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Poll: Better batsmen-Alastair Cook vs AB de Villiers in tests?

ImpatientLime

International Regular
I have a lot of respect for Cook and he is probably one of England's best openers in Tests. But de Villiers is from a different planet man. He can score runs wherever and whenever he wants to. So deVilliers>Cook
heh.

cook has 10k at 46 and is at best opening for englands all time third xi. englands all time xi opening picks are as difficult as any position for any nation.

hobbs
sutcliffe
hutton
boycott
gooch
cook
amiss
vaughan
tresco
stewart

amazing depth for probably the hardest country to open in.
 

Red

The normal awards that everyone else has
England have produced a ridiculous amount of great openers.
 

cnerd123

likes this
England have played a ridiculous amount of cricket, period. When you have 200 years of history you're bound to have a high number of ATGs
 

S.Kennedy

International Vice-Captain
The English ATG talent pool seemed to diminish significantly in output after the 1960s with one or two exceptions (e.g. Botham, Knott). It is no coincidence that the great England team of the 1950s tend to dominate in ''all-time England eleven'' lists, your Huttons, Truemans, Lakers, etc.
 

Furball

Evil Scotsman
HB, everytime you make a post disagreeing with someone, it's because you think you know better. That's the bedrock on which CW stands. Everyone who registered on this forum did so to tell the rest that they know better. Let's get the moral posturing out of the way. We are all ****s who think they know the best. About everything.

I followed the AB case closely and found no reason to believe that there was any external pressure of any kind on him due to the quota or any other political matter. CSA has been far far more accomodating than any other employer that I know. No other cricketer gets to pick and choose series when they see fit the way AB has. He still has not officially committed to the home tests later in the year.

"My dream plan is to come back for those eight Test matches and that's all I can say for now. My focus is on the 2019 World Cup but if I feel physically incapable of making it after those two Test series, I will call it a day then. I'll make that call once we get there. I can't decide now how I am going to feel in 12 months.

"I'm just not ready, that's the best way I can put it. Priorities have changed over the years, family has changed, my roles in the team have changed over the years," he said. "Playing three different formats, with the schedule the way it is, all of a sudden felt like the world is on top of my shoulders, and that's when I felt like I need to start prioritising what I want to achieve in my career, where I want to go and what I feel motivated about. There are a lot of things that have played a role in this decision but I wouldn't like to think it's the end.


If these words sound like someone who loves Test cricket but is being deprived from playing it because of politics, then we just have diametrically opposite ways of interpreting.

AB de Villiers is likely to make his Test comeback against India and his bat sponsor, the Indian company MRF, initially wanted him to play all three formats. That contract, reportedly close to US\$ 2 million, is now being negotiated. "Obviously they would like me to play as much cricket as possible, around the world in all the formats but I still have to negotiate with them and see how we do with that."

Ultimately neither of us know AB personally, so we go by what is reported. I read the reporting carefully as he is one of my favourite players, and that's the conclusion I have reached.

You are free to disagree and say I am wrong and you are right. But just know that's a two way street :)



Source: De Villiers unavailable for Tests for most of 2017 | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo
If my theory about de Villiers is correct and de Villiers makes public why he isn't playing Test cricket, what do you think happens to the majority of talented white prospects?

South African cricket has enough of a problem retaining its white cricketers without this.
 

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