SJS
Hall of Fame Member
You do me grave injustics MBa massive zebra said:That is a very narrow minded view. If Hadlee outperformed Lillee against 4 of the 5 teams they both played against, and you just analysed their performances against the team Lillee did well against, your narrow minded investigation would conclude Lillee is superior.
It should read "If a player performs better against nearly all teams and in nearly all circumstances, then he is a better player. End of story !!"
I am not trying to prove any player better. All I am trying to show, by being sarcastic (and not serious) is that to put any such criteria to judge two great players is fallacious. Any such criteria you fix, I promise you, I will find a whole lot of stats that will make it look wrong.
Thats all the point is. Stats are an indicator but to put all one's faith in stats and to make conclusions based on differences when there are undreds of other mitigating factors shows a total lack of understanding of the game.
I have said beofre and repeat once again. Its fine to debate the merits of Lillee and Hadlee, its perfectly in order to hold an opinion that one may think one is better than the other but to say that there are statistics which conclusively 'prove' one's opinion is to give greater importance to statistics than they deserve. There isnt a fool proof statistical criteria to compare two greats playing for different sides. I insist on both being greats because if one is a great and the other is very ordinary, perhaps stats will show it up more obviously.
There was an English bowler, I forget who, who at the end of the days play, having taken 7-8 wickets for 60-70 runs was patted on the back by his skipper with a "Well Bowled".
The bowler turned rounds and said words to the effect, " I know I bowled well. I dont need you to say it to me now. I wish though, that on days when I have bowled my heart out the whole day and not been able to get a wicket, you will come up to me and say" Welll Bowled" because even on that day I would have bowled equally well but would need to know that you noticed it too"
It is a factual and very poignant story. To judge a bowler on just wickets or the average alone is to do grave injustice to him.
Thats all the point I am trying to make. Not trying to prove that one or the other of them was the better bowler.
To me both were great. Any opinion I may have is mine, limited to my knowledge, exposure of the game and the privilege or lack of it of having seen them in action. Nothing more nothing less. I would be an idiot to say that my opinion is the right one and that one or the other of these great bowlers is under rated.
There are those on this forum who say the same of other greats like Tendulkar, Murali, Warne and even Sobers and Bradman !! Well they dont prove anything except exposing the hollowness of their understanding of the game.