Prelim Poll 2: Greatest All-rounder of All Time: Select THREE

[bagapath]

As part of the ongoing process of selecting the greatest all rounder ever in test cricket, I am starting the second, and last, prelim polls before the grand final. You can read the main thread if you have not been following this discussion.

http://www.cricketweb.net/forum/cricket-chat/41988-greatest-all-rounder-all-time.html

In the first prelim poll in which we select four all rounders, Imran, Miller and Botham are clearly miles ahead of the rest. Kapil or Faulkner (with Pollock capable of a last minute surprise) is likely to take the last slot.

http://www.cricketweb.net/forum/cri...r-prelim-poll-1-choose-four-all-rounders.html

To compete with those four champions in the grand finals we are selecting THREE more players from a mix of batting all rounders, bowling all rounders and bits and pieces all rounders.

Apart from the general criteria of having taken 5 four wicket hauls (100+ wickets for post world war cricketers) and scored at least 5 half centuries (1000 + runs for post WW2 players) I have selected and divided the players further in the following manner.

1. batting all rounders: batting avg > 40 and bowling avg > 30

GS Sobers (WI) 	93 	8032 	365* 	57.78 	26 	235 	6/73 	34.03 	6 	109 	0 
JH Kallis (ICC/SA) 	131 	10277 	189* 	54.66 	31 	258 	6/54 	31.08 	5 	147 	0 
AW Greig (Eng) 	58 	3599 	148 	40.43 	8 	141 	8/86 	32.20 	6 	87 	0

2. bowling all-rounders: batting avg > 20 and < 30; bowling average < 30.

TE Bailey (Eng) 	61 	2290 	134* 	29.74 	1 	132 	7/34 	29.21 	5 	32 	0 
W Bates (Eng) 	15 	656 	64 	27.33 	0 	50 	7/28 	16.42 	4 	9 	0 
Sir RJ Hadlee (NZ) 	86 	3124 	151* 	27.16 	2 	431 	9/52 	22.29 	36 	39 	0 
MW Tate (Eng) 	39 	1198 	100* 	25.48 	1 	155 	6/42 	26.16 	7 	11 	0 
AK Davidson (Aus) 	44 	1328 	80 	24.59 	0 	186 	7/93 	20.53 	14 	42 	0 
R Benaud (Aus) 	63 	2201 	122 	24.45 	3 	248 	7/72 	27.03 	16 	65 	0 
WPUJC Vaas (SL) 	111 	3089 	100* 	24.32 	1 	355 	7/71 	29.58 	12 	31 	0 
G Giffen (Aus) 	31 	1238 	161 	23.35 	1 	103 	7/117 	27.09 	7 	24 	0 
Akram (Pak)  	104  	2898  	257*  	22.64  	3  	414  	7/119  	23.62  	25  	44  	0
HH Streak (Zim) 	65 	1990 	127* 	22.35 	1 	216 	6/73 	28.14 	7 	17 	0 
RR Lindwall (Aus) 	61 	1502 	118 	21.15 	2 	228 	7/38 	23.03 	12 	26 	0

3. bits and pieces all-rounders: batting avg > 20. bowling average not more than 10 points above batting avg

RJ Shastri (India) 	80 	3830 	206 	35.79 	11 	151 	5/75 	40.96 	2 	36 	0 
Abdul Razzaq (Pak) 46 	1946 	134 	28.61 	3 	100 	5/35 	36.94 	1 	15 	0 
DL Vettori (ICC/NZ) 	92 	3220 	137* 	28.24 	3 	293 	7/87 	33.55 	18 	47 	0 
DA Allen (Eng) 	39 	918 	88 	25.50 	0 	122 	5/30 	30.97 	4 	10 	0 
L Amarnath (India) 	24 	878 	118 	24.38 	1 	45 	5/96 	32.91 	2 	13 	0 
R Illingworth (Eng) 	61 	1836 	113 	23.24 	2 	122 	6/29 	31.20 	3 	45 	0 
JH Sinclair (SA) 	25 	1069 	106 	23.23 	3 	63 	6/26 	31..68 	1 	9 	0

I am also bending the rules a little bit and including Walter Hammond with the batting all-rounders. He took more than 4 wickets in an innings only thrice despite playing in 85 matches. His inclusion is a sentimental decision and I cant defend it logically. So pl let him be there as an option. You can ignore him if you like, just like you will ignore my change of heart in going for three options in this poll instead of the two I was originally proposing.

WR Hammond 85  	7249  	336*  	58.45  	22  	83  	5/36  	37.80  	2  	110  	0

 

[bagapath]

I dont want anyone with a sub 30 batting average in the finals. so voted for sobers, kallis and greig.

 

[Athlai]

Sober Kallis Hadlee

Easy

 

[0RI0N]

3 best batting all rounders:
Sobers
Kallis
Greig
this is too easy

 

[Ikki]

Sobers, Kallis and I'll give a vote to Davidson.

 

[zaremba]

I want to change my vote to add Hammond please

 

[Fusion]

Sobers, Kallis, Hadlee

 

[bagapath]

I want to change my vote to add Hammond please

will take that into account if needed in the end

 

[Mupariwa_Magic]

Sobers,Kallis and I'll give a vote to Heath Streak.

 

[bagapath]

am glad i gave three options. with sobers and kallis being obvious choices, the grieg-hadlee tussle is the one battle with some excitement left in it.

 

[Gowza]

went with sobers, kallis, hadlee. was thinking about hammond and razzaq but despite having the tools to be great allrounders their stats aren't good enough.

 

[The Sean]

am glad i gave three options. with sobers and kallis being obvious choices, the grieg-hadlee tussle is the one battle with some excitement left in it.

I'm surprised Kallis is considered a so much more obvious choice than Hadlee TBH. Hadlee the bowler is IMO better than Kallis the batsman, and Hadlee the batsman is IMO in the same ballpark as Kallis the bowler.

Anyway - went Sobers-Hadlee-Giffen. Kallis is already through so I wanted old George to get a vote.

 

[weldone]

Thought there would be more votes to Benaud...

 

[SJS]

I'm surprised Kallis is considered a so much more obvious choice than Hadlee TBH. Hadlee the bowler is IMO better than Kallis the batsman, and Hadlee the batsman is IMO in the same ballpark as Kallis the bowler.

Anyway - went Sobers-Hadlee-Giffen. Kallis is already through so I wanted old George to get a vote.

I wish I had voted for Lala Amarnath. He was a much better al rounder than he people realise.

 

[bagapath]

come on tony greig fans. hadlee with just 2 centuries in 86 tests is ahead of tony. who would you rather have in the final?

 

[Lillian Thomson]

come on tony greig fans. hadlee with just 2 centuries in 86 tests is ahead of tony. who would you rather have in the final?

I voted for Greig but if it came down to team selection I'd have Hadlee. I only voted for Greig because I don't consider Hadlee anything more than a useful lower order hitter and not really an allrounder at Test level.

 

[bagapath]

I voted for Greig but if it came down to team selection I'd have Hadlee. I only voted for Greig because I don't consider Hadlee anything more than a useful lower order hitter and not really an allrounder at Test level.

yeah. i agree. hadlee was a superior cricketer overall but grieg is the more genuine allrounder of the two. i think he deserves a nod here.