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Fast bowler survival round quarter and semi finals

stephen

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
We have arrived at the quarter and semi finals for the Fast Bowler Survival series.

Surviving to this point are these eight bowlers:

Hadlee
Lillee
Ambrose
Imran
Waqar
McGrath
Akram
Marshall

Quarter final 1

Sir Richard Hadlee vs Dennis Lillee

Sir Richard Hadlee
"Paddles" is one of the highest wicket taking bowlers of all time, and New Zealand's best cricketer.
Sir Richard Hadlee | New Zealand Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | Cricinfo.com

Dennis Lillee
The complete fast bowler. He could do everything and stepped up when most needed.
Dennis Lillee | Australia Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | Cricinfo.com

Quarter final 2

Curtly Ambrose vs Imran Khan

Curtly Ambrose
Knowing this man was bowling made me scared. I wasn't even playing.
Curtly Ambrose | West Indies Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | Cricinfo.com

Imran Khan
Imran was a giant of Pakistani cricket. A fantastic captain, a great fast bowler and a solid batsman (though you're only to judge him here on his bowling capabilities).
Imran Khan | Pakistan Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | Cricinfo.com

Votes will close Sunday evening.
 
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Fusion

Global Moderator
It obviously gets a lot tougher in the QF’s and Semi’s. Every single matchup will be close. I’ll go with Hadlee in the first. I rank him second only to Marshall. In the second matchup, with all due apologies to the great Ambrose, I’ll go with Imran. At his peak, he was the best fast bowler in the world. And contrary to popular perception, he carried the load for Pakistan during his peak, as Sarfaraz and Wasim either were ineffective or injured during those legendary battles with the mighty Windies.
 

The Sean

Cricketer Of The Year
Jeez, so little in both of these. In the end for me Hadlee is ever-so-fractionally shaded by his idol, Lillee.

And in the second I'm going with Imran, again in a very close one. I believe that Imran's immense value as an all-round cricketer, combined with what he meant to Pakistan cricket, means he is sometimes under-rated purely as a fast bowler. At his peak in the 1980s, his record stood up against anyone, including Marshall.
 

Ikki

Hall of Fame Member
Lillee. Just a bit better than Paddles. Similar overall stats, but comes down to Lillee stepping up strong against some of the best line-ups of all time; for redefining himself post injury; and for doing it in a strong attack and as a lone-wolf like Hadlee.

Imran over Ambrose.
 
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Teja.

Global Moderator
I must admit I misunderstood Dennis Lillee in the beginning, but after reading what contemporary cricketers had to say about the man and also considering the massive destructive streak he had(7 10-ers in 70 games), I am better 'educated' about the great bowler. Having said all that, I consider Richard Hadlee to be the second finest pacer of them all, and the way he carried the attack and his astounding accuracy(which in my opinion, saw the rise of two of the greatest bowlers in the next decade) carries him through this for me.

The second one is an easier choice to make for me, Though Curtly was immense and extremely likable, Imran is the superior bowler for mine, because of his inspirational ability to take the match into his own hands.

Wasim Bari wrote about a chat he had with the Manager of the Indian team, The Maharaja of Baroda before the 1982-83 series in Pakistan. The Manager said "We have a batting line-up, till No. 11, and nothing can go through them." Bari replied "You haven't seen Imran yet because even if you have 15, he'll go through you."

The rest as they say is history, as Imran famously decimated the Indian Order in the second Innings for 8-60 in perhaps the finest display of reverse swing ever.

His role in the development of 25% of this list cannot be ignored either. :p
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
Hadlee & Curtly.

Would take Imran as a player every time, but as a bowler I reckon the big fella has him beat hands down.
 

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