Best cricketer for this decade ?

[The Sean]

it has to be murali - ponting - kallis in that order. with honorable mentions to chanderpaul, warne, gilchrist, mcgrath, hayden, sehwag, dravid, yousuff in no particular order. i wonder if pietersen would be the next decade's greatest.

KP is 29 now so he's too old IMO to be the dominant player of the next ten full years. I think he'll be like McGrath, where his peak will stretch from one mid-calendar decade to the next mid-calendar decade, thus preventing him from hitting the very top in either.

 

[Richard]

Personally I think my top three would be Murali - Punter - Kallis in that order. Murali's performances this decade have been nothing short of phenomenal - 550-odd wickets at 20 in an era where bat has largely dominated ball is a staggering achievement.

There is that - and also the fact that bowlers win matches, batsmen draw them. Still, though, I can't really go past the fact that Kallis has just stood astride many matches - indeed extended periods of matches - while at the same time bowling more often than not pretty well (he had an extended period of not bowling that well between about 2003/04 and 2005/06 or so); and rarely missing many slip catches, and going about his business quietly and scandal-free. I'm not one to put Kallis on a pedestal with Garry Sobers, Keith Miller and Imran Khan (nor am I one to say he's not even remotely close mind) but there's no doubt what he's done since 2001/02 with the bat has been excellent, and that before then (admittedly just 1-and-a-half years in the 2000s) he was pretty good anyway.

One small caveat to throw in with Murali and the bat-dominated-ball thing is that Sri Lanka is one place which has still produced a decent number of turning surfaces (not as many as I'd like - personally I hope to see just about every pitch in Sri Lanka be a proper turner). Nonetheless, of course, Murali's performances have until very recently shown no bias between flat and spin-receptive decks - until recently he turned it on anything.

 

[Richard]

KP is 29 now so he's too old IMO to be the dominant player of the next ten full years. I think he'll be like McGrath, where his peak will stretch from one mid-calendar decade to the next mid-calendar decade, thus preventing him from hitting the very top in either.

Yeah, I'd be very surprised if KPP could be the dominant force beyond about 2015 or so - and I'm far from taking it for granted he'll be such a thing up until such a date.

I honestly do reckon a decent bet for batsman of the 2010s is Phil Hughes. Though naturally I'd much prefer it to be Alastair Cook or AB de Villiers - nor do I think it's impossible for either of those two to manage it.

 

[Burgey]

Either way I'd say Kallis cannot be disputed as cricketer of this decade, regardless of how much people dislike his refusal to conform to type and score quickly. Ponting the best purely in terms of batting for me with Chandepaul also very much a contender, and Murali just about beyond dispute in terms of bowling.

This.

And

AWTA. Every word.

Surprised Hayden didn't get a mention though, come to think of it.

This.

And

Kallis and Murali.

Ponting was the best pure batsman but Kallis's bowling puts him ahead. Murali was the best bowler.

This.

IMO.

 

[morgieb]

Ponting, Murali, Kallis.

Heaps of other batsmen (and some bowlers) come to mind too.

 

[DingDong]

why isnt vettori on anybody's list. the man was a one man army this decade..

 

[NUFAN]

I'll vote for Murali for this decade.

Peter Siddle and JP Duminy my early noms for the next decade.

 

[Burgey]

why isnt vettori on anybody's list. the man was a one man army this decade..

Probably coz his army didn't win too many battles.

Guy's a fine cricketer imo.

 

[Migara]

it has to be murali - ponting - kallis in that order. with honorable mentions to chanderpaul, warne, gilchrist, mcgrath, hayden, sehwag, dravid, yousuff in no particular order. i wonder if pietersen would be the next decade's greatest.

No Sangakkara there while you mention Yousuf?

 

[four_or_six]

I wouldn't mention Warne either - he too barely played half of the decade taking into account his year-long ban. I'm aware everyone's missed some time with injury, but both Warne and McGrath had lengthy spells out of the game (in McGrath's case a couple). That's different to missing a month with a damaged wrist on one occasion then 5 years later missing another month with a dislocated toe (or whatever) in my book.

As for ODIs, I don't really count them in terms of "best cricketer of the decade" - I'd take that to mean "best Test cricketer of the decade". I've said before that I don't see the point trying to take "best" as some sort of composite. Tests are the ultimate form and I don't want ODI excellence-or-otherwise to impact on anything to do with them. Likewise ODIs should be judged for themselves.

I was only commenting on the original post. Boycott mentions Warne, and I said if he mentioned Warne he should mention McGrath, because he has a superior record, and I believe he was as good this decade. Actually, probably better.

And personally, I would count ODIs in 'best cricketer' because otherwise I would have thought it would say 'best test cricketer'. To me, 'best cricketer' is impacted by both, because I think being right up there in both forms of the game means you are a more talented and successful player.

 

[Flem274*]

why isnt vettori on anybody's list. the man was a one man army this decade..

Jeetan patel is better than vettori ok. he tries his best nd u need 2 pull ur head in. vettori has 2 much power ok and needs 2 hav his head pulled in.

 

[Athlai]

Jeetan patel is better than vettori ok. he tries his best nd u need 2 pull ur head in. vettori has 2 much power ok and needs 2 hav his head pulled in.

Don't you be bringing Jeets into this! DingDong can be DongDinged without Jeeves being involved.

 

[Ikki]

Picking the 3, probably Ponting, Murali and Kallis in that order. Some others probably worthy of that company but these guys have played the whole decade pretty much.

 

[analyst]

Hayden, I for one respect his bullying of bowlers, his stance and his aggression and his treatment of spinners and seamers with total disdain was rather fun. Australia were fun to watch when Hayden was at his peak even if you did rather dislike them as a team for thrashing the rest of the world.

 

[Athlai]

Bowling wise Murali is pretty far ahead of everyone else. 556 @ 20.24
Closest competitor would be McGrath who took 297 @ 20.53 and thats a difference of about 259 wickets.
Best Bowler: Murali
2nd: McGrath
3rd: Warne

The batting competition is a bit closer than that with Ponting and Kallis.
Those two are a fair bit ahead of everyone else for me. The battle for 3rd is a bit tighter. With Yousuf, Chanderpaul and Lara all having a good case. After I removed Bangers and Zim from the records, Yousuf's average dropped from 60 to 55.68. Chanderpaul with 500 more runs than Yousuf and a fifth of a run less an innings (but a far superior runs per innings) gets the nod from me.
Best: Ponting 9253 @ 59.31
2nd: Kallis 8428 @ 58.93
3rd: Chanderpaul 6342 @ 53.29

But hey cricket isn't all about Tests! What about ODI's!?
3 names stand out in the bowling: Murali, McGrath and..... Pollock.
Best: Murali 335 @ 20.55 Economy 3.74
2nd: McGrath 234 @ 20.28 Economy 3.78
3rd: Pollock 275 @ 24.98 Economy 3.62

For the batting there is a fair bit of competition, with Tendulkar, Dhoni, Kallis, Ponting, Hayden, Hussey and Chanderpaul all leaving their mark on the decade.
Would personally go with
Best: Tendulkar 8530 @ 45.87 SR 85
2nd: Ponting 8922 @ 44.16 SR 85
3rd: Dhoni/Hayden Dhoni- 4827 @ 50.28 SR 91 Hayden- 5847 @ 45.32 SR 81

Murali dominanated the bowling, with McGrath being his only real competition in both forms of the game. Kallis and Ponting went pretty neck and neck in the batting, but there were a fair few that were there and thereabouts in the batting.
Kallis and Ponting were almost equally good with the bat at the top, but Tendulkar, MoYo, Hayden and Chanderpaul were also very close to the top as well. If we combine all 3 forms of the game played in this decade and look at these 6 players averages we will see how close they are together:
Kallis 16487 @ 52
Ponting 18576 @ 49.93
Tendulkar 15292 @ 48.70
MoYo 14592 @ 48.31
Hayden 14519 @ 49.55
Chanderpaul 12258 @ 47.88

That is a wwwwhoooole lotta runs, and in essence the 2000s have been all about the runs, but that just makes the top bowlers look all the more impressive. Their combined figures of all forms of the game see far less players rise to the top.

Murali 902 @ 20.35
McGrath 536 @ 20.38
Pollock 550 @ 24.76
Warne 438 @ 25.98

So the greatest cricketer of the decade leaves you the names of Ponting, Kallis, Murali, McGrath, Tendulkar, Pollock, Warne, MoYo, Chanderpaul and Hayden. But you go beyond the figures I've shown and you see more about the impact of the cricketers.
Ponting captained 2 Ashes losses in England, he also captained Australia to supreme dominance and world cup and champions trophy victories.
Kallis bowls! You wouldn't think it from what I've shown you but he's taken hundreds of wickets as well as been arguably the best batsman.
Murali bowled in an era of flat pitches and was only ever with one top class bowler at his side (Vaas) through the decade.
Tendulkar had all the weight of India on his shoulders, a pressure that is pretty much beyond anything most cricket fans can even begin to fathom, myself included.
McGrath had even less to work from with the pitches than Murali and had one of the most lucrative careers for a pace bowler in the history of the game.

Can't really put my finger on it personally.

Any of Tendulkar, Ponting, Kallis, McGrath and Murali could deserve the top placing. I think one of the most important things to consider is that the question says cricketer as opposed to player. This could suggest who was the best spokesmen for the game internationally, the best example of what the game is and means to the rest of the world?

Because of this I think I'll finally cast my vote on Sachin Tendulkar, but my feelings could be subject to change. There are plenty of deserving cricketers as I hope I've shown, but the Little Master's impact upon the game was an immensely significant on cricket in the 2000's.

 

[The Sean]

The batting competition is a bit closer than that with Ponting and Kallis.
Those two are a fair bit ahead of everyone else for me. The battle for 3rd is a bit tighter. With Yousuf, Chanderpaul and Lara all having a good case. After I removed Bangers and Zim from the records, Yousuf's average dropped from 60 to 55.68. Chanderpaul with 500 more runs than Yousuf and a fifth of a run less an innings (but a far superior runs per innings) gets the nod from me.
Best: Ponting 9253 @ 59.31
2nd: Kallis 8428 @ 58.93
3rd: Chanderpaul 6342 @ 53.29

Kallis and Ponting went pretty neck and neck in the batting, but there were a fair few that were there and thereabouts in the batting.

One thing I'd ask here is if you're removing Bang/Zim from MoYo for example, why aren't you also doing it for the others? Kallis in particular takes a pretty solid hit if you do that, and you would no longer class Ponting and Kallis as neck and neck for batting I don't think.

 

[four_or_six]

Any of Tendulkar, Ponting, Kallis, McGrath and Murali could deserve the top placing. I think one of the most important things to consider is that the question says cricketer as opposed to player. This could suggest who was the best spokesmen for the game internationally, the best example of what the game is and means to the rest of the world?

Because of this I think I'll finally cast my vote on Sachin Tendulkar, but my feelings could be subject to change. There are plenty of deserving cricketers as I hope I've shown, but the Little Master's impact upon the game was an immensely significant on cricket in the 2000's.

That's a really interesting thought to have, and what's good about it is that all of those five players have had a big personal impact on the game (and in other walks of life) and the way it's played and viewed around the world, perhaps excepting Kallis (not sure if that's fair - but to me although he's the greatest player of the lot, he's seemed to have the least impact).

 

[Athlai]

One thing I'd ask here is if you're removing Bang/Zim from MoYo for example, why aren't you also doing it for the others? Kallis in particular takes a pretty solid hit if you do that, and you would no longer class Ponting and Kallis as neck and neck for batting I don't think.

I did it to decide who was the 3rd best, and through doing it I did apply this to both Ponting and Kallis. Didn't think it diminished Kallis' overall appeal all that much personally, his 50s and 100s still looked great and I always had his bowling at the back of my mind. I did however have a look at them all with the minnows gone when I was taking the batting stats in.

 

[Uppercut]

One thing I'd ask here is if you're removing Bang/Zim from MoYo for example, why aren't you also doing it for the others? Kallis in particular takes a pretty solid hit if you do that, and you would no longer class Ponting and Kallis as neck and neck for batting I don't think.

Kallis doesn't take that big a hit- IIRC it's about the same as that of Tendulkar. 3 points or so.

 

[The Sean]

Kallis doesn't take that big a hit- IIRC it's about the same as that of Tendulkar. 3 points or so.

Ah fair enough, I'd always thought it was closer to 5 or 6.

EDIT - you're right, he drops just under three-and-a-half points, to 55.55.