New Feature: The Greatest Test Innings

[hang on]

yeah facing the 99 Waqar was really difficult, sure..

why focus on waqar in isolation? he might not have been that great at that point, but that attack is still more fearsome than anything india was putting out, or has ever put out. no way that afridi's knock was better, though it was still a rather good one, from all accounts.

[honestbharani]

why focus on waqar in isolation? he might not have been that great at that point, but that attack is still more fearsome than anything india was putting out, or has ever put out. no way that afridi's knock was better, though it was still a rather good one, from all accounts.

no.. that attack was not better than many of the Indian attacks, esp. in Indian conditions. Heck, even our attack that series was just as good as theirs. Waqar was a washed up version just about bowling 80 to 83 mph. Wasim was good but not all that good and definitely was not consistently asking questions of batsmen like he used to. Saqlain was head and shoulders above the rest of the Pak bowlers. Compare that to India with an inform Srinath, Prasad and Kumble... How is that attack better than ours? We lost those games because we batted a bit worse than them, simple as that.

[honestbharani]

The Aus series in late 99 was after the India series in early 99 ..

I really can't recall now whether Waqar was dropped or had injury problems or whether it was because of some problems with Wasim. Not really sure ...

So the fact that he was dropped a game after the Chennai test is not as relevant as him playing a series almost a year later with respect to his form DURING that India tour?

[abmk]

So the fact that he was dropped a game after the Chennai test is not as relevant as him playing a series almost a year later with respect to his form DURING that India tour?

just saying Waqar was not totally out of the picture in 99.

His form dipped since after 1998, but again like I said he did bowl a good spell at the end of day 3 in Chennai ( surprised Wasim didn't bowl him much in day 4 ).

Again, like I said I don't remember exactly why he didn't play in the Kolkata test - injuries or out of form in general or some problems with Wasim or a combination of these .....

[abmk]

no.. that attack was not better than many of the Indian attacks, esp. in Indian conditions. Heck, even our attack that series was just as good as theirs. Waqar was a washed up version just about bowling 80 to 83 mph. Wasim was good but not all that good and definitely was not consistently asking questions of batsmen like he used to. Saqlain was head and shoulders above the rest of the Pak bowlers. Compare that to India with an inform Srinath, Prasad and Kumble... How is that attack better than ours? We lost those games because we batted a bit worse than them, simple as that.

IMO, top form Saqlain+wasim bowling well made that attack better than India's though I wouldn't say it was that it was much better ...

[honestbharani]

Nah.. you are underrating how good our bowling was in home conditions back then...

[honestbharani]

just saying Waqar was not totally out of the picture in 99.

His form dipped since after 1998, but again like I said he did bowl a good spell at the end of day 3 in Chennai ( surprised Wasim didn't bowl him much in day 4 ).

Again, like I said I don't remember exactly why he didn't play in the Kolkata test - injuries or out of form in general or some problems with Wasim or a combination of these .....

He was dropped. It was the reason given and there has never been any controversy around it. He was really that woeful in the preceding two tests.. I watched the chennai game live at the ground and I still don't recall a single testing spell from Waqar in the whole game.

[hang on]

Compare that to India with an inform Srinath, Prasad and Kumble... How is that attack better than ours? We lost those games because we batted a bit worse than them, simple as that.

don't see too many lineups clambering over srinath, prasad, and kumble to play wasim, waqar and saqlain! and it's not that the indian conditions were so alien to the pakistani team, what with their spinners and their mastery of reverse swing.

[honestbharani]

don't see too many lineups clambering over srinath, prasad, and kumble to play wasim, waqar and saqlain! and it's not that the indian conditions were so alien to the pakistani team, what with their spinners and their mastery of reverse swing.

yeah, that is why Ramesh was pasting them and Venky was taking 6 fers...

[honestbharani]

don't see too many lineups clambering over srinath, prasad, and kumble to play wasim, waqar and saqlain! and it's not that the indian conditions were so alien to the pakistani team, what with their spinners and their mastery of reverse swing.

And you said spinners (plural).. would LOVE to know why the washed up Mushtaq or that Nadeem were any better than Sunil Joshi tbh..

[hang on]

And you said spinners (plural).. would LOVE to know why the washed up Mushtaq or that Nadeem were any better than Sunil Joshi tbh..

am sure u'd LOVE a lot of other things as well!

i think u are nitpicking here. call it a spinner (singular), if that pleases u. was speaking generically about pak attacks and their familiarity with' indian' conditions....spin, the need for reverse swing etc.

i repeat, most batting lineups would prefer to face srinath, prasad, joshi and kumble over wasim, waqar, saqlain, mushtaq ahmed/nadeem/whoever any day of the week and twice on sundays.

out of curiosity, do u rate afridi's knock as better than tendulkar's? this is where this all started, including your commendable defense of the indian attack!

[abmk]

Nah.. you are underrating how good our bowling was in home conditions back then...

nah, they were good in home conditions, but not that good as you are making them out to be.

I think you are under-rating how good wasim was at that time .....

[Burgey]

I thought Imran would have had six or seven digs in here

[abmk]

He was dropped. It was the reason given and there has never been any controversy around it. He was really that woeful in the preceding two tests.. I watched the chennai game live at the ground and I still don't recall a single testing spell from Waqar in the whole game.

Not sure what exactly you remember, but

His figures in the 2nd innings of that Chennai test read :

12 overs, 6 maidens, 26 runs 2 wickets

He got both openers and bowled well to Sachin and Dravid ...

He didn't bowl well in the other 3 innings in that series, yeah, but not the case in this innings ...

[weldone]

S.R. Tendulkar 3

Besides these 3, I would like to know how Tendulkar's following innings are rated in your system...

1. His century in the Perth test, 1991-92 season HowSTAT! Match Scorecard
2. His match-winning century in NZ HowSTAT! Match Scorecard
3. His 193 in the Headingley test HowSTAT! Match Scorecard
4. His match-winning 214 against Australia, 2010 HowSTAT! Match Scorecard
5. His no-cover drive 241* in Sydney HowSTAT! Match Scorecard
6. One among his Warne-demolition acts, a match-winning unbeaten century HowSTAT! Match Scorecard
7. His 2nd century in the 2010-11 South Africa tour, in the Kallisball test HowSTAT! Match Scorecard