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The Cricketer's Cricketers.

Teja.

Global Moderator
Since many on this forum have read a lot of Cricket literature, It would be interesting to know what Current/past Cricketers/Pundits feel about who the best bowlers and (Second)Batsmen they have seen/faced are.

I''ll start with one of the greatest Opening Batsmen ever. :_

Sunil Gavaskar

Best Bowler:-Andy Roberts, mentions it in his book 'Runs n' Ruins' and also in an interview 5-6 years ago.

Best Batsmen:-"To say that he is the greatest batsman I have ever seen so far is to put it mildly."-About Rohan Kanhai, has even named his son after him.

"Who else has 93 international hundreds, who else has more than 17,000 ODI runs, who else has more than 13, 000 Test runs? Nobody. I would really like to bend down and touch his feet. If somebody is at that pedestal, I would like to do that."- About Sachin Tendulkar.

Gavaskar also rates Sobers to be the Finest Cricketer he has seen as he could change the game with both bat and ball.
 
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Teja.

Global Moderator
Jeff Thomson

Best Batsmen:- "Greg Chappell was unbelievable - he was the best bloke I played with or against in my time. He was very correct, very upright, very strong on the on side, just very hard to get through - didn't give you many chances and could score quickly. Freddo (Roy Fredericks) was the best at having a little bit of time to play against me."

Best Bowler:- "Malcolm Marshall was the best bowler. He was not huge, released the ball late, bowled sharp, was up there, bowled pretty quick. He just got wickets everywhere, on pitches where we never did."
 

The Sean

Cricketer Of The Year
Jeff Thomson

Best Batsmen:- "Greg Chappell was unbelievable - he was the best bloke I played with or against in my time. He was very correct, very upright, very strong on the on side, just very hard to get through - didn't give you many chances and could score quickly. Freddo (Roy Fredericks) was the best at having a little bit of time to play against me."

Best Bowler:- "Malcolm Marshall was the best bowler. He was not huge, released the ball late, bowled sharp, was up there, bowled pretty quick. He just got wickets everywhere, on pitches where we never did."
That's a hell of a wrap for Macko there, given that Thommo and Lillee were brothers in arms and so many of Lillee's other contemporaries (Richards, Imran, Hadlee, Greig, Marsh etc.) have no hesitation in placing DKL at the top of their lists. Though Thommo is hardly alone in rating Marshall as the best he played with or against - off the top of my head I remember Border, Boon, Gooch, Akram, Gower and Shaun Pollock saying similar things. From what I have read, those two seem to be - in the eyes of most of the men they played with and against anyway - a class above even among the galaxy of great fast men from that era.
 

Sir Alex

Banned
Could you please add who Bradman considered to be the best bowler and in format instead of just posting links?
Sorry my bad. Should've given your opening post a bit more attention.

Will try and do it later. Cheers.
 

Teja.

Global Moderator
Shane Warne

Best Batsman:-"Sachin Tendulkar is, in my time, the best player without doubt - daylight second, Brian Lara third. You have to watch India in India truly to appreciate the pressure that Sachin Tendulkar is under every time he bats. Outside grounds, people wait until he goes in before paying to enter. They seem to want a wicket to fall even though it is their own side that will suffer. This is cricket as Sachin has known it since the age of 16. He grew up under incredible weight of expectation and never buckled once – not under poor umpiring decisions or anything else. I place him very slightly ahead of Lara because I found him slightly tougher mentally. It is such a close call, but here is an example of what I mean: in Australia in 2003-04 he was worried about getting out cover driving so he decided to cut out the shot. I saw the wagon wheel for his next innings: he scored 248 without a single cover drive. Like Lara, he has scored runs all over the world. I have seen him run down the pitch and hit Glenn McGrath over the top for six, and I have seen him hit me for six against the spin going around the wicket. I have been lucky to get to know him off the field as well. He is quiet and humble. A great player and a great man."

Best Bowler:-"Curtly Ambrose, It was very difficult to split Curtly and Glenn McGrath, but I think Curtly had that extra half-gear as well as being just as accurate and clinical. He could take your head off if he wanted, and he did have that nasty streak. I don’t remember him ever giving me a half-volley – or anybody else for that matter. He turned a game – and the series – in Perth in 1992-93 with a spell of seven wickets for one run. Early in my career, I watched in amazement at his brilliance."
 

The Sean

Cricketer Of The Year
Could you please add who Bradman considered to be the best bowler and in format instead of just posting links?
I'm pretty sure Bradman went to his grave saying that O'Reilly was the greatest bowler he ever saw. From his playing days The Don was never in any doubt that Tiger was the best he played with or against, and I never saw or read anything to indicate he changed his mind.

As I remember, Bradman considered Lillee the greatest of all fast bowlers, and Sobers the greatest overall cricketer.
 

Teja.

Global Moderator
That's a hell of a wrap for Macko there, given that Thommo and Lillee were brothers in arms and so many of Lillee's other contemporaries (Richards, Imran, Hadlee, Greig, Marsh etc.) have no hesitation in placing DKL at the top of their lists. Though Thommo is hardly alone in rating Marshall as the best he played with or against - off the top of my head I remember Border, Boon, Gooch, Akram, Gower and Shaun Pollock saying similar things. From what I have read, those two seem to be - in the eyes of most of the men they played with and against anyway - a class above even among the galaxy of great fast men from that era.
Haha yeah, Can't say It didn't surprise me.
 

Teja.

Global Moderator
I'm pretty sure Bradman went to his grave saying that O'Reilly was the greatest bowler he ever saw. From his playing days The Don was never in any doubt that Tiger was the best he played with or against, and I never saw or read anything to indicate he changed his mind.

As I remember, Bradman considered Lillee the greatest of all fast bowlers, and Sobers the greatest overall cricketer.
Yes, He said O'Reilly was better than Barnes due to the latter not having a Googly(To which Barnes replied he didn't need it :cool:)

He said Alec Bedser was the best Medium Pacer he faced too, if I remember well and Ol' Alec was immensely proud of that.

and Spot on on the last two.
 

The Sean

Cricketer Of The Year
Yes, He said O'Reilly was better than Barnes due to the latter not having a Googly(To which Barnes replied he didn't need it :cool:)

He said Alec Bedser was the best Medium Pacer he faced too, if I remember well and Ol' Alec was immensely proud of that.

and Spot on on the last two.
Ha ha yep, love that quote from Barnes. :)

Bradman also claimed Tallon to be the greatest 'keeper he ever saw. Given Tallon's relatively modest Test record (21 matches, 58 dismissals) it says a lot for his mastery of the craft that so many of those who saw him in action have no hesitation in rating him as the very best.
 

The Sean

Cricketer Of The Year
That's a hell of a wrap for Macko there, given that Thommo and Lillee were brothers in arms and so many of Lillee's other contemporaries (Richards, Imran, Hadlee, Greig, Marsh etc.) have no hesitation in placing DKL at the top of their lists. Though Thommo is hardly alone in rating Marshall as the best he played with or against - off the top of my head I remember Border, Boon, Gooch, Akram, Gower and Shaun Pollock saying similar things. From what I have read, those two seem to be - in the eyes of most of the men they played with and against anyway - a class above even among the galaxy of great fast men from that era.
Just reminiscing and looking over Marshall's career record once again - these are his stats against Australia:

19 Tests, 87 wickets at 22.52

This is his worst average against any country. What a bowler.
 

The Sean

Cricketer Of The Year
Sean, Am I right in thinking Richie thinks Warne was the best bowler ever?
I'm not sure if Richie ever gave a definitive opinion. I know he considers Warne the greatest spinner, and Lillee the greatest fast bowler, but I don't remember him ever going so far as to choose one or the other overall. I could be wrong though.
 

Teja.

Global Moderator
I'm not sure if Richie ever gave a definitive opinion. I know he considers Warne the greatest spinner, and Lillee the greatest fast bowler, but I don't remember him ever going so far as to choose one or the other overall. I could be wrong though.
Ah, Thanks.
 

The Sean

Cricketer Of The Year
In the same way that Lillee and Marshall stand apart in the opinion of their contemporaries as bowlers, so Viv Richards ranks above other batsman of his era in the same way. For all the deserved praise of the likes of Chappell, Gavaskar, Border and Miandad, the vast majority of players of that generation seem to have very little doubt that Viv was the greatest of them.

Imran Khan hailed Viv as the "one true genius" of the generation, while Bob Willis ranked Richards second only to Bradman in the all-time stakes. Botham, Lillee, Border, Akram, Barry Richards, Ravi Shastri, Martin Crowe, Neil Fairbrother and Vic Marks are just some of the players on record as rating Viv as the best they ever saw.
 

Teja.

Global Moderator
Richie Benaud

Best Batsman:- Unfortunately I started my career when Bradman retired, 1948-1949, that is something I've always had to live with, so I didn't actually play with him but I've seen him play and he was, I'm sure, by everyone who played with or against him, easily the best, Don't even put anyone in that bracket there, he was far and away the best. With that information and when I'm looking at the modern day players and players from that particular era, my view is that the best player I've ever seen is Tendulkar , not by much from Brian Lara, Greg Chappel was a great Player for Australia, and a lot of other players just a little bit below that level but to chose one, it would be Tendulkar and I've said that for a number of years. When Ravi Shastri made his double century in Sydney, when Shane Warne made his debut, we had a situation where we had this young bowler from Australia coming on to the scene and yet you had this youngster! I've seen him play first at Old Trafford in 1990 when he made a hundred and saved the game, well helped save the game for India, but we had this youngster make a 148 and I still regard that as, If I have to choose the best Innings.....I know he made a century in Perth as well sixteen years ago, in the later test and that was a very good hundred in entirely different circumstances, well India were getting beaten and they were trashed, but in Sydney it was just something else and I marveled at it ever since. So, for me it is Tendulkar by that much but remember there are great other players as well.

Best Bowlers:- Dennis Lillee as the finest Pacer and Warne as the finest Spinner, will be good if someone posts bits of Richie talking about them.
 
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Teja.

Global Moderator
In the same way that Lillee and Marshall stand apart in the opinion of their contemporaries as bowlers, so Viv Richards ranks above other batsman of his era in the same way. For all the deserved praise of the likes of Chappell, Gavaskar, Border and Miandad, the vast majority of players of that generation seem to have very little doubt that Viv was the greatest of them.

Imran Khan hailed Viv as the "one true genius" of the generation, while Bob Willis ranked Richards second only to Bradman in the all-time stakes. Botham, Lillee, Border, Akram, Barry Richards, Ravi Shastri, Martin Crowe, Neil Fairbrother and Vic Marks are just some of the players on record as rating Viv as the best they ever saw.
Very true. Quite a few think Andy Roberts was the best too.
 

The Sean

Cricketer Of The Year
Interesting there that Richie seems to imply that his top three of the modern era are Tendulkar, Lara and G Chappell in that order - and yet in his All Time XI he chose Tendulkar and Viv as his two middle order players after Bradman.

Would love to post some exact quotes but I'm doing all this off the top of my head at the moment! Will have a look around for some a bit later though. :)
 

Teja.

Global Moderator
Sydney Barnes

Best Batsman:- "Victor Trumper" Who next? "No one else ever troubled me."

Best Bowler:-Never quoted, but by his tone, probably Himself. :laugh: Never a modest man, Barnes.

Shows how great Trumper was.
 

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