would go mighty close for India and you could make a very good case for George Headley, Viv Richards and one or two quicks for the Windies. Who knows what Barry Richards and/or Mike Procter could have done in a full test career.

 

[Dipper]

Absolutely no bias

Originally posted by Brett Li
I would think most Englishman would plump for Jack Hobbs if they knew the game. Most tons ever, most runs ever, ALWAYS scored runs against the best and often gave his wicket away when the circumstances dictated and was never greedy. Great player and man apparently.......

I was always under the impression that Hammond was considered the greatest England batsman in terms of talent & grace, it's just that he wasn't the remorsleless run machine that say Bradman was.

I've read quotes from people that saw both him & Bradman play & they say things like '...Hammond was the greatest batsman that I ever saw whilst Bradman was the greatest run accumulator.'



Ok here's mine


England-Graham Gooch or Trevor Bailey
Australia-Allan Border,Mark Waugh or Stuart Law
South Africa-Kenny McEwan
Pakistan-Salim Malik
Zimbabwe-Andy Flower
West Indies-Keith Boyce
Scotland-Brian Hardie

 

[Booze Hound]

Dipper - I thought you go for Derek Pringle for England and Norbert Phillip for the West Indies

 

[Dipper]

Originally posted by Booze Hound
Dipper - I thought you go for Derek Pringle for England and Norbert Phillip for the West Indies

Hehe, oh mate the funny thing is that I nearly did plump for Nobby.

I still remember watching Essex play & hearing a load of chanting 'Oh Norbert we love you'

As for Pringle was there ever a more frustrating batsman to watch?
In one day cricket he used to give the ball an almighty crack using his full 6' 6" height but put him in a Test match he'd faff about pushing at the ball, wouldn't even get out of the crease with his front leg & he'd inevitably be dismissed tamely.

And now he's the Telegraph cricket corresponent, Whenever he criticises anyone I can't help thinking 'who the bugger are you to talk', I dunno where Michael Henderson went but I wish we could get him back.

 

[DaveW]

Well if we're going to go with provincial biases I'd still choose Bradman, Sobers and Flower.

Add to that Barry Richards, Jeff Crowe, Gladstone Small, Younis Ahmed and um... have South Australia ever had any Indian, Sri Lankan or Bangladeshi players?

 

[Nige_Bix]

Re: Re: Best Test Player

Originally posted by Brett Li
Cowdrey?!!!!

Well an english guy I know suggested him!

 

[Dipper]

Originally posted by Brett Li
Hugh Page anyone?

Actually this thread did bring him up in my mind, we signed him thinking that he was a left armer probably as a replacement for JK Lever but it turned out he was a crappy right arm fast med waste of time.

He only lasted 1 season & was probably our only real failure as an overseas player.

He probably would have walked into the Surrey side of the time though.


Anyway mr school teacher I'm surprised that you didn't comment on my suggestions I only plumped for an all Essex line up because on one thread ages ago you said 'yeah I agree with your point but why do you have to bring Essex into every post?'

 

[McAlmanac]

Originally posted by DaveW
Well if we're going to go with provincial biases I'd still choose Bradman, Sobers and Flower.

Add to that Barry Richards, Jeff Crowe, Gladstone Small, Younis Ahmed and um... have South Australia ever had any Indian, Sri Lankan or Bangladeshi players?

Bhagwat Chandrasekhar played a season for Tea Tree Gully in B Grade (before the Gullies were admitted to A Grade).

Wasn't Younis Ahmed a dud!

 

[Dipper]

Originally posted by DaveW
Well if we're going to go with provincial biases I'd still choose Bradman, Sobers and Flower.

Add to that Barry Richards, Jeff Crowe, Gladstone Small, Younis Ahmed and um... have South Australia ever had any Indian, Sri Lankan or Bangladeshi players?

There's a few good ones there but no neck seems a bit out of place in such illustrious company.

So what's the situation with overseas players in Australia these days?To be honest the only state that I ever read about having them seems to be SA, am I just missing that everyone else has got one or what?

At one point I thought they'd banned them but maybe I imagined it.

Personally I think we should out them from county cricket, in fact a couple of years ago I think Surrey decided to do without one & as much as I hate to say it I respected them for it.Now all the ****s who run the counties pushed through the rule that allows thme to have 2, that's on top of EU passport holders from other countries, I don't know why they don't go the whole way & have 11 of them then they could be like Chelsea FC.

 

[Dipper]

Re: Re: Re: Best Test Player

Originally posted by dezzmo
Well an english guy I know suggested him!

Yeah it was probably either Chris or Graham Cowdrey.