Which batsman has faced the most number of ATG bowlers?

[SpofforthLohman]

Tendulkar faced in tests:

Wasim-Waqar-Imran-Qadir-Akhtar-Asif-Saqlain, McGrath-Warne-Gillespie, Donald-Pollock-Steyn, Murali, Hadlee, Bond, Ambrose - Walsh-Bishop, plus some very good bowlers like McDermott, Hughes, Lee, Fraser, Gough , Anderson, Schultz, Ntini, Broad, etc. Not bad at all

Same for Steve Waugh, he had the two best bowlers in the world in his team but I am sure Waugh faced a lot more of Ambrose than Tendulkar did, not sure how Sachin went against him when he did but he must have been young that's for sure,I do think Waugh faced so many great bowlers he must be a match for Tendulkar in those stakes. McGrath was the best of the 90's and early this century but no way in hell was he anywhere near as scary to face as Ambrose was. When Ambrose was at his peak any batsman making 20 against him was as good as a century against most other bowlers. Waugh also faced the earlier west Indian bowlers, I am sure he faced Marshall, Roberts and Holding, maybe Garner too, I'd have to check but to have to come into test cricket in 1985 at 20 was to come in when the heat of the pacemen was at its height
............................. Looking at the above posts I think it's obvious from the names put forward above that Cowdrey had indeed faced the best of the best. He must have faced the fearsome Tyson and Trueman often. remarkable how he survived all those guys.Waugh and tendulkar and atherton etc have faced many many but I think to have faced Lillee, Thomson and Trueman and Tyson... well that is my idea of a batsmans hell right there.

 

[Zinzan]

Gooch: Lillee-Thomson-Warne-McGrath, Holding-Roberts-Garner-Marshall-Croft-Ambrose-Walsh, Akram-Younis-Qadir, Donald, Hadlee, Dev-Kumble-Bedi-Chandrasekhar. Plus Alderman, McDermott etc.

Don't forget about Imran.

Gooch would be up there along with Border & Gavaskar

 

[Burgey]

Border, Gooch, Gavaskar, Waugh, Tendulkar would be among those who faced a lot of great bowlers in the modern era.

Steds' call of Cowdrey is a great shout too.

 

[Burgey]

Same for Steve Waugh, he had the two best bowlers in the world in his team but I am sure Waugh faced a lot more of Ambrose than Tendulkar did, not sure how Sachin went against him when he did but he must have been young that's for sure,I do think Waugh faced so many great bowlers he must be a match for Tendulkar in those stakes. McGrath was the best of the 90's and early this century but no way in hell was he anywhere near as scary to face as Ambrose was. When Ambrose was at his peak any batsman making 20 against him was as good as a century against most other bowlers. Waugh also faced the earlier west Indian bowlers, I am sure he faced Marshall, Roberts and Holding, maybe Garner too, I'd have to check but to have to come into test cricket in 1985 at 20 was to come in when the heat of the pacemen was at its height
............................. Looking at the above posts I think it's obvious from the names put forward above that Cowdrey had indeed faced the best of the best. He must have faced the fearsome Tyson and Trueman often. remarkable how he survived all those guys.Waugh and tendulkar and atherton etc have faced many many but I think to have faced Lillee, Thomson and Trueman and Tyson... well that is my idea of a batsmans hell right there.

Waugh didn't face Roberts, Holding, Garner, Croft. His first series vs WI was 1988-89. The WI attack in that series had Marshall, Patterson, Walsh and Ambrose. I think Bishop was around the team at that time too.

 

[harsh.ag]

Don't forget about Imran.

Gooch would be up there along with Border & Gavaskar

He didn't face Imran actually.

 

[hendrix]

Gooch: Lillee-Thomson-Warne-McGrath, Holding-Roberts-Garner-Marshall-Croft-Ambrose-Walsh, Akram-Younis-Qadir, Donald, Hadlee, Dev-Kumble-Bedi-Chandrasekhar. Plus Alderman, McDermott etc.

Bar the Indian bowlers, he would have faced most of the guys that Gooch did plus Snow, Willis, Botham and Underwood

Yeah.

Not only did Gavaskar face all these great bowlers, but he faced most of them at their peaks.

Lillee in the 70s. Imran and Marshall in the early 80s. Especially Imran in that period from 80-87 which was probably a greater bowling peak than even Marshall or Lillee achieved and Gavaskar actually did reasonably well against him.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Yeah.

Not only did Gavaskar face all these great bowlers, but he faced most of them at their peaks.

Lillee in the 70s. Imran and Marshall in the early 80s. Especially Imran in that period from 80-87 which was probably a greater bowling peak than even Marshall or Lillee achieved and Gavaskar actually did reasonably well against him.

Yeah I've always thought Gavaskar's record against the Windies is kinda overrated because of being padded by him cashing in on weak attacks on numerous occasions but his exploits against Imran are quite underrated. Played him wonderfully when he was running through every team with ease.
I think he got a 120 odd against Imran once in the 80s when he was ripping through the rest of the side. Was a great innings but sadly all the talk about Gavaskar is West Indies this, West Indies that...

 

[OverratedSanity]

Also, Amarnath got 3 hundreds in that same series against an Imran who averaged 13 for the series with 40 Wickets. Makes me really frustrated how he always saved his best for the great bowlers but was horrible otherwise. Could've been one of our ATGs

 

[karan316]

Yeah I've always thought Gavaskar's record against the Windies is kinda overrated because of being padded by him cashing in on weak attacks on numerous occasions but his exploits against Imran are quite underrated. Played him wonderfully when he was running through every team with ease.
I think he got a 120 odd against Imran once in the 80s when he was ripping through the rest of the side. Was a great innings but sadly all the talk about Gavaskar is West Indies this, West Indies that...

I don't think Gavaskar had it easy against the WI. Even when one or two of their top 4 pace bowlers were not around there were some very good replacements, so saying that he scored against the "weak" opponents wouldn't be right. And he was pretty consistent against them most of the time.

 

[OverratedSanity]

I don't think Gavaskar had it easy against the WI. Even when one or two of their top 4 pace bowlers were not around there were some very good replacements, so saying that he scored against the "weak" opponents wouldn't be right. And he was pretty consistent against them most of the time.

Yeah don't get me wrong... It's a great record, but just not as awe inspiring as some people portray... 13 centuries looks awesome on the surface but Chappell has an equally good record, except he did it regularly against a much stronger attack. Yet it's always "Gavaskar tamed the Windies bowkers" but Chappell hardly gets mentioned

 

[fredfertang]

I'm not convinced by Gavaskar, but I'd sure as hell like to see a clone of him going in first for England on Friday

 

[benchmark00]

The English are shameless aren't they? Haven't you been taunted enough for having foreign born players in your team?!

 

[fredfertang]

What the English giveth the English can taketh away

 

[benchmark00]

That's their long standing stance on soap iirc.

 

[fredfertang]

Ever since Sid Barnes tried to sell us a shed load he brought with him in 1948

 

[Daemon]

Nah, you've taken and just continued taking

 

[smash84]

procter no.1 you remind me of a certain sobersno.1

 

[centurymaker]

Yeah don't get me wrong... It's a great record, but just not as awe inspiring as some people portray... 13 centuries looks awesome on the surface but Chappell has an equally good record, except he did it regularly against a much stronger attack. Yet it's always "Gavaskar tamed the Windies bowkers" but Chappell hardly gets mentioned

Gavaskar was an opener!! Had it a lot harder- faced the new ball against fresh bowlers!

 

[the big bambino]

Because for the most part and especially after Larwood and the possible exception of verity. Remember too that just after Larwood's best series vs Bradman he never played again. It's also constructive to remember that it was impossible to get a LBW decision if the ball pitched outside the off stump for the first half of his career and the England attack was most weaker in the second half especially for the fast bowlers and let's not forget that the pitches everywhere between the wars were simply roads. Voce himself only played 11 tests vs the Aussies and his average vs them was basically the same as against every other team he played. And let's be clear there were no ATG bowlers playing for S.A. and India in that era and Bradman averaged I believe 178 and 201 against them.

Bradman would've murdered Larwood at any point after bodyline. His average was much the same post lbw rule change as pre. If you argue the lbw rule and the road like pitches favoured him then as a consequence the bowlers performed admirably against those impediments. In fact the stats of the English bowlers from Bradman's debut and up to the war is better than the 90s SA and Pakistani attacks. Plus they had the further impediment of bowling to Bradman. Bradman's great series v SA was against bowlers who were almost as impressive as anything Donald and Pollock achieved here. India were weak - I'll grant you that.

 

[the big bambino]

Cowdrey's lineage is awesome. Faced every great Aussie fast bowler except Spofforth, McGrath, Gregory and McDonald.

And Johnson.