DoG's Top 100 Test Batsmen - The Top 25

[Migara]

By any chance, what was Hashan Tillekaratne's double century in that SSC game worth? And will this make Vaas' 14fer a great performance?

 

[The Battlers Prince]

BC Lara scored four of his top five rated innings against Australia at a time when he was needed. He got some rough calls against him sometimes when I'd be watching, and I'd be screaming at the tv how stupid the umpires were. The most exciting batsman I saw and makes me wonder about how exciting Richards must have been when this guy is ALWAYS rated behind him by some people. But so happy Lara featured so highly. For me can't be high enough but well done DoG

 

[Migara]

Having said that he got many decisions for him in SL in the series he scored 650+ runs. Should not have got more than 400 runs in that series. He was basically at sea against Vaas and nearly ten to twelve very close lbws turned down, and at least 25% of them must have been out.

 

[fredfertang]

Migara has spotted the fatal flaw in DoG's methodology - it takes no account of a batsman's First Chance Average

Sorry Steve, but it's back to the drawing board I'm afraid

 

[The Sean]

If you take out Headley's innings after the war, he would've averaged 69, I believe.

Averaged 66 before the war IIRC, which is still mightily impressive. He only played three Tests after the war, but those Tests spanned eight years.

Brian Lara WAFG. An extraordinary player to watch, and it says something for his supreme talent that he can find a place in the top five and still be considered to have underachieved!

 

[NUFAN]

Brian Lara scored over 18% of George Headley's career runs in just one innings. If you took out all of Brian Lara's scores under 200, he'd still have scored more runs than George Headley in his entire career.

 

[ankitj]

5. Brian Lara (West Indies) (1990-2006)

Top Tier centuries: 12 (rank 2nd)

Great innings: 11 (rank 1st)

Respect

What a ****ing legend

 

[honestbharani]

Always gr8 to read due respect accorded to the Prince CW definitely has been lacking some Lara love recently and DoG's list more than making up for it Loving it

 

[watson]

Having said that he got many decisions for him in SL in the series he scored 650+ runs. Should not have got more than 400 runs in that series. He was basically at sea against Vaas and nearly ten to twelve very close lbws turned down, and at least 25% of them must have been out.

Lara may have been 'at sea against Vaas' but the records will show that Vaas dismissed him only once during the 372 balls that he bowled to him. In turn Lara piled on 233 runs at a SR of 62.6.

And incidently;

1. Muttiah Muralitharan bowled millions of balls to Brian Lara, 709 to be precise (for whatever part of the ball-by-data available career of two). But it is safe to say that Lara mastered Muralitharan: and how? Strike rate over 50, average of 124 and a wicket every 40 overs. Not forgetting that most of these balls were bowled in Sri Lanka.
2. On the flip side, a fairly ordinary bowler like Andre Nel had the complete measure of Lara. Eight wickets at a strike rate of 42. Andy Bichel was also quite successful: four wickets, striking every 43 balls. This is difficult to explain considering that he handled much better fast bowlers better.
3. Lara took Danish Kaneria to the cleaners. A scoring rate of more than 87 over nearly 300 balls. He had a scoring rate of over 70 against six bowlers out of these 20.
4. Glenn McGrath, Shaun Pollock and Jason Gillespie kept Lara in check, but with very little success. In fact, Kallis and Gillespie bowled a lot at Lara but did not dismiss him even once. Lara attacked Warne but also lost his wicket often.

Blogs: Anantha Narayanan: Head-to-head stats for Lara, Tendulkar, Muralitharan, Warne and eight others | Cricket Blogs | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[watson]

Concluding words

Lara has never been involved in any incident on field. In this matter he is exactly like his close friend, the one who, at last measurement was three inches shorter and a few Test runs richer!!! His fracas with the WICB on payments was something he did on behalf of himself and his team-mates.

Where is Lara placed in the pantheon of batting greats? On numbers, nowhere, as do many of the other modern greats. However if we strictly rely on numbers, Lohmann and Barrington are certainties in any selection. There are many other factors. Many batsmen compete for the coveted second spot amongst Test batsmen. Sobers, Hobbs, Tendulkar, Lara, Richards, Hutton and Ponting form a reasonably populated group from which to pick one. I would not question anyone whose selection varies from mine. But as far as I am concerned, Lara is the candidate for this coveted position. If I have to justify this with numbers, a string of numbers would do: 153, 213, 688, 400, 375, 277 and 226.

If I sit down to select an all-time best eleven (or fifteen) I would immediately write down the following three names. Then go for a cup of coffee, put my feet up and think, refer to my database (why? I probably have all the relevant numbers in my head) and then fill the other names over a day. This I say, implying no disrespect to any of the other greats who would eventually find their way into the team;

Bradman
Lara
Gilchrist

Blogs: Lara's theme: a caribbean rhapsody | Cricket Blogs | ESPN Cricinfo

Amen.

 

[MW1304]

Shut it Migara is an anagram of I sight trauma.

 

[uvelocity]

Shut it Migara is an anagram of I sight trauma.

yep

 

[Furball]

As Lara has played more great innings than anyone (including the greatest of them all), and has more top tier centuries than anyone bar (I'm assuming) Bradman, what is it that lets him down relative to the top 4?

Still, a great achievement. I love that this exercise has confirmed my subjective biases about the 4 modern greats.

 

[kyear2]

Concluding words

Lara has never been involved in any incident on field. In this matter he is exactly like his close friend, the one who, at last measurement was three inches shorter and a few Test runs richer!!! His fracas with the WICB on payments was something he did on behalf of himself and his team-mates.

Where is Lara placed in the pantheon of batting greats? On numbers, nowhere, as do many of the other modern greats. However if we strictly rely on numbers, Lohmann and Barrington are certainties in any selection. There are many other factors. Many batsmen compete for the coveted second spot amongst Test batsmen. Sobers, Hobbs, Tendulkar, Lara, Richards, Hutton and Ponting form a reasonably populated group from which to pick one. I would not question anyone whose selection varies from mine. But as far as I am concerned, Lara is the candidate for this coveted position. If I have to justify this with numbers, a string of numbers would do: 153, 213, 688, 400, 375, 277 and 226.

If I sit down to select an all-time best eleven (or fifteen) I would immediately write down the following three names. Then go for a cup of coffee, put my feet up and think, refer to my database (why? I probably have all the relevant numbers in my head) and then fill the other names over a day. This I say, implying no disrespect to any of the other greats who would eventually find their way into the team;

Bradman
Lara
Gilchrist

Amen.

Though I don't fully agree, well articulated and supported testimony. Lara for me was a better pure and potentially more destructive batsman than Sachin and maintained his form longer that Sir Vivian but he was never fully certain againts genuine pace, especially the short pitched delivery delivered at pace and so he doesn't take the number two spot for me, but he is not far behind.

Not thats a secret, but the 3 names I write first would be
Bradman
Sobers
Marshall
and not specifically in that order.

Additionally truth be told, from scanning through the pages of CW the All Time teams selected has not been that different and one could almost start the selection with 8 names and just vote to fill the remaining 3 slots

 

[kyear2]

As Lara has played more great innings than anyone (including the greatest of them all), and has more top tier centuries than anyone bar (I'm assuming) Bradman, what is it that lets him down relative to the top 4?

Still, a great achievement. I love that this exercise has confirmed my subjective biases about the 4 modern greats.

His overall average I would imagine.

 

[smash84]

Amen.

Lara has never been involved in any incident on field. In this matter he is exactly like his close friend, the one who, at last measurement was three inches shorter and a few Test runs richer!!! His fracas with the WICB on payments was something he did on behalf of himself and his team-mates

 

[Migara]

Migara has spotted the fatal flaw in DoG's methodology - it takes no account of a batsman's First Chance Average

Sorry Steve, but it's back to the drawing board I'm afraid

Rubbish dear! First chance from umpire is a trade off between having a reprive or being given out wrongly.

 

[kyear2]

And that is what you took from what was said.

 

[Burgey]

Ah Lara. He and Tendulkar the only two batsmen I genuinely feared when Australia was at its best in the 90s and 00s.

I remember when Colin Crofty was commentating ahead of the 99 seies and he said wtte "I've said it before and I'll say it again, Brian Lara has never scored runs when the West indies need them".

Oops.

 

[kyear2]

Think it's time (and probably past) that Headley made an appearance.