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modern batting greats - 1990 onwards

Beleg

International Regular
while reading the discussion re: kallis's place in the panatheon of modern batting greats, specially jono's post - i'd like to ask the forum to list a bunch of modern batting greats they reckon truly deserve the title

obviously it's hard to define a batting great so it'd be nice if you could give a justification for yer choice as well.
 

Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
My point in the other thread, before it was jumped on, was that as a cricketer, Kallis would possibly be the first name chosen from all the players that debuted in the past 25 years and that he was probably (IMO) a little too low on the CW50.

The rarity of having a world class batsman that can also be the 5th bowler makes him the most valuable player.

As a batsmen the debates can continue but in picking a side with the first pick of players Id take Kallis over any other batsman.

Ive no interest in a Tendulkar vs Lara vs Ponting thread. Kallis just offers more as a cricketer whilst being a comparable bat.
 
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Jono

Virat Kohli (c)
Its actually not that bad a thread because we're not debating Kallis vs. Ponting vs. Sachin vs. Lara etc.

More so, is Yousuf a modern great? Sangakkara? Younis Khan?

There's a bunch of really high performers this decade who everyone (or almost everyone) agrees is a touch below the upper echelon, but are they still greats?

Sure the same old flat track argument may come into it, but it's kind of interesting to debate.

Yousuf and Jayawardene are the two players that interest me the most.

Also is Inzy underrated or overrated?
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
Yousuf and Jayawardene are the two players that interest me the most.
It's funny because their names do seem to get mentioned in the discussion of modern greats less often than the usual suspects. It's tempting to say it might be because they play for "less fashionable" (read: lower profile) test nations, but Sanga does as well and I think the consensus is he's a great player, especially since he ditched the gauntlets.

Does style come into it? Neither quite make one's aesthetic glands go into overdrive in the same way as Sanga or Lara do/did.
 

jeevan

International 12th Man
My point in the other thread, before it was jumped on, was that as a cricketer, Kallis would possibly be the first name chosen from all the players that debuted in the past 25 years and that he was probably (IMO) a little too low on the CW50.

The rarity of having a world class batsman that can also be the 5th bowler makes him the most valuable player.

As a batsmen the debates can continue but in picking a side with the first pick of players Id take Kallis over any other batsman.

Ive no interest in a Tendulkar vs Lara vs Ponting thread. Kallis just offers more as a cricketer whilst being a comparable bat.
Agreed and made even more valuable by his skills being so complementary to most other people you'd pick in such a team.

As a 5th bowler, the fact that two of the 4 bowlers will be spinners makes a 3rd pace bowling option pretty much a must have.
As a sheet anchor batsman, comparable mostly to Dravid, you need a couple of those in a team made of attacking batsmen like Sachin, Lara, even Ponting.

.
 

Cruxdude

International Debutant
I am listing some of the names that immediately come to my mind when I think of batting greats. I started watching cricket around 1996.

Sachin, Lara, Ponting, Inzamam (plays very well under pressure and almost always scored against India), Steve Waugh, Rahul Dravid, Kallis.

Kallis comes last to mind because I haven't watched him bat much and he isn't the guy who makes sensational headlines.

Sachin, Lara, Ponting, Waugh and Dravid need no explanations. Dravid's lack of form in the last few years has made people forget how great a player he is. He has been the rock of Indian batting and most of our important test wins are because of his efforts.

Inzamam has played some great innings under pressure both in tests and ODI's.. I cannot forget Dravid running the whole length of the ground after running Inzamam out in a hopelessly high chase. That's how much his wicket is valued. Some people may discount performances in ODI's but I for one believe that ODI's also give a fair measure of the talent of a guy.
 
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aussie

Hall of Fame Member
Yousuf and Jayawardene are the two players that interest me the most.
Yea. I'd say Yousuf just falls short of being a great because againts the very good teams he seems to score nice 50, 70, 80s - but doesn't bang in those massive hundreds like he did againts the many joke attacks on roads in the decade just gone.

Jayawardene is a bit under-rated i think. I've seen him score hundreds on both SRI last two tours to ENG, plus one in AUS IN 07/08. But in a way like Yousuf, they are probably lacking a truly superb hundred in SA, ENG, AUS againts those pace attacks.

Also is Inzy underrated or overrated?
Definately under-rated, he is a modern day great like Ponting, Lara, Dravid, Tendy etc, but just not as good as them.
 

Pratters

Cricket, Lovely Cricket
More so, is Yousuf a modern great? Sangakkara? Younis Khan?
Wouldn't put Yousuf, Younis Khan or Jayawardene near great. I am not convinced Younis Khan and Jayawardene are great batsmen. Also, Yousuf just falls short IMO.

Sangakarra is the closest to being great among these four but great is a tag I use very preciously, so will wait a few years before I can put Sangakarra in that category, if ever.
 

aussie

Hall of Fame Member
Sangakarra's 190 odd in AUS in 07/08 is when i personally was satisfied enough to be him in the "great" category tbf..
 

Pratters

Cricket, Lovely Cricket
I started watching cricket in 1991 as a 9 year old kid. I am not exposed to Gooch's awesomeness in the 90s first hand though.

From among those I have seen for a fair length (in order) -

Lara
Tendulkar
Dravid
Ponting (I don't rate Ponting lowly, I just think Dravid is really special and underrated)
Waugh
Inzamam (Very underrated. One of the best players of pace bowling and a great pressure player)
Kallis
 
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Sanz

Hall of Fame Member
I would put Aravinda De Silva among modern batting greats. Inzi is easily one of the modern greats.
 

Pratters

Cricket, Lovely Cricket
I would put Aravinda De Silva among modern batting greats. Inzi is easily one of the modern greats.
One of the most talented batsmen ever, one of the greatest batsmen to watch (bar none) and one of my favourite players but I thought he didn't do justice to his talent. When you look at it, his test average is below 45 and there is a fair reason for it.
 

Pratters

Cricket, Lovely Cricket
On Andy Flower - I didn't think he had enough 'great years' at the top. Hs career -

year 1992 3 5 1 164 81 41.00 443 37.02 0 2 0 14 1 view innings
year 1993 4 7 2 335 115 67.00 789 42.45 1 3 1 39 0 view innings
year 1994 3 3 0 86 50 28.66 205 41.95 0 1 0 9 0 view innings
year 1995 4 7 0 320 156 45.71 600 53.33 1 1 0 35 1 view innings
year 1996 8 15 2 425 112 32.69 1127 37.71 1 2 1 48 0 view innings
year 1997 2 4 0 74 39 18.50 152 48.68 0 0 0 8 0 view innings
year 1998 9 17 5 686 105* 57.16 1602 42.82 2 4 1 65 4 view innings
year 1999 6 12 2 490 129 49.00 1419 34.53 1 3 1 45 1 view innings
year 2000 9 16 3 1045 232* 80.38 2143 48.76 3 5 0 124 10 view innings
year 2001 9 14 4 899 199* 89.90 1601 56.15 3 4 0 119 2 view innings
year 2002 6 12 0 270 92 22.50 555 48.64 0 2 1 37 1 view innings

When you look at it, he was awesome the last three years, rightfully the best batsman for a period. However, he was very inconsistent before it and didn't dominate for that many years for me to call him a great. I am very precious, I repeat, when I use the term great but Andy Flower was an amazing batsman.
 

Furball

Evil Scotsman
Jayawardene is under-appreciated because his away record is quite poor. Absolutely epic at home, believe he's the only batsman in Test history to have scored more than 2,000 runs at one ground.
 

ozone

First Class Debutant
When you look at it, he was awesome the last three years, rightfully the best batsman for a period. However, he was very inconsistent before it and didn't dominate for that many years for me to call him a great. I am very precious, I repeat, when I use the term great but Andy Flower was an amazing batsman.
Sort of agree with what you're saying, but given his wicket-keeping I would include him as one of the great players of the past 20 years. Could also make an argument that his runs were worth more in that they were coming for a team where they were unlikely to come from elsewhere (an argument that could also be made for Lara and Inzi).
 

Pratters

Cricket, Lovely Cricket
Sort of agree with what you're saying, but given his wicket-keeping I would include him as one of the great players of the past 20 years. Could also make an argument that his runs were worth more in that they were coming for a team where they were unlikely to come from elsewhere (an argument that could also be made for Lara and Inzi).
Yeah, if we include wicket keeping, he is definitely up there as a value player. I was talking purely on the basis of batting.
 

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