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Who is the world's best Test bowler ever?
- Thread starter a massive zebra
- Start date
SJS
Hall of Fame Member
Who is the world's best Test bowler ever?
Easily the most popular cricket question since the best batsman debate was settled by Bradman bar the raving and ranting infidels
The most common, most popular and most widely supported amongst the students of the game is SF Barnes.
Surprisingly, the most common candidates to challenge that have been all leg spinners and all Australians viz, Orielly, Grimmett and Warne. To this one would have added Muralitharan but for the controversy around his bowling action.
Easily the most popular cricket question since the best batsman debate was settled by Bradman bar the raving and ranting infidels
The most common, most popular and most widely supported amongst the students of the game is SF Barnes.
Surprisingly, the most common candidates to challenge that have been all leg spinners and all Australians viz, Orielly, Grimmett and Warne. To this one would have added Muralitharan but for the controversy around his bowling action.
archie mac
International Coach
I watched him bowl, I have know doubt he is the best fast bowler I ever watched.a massive zebra said:
He hardly played in the subcontinent, and a lot was made that he did not dismiss tail enders during his career, who cares dismiss the top order, and let the lesser bowlers wrap up the tail.
Just about every contemporary rates him the best bowler, good enough for me.
I am talking about DK Lillee
How the clown managed to have anyone in front of George Lohmann a player who averaged 10 and claimed a 100 wickets. I think SF Barnes is/was the best.
SJS
Hall of Fame Member
Surprisingly, not many talk of him any more , including Australians. Greatest fast bowler at that speed one has seen. Hadlee bowled his best(that I was privileged to watch) at less than real fast. The only one I have seen who bowled consistently fast and unplayable stuff was Imran Khan for a period of about three years (I think) during which he destroyed Gavaskar's reputation for me as an opener.archie mac said:I am talking about DK Lillee
.
Then there was Andy Roberts.
archie mac
International Coach
SJS Then there was Andy Roberts.[/QUOTE said:
IMO it is almost impossible to choose who has been the best bowler. There are no obvious stand-outs in bowling as there are in batting.
You could name 2-3 great bowlers from every country and still have arguments.
I grew up watching Lillee bowl, and even modelled my own action on his, but I wouldn't say he was the greatest bowler who ever lived (Possibly, one of the top 5 ). I thought Roberts and Holding were wonderful bowlers. Ambrose was incredible on his day, as was Hadlee, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, etc.
McGrath will be the equal of Lillee for me, in some ways I thing he is a superior bowler.
As far as spinners go, I would find it hard to separate Warne and Murali because they are both so different. In saying that, I have read a lot about O'Reilly, but having not seen him I can't judge him.
If I was in a corner and had to give my vote...I'd give it to Warne...just!
You could name 2-3 great bowlers from every country and still have arguments.
I grew up watching Lillee bowl, and even modelled my own action on his, but I wouldn't say he was the greatest bowler who ever lived (Possibly, one of the top 5 ). I thought Roberts and Holding were wonderful bowlers. Ambrose was incredible on his day, as was Hadlee, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, etc.
McGrath will be the equal of Lillee for me, in some ways I thing he is a superior bowler.
As far as spinners go, I would find it hard to separate Warne and Murali because they are both so different. In saying that, I have read a lot about O'Reilly, but having not seen him I can't judge him.
If I was in a corner and had to give my vote...I'd give it to Warne...just!
Tom Halsey
International Coach
Ha! Giles takes the highest quality of wickets! Don't diss him now! *muahahaha*
This article is clearly flawed if it rates MacGill as 21st best Test bowler of all time. It places way too much importance on some things and not enough on others, for instance. It backs up what we've been saying (Murali is nowhere near as effective away from home) and shoots one of AMZs pet theories in the foot (Warne takes a higher wuality of wickets) - for some reason none of these are given equal importance.
For the record, the best bowler I've seen is Warne, I don't have a clue who's the best ever - but I know it's not Murali.
This article is clearly flawed if it rates MacGill as 21st best Test bowler of all time. It places way too much importance on some things and not enough on others, for instance. It backs up what we've been saying (Murali is nowhere near as effective away from home) and shoots one of AMZs pet theories in the foot (Warne takes a higher wuality of wickets) - for some reason none of these are given equal importance.
For the record, the best bowler I've seen is Warne, I don't have a clue who's the best ever - but I know it's not Murali.
luckyeddie
Cricket Web Staff Member
That'd be the lack of attention span nowa.... oh, look. A koala.SJS said:
Neil Pickup
Cricket Web Moderator
That's 'cause I'm having great difficulty motivating myself to scour the stats!a massive zebra said:
I'm pretty sure that Asoka's wicket taking rate is far more consistent than Warne - you could be sure that Asoka would get 0 or 1, but with Warne all those 5s and 6s cause a much greater variance. I could also analyse the RPOs in a similar manner, consistency wickets per match....
luckyeddie
Cricket Web Staff Member
On Asoka v Shane's mum's chemist's best customer....
It's worth factoring in the fact that Ashocker suffered terribly as a player with respect to umpiring.
When he was plying his trade, he was far less likely to pick up any leg-before decisions with balls pitching 4 or 5 inches outside leg stump.
It's worth factoring in the fact that Ashocker suffered terribly as a player with respect to umpiring.
When he was plying his trade, he was far less likely to pick up any leg-before decisions with balls pitching 4 or 5 inches outside leg stump.
honestbharani
Whatever it takes!!!
His name is Warnakulasurya Pattapadike Usantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas, right? I just reeled it off memory. I memorized it some 10 years ago juz to show that I had the most knowledge of cricket in my class. Yes, I know it was stupid but I was only 12.
honestbharani
Whatever it takes!!!
NOOOOOO... My memory is starting to screw up, even though it was only spelling. 
Neil Pickup
Cricket Web Moderator
I memorised it too.. think I was 16, though, so you out-geek me here.
honestbharani
Whatever it takes!!!
lol. It is amazing that we memorized ridiculously long names of a player of a sport popular in a handful of countries to show ourselves off as being knowledgable about the said game. We are crazy guys, aren't we? 