Shane Warne
Banned
I think it was Khan.
Good choices.C_C said:Best bowler:
Hadlee
Khan
Kapil
Botham.
Best batsman:
Imran
Botham
Kapil
Hadlee
Best allrounder:
Imran
Kapil
Hadlee
Botham.
Overall.PY said:I've tried to answer this before and been shot down so I'll ask this time.
Is it at their very best or overall? Ability to change a game? Longevity of career?
Few questions to ponder.
He was a significantly better batsman than Botham, also a significantly better bowler and captain. Only place Imran was behind is catching.Anil said:as an all-rounder, imran first, botham second, kapil third and hadlee fourth....of these first and second positions are arguable especially when you consider botham's catching record(100+ catches i think), but imran was a significantly better bowler and at least comparable as a batsman so my choice is imran...
where did i say botham was definitely a better batsman..? when i said "at least comparable", i meant at the very least equal, towards the latter half of his career, imran became a very good batsman, he was always technically superior to botham but when he started concentrating on his batting and bowling less and less, he built up an impressive record as a very good middle-order batsman for pakistan, and justified his place in a pak side brimming over with batting talent...having said that no one can really dispute botham's instinctive brilliance with the bat and his match-winning abilities and averages alone don't tell the story in botham's case...these two are the best all-rounders of the four and along with sobers, the 3 greatest all-rounders ever....placing botham last in that list isn't supported by stats or by people who watched him play....and captaincy doesn't come into the picture when you discuss all-round playing talent...C_C said:He was a significantly better batsman than Botham, also a significantly better bowler and captain. Only place Imran was behind is catching.
I am sorry but comparing someone who maintains a 50+ batting ave. for over 50 matches and 27-28 batting ave against the WI to someone who never even averaged 40+ with the bat for 50 matches and 19-20 batting ave against the WI is just ridiculous.Saying that Botham was a better batsman than Imran simply because he scored more tons is like saying Azhar was a better batsman than Gillchrist because he scored more tons.
Ie, utter tosh.
But against the West Indies in the West Indies, Imran averaged 21.78. Facing the West Indies in Pakistan, which were unfamiliar and unhelpful conditions to the West Indian seamers boosted his average.C_C said:I am sorry but comparing someone who maintains a 50+ batting ave. for over 50 matches and 27-28 batting ave against the WI to someone who never even averaged 40+ with the bat for 50 matches and 19-20 batting ave against the WI is just ridiculous.
Perhaps you should actually check out the nature of pitches dished out for the Pak vs. Windie encounters in Pakistan before so unceremoniously dumping Imran's performance there? A green top is a green top, be it Sabina Park or Multan and any bowler worth his salt would be able to utilize both. If it is a good bowler, which walsh, holding, garner, roberts, ambrose and bishop undoubtedly were, the degree of unfamiliarity with an unknown pitch would be no more than a minor inconvenience.But against the West Indies in the West Indies, Imran averaged 21.78. Facing the West Indies in Pakistan, which were unfamiliar and unhelpful conditions to the West Indian seamers boosted his average.
Not many batsmen did well against the west indies in west indies back in those days.steds said:But against the West Indies in the West Indies, Imran averaged 21.78. Facing the West Indies in Pakistan, which were unfamiliar and unhelpful conditions to the West Indian seamers boosted his average.
Most of the West Indian test players played in County cricket/league cricket summer in, summer out, so would have been familiar and adept at bowling in the helpful conditions home and away against England