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Shaun Pollock vs Kumar Sangakarra

Who's the better cricketer?


  • Total voters
    22

shortpitched713

Cricketer Of The Year
I'll give this one over to Scotland Yard. It's too dumb for even me to solve. I think Sanga is a better bat than Pollock is a bowler, for whatever that means.
 

The_CricketUmpire

First Class Debutant
Not the best comparison really....comparing a batsman with a bowler. Kumar the better batsman (Pollock very handy with the bat), Pollock the better bowler obviously.

You'd take either player to be in a team.
 

kyear2

Hall of Fame Member
These have to at least make some sense, are we just doing these out of boredom at this stage?
 

shortpitched713

Cricketer Of The Year
I disagree with the criticisms of this thread. It's a good one IMO. Whenever someone makes a draft pick they are essentially making this kind of comparison.

I'm actually a bit torn but I think I'd take Sanga.
Some of you ****s need to actually join this draft:


We still need 3. Underhanded thievery is involved...
 

Adorable Asshole

International Regular
I disagree with the criticisms of this thread. It's a good one IMO. Whenever someone makes a draft pick they are essentially making this kind of comparison.

I'm actually a bit torn but I think I'd take Sanga.
I would pick Sanga for my draft before I pick Pollock now that you say.
 

Himannv

Hall of Fame Member
I disagree with the criticisms of this thread. It's a good one IMO. Whenever someone makes a draft pick they are essentially making this kind of comparison.

I'm actually a bit torn but I think I'd take Sanga.
I don't remember many drafts where Sanga was picked ahead of Pollock unless there's some requirement that forces the pick. There is a tendency to pick the top fast bowlers early on in drafts and only a handful of top batsmen get picked ahead of Pollock. So you'd usually have the likes of Bradman, Tendulkar, Lara, Viv, Hammond, Smith, Gilchrist, Hobbs, and Hutton ahead of him. There'd be times when some like Sutcliffe, Headley, G.Pollock, Chappell, Ponting, and Border might get picked as well but I'd say even those are rare. The others who'd get picked up ahead of him are allrounders.
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
I don't remember many drafts where Sanga was picked ahead of Pollock unless there's some requirement that forces the pick. There is a tendency to pick the top fast bowlers early on in drafts and only a handful of top batsmen get picked ahead of Pollock. So you'd usually have the likes of Bradman, Tendulkar, Lara, Viv, Hammond, Smith, Gilchrist, Hobbs, and Hutton ahead of him. There'd be times when some like Sutcliffe, Headley, G.Pollock, Chappell, Ponting, and Border might get picked as well but I'd say even those are rare. The others who'd get picked up ahead of him are allrounders.
Yeah that's why I think it's close. Sanga's ability to keep is good in theory - worth roughly what Pollock's batting is - but in practice doesn't tend to be valued much in 'reality' (if we can call drafts that 😂)
 

subshakerz

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Pollock's batting is overrated. It's more of an add-on.

In terms of specialist skills, Sanga clearly is ahead of Pollock for me and Pollock's batting is not enough to sway that.
 

Himannv

Hall of Fame Member
Yeah that's why I think it's close. Sanga's ability to keep is good in theory - worth roughly what Pollock's batting is - but in practice doesn't tend to be valued much in 'reality' (if we can call drafts that 😂)
I think most sensible drafters pick him as a pure bat due to the difference in his average when he keeps. Ames is picked as the second choice keeper-who-can-bat option usually and they sometimes pick Walcott or Flower and give them that role. Gilchrist is the only one who I'd say consistently gets picked ahead of Pollock.
 

CricAddict

International Coach
Apart from Gilchrist and Knott, who else is clearly ahead of Sanga as wicket-keeper in test cricket history? There are about 20 pacers ahead of Pollock.

At a 3 pacer:1 keeper ratio, Sanga still takes it over Pollock I think.
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
Pollock's batting is overrated. It's more of an add-on.

In terms of specialist skills, Sanga clearly is ahead of Pollock for me and Pollock's batting is not enough to sway that.
I think Sanga's keeping is probably worth as much as Pollock's batting. They were both quite adept at it but not really used by their teams at their prime. You probably wouldn't want Pollock to bat 6-7 or Sanga to keep in your Test team if you could avoid it, but if you asked them to focus on it they totally could have done a good job (but probably to the detriment of their primary ATG skills).

So for me it then just got down to Sanga as a batsman vs Pollock as a bowler. And I think Sanga is marginally better.

This is a great thread though. Those who only want to compare players who are very similar are boring and should feel bad.
 

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