Greatest Pakistani fast bowler - Wasim or Imran?

[salman85]

The fast bowler-spinner attack definitely adds more variety.

But having said that,you can have attacking batsmen,text book classy batsmen,fantastic spinners,but there is not a better sight in cricket than a fast bowler destroying batting lineups.

 

[vcs]

I think it was quite comparable and 90s might even have better bowlers some may say

80s

Imran
Hadlee
Lillee (4-5 years only)
Holding
Garner
Marshall
Botham
Kapil
(Bob Willis???? Probably not too much I suppose)

90s
Wasim
Waqar
Walsh
Amby
Pollock
Donald
McGrath

Heath Streak also deserves a mention there. 111 wickets in the 90s at 24.55.

On a side note, can anyone tell me how to add that filter which specifies a minimum number of wickets/runs in a query? Have been struggling to find the option for a while.

 

[Ikki]

ikki,
not sure that the australian fast bowling attack of the 90s was an all time great one. yes, mcgrath is an all time great but a. nother (mcdermott or fleming or towards the end, gillespie) does not match upto any of pollock, waqar or walsh.
perhaps this raises an interesting and somewhat different point. how does an attack with 2 all time great fast bowlers compare to one with one all time great fast bowler and one all time great spinner?

I know, I said there were 4 all-time great attacks, not just pace attacks. Unless you think Warne/McGrath in the 90s weren't an all-time great attack?

As for your question, the only spinners that can really be compared to fast bowlers in terms of efficacy are Warne, Murali, O'Reilly and Grimmett. Pretty much every other spinner bar them could not compare in a 1s+1p vs 2p attack.

 

[Borges]

But having said that,you can have attacking batsmen,text book classy batsmen,fantastic spinners,but there is not a better sight in cricket than a fast bowler destroying batting lineups.

Fair enough. There's no accounting for taste; to me the finest sight in cricket is a great fast bowler and a classy spinner in tandem, bowling at two very good batsmen on a wicket that gives a fair balance between bat and ball. Say, Andy Roberts and Bishen Bedi in tandem bowling at Barry Richards and Sunil Gavaskar on an old Mohali pitch.

 

[ankitj]

As for your question, the only spinners that can really be compared to fast bowlers in terms of efficacy are Warne, Murali, O'Reilly and Grimmett. Pretty much every other spinner bar them could not compare in a 1s+1p vs 2p attack.

Jim Laker too.

 

[Blaze 18]

Heath Streak also deserves a mention there. 111 wickets in the 90s at 24.55.

On a side note, can anyone tell me how to add that filter which specifies a minimum number of wickets/runs in a query? Have been struggling to find the option for a while.

Result Qualifications - third last option.

 

[Ikki]

Jim Laker too.

No, I wouldn't put him in that category, just below. I actually think of the 4 I named it should be further split in two: Warne and Murali, then Tiger and Clarrie.

 

[smash84]

The fast bowler-spinner attack definitely adds more variety.

But having said that,you can have attacking batsmen,text book classy batsmen,fantastic spinners,but there is not a better sight in cricket than a fast bowler destroying batting lineups.

Probably only Wasim Akram beats Shane Warne in exciting bowling IMO otherwise Shane Warne for me was the most exciting bowler that I ever saw during the last 25 years since I have been watching cricket.

 

[Blaze 18]

probably only wasim akram beats shane warne in exciting bowling imo otherwise shane warne for me was the most exciting bowler that i ever saw during the last 25 years since i have been watching cricket.

+1

 

[vcs]

Result Qualifications - third last option.

Thanks, got it.

 

[bagapath]

if reid and devilliers get a mention, then bishop, gough, srinath also deserve a shout.

bishop, yes. but gough, vaas and srinath were in the 29/30 average category, further down in the brett lee league.

 

[Outswinger@Pace]

Jim Laker too.

I would put Hugh Tayfield and Subhash Gupte ahead of Laker.

And Tayfield and Gupte would be just a notch below the fab four - Murali, Warne, Tiger and Grimmett. Bedi, Chandra, Gibbs, Laker, Qadir, Saqlain, Prasanna and the others would follow later. Jim was great in one series, but I'm afraid one swallow does not a summer make!

 

[Outswinger@Pace]

yes i do think Vaas and Srinath deserve a shout if you mention De Villiers, and Reid.

If these four deserve a shout, then Gillespie ought not to be left out either. A fair case could be made for Makhaya, Lee and Akhtar as well, IMHO. But a notch or two below Dizzy as Test bowlers.

Especially, if we consider ODIs, where Vaas and Lee would possibly be regarded as all-time greats of the format. None of the men I mentioned would be truly great bowlers in Tests though. Very good performers nonetheless!


EDIT: Ah! 90s bowlers! Didn't see that :-) Disregard this comment of mine.

 

[ankitj]

I would put Hugh Tayfield and Subhash Gupte ahead of Laker.

And Tayfield and Gupte would be just a notch below the fab four - Murali, Warne, Tiger and Grimmett. Bedi, Chandra, Gibbs, Laker, Qadir, Saqlain, Prasanna and the others would follow later. Jim was great in one series, but I'm afraid one swallow does not a summer make!

Hmm. Jim Laker has an average of under 25 in 6 out of 10 series in which he played at least 3 tests. Doesn't appear so bad to me.

EDIT: And Hedley Verity and Hugh Tayfield ahead of any of the over-romanticized Indian spinners.

 

[weldone]

EDIT: And Hedley Verity and Hugh Tayfield ahead of any of the over-romanticized Indian spinners.

seconded...

My personal pecking order for the greatest spinners will be something like this (from the top of my mind):

Muttiah Muralitharan, Bill O'Reilly, Shane Warne, Clarrie Grimmett, Jim Laker, Hedley Verity, Richie Benaud, Hugh Tayfield, Anil Kumble, Subhash Gupte, Johnny Wardle, Chandrashekhar, Bedi, Prasanna, Saqlain, Faulkner, Underwood, Qadir, Gibbs, Colin Blythe, Mankad, Harbhajan, MacGill etc etc...

 

[ankitj]

seconded...

My personal pecking order for the greatest spinners will be something like this (from the top of my mind):

Muttiah Muralitharan, Bill O'Reilly, Shane Warne, Clarrie Grimmett, Jim Laker, Hedley Verity, Richie Benaud, Hugh Tayfield, Anil Kumble, Subhash Gupte, Chandrashekhar, Bedi, Prasanna, Saqlain, Faulkner, Underwood, Qadir, Gibbs etc etc...

Harbhajan?

 

[weldone]

Harbhajan?

likes of Harbhajan, Mankad, MacGill, Blythe and others will follow after those I've listed...

 

[Zohaib©]

Wasim Akram , such a beast of a bowler , found the weaknesses of classy batsmen which other bowlers do that now a days.

 

[Borges]

My personal pecking order for the greatest spinners will be something like this (from the top of my mind):

Muttiah Muralitharan, Bill O'Reilly, Shane Warne, Clarrie Grimmett, Jim Laker, Hedley Verity, Richie Benaud, Hugh Tayfield, Anil Kumble, Subhash Gupte, Chandrashekhar, Bedi, Prasanna, Saqlain, Faulkner, Underwood, Qadir, Gibbs etc etc...

Johnny Wardle should be somewhere (in the top half) of that list, IMHO.

 

[weldone]

Johnny Wardle should be somewhere (in the top half) of that list, IMHO.

O yeah certainly! Forgot him for a moment...I shall personally keep him somewhere in between the 5 Indians there...