Who Would you have Bat for your Life

[Richard]

How come Thorpie is not on this list, he is definitely safer than the likes of Smith.

If you asked Thorpe to survive a straight, full slower-ball for you, chances are your time would be up.
The only 2 bowlers who have ever troubled Graeme Smith have been Martin Bicknell and Matthew Hoggard.

 

[Richard]

Yep, Mr. JH Kallis for me too, he is so selfish with his wicket

Which only very, very rarely results in him doing anything but helping his team.
Just to clarify.

 

[LongHopCassidy]

LOL at no votes for Lara here.........

And Sachin not even on the list........

 

[Deja moo]

LOL at no votes for Lara here.........

And Sachin not even on the list........

Not surprising really...although I would have had Sachin on the list instead of Lara. To have someone batting for your life, you need a consistent batsman. And Sachin is certainly more consistent than Lara. Regardless, both are hit or miss IMO.

 

[Dasa]

Dravid. No greater than him remaining.

 

[SJS]

I would never put my life at stake in the hope that the bowler wont be able to manage a perfectly pitched swinging yorker or that Bucknor will not suddenly decide that I have overstayed on planet earth

 

[ReallyCrazy]

DRAVID

I'd have chosen Dravid even if S. Waugh was still playing.

Tendulkar should have been on the list looking at some of the guys you have

 

[C_C]

Not surprising really...although I would have had Sachin on the list instead of Lara. To have someone batting for your life, you need a consistent batsman. And Sachin is certainly more consistent than Lara. Regardless, both are hit or miss IMO.

Hit or Miss ?
You are talkin about the top two batsmen since the peak of Viv Richards here......

When Kallis manages to average atleast 40 against a good/great bowling team, you can get back to me. So far he has been owned by the pakistanis(when the two Ws were playing) and Australia....

Lara and Tendulkar have done better against quality bowling attack for ANYONE bar Steve Waugh in the past 15 years or so.

Lara's consistency ( 50+ score rate) is 36.54% and Tendulkar's is 37.30%
The only ones in the list that compares are Dravid with 36.30% and Kallis with 36.73%

Ponting is at 34.05 and he is near them as well i suppose.
As for the rest, it is an insult to Lara and Tendulkar to include newbies like Smith or Strauss ahead of them..and it is insulting to them to even THINK that merely good players like Vaughan even a very good Martyn even comes anywhere CLOSE to them.
As per Flemmo....well i can think of a dozen batsmen active TODAY that i would take ahead of Flemmo.

 

[marc71178]

The only 2 bowlers who have ever troubled Graeme Smith have been Martin Bicknell and Matthew Hoggard.

Hmmm...

Giles did it as well.

 

[Richard]

Really?
How often last winter did Giles bowl at him?
Perhaps on 2, maybe 3, occasions?
Made him look a bit uncomfortable then dismissed him once, and apart from that?
Not to mention the ridiculous ease with which he played him in the double-centuries (except the lbw).

 

[marc71178]

Smith did not play him with considerable ease in 2003, he had a lot of trouble from him.

 

[Richard]

Funy how he only gave 3 chances off him, 2 off slogs, then, isn't it?

 

[marc71178]

Hmm, that's not the way I remember it.

 

[username1234]

I would vote Kellis he seem's to be one of those batsman that you can only dismiss with luck on your side.

 

[Pinkline Jones]

Can anyone detail for me ONE situation ever in world history where a cricket player has saved someone's life by whacking a stupid red ball with a stupid piece of timber?

 

[John Laws CBE]

Thats a very good point you raise Pinkline. I certainly can not think of a single situation where someone was in the position whereby, if they were dismissed, another human being would die. Absolute sillyness to suggest otherwise IMO.

 

[Ray Hadley]

I would suggest we give it a try though...there's something gladitorial about it that grabs my attention. Perhaps, you, Pinkline could go into bat for Richard's miserable life. I'll take bets now that the mode of dismissal will be hit wicket.

 

[John Laws CBE]

On the contrary Ray, Im certain the mode of dismissal would be "timed out." I really cant see any reason that Pinkline (or anyone for that matter) would even bother making their way to the crease to bat for that person's life.

 

[Belford]

Timed out

Yes - definitely timed out in that case.

I would choose Bruce Laird to bat for my life.

 

[Ray Hadley]

On the contrary Ray, Im certain the mode of dismissal would be "timed out." I really cant see any reason that Pinkline (or anyone for that matter) would even bother making their way to the crease to bat for that person's life.

Perhaps you have a point John, either way it would make great theatre. Perhaps they could include it in the opening ceremony for the Commonwealth games next year?