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Greatest batting/bowling styles in the world.

haroon510

International 12th Man
Yeah agree with all of this very much.

A few others I like almost as much...

Spin: MSP, Harbhajan Singh (yeah, Sikhs and fingerspin do go together so well, don't they :ph34r:), Murali, Vettori.

Seam: Allan Donald, Dominic Cork, Richard Hadlee, Chaminda Vaas, Dennis Lillee, Mark Gillespie, Waqar Younis, Andy Caddick, *Heath Davis, look away now* Geoff Allott, Wesley Winfield Hall.

Batting: Aravinda de Silva, Mark Waugh, VVS Laxman, Nasser Hussain, Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Kumar Sangakkara, Murray Goodwin, Saeed Anwar, Stephen Fleming, Richie Richardson. And many more besides...
i can't believe i forgot Saeed anwar.. i loved his style of bating.. his bating was all about timing.. salman butt very rarely reminds me of Saeed.. but saeed was one never replaceable and he has to be in my most favorite style of bating..
 

burr

State Vice-Captain
"[He] is one of those cricketers who renders the game so simple that you want to pick up your bat with the cratered edges and start your career all over again. "So that's how it's done," you're tempted to think:come forward when it's up, go back when it's short. His footwork is precise, his balance balletic. To call him a textbook batsman is not to flatter him; it is to flatter the textbook." Gideon Haigh on the subject of my avatar. 'Nuf said :wub:
 

The Sean

Cricketer Of The Year
"[He] is one of those cricketers who renders the game so simple that you want to pick up your bat with the cratered edges and start your career all over again. "So that's how it's done," you're tempted to think:come forward when it's up, go back when it's short. His footwork is precise, his balance balletic. To call him a textbook batsman is not to flatter him; it is to flatter the textbook." Gideon Haigh on the subject of my avatar. 'Nuf said :wub:
I was wondering when you'd emerge with Marto. ;) FWIW though I totally agree - not much between he, Mark Waugh and Greg Chappell for the title of most "beautiful" Australian batsman of my lifetime.

Going back further, my dream new-ball attack to watch for pure aesthetics would be Ray Lindwall and Harold Larwood (on whom Lindwall famously modelled his own action).

And they'd be bowling to an opening partnership of Victor Trumper and Barry Richards, with Wally Hammond waiting in the pavilion...
 

burr

State Vice-Captain
Was seeing if anyone else would mention the obvious. And seeing as they were silly enough not to (bar one passing reference), had to add my two cents :D.
 

Engle

State Vice-Captain
Putting together a XI

V.Trumper
B.Richards
Ranji
G.Pollock
Zaheer Abbas
G.Sobers
A.Knott
R.Lindwall
S.Warne
M.Holding
B.Bedi
 

pup11

International Coach
Spin: Warne (just loved the way walked into his bowling stride.)
Pace: Allan Donald and C.Ambrose
Batting: Mark Waugh and Lara (especailly against spin.)
 

aussie

Hall of Fame Member
I am going to keep this to reasonably current players, I don't date back far enough to remember anything pre-2000, although my knowledge is growing...

BATTING

Pull - Ponting, easily

Cover Drive - Hussey's is a thing of beauty

Sweep - Hayden (albeit he got out from it yesterday)

Reverse Sweep - Heard a lot about Jonty Rhodes, so he gets an honourable mention, otherwise Hussey again

Power Batting - Chris Cairns, Matty Hayden and Andrew Symonds, Lance Kluesner

Facing Spinners - Michael Clarke

Overall - Bradman obviously, Gower, Slater, Martyn, M Waugh, and Langer seemed somewhat appealing when in form, in addition to all mentioned above.

BOWLING

Pace - Donald, Lindwall (from what I've read), Lillee, Lee, McGrath, Bracken, Hadlee, Akram

Spin - Warne, Vettori, Chawla from what I saw yesterday, Panesar. (I hate Harbhajan's action, looks to dodgy and cluttered for me)

WICKETKEEPING

Technically - Healy, Boucher, Knott, Tallon

Visually (spectacular catches/stumpings) - Gilchrist, Healy, Boucher
Nice format, will adapt this in my choices as well. My selection is based on what i've seen live, on footage & what i've read.

BATTING:

Pull shot - Ponting hands down currently while Richards & Richardson seemed to be savage pullers back in the 80s & what makes them even more special is that they did it without helmets.

Cover Drive - Hussey currently for left-handers, Vaughan & Martyn for right handers, with Lara & Sobers with there caribbean flourish definately just as good.

Sweep - Hayden for power & Lara for his ability to hit them exactly where he wanted his battles with Warne & Murali especially were stuff of legend.

Straight/On-drive - Tendulkar without a doubt in modern times & Richards back in the days.

leg-side play - Azharuddin, M Waugh to watch these two blokes play shots through the leg-spin were just majestic.

Cut shot - Lara, Gilchrist, Gayle & Sehwag just savage when in top form.

Reverse sweep - Flower, KP, Rhodes are the best exponents of the shot that i've seen.

Power batting - Symonds, Freddie, Cairns, Afridi, Klusener, Gayle, Hayden, Gilchrist


BOWLING:

Pace/Swing bowling - Donald, Lillee, Akram, Lindwall, Akhtar, Thompson, Bond, Waqar, Holding, Ambrose, Hadlee.

Spin - Warne, Vettori, Laker (on footage looks to have had the perfect off-spinners action)

WICKET-KEEPING:

Technical ability - Healy & Richardson from modern times, while historically Knott & Grout.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Putting together a XI

V.Trumper
B.Richards
Ranji
G.Pollock
Zaheer Abbas
G.Sobers
A.Knott
R.Lindwall
S.Warne
M.Holding
B.Bedi
Wouldn't disagree with much if any of that. Never really seen that much of Graeme Pollock tho and TBH what I have seen he doesn't seem to have looked as good as Gower to my eyes.

Zaheer Abbas I cannot believe I forgot initially. :wallbash:
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Cut shot - Lara, Gilchrist, Gayle & Sehwag just savage when in top form.
Ahem - Sherwin Campbell? Gordon Greenidge? Robin Smith?

Never seen better players of that shot myself.
 
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Engle

State Vice-Captain
http://content-www.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/153088.html

McKenzie, Hawke, Benaud could find nothing to halt or hinder his surging strokeplay. My broadcasting companion for the series was the renowned Australian captain, and grandsire of famous Australian cricketers, Victor Richardson. Came the moment when I glanced his way, indicating it was now his turn to talk, his response was a shaking of the head and a murmured - No, no, you carry on. So captivated was this veteran stalwart that tiny tears of ecstasy shone in the corners of his eyes. He wanted only to sit back, the more fully to relish that day's batting. Never will one seasoned and long experienced in cricket confrontation pay a more sincere tribute to a young man than Victor Richardson spontaneously paid to Graeme Pollock that day.
 
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JBH001

International Regular
Among players currently operational (tests). Hmmm...

Batting: Tendulkar (batting personifed imo), Laxman, Sangakkara.

Fast Bowling: Brett Lee, Dale Steyn.

Spin: Sehwag, Vettori.
 

bagapath

International Captain
Putting together a XI

V.Trumper
B.Richards
Ranji
G.Pollock
Zaheer Abbas
G.Sobers
A.Knott
R.Lindwall
S.Warne
M.Holding
B.Bedi
would be nice if you manage to fit in gower, lara and akram somehow.. but who to drop??
 

aussie

Hall of Fame Member
Ahem - Sherwin Campbell? Gordon Greenidge? Robin Smith?

Never seen better players of that shot myself.
Yea maybe Greenidge, not seen enough of Smith to judge & well don't know how Campbell fits in TBH seen a lot of him & can't remember him being a great exponent of the cut shot.
 

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