More devastating...Richards or Gilchrist??

[SJS]

I think when we start comparing today's batsmen with Richards, lets not forget the difference in bowling standards.

What is the quality of bowling that Gilchrist has to face (He is a great stroke player no doubt).?

I think the only really good all round attack in the world today is the Aussie attack so the Australian batsmen have never had it so easy. This is a fact. This is not to run down a great side but just to put things in perspective.

 

[Swervy]

I think when we start comparing today's batsmen with Richards, lets not forget the difference in bowling standards.

What is the quality of bowling that Gilchrist has to face (He is a great stroke player no doubt).?

I think the only really good all round attack in the world today is the Aussie attack so the Australian batsmen have never had it so easy. This is a fact. This is not to run down a great side but just to put things in perspective.

true, but do you not feel that Gilchrist would probably have had a similar effect in Richards era as well. When i watch Gilly play, I really do get the feeling he wouild have done..because he appaers to be a player who doesnt dwell on a bowlers reputation, he handles whoever the bowler might be, with the same contempt and disdain. I think he would have taken on the great bowlers of richards time,and thanks to his unrivalled eye for hitting the ball, may well have still been as destructive

 

[SJS]

To substantiate that last post, here is a list of bowlers who dismissed both Gilchrist and Richards more than once in their respective careers. Just look at the difference in class. If you know your cricket and your cricketers, you will not compare Richards and Gilchrist again.

Gilchrist :

Fast/Medium.........................Slow

Kallis, J H (SAF).....................Kumble, A (IND)
Agarkar, A B (IND)..................Harbhajan Singh (IND)
Shoaib Akhtar (PAK)..............Vettori, D L (NZL)
White, C (ENG)......................Kaneria, D (PAK)
Gough, D (ENG).....................Muralitharan, M (SRL)
Harmison, S J (ENG)..............Wiseman, P J (NZL)
Cairns, C L (NZL)....................Kartik, M (IND)
Malinga, S L (SRL)
Stuart, C E L (WIN)
Dillon, M V (WIN)
Banks, O A C (WIN)

Richards

Fast/Medium.....................Slow

Lillee, D K (AUS)............Chandrasekhar, B S (IND)
Botham, I T (ENG)..........Shastri, R J (IND)
Kapil Dev (IND)...............Mohammed Nazir (PAK)
Thomson, J R (AUS).......Abdul Qadir (PAK)
Imran Khan (PAK)..........Hirwani, N D (IND)
Lawson, G F (AUS)........Border, A R (AUS)
Alderman, T M (AUS).....Matthews, G R J (AUS)
McDermott, C J (AUS)...Bedi, B S (IND)
Dilley, G R (ENG)..........Venkataraghavan, S (IND)
Wasim Akram (PAK).....Prasanna, E A S (IND)
Sharma, C (IND)............Maninder Singh (IND)
Hadlee, R J (NZL)..........Iqbal Qasim (PAK)
Pringle, D R (ENG).......Mushtaq Mohammad (PAK)
Capel, D J (ENG)
Malcolm, D E (ENG)
Willis, R G D (ENG)
Hogg, R M (AUS)
Hughes, M G (AUS)
Waugh, S R (AUS)
Allott, P J W (ENG)
Amarnath, M (IND)
Foster, N A (ENG)
De Freitas, P A J (ENG)
Madan Lal, S (IND)
Chatfield, E J (NZL)
Sarfraz Nawaz (PAK)

 

[SJS]

true, but do you not feel that Gilchrist would probably have had a similar effect in Richards era as well. When i watch Gilly play, I really do get the feeling he wouild have done..because he appaers to be a player who doesnt dwell on a bowlers reputation, he handles whoever the bowler might be, with the same contempt and disdain. I think he would have taken on the great bowlers of richards time,and thanks to his unrivalled eye for hitting the ball, may well have still been as destructive

Oh sure he would have taken them on but the Lillees, the Hadlee's, the Imrans, the Thomsons and the Indian spin quartet besides the manyn others in that list would have also handleld him better than the comparative light weights he has faced.

 

[Swervy]

To substantiate that last post, here is a list of bowlers who dismissed both Gilchrist and Richards more than once in their respective careers. Just look at the difference in class. If you know your cricket and your cricketers, you will not compare Richards and Gilchrist again.

Gilchrist :

Fast/Medium.........................Slow

Kallis, J H (SAF).....................Kumble, A (IND)
Agarkar, A B (IND)..................Harbhajan Singh (IND)
Shoaib Akhtar (PAK)..............Vettori, D L (NZL)
White, C (ENG)......................Kaneria, D (PAK)
Gough, D (ENG).....................Muralitharan, M (SRL)
Harmison, S J (ENG)..............Wiseman, P J (NZL)
Cairns, C L (NZL)....................Kartik, M (IND)
Malinga, S L (SRL)
Stuart, C E L (WIN)
Dillon, M V (WIN)
Banks, O A C (WIN)

Richards

Fast/Medium.....................Slow

Lillee, D K (AUS)............Chandrasekhar, B S (IND)
Botham, I T (ENG)..........Shastri, R J (IND)
Kapil Dev (IND)...............Mohammed Nazir (PAK)
Thomson, J R (AUS).......Abdul Qadir (PAK)
Imran Khan (PAK)..........Hirwani, N D (IND)
Lawson, G F (AUS)........Border, A R (AUS)
Alderman, T M (AUS).....Matthews, G R J (AUS)
McDermott, C J (AUS)...Bedi, B S (IND)
Dilley, G R (ENG)..........Venkataraghavan, S (IND)
Wasim Akram (PAK).....Prasanna, E A S (IND)
Sharma, C (IND)............Maninder Singh (IND)
Hadlee, R J (NZL)..........Iqbal Qasim (PAK)
Pringle, D R (ENG).......Mushtaq Mohammad (PAK)
Capel, D J (ENG)
Malcolm, D E (ENG)
Willis, R G D (ENG)
Hogg, R M (AUS)
Hughes, M G (AUS)
Waugh, S R (AUS)
Allott, P J W (ENG)
Amarnath, M (IND)
Foster, N A (ENG)
De Freitas, P A J (ENG)
Madan Lal, S (IND)
Chatfield, E J (NZL)
Sarfraz Nawaz (PAK)

well cant really argue against that....although Viv's career span something like 3 times as long (in terms of years) as Gillys has, so he was bound to encounter more top bowlers..and there are a lot of duff bowlers in the Ricahrds list as well.

Anyway..point taken...I dont think anyone is really debating whether Richards was better or anything (because no-one of the last 30 years really touches Viv in that respect)

 

[Deja moo]

I meant a slow start in comparison to his current record. 15 months ago Sehwag was averaging 40, and Gilchrist was averaging around 60, now their averages are closer together, but Sehwag has only had 15 months of top form.

No, thats not a slow start. Thats called a slump. And Sehwag has had a lot more than 15 months of top form. His statistics prove it. ( As for strike rates, Sehwag opens, and part of the openers job is seeing off the new ball before opening up. It is to his credit that he still maintains the SR he does. Besides, he has time and again stated his desire to bat in the middle order, and heaven knows how much more suffering bowlers would have to endure if and when he finally gets his wish fulfilled).

Besides, the reason I brought Sehwag in was not to state his claim, rather to question how Gilchrist can even be compared to Viv Richards considering the huge gap in tests played ( 121 to 66). After 66 tests, Viv averaged 56 and he had faced much better bowlers than Gilchrist ever has.

 

[psxpro]

Gilchrist. Easily. He is actually unser more pressure because batting at 7 he knows he is the last batsman, yet he comes out and smashes teams all over the park.
Also this stuff about bowling standards dropping is ****, only thing is pitches are too flat, but batsmen these days are so much better.