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The CW50 - No.5

The Sean

Cricketer Of The Year
To commence our pre-Christmas week we push on into your all time top five - and begin things with The Master himself.


5.


Sir Jack Hobbs | Cricket Players and Officials | Cricinfo.com
Nominated by 85% of voters - highest ranking no.3

Sir John Berry Hobbs is - accoring both to this study and to most others - the greatest Test opener of all. A true gentleman of the game with effortless style and the ability to succeed on virtually any wicket, he has to this day scored more First Class runs and centuries than any other batsman in the history of the game, and it is highly likely that those two records will belong to him for all time. Forever associated at County level with Surrey, the great opener was actually rejected for a trial by Essex early in his career - a decision which, on balance, must rank close behind Decca rejecting the Beatles six decades later on the list of the 20th century's poorest calls of judgement. It wasn't until Hobbs was 22 - a relatively advanced age - that he made his First Class debut for Surrey, scoring 18 and 88 against a Gentlemen of England side captained by WG Grace. In a sense, that match was a passing of the baton - from unquestionably the greatest English cricketer of the previous generation to unquestionably the greatest of the next. The records that had been set by The Champion were later eclipsed by The Master (as Hobbs came to be known) and to this day they remain widely considered to be the two greatest players England has every produced.

At Test level Hobbs was consistently superlative, scoring more than 5,000 Test runs at an average of nearly 57 despite playing half his cricket on pre-WWI minefields. Superlative before the war and able to tear attacks apart with magical strokeplay, Hobbs was more cirumspect once hostilities had ceased and yet nevertheless remained equally and magnificently prolific. Indeed, the great man somehow even seemed to get better with age - half of his nearly 200 First Class centuries came after the age of 40, and between the ages of 43 and 46 he scored an extraordinary 11,000 runs. There has probably never been a more popular touring cricketer in Australia, where he was regarded with both wonder and affection by both players and fans alike, despite the fact that Hobbs was so often the thorn in Australia's side with his astonishing feats of batsmanship. During the 1920s he was joined at the top of England's batting order by Herbert Sutcliffe and together the two men formed unquestionably the greatest opening partnership in Test history. Opening together 37 times, they shared 15 century stands and averaged as a pairing just over 87. Knighted for his services to cricket in 1953, named one of Cardus' six Giants of the previous 100 years later in the decade, and ranked as one of Wisden's five cricketers of the century in 2000, Jack Hobbs is also one of CricketWeb's five greatest cricketers of all time. To say he deserves it is an understatement.


Your number four to follow in the next 24 hours...
 

The Sean

Cricketer Of The Year
I'm going to try to get it out a day or two before Christmas - I reckon people will have better things to do on Christmas day than tune in to see who won!

TBH I'll probably announce no.2 and no.1 in quick succession, given that announcing one will therefore give the other one away.
 

Noble One

International Vice-Captain
A worthy number 5. My favourite English cricketer, Hobbs is such a statisticians dream.

Surprising that 15% didn't even have give him a vote.
 

Days of Grace

International Captain
TBH I'll probably announce no.2 and no.1 in quick succession, given that announcing one will therefore give the other one away.

Aye, once W.G. is named as number 2, you might as well bring out Steve Harmison as number 1 straight after.:ph34r:
 

Hurricane

Hall of Fame Member
Would have preferred to see him in front of Warne. But in general I had Warne lower down on my list.
View Hobbs as being a better servant of cricket.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
I'm going to try to get it out a day or two before Christmas - I reckon people will have better things to do on Christmas day than tune in to see who won!

TBH I'll probably announce no.2 and no.1 in quick succession, given that announcing one will therefore give the other one away.
:-O Like what?!
 

Lillian Thomson

Hall of Fame Member
Surprised to Warne in the Top 4, if he's higher than 4 the Cricketweb forum should be fed to the wolves (the real wolves that is - Mick McCarthy would probably send a pack of chiwawas.)
 

FaaipDeOiad

Hall of Fame Member
Given the exclusion of Grace from some people's lists, I wouldn't be surprised to see Warne third, with Sobers second and Bradman first.
 

Ikki

Hall of Fame Member
Warne was #4 in 2000 in two notable lists during the time: ESPN Legends of Cricket and Wisden's top 5 cricketers of the century. With arguably a better 6-7 years post 2000 I wouldn't be surprised to see him at #3 here.
 

Matt79

Global Moderator
Will probably find myself with less and less to say re each person as we get closer to #1, beyond simply agreeing with the praise heeped on them. Hobbs is the #2 batsman of alltime IMO.
 

bagapath

International Captain
I think we all got the top 5 right long ago. it is not different from wisden's top 5, ESPN's top 5 or CMJ's top 5. it is always bradman, sobers, warne, hobbs and grace/richards.
 

Uppercut

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Personally a little (pleasantly) surprised Warne is ranked so highly. It's strange how the top five never includes a fast bowler.
 

Johnners

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Personally a little (pleasantly) surprised Warne is ranked so highly. It's strange how the top five never includes a fast bowler.
Possibly because there are more fast bowlers of a higher quality than spinners, meaning they're more likely to split votes between them?
 

Ikki

Hall of Fame Member
Means fast bowling is easier than spin bowling, at the highest level. :ph34r:
Actually, kinda agree with that. You can count the spinners who are in the same caliber as Warne on one hand. You can use two, at least, to name comparable pacers.
 

Fusion

Global Moderator
Had Hobbs as my #5, so the first ranking I got exactly right. However, I didn't have Warne in my top 5, so a little disappointed that he'll finish above him.
 

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