Kallis vs Sobers, Donald vs Steyn, Trott vs Pollock

[Furball]

Quite like Ponting's bowling actually.

Ponting looks like one of those annoying ****s who would probably have been a world class bowler if he hadn't spent his youth trying and succeeding at being a fantastic batsman.

 

[Furball]

Should have a battle of the part time bowlers. Be a fun thread.

Clarke, because he brings the lulz against India.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Ponting looks like one of those annoying ****s who would probably have been a world class bowler if he hadn't spent his youth trying and succeeding at being a fantastic batsman.

Could have had a record like Kallis...

...If he wasn't quite as selfish, clearly

 

[Burgey]

He's got you nailed down

No actually, he doesn't.

 

[Pothas]

Ponting looks like one of those annoying ****s who would probably have been a world class bowler if he hadn't spent his youth trying and succeeding at being a fantastic batsman.

Nah just looks so much like a batsman, can easily picture him in a bygone era.

 

[KungFu_Kallis]

Don't make stereotypical generalisations on here when you've been around a New York minute. You wouldn't have a ****ing clue which posters rate which players compared with others, let alone where those posters are from.

Lol I can see I got you all wrong my apologies

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

No actually, he doesn't.

Tell it to someone who wasn't clearly trollin'

 

[Burgey]

Tell it to someone who wasn't clearly trollin'

Haha. Hard to tell sometimes.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Haha. Hard to tell sometimes.

Choice of smiley was a poor option I must confess.

 

[KungFu_Kallis]

I like ozzy fwiw... so much passion and jingoism everywhere... actually gives the cricket battles that much more weight. I wrote down all my favourite, close or epic Tests I could think of from this generation.. and iirc 80-90% of them involved Australia. There's just something about the way they play and make a war of everything that tons up the excitement and entertainment value.

 

[KungFu_Kallis]

Probly has the same effect on livening up debates in forums too

 

[Spark]

Clarke, because he brings the lulz against India.

There are surely few things more amusing in cricket than him taking wickets, not least because it's actually kind of predictable when it'll happen.

 

[Ruckus]

So it's not how well you do overall, it's only the good parts that determine what a kick ass player you are?

Imho "all time greats" need to at least have some sort of consistency or quality over their whole, or certainly most of their career. Many batsmen have had a few good years. But to be talked of as "all time great" tends to imply quality all the way through. Or it's a fairly worthless term tbh

Look, there are various ways of judging a players quality. Consistency, longevity, how much a player dominated opposition etc. are just a few of those. For me, the main reason Ponting is still the better batsman overall is because I think his long period of dominance in the middle of his career still outweighs whatever extra consistency Kallis shown. Kallis has never dominated attacks like Ponting did. Don't get me wrong, he is still a fantastic batsman, but I tend to value the heights a player reaches in their careers and how much they have shown the ability to take the opposition by the throat more than longevity (within reason, of course).

 

[KungFu_Kallis]

Look, there are various ways of judging a players quality. Consistency, longevity, how much a player dominated opposition etc. are just a few of those. For me, the main reason Ponting is still the better batsman overall is because I think his long period of dominance in the middle of his career still outweighs whatever extra consistency Kallis shown. Kallis has never dominated attacks like Ponting did. Don't get me wrong, he is still a fantastic batsman, but I tend to value the heights a player reaches in their careers and how much they have shown the ability to take the opposition by the throat more than longevity (within reason, of course).

Yay someone willing to make a logical counter argument

 

[KungFu_Kallis]

Fair points too ftr. Although imo it's generalising a wee bit to imply Ponting in his pomp always dominated the bowling and Kallis never does/did.. Perhaps Ponting having a far superior record to Kallis in Australia tends to naturally sway the perception a bit.. as well as Ponting having the higher strike rate particularly in the first half of their respective careers setting that impression.

 

[Spark]

Ponting at his peak was absurd. I'm not entirely sure I'll see such a long streak of sustained phenomenal batting in my life ever again.

 

[benchmark00]

Ponting at his peak was absurd. I'm not entirely sure I'll see such a long streak of sustained phenomenal batting in my life ever again.

 

[Ruckus]

Ponting at his peak was absurd. I'm not entirely sure I'll see such a long streak of sustained phenomenal batting in my life ever again.

Should watch me play backyard cricket on boxing day each year then.

 

[uvelocity]

Part of it for mine is the team record. These are always more important than averages.

Of course we rate Australia's team more highly, but how many games between the sides did Kallis do it himself and win it?

 

[Jono]

You'll be surprised recently the correlation with get Kallis out cheaply both innings = beat South Africa.

He is important to the team. More important than people realise.