Who has a better test bowling attack ?

[Spetsnatz]

South Africa or Pakistan ?

 

[Mr. P]

South Africa

 

[GermanShepherd]

Pakistan IMO -- I think their attack has a bit more variety and thrust than South Africa's.

 

[Mr. P]

True Pakistan has more variety, but they don't tend to use it very well and are not at all consistant. Pollock, Ntini etc. are an awesome force and are above Akhtar, Sami and co.

The only area Pakistan are better then South Africa in is the spin department, with Kaneria serving them well...

 

[EnglishRose]

True Pakistan has more variety, but they don't tend to use it very well and are not at all consistant. Pollock, Ntini etc. are an awesome force and are above Akhtar, Sami and co.

The only area Pakistan are better then South Africa in is the spin department, with Kaneria serving them well...

South Africa's pace attack is overrated IMO.
Ntini I feel isn't anywhere near as good as he's made out to be by some people on this forum.
He's clearly more effective on the high veldt than he is elsewhere. I don't think much of Nel -- he's more bluster than real substance.
I think his bowling average will rise in the coming months.

 

[Mr. P]

South Africa's pace attack is overrated IMO.
Ntini I feel isn't anywhere near as good as he's made out to be by some people on this forum.
He's clearly more effective on the high veldt than he is elsewhere. I don't think much of Nel -- he's more bluster than real substance.
I think his bowling average will rise in the coming months.

I disagree. I rate Ntini very highly.

Eh. Everyone is entitled to their own view. (As long as it's sensible )

 

[Jnr.]

The Pakistan attack can be awesome, but they can be terrible also. South Africa's attack is at least more consistent.

 

[Waughney]

By consistency SA are home easily. Pakistan has so much talent and potential but only manage to be (To quote Ian Chappell) "A talented rabble"

 

[_Ed_]

Pakistan are so inconsistent with their bowling, just look at Sami, I think he took something ridiculous like 5 wickets for 1 run in one of the ODIs when NZ toured there last year, but he also had that over with all the wides and no balls against Bangladesh a couple of days ago.

 

[Tim]

The key is that South Africa's attack bowl as a unit. Pakistan will always be inconsistent unless Woolmer manages to pull all of that occassional brilliance together.

 

[Nate]

South Africa's bowling is better IMO. I like the Pakistani bowlers a lot but they bowl all over the place in 9/10 games...

 

[delkap]

Saf bowlers are definitely more consistent. Pollock is easily the best bowler in both teams combined... But whe both attacks are at their peak, Pak would be better.. but that isn't the case 9/10 times as pointed out by Nnanden

 

[Nate]

Saf bowlers are definitely more consistent. Pollock is easily the best bowler in both teams combined... But whe both attacks are at their peak, Pak would be better.. but that isn't the case 9/10 times as pointed out by Nnanden

yea actually if i was smart enough to think before i post, i would have said something like that.

 

[Mister Wright]

Both teams have potent bowling attacks when all bowlers fire. South Africa lack a top quality spinner and Pakistan lack consistency. Ahktar & Pollock pretty much canel each other out (Pollock slightly better) Nitini is far better than Sami. The other just make up the numbers, however Nel can be good with Hayward returning he will add some spark. It's a hard one, S.A. for mine.

 

[Swervy]

SA by quite some distance for me

 

[Richard]

Shoaib - better than anyone on either side at his best, but still not consistent.
Pollock - deadly on a seaming wicket almost without fail; won't often give much away on any pitch.
Ntini - somewhat overrated in the Test game. Capable of bowling very tightly but very inconsistent with his accuracy. One innings can be right on the button, next can be all over the place.
Sami - terrible Test bowler.
Shabbir Ahmed - excellent bowler for the most part of his career, except in his most recent series. And you're no better than your last series, so he needs to come back before we can talk about his ability in such high terms again. He's not been brilliant this county season, either - and still bowls far too many no-balls for a bowler of his accuracy.
Nel - still not consistent with his accuracy, either, but very very potent when he is.
Kaneria - much as he always seems to promise, but for that series against the opposition his only good Test performances would be against Bangladesh.
Saqlain - very dangerous on a turner, totally innocuous on a non-turner.
Boje - not quite as dangerous as Saqlain on a turner, but equally innocuous on a non-turner.
Hayward - never been convinced of his ability, never been quite accurate enough for mine. If he were he could be quite some bowler, but sadly he's been playing for a long while now and he's never looked like becoming much more accurate.
Kallis - good on a seamer or when it's swinging, not as good on non-seamers and when it's not swinging. Nowhere near as accurate recently as he had been in the past, either.
Klusener - read Kallis.
Of course there are others on both sides - South Africa have a veritable mine of seamers with Terbrugge, Ngam, Willoughby, Langeveldt, Zondeki and some others all promising but still yet to either deliver, stay fit or hold down favour with the selectors. Pakistan always have someone or other who's supposed to be the next great thing (Mohammad Irshad was the latest I heard), and most fizzle-out but the odd one makes it. Certainly their attack is nowhere near as good as it was 4 years ago when Wasim and Waqar were still playing and performing.
I'd much prefer have South Africa's on a green seamer if I had to make a straight choice, but if I could be guranteed Pakistan's would bowl as they can I'd have them on any pitch, green seamer or dustbowl.

 

[tooextracool]

Shoaib - better than anyone on either side at his best, but still not consistent..

dont think so, shoaib is only effective when he is in rhythm, and that only seems to happen once every series and against NZ. but yes when he is in rhythm he is lethal

Ntini - somewhat overrated in the Test game. Capable of bowling very tightly but very inconsistent with his accuracy. One innings can be right on the button, next can be all over the place...

agreed

Sami - terrible Test bowler...

perhaps but he can still get better if he improves his accuracy.....

Nel - still not consistent with his accuracy, either, but very very potent when he is.

if nel can bowl the way he did to the WI, he would be the best amongst the SA bowlers.....

Saqlain - very dangerous on a turner, totally innocuous on a non-turner..

as shown by his 5fer in brisbane....

Boje - not quite as dangerous as Saqlain on a turner, but equally innocuous on a non-turner...

as shown by his average of 16 against SL in SA, but yes largely innocuous on non turners.

Klusener - read Kallis....

klusener isnt effective in any conditions in tests anymore, and that has largely to do with the injury that he suffered several years ago. hes still a very good ODI bowler and IMO he is pretty accurate at test match level too.

Pakistan always have someone or other who's supposed to be the next great thing (Mohammad Irshad was the latest I heard), and most fizzle-out but the odd one makes it. Certainly their attack is nowhere near as good as it was 4 years ago when Wasim and Waqar were still playing and performing.

personally i thought fazl-e-akbar bowled well in that third test against india and while his figures dont represent that he was still the pick of the bowlers...

 

[Tom Halsey]

perhaps but he can still get better if he improves his accuracy........

About as likely to happen as me to play for England.

Not very likely.

 

[tooextracool]

well it was the same opinion that was going around about harmison not so long ago.....

 

[Richard]

as shown by his 5fer in brisbane....

as shown by his average of 16 against SL in SA, but yes largely innocuous on non turners.

Guess what these were, then? Yes, that's right - anomalies!
Most fingerspinners don't achieve this success on pitches that don't turn, and it would probably in Saqlain's case and certainly in Boje's given that I watched that 2000\01 series, have been down to poor batting.

klusener isnt effective in any conditions in tests anymore, and that has largely to do with the injury that he suffered several years ago. hes still a very good ODI bowler and IMO he is pretty accurate at test match level too.

And we can tell that by the fact that he's been bowling in Test-cricket for all of the last 3 years...