CW Ranks Top 25 Batsmen of All Time (Version 2010)

[Teja.]

No one seems to care about WSC, it seems.

Personally, I care only about Test matches.

Though Chappell, Imran, Lillee et al. were brilliant in WSC and it is a commendable achievement, The WSC are not and should never be counted as Test matches IMO.

 

[Prince EWS]

The WSC are not and should never be counted as Test matches IMO.

While I agree with this, I definitely think there is cricket outside of Tests worth heavy consideration. In today's game, domestic First Class cricket is only really relevant when you're comparing fringe Test players or players who haven't played Tests at all, but it definitely wasn't always the case. Given the comparative paucity of Tests in the early days of Test cricket (not to mention obviously pre-Test days) one's performance for one's county/state was regarded as very important (more important than certain Test series, even) - it's one of the reasons I rate Trumper highly (although still not nearly as highly as some people here because I largely ignore aesthetically based historical accounts) and the only reason I don't have Ken Barrington in my ATWXI.

World Series Cricket is another example, although I don't really know a lot about the individual performances in it so doesn't really weigh in much when I rate players (yet). The fact that they weren't and shouldn't be Tests doesn't mean the games are worth consideration, because they were of an extremely high standard and played with the spirit, professionalism and general serious attitude of Tests - if not moreso on the last two counts.

In today's game the secondary consideration would probably be ODIs when comparing the greats, but because I basically view it as a different sport I like to keep it separate, personally.

 

[ankitj]

While I agree with this, I definitely think there is cricket outside of Tests worth heavy consideration. In today's game, domestic First Class cricket is only really relevant when you're comparing fringe Test players or players who haven't played Tests at all, but it definitely wasn't always the case. Given the comparative paucity of Tests in the early days of Test cricket (not to mention obviously pre-Test days) one's performance for one's county/state was regarded as very important (more important than certain Test series, even) - it's one of the reasons I rate Trumper highly (although still not nearly as highly as some people here because I largely ignore aesthetically based historical accounts) and the only reason I don't have Ken Barrington in my ATWXI.

World Series Cricket is another example, although I don't really know a lot about the individual performances in it so doesn't really weigh in much when I rate players (yet). The fact that they weren't and shouldn't be Tests doesn't mean the games are worth consideration, because they were of an extremely high standard and played with the spirit, professionalism and general serious attitude of Tests - if not moreso on the last two counts.

In today's game the secondary consideration would probably be ODIs when comparing the greats, but because I basically view it as a different sport I like to keep it separate, personally.

Agree with most of that. I will look at WSC primarily to assess likes of Barry Richards and Procter who didn't get much test cricket. Others like Viv and G Chappell anyway did enough in international that WSC is only a minor influence on my assessment of them. Even if they had failed I would've put them in same place.

For most of the other cricketers of post 1900 I will just consider tests primarily, and ODIs secondarily. Good test record with poor FC one would not bother me; other way round definitely would. (I know that prevents me from rating Trumper high, but so be it).

 

[G.I.Joe]

Playing for your team and playing as a band of mercenaries are different things, and the difference does have a bearing on your game. Tendulkar always seems much more uninhibited when playing for World XI's or Invitational Xi's than he does playing for India, for instance.

 

[Prince EWS]

Playing for your team and playing as a band of mercenaries are different things, and the difference does have a bearing on your game. Tendulkar always seems much more uninhibited when playing for World XI's or Invitational Xi's than he does playing for India, for instance.

Yeah but for the period WSC existed, the teams the players were in actually were their teams - they weren't bands of mercenaries. The idea wasn't to play a couple of games and then go back to other teams - they'd jumped ship entirely and it was their cricketing livelihood.

 

[weldone]

Rank 5 Results Declared and Rank 6 Voting Begins

Points:
Tendulkar (35)
Grace (24)
etc etc etc...

Rank 1: Donald Bradman
Rank 2: Jack Hobbs
Rank 3: Garry Sobers
Rank 4: Viv Richards
Rank 5: Sachin Tendulkar

I shall be maintaining two different counts: one showing how many of the already ranked players played in which decade, and the other for opener-middle order split.

Decade-wise split
1890 and before: 0
1891-1900: 0
1901-10: 1 (20%)
1911-20: 1 (20%)
1921-30: 2 (40%)
1931-40: 1 (20%)
1941-50: 1 (20%)
1951-60: 1 (20%)
1961-70: 1 (20%)
1971-80: 2 (40%)
1981-90: 2 (40%)
1991-2000: 2 (40%)
2001-10: 1 (20%)

Opener-Middle Order Split
Opener: 1 (20%)
Middle order: 4 (80%)

The voting process for rank 6 starts.

My votes are:
Leonard Hutton (3 points)
Wally Hammond (2 points)
George Headley (1 point)

 

[Teja.]

Headley
Hammond
Border

 

[BoyBrumby]

1) WR Hammond (3 points)
2) BC Lara (2 points)
3) KS Ranjitsinhji (1 point)

Third airing then...

Ranji being criminally ignored generally. Seem to remember saying something similar last time too. If dominance of one's contemporaries is any kind of arbiter he's right up there.

 

[fredfertang]

Grace
Hutton
McCabe

I think I might be doing this for a while ....

 

[Ikki]

(3) Chappell G
(2) Ponting
(1) Sutcliffe

 

[jaideep]

round 6

brian charles lara - 3 pts
ranjitsinghji - 2 pts
ricky ponting - 1 pt

 

[Hurricane]

grace
pass
pass

 

[vic_orthdox]

3. Hammond
2. Pollock
1. Grace

 

[Athlai]

Grace
Lara
Hammond

 

[ankitj]

Hammond - 3
G Pollock - 2
Lara - 1

 

[Fusion]

Lara (3)
Chappell (2)
Gavaskar (1)

 

[Slifer]

Chappell
Lara
Gavaskar

 

[Somerset]

3 - Grace
2 - G.Pollock
1 - Ranji

 

[honestbharani]

Lara - 3
Chappell - 2
Border - 1

 

[NUFAN]

3 - G Pollock
2 - S Gavaskar
1 - W Hammond