How good is Sanga?

[Eds]

He's an incredible batsman, no doubt.

I just personally find it undeserving to group him in the same class as Richards, Lara, Sobers, Bradman, Hobbs, Tendulkar, and the like. I consider him an ATG, regardless, I just don't think he can be classed as in the same tier as the aforementioned.

[Psycho Macaque]

Aye, he's 'down' with the likes of Kallis, Dravid, Ponting in his era.

[kyear2]

Originally Posted by Eds

He's an incredible batsman, no doubt.

I just personally find it undeserving to group him in the same class as Richards, Lara, Sobers, Bradman, Hobbs, Tendulkar, and the like. I consider him an ATG, regardless, I just don't think he can be classed as in the same tier as the aforementioned.

If he is undeserving of being mentioned with those names then he is not an ATG.

[kyear2]

Originally Posted by Psycho Macaque

Aye, he's 'down' with the likes of Kallis, Dravid, Ponting in his era.

Behind Ponting and Dravid for sure, and Kallis the All Rounder is also ahead of him, plus there is no comparrison between the home pitches of S.A and S.L. Ponting just isn't that far behind Lara and Sachin and how do you go against the Wall.

[Briony]

Originally Posted by GingerFurball

His average in India is meaningless. India isn't the acid test of a batsman's ability (and an average of 35 isn't exactly terrible either).

His average in England and South Africa can be taken with a pinch of salt, Sri Lanka's tours to both nations throughout his career have been extremely infrequent.

But last summer he was clueless until Boucher's fumbling behind the stumps stopped him failing in almost every innings.

He's an elegant, stylish batsman but whenever I've seen him on difficult pitches he's failed. His average is great but batsmen with that high an average should be highly competent in all conditions unless it obscures his true worth because of weight of runs in more benign conditions. Even in Australia, his best performance was that near double ton robbed only by Rudi's incompetence but it was on a flatter than flat pitch in Hobart.

[kyear2]

I would not quite put him the flat track bully category with Mahela and Sehwag but he's not that far above it either.

[Flem274*]

Originally Posted by Psycho Macaque

Sanga isn't in the echelons that the true greats move in. He likes to dine out on a dead track.

Nah you're wrong.

Was brilliant down here last tour on some bowling friendly pitches where his team mates decided to flunk it. Won a game by himself in fact, then he went to Australia and annihilated them before being sawn off on 192.

[Teja.]

I know this is pretty left-field but I've never enjoyed watching Laxman, KP, Lara and Sehwag bat from an aesthetic POV. Too much of a, I dunno, 'human' touch in the way they play their strokes.

Dravid, Sanga and ABdv are/were probably my favourite three players to watch.

[CWB304]

Originally Posted by Briony

But last summer he was clueless until Boucher's fumbling behind the stumps stopped him failing in almost every innings.

He's an elegant, stylish batsman but whenever I've seen him on difficult pitches he's failed. His average is great but batsmen with that high an average should be highly competent in all conditions unless it obscures his true worth because of weight of runs in more benign conditions. Even in Australia, his best performance was that near double ton robbed only by Rudi's incompetence but it was on a flatter than flat pitch in Hobart.

I've noticed is that Sanga has a habit of scoring tough runs in difficult conditions and on tracks giving some assistance to the bowlers. Look how often he has made runs both home and away when other class batsmen on either side have failed. One thing I'm pretty certain he's not is a FTB.

[Top_Cat]

Among the top 7 or 8 of his era but that's as far as I'd go.

[Migara]

Originally Posted by kyear2

Behind Ponting and Dravid for sure, and Kallis the All Rounder is also ahead of him, plus there is no comparrison between the home pitches of S.A and S.L. Ponting just isn't that far behind Lara and Sachin and how do you go against the Wall.

Highly doubt it. Sangakkara is a keeper too. On par with Kallis with usefulness to a team, if not better.

[Psycho Macaque]

Originally Posted by kyear2

Behind Ponting and Dravid for sure, and Kallis the All Rounder is also ahead of him, plus there is no comparrison between the home pitches of S.A and S.L. Ponting just isn't that far behind Lara and Sachin and how do you go against the Wall.

All three are better. But he's in their bracket. Lara and SRT are ahead of Ponting by quite some way - he was level with them but didn't sustain it. Basically Ponting had one of the best golden periods going - 2002-2007 where he averaged well into the 60s. Before and after - very good with large bouts of mediocrity.

[Psycho Macaque]

Originally Posted by Flem274*

Nah you're wrong.

Was brilliant down here last tour on some bowling friendly pitches where his team mates decided to flunk it. Won a game by himself in fact, then he went to Australia and annihilated them before being sawn off on 192.

Hmmm, I think we're going to have to agree to disagree - because if you think that he's up there with Bradman, Lara, Tendulkar, VRichards, Hobbs, Hutton, Sunny and whoever else then I reckon you're loony.

[kyear2]

Lol.

Yea, he just isn't up there.

[kyear2]

Originally Posted by Migara

Highly doubt it. Sangakkara is a keeper too. On par with Kallis with usefulness to a team, if not better.

But he stopped keeping. So he doesn't have that either. Additionally his batting dropped of when he kept.