Wisden's Cricketers of the Century

[Richard]

Donald himself called Wasim the greatest seam-bowler he'd ever seen.

I know - he's a very modest fellow. He, like Malcolm Marshall, was never going to big himself up as the greatest seam-(and-swing)-bowler of his generation.

Look, Wasim could do some things better than Donald, beyond question - the virtually invisible delivery being one. But Donald IMO was a better all-round package.

 

[silentstriker]

We still haven't had the Harmison vs Donald debate Richard.

 

[BhupinderSingh]

I know - he's a very modest fellow. He, like Malcolm Marshall, was never going to big himself up as the greatest seam-(and-swing)-bowler of his generation.

Look, Wasim could do some things better than Donald, beyond question - the virtually invisible delivery being one. But Donald IMO was a better all-round package.

Although the difference between the 2 was very minute but Wasim was just better IMO.

 

[BhupinderSingh]

We still haven't had the Harmison vs Donald debate Richard.

 

[Richard]

We still haven't had the Harmison vs Donald debate Richard.

That's because some things are so silly they don't need to be debated.

That Donald was probably 30 times the bowler Harmison will ever be is beyond all doubt.

 

[silentstriker]

Or the Imran vs. Saj Mahmood one.

 

[silentstriker]

That's because some things are so silly they don't need to be debated.

That Donald was probably 30 times the bowler Harmison will ever be is beyond all doubt.

Is it? Harmison and Donald both have no heart, but on their day both could run through lineups.

 

[Sanz]

I know - he's a very modest fellow. He, like Malcolm Marshall, was never going to big himself up as the greatest seam-(and-swing)-bowler of his generation.

Look, Wasim could do some things better than Donald, beyond question - the virtually invisible delivery being one. But Donald IMO was a better all-round package.

But he didn't say so about Ambrose, Mcgrath etc either. He said specifically about Wasim.

 

[Richard]

Is it? Harmison and Donald both have no heart, but on their day both could run through lineups.

No, Donald had all the heart in The World and could run through batting-line-ups, and did, countless hundreds of times; Harmison never ran through batting-line-ups, just cashed-in occasionally when they collapsed in his wake.

 

[silentstriker]

Harmison never ran through batting-line-ups, just cashed-in occasionally when they collapsed in his wake.

Same thing. They collapsed in his wake because he was unplayable and through the fear of his bowling prowess.

 

[silentstriker]

And as for the debate on hand, Donald = Akram, pretty much.

 

[funnygirl]

But he didn't say so about Ambrose, Mcgrath etc either. He said specifically about Wasim.

And Ambrose didn't say Donald as the greatest also . He said Wasim .

PS : let us not hijack this thread .

 

[funnygirl]

so this is my list for the greatest 5

1. Sir Don Bradman
2. Sir Gary Sobers
3.Sir Viv Richards
4.Imran Khan
5.Sir Richard Hadlee

 

[Richard]

Same thing. They collapsed in his wake because he was unplayable and through the fear of his bowling prowess.

Nah, nothing to do with that, otherwise it'd have happened ATT. It didn't, it only happened once in a blue-moon.

They collapsed in his wake because that sort of thing happens sometimes. Only in the first 7 games of 2004 did he ever bowl anything approaching well in Test-cricket, and even then nowhere near as well as his figures suggested.

 

[Fusion]

so this is my list for the greatest 5

1. Sir Don Bradman
2. Sir Gary Sobers
3.Sir Viv Richards
4.Imran Khan
5.Sir Richard Hadlee

That's a pretty good list. I would probably have either Grace or Hobbs over Hadlee though.

 

[silentstriker]

They collapsed in his wake because that sort of thing happens sometimes.

How come no one collapses like that in front of Ashish Nehra?

 

[Richard]

That's a pretty good list. I would probably have either Grace or Hobbs over Hadlee though.

Grace was considered a cricketer of the 19th-century.

 

[Ikki]

But he didn't say so about Ambrose, Mcgrath etc either. He said specifically about Wasim.

The interviews in question are up on YouTube. One thing you notice from them is how breathless Donald gets when talking about how good Wasim was.

 

[silentstriker]

That's a pretty good list. I would probably have either Grace or Hobbs over Hadlee though.

Grace is wrong century and Hobbs should certainly be there. SO should Barnes TBH.

 

[Fusion]

Grace was considered a cricketer of the 19th-century.

My mistake! I was focusing simply on the greatest 5, forgot the era.