Rahul Dravid and Ricky Ponting 2007 Onwards

[kingjulian]

Yup, him and Symonds are known as Chimpy and Big Chimpy respectively.

That's not funny..

 

[Cricketismylife]

Anyone who puts down Ponting or Dravid has to be one of the harshest critics around. Both all time greats in my opinion. Not sure who is better of the 2, I would probably say Ponting but it's close.

Dravid is not a boring batsman imo by any means. In fact he is stylish both in attack and defence and a very fluent batsman. Unfortunately, people seem to be remembering him as the player he has been over the last few years and not before then.

Ponting is an odd case. Even yesterday in the process of his 9 he didn't look in bad nick. His footwork was decent, but he just keeps getting out. I'm not sure what it is, because as Ikki said, he doesn't exactly look like someone who is struggling.

I still feel and this be a controversial opinion, that while Ponting shades Dravid slightly as an overall batsman, Dravid plays top class bowling better than Ponting. Again it's close but I feel Dravid had less technical weaknesses earlier on than Ponting, but when both got in they would be ruthless.

 

[kingkallis]

That's not funny..

Welcome to CW!

 

[Spark]

Anyone who puts down Ponting or Dravid has to be one of the harshest critics around. Both all time greats in my opinion. Not sure who is better of the 2, I would probably say Ponting but it's close.

Dravid is not a boring batsman imo by any means. In fact he is stylish both in attack and defence and a very fluent batsman. Unfortunately, people seem to be remembering him as the player he has been over the last few years and not before then.

Ponting is an odd case. Even yesterday in the process of his 9 he didn't look in bad nick. His footwork was decent, but he just keeps getting out. I'm not sure what it is, because as Ikki said, he doesn't exactly look like someone who is struggling.

I still feel and this be a controversial opinion, that while Ponting shades Dravid slightly as an overall batsman, Dravid plays top class bowling better than Ponting. Again it's close but I feel Dravid had less technical weaknesses earlier on than Ponting, but when both got in they would be ruthless.

I don't know about that - watching yesterday I felt it was only a matter of time before Ponting fell to Swann. I just didn't feel like he was playing him comfortably at all.

 

[TumTum]

Tbf any batsman would have looked like getting out against Swann's spinning cobras.

 

[Spark]

Any batsman who played from the crease, yes.

It's just such a hopeless way to play quality spin on turning pitches.

 

[TumTum]

He did use his feet though several times, where he drilled the ball to the fielders.

 

[vcs]

Any batsman who played from the crease, yes.

It's just such a hopeless way to play quality spin on turning pitches.

A lot of subcontinent batsmen do it TBF. Requires soft hands and the ability to adjust quickly and manipulate the ball into gaps for singles. Martyn did it very well in 2004.

 

[Spark]

Fair point, but you know... "soft hands". This is Ponting we're talking about.

 

[TumTum]

Soft hands or hard hands, that ball was still going to carry to Collingwood (also aided by the pace of Swann's bowling).

 

[centurymaker]

Ponting these days makes more mistakes than he used to- that is another reason why he isn't scoring big.

 

[Spark]

Soft hands or hard hands, that ball was still going to carry to Collingwood (also aided by the pace of Swann's bowling).

Nah disagree. That ball was taken very low by Collingwood. There's a "right" way and a "wrong" way to edge a ball - Hussey edged one the "right" way later, with an angled bat and soft hands, the result being it sent straight down and through 2nd slip/gully's legs.

 

[TumTum]

But Hussey was playing with the spin, hence the angled face of the bat.

For Ponting the ball went straight on rather than spinning into him sharply, so there is no way Ponting was supposed to play that ball with an angled bat towards cover like Hussey. He played it well imo, presented the full face of the bat. Sometimes you just gotta say tough luck, that ball was too good for him.

 

[Spark]

Perhaps, but he still went at it very hard. Anyway I don't think you're seeing my point which was that since Ponting does play with hard hands he's going to get in trouble if he plays from the crease.

 

[bagapath]

What's interesting is his conversion rate: he has 41 scores of 50+ when he's been in the ranks, 54 when he's led the side - yet 20 of his 39 centuries were scored before he took the reigns.

dude 20 out of 39 and 19 out of 39 (in 75 tests each as a player and as captain) mean the same FFS. IMO, he is a great batsman with or without the captaincy. it is just that people perceive him to be a lesser cricketer because he has lost two series in india and two in england.

 

[honestbharani]

Quite a good time to pick, as in his 150 Tests he's played 75 as captain.

6499 runs @ 52.83 as captain
5821 runs @ 55.97 when not captaining

What's interesting is his conversion rate: he has 41 scores of 50+ when he's been in the ranks, 54 when he's led the side - yet 20 of his 39 centuries were scored before he took the reigns.

Would be interesting to see his stats in matches without McWarne as well.. He had that monster series against India without them, but what about the rest of the time?

 

[honestbharani]

But Hussey was playing with the spin, hence the angled face of the bat.

For Ponting the ball went straight on rather than spinning into him sharply, so there is no way Ponting was supposed to play that ball with an angled bat towards cover like Hussey. He played it well imo, presented the full face of the bat. Sometimes you just gotta say tough luck, that ball was too good for him.

If you can read which one will go straight and which one will break, of course you can... Never matched any batsman do it against Murali, including Pontng himself?

 

[Furball]

dude 20 out of 39 and 19 out of 39 (in 75 tests each as a player and as captain) mean the same FFS. IMO, he is a great batsman with or without the captaincy. it is just that people perceive him to be a lesser cricketer because he has lost two series in india and two in england.

It's the number of 50s he's hit and his failure to convert them that was striking. 21 50s and 20 100s vs 34 50s and 19 100s is quite a difference.

 

[bagapath]

It's the number of 50s he's hit and his failure to convert them that was striking. 21 50s and 20 100s vs 34 50s and 19 100s is quite a difference.

i see it this way mate. as a captain, in the same number of tests, ponting has scored the same number of centuries and has scored 50% more 50s. this is nothing to be ashamed of. if he had scored the same number of centuries and lot less half centuries then that is a cause for concern. or if he had scored less hundreds and more fifties that is also a weakness, something you can point out. poor guy has actually played more 50+ knocks scoring the same no of centuries. you should not find fault with that, if you ask me.

the corresponding numbers in the last 2 years could be really bad, though. his loss of form - which is due to age and general wear and tear - is the concern, not his captaincy; at least till the india tour of 2008 he was a successful batsman leading a successful team.

 

[TumTum]

If you can read which one will go straight and which one will break, of course you can... Never matched any batsman do it against Murali, including Pontng himself?

The thing is that was the off-break that didn't spin. Didn't understand your second sentence.