capt_Luffy
Hall of Fame Member
Sad how few choose The Master, but explains given most likely almost all of them went with players they saw in action.
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Scyld Berry 30 greatest test fast bowlers
- Thread starter DrWolverine
- Start date
Middle-order batsmen. Some were picked as openers on occasions.
74 - Sobers
65 - Viv Richards
53 - Bradman
42 - Tendulkar
25 - Lara
16 - Border
13 - Greg Chappell
12 - Javed Miandad
11 - Graeme Pollock
10 - Compton
9 - Harvey, Weekes
7 - Headley, May, Ponting
6 - Cowdrey, Hammond, Lloyd, Steve Waugh, Worrell
4 - Kallis
2 - Barrington, Gower, Graveney, Zaheer Abbas
1 - Ian Chappell, Aravinda de Silva, Dexter, Dravid, Kanhai (+1 as wk), McCabe, Trumper
74 - Sobers
65 - Viv Richards
53 - Bradman
42 - Tendulkar
25 - Lara
16 - Border
13 - Greg Chappell
12 - Javed Miandad
11 - Graeme Pollock
10 - Compton
9 - Harvey, Weekes
7 - Headley, May, Ponting
6 - Cowdrey, Hammond, Lloyd, Steve Waugh, Worrell
4 - Kallis
2 - Barrington, Gower, Graveney, Zaheer Abbas
1 - Ian Chappell, Aravinda de Silva, Dexter, Dravid, Kanhai (+1 as wk), McCabe, Trumper
Last edited:
kyear2
Hall of Fame Member
Which is why I look for teams that fit quite a few criteria.
Must be all time (not limited to players played with), and quite frankly the appearance of certain players,. Invalidates certain teams.
Some examples of such would be Sehwag or Anderson. Hayden is borderline there as well.
Coronis
Hall of Fame Member
Kanhai as a wicketkeeper - perhaps Ramadhin was misremembering… at least I hope so.
Also Dooland is an amusing pick. Great FC but very poor in his few tests. Haven’t heard his name in a long time. Fierce competition for bowling post war for Australia, and he didn’t cut it.
Also Dooland is an amusing pick. Great FC but very poor in his few tests. Haven’t heard his name in a long time. Fierce competition for bowling post war for Australia, and he didn’t cut it.
capt_Luffy
Hall of Fame Member
Didn't he ditch Australia to play League Cricket in England?
Coronis
Hall of Fame Member
May have done, idk
capt_Luffy
Hall of Fame Member
I think that's what I read. Played like 3-4 matches for Australia when he was really young, then went to play CC and League in England and really shines their; not sure though.
sayon basak
International Coach
Don't you believe that after Murali/Warne/O'Reilly any spinner has a fair argument to be the no.4, even Qadir?
sayon basak
International Coach
Cricket is probably the only sport where 1970 is modern.
Fuller Pilch
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
The modern era of chess is from about the 1850s.
Spark
Global Moderator
It could actually be worse than the infamous The_Sean moment and that was a prank.
kyear2
Hall of Fame Member
Pretty sure he was talking about placing himself in his first team.
sayon basak
International Coach
From no.4 to no.1, not as delusional as it seems tbh.
kyear2
Hall of Fame Member
Greatest Test bowlers and other existential topics | The KimAppa show
Join Jarrod Kimber and Robin Uthappa as they go deep into the pantheon of Test bowling legends — from McGrath, Steyn, Ambrose, and Lillee, to today’s fierce ...www.youtube.com
Robbie apart, it's a good video.
You can tell that Kimber is already priming for his book. Declining to name a no 1 and narrowing it down to the three bowlers who he (and I with an *) believe are the only ones with a claim to be no. 1.
Marshall, McGrath and Bumrah. Add Warne and that's a perfect attack.
And judging by his comments in his IG short, that's also his AT attack as well.
Jarrod Kimber on Instagram: "India and the number 8s #cricket #testcricket #indiacricket #westindiescricket #australiacricket"
399 likes, 10 comments - ajarrodkimber on June 26, 2025: "India and the number 8s #cricket #testcricket #indiacricket #westindiescricket #australiacricket".
www.instagram.com
But back to the main video, he finishes it off by basically stating that one of the two areas where the game needs specialists is in the slip cordon.
subshakerz
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Would you drop Tendulkar for Steve Smith in an ATG XI based on slips?
DrWolverine
International Captain
kyear2
Hall of Fame Member
Well let's see how his career as a batsman ends, but at this point, no. But that's also because of how inconsistent he's been in the cordon.
Hammond on the other hand has crossed my mind. Not only for his work at 1st, but because also he's a perfect option as a 6th bowler.
But from watching the recent test series and looking back at close test encounters between relatively evenly natches teams, 6 bowlers are employed way more often that I would have imagined, and the extra coverage can only be a bonus.
Not a selection I would start a series with, but based on how things play out, would be a viable option. Plus, I already have a great cordon with Barry, Sir Garry and Sir IVA.
But based on your philosophies, it should be something you've very much open to. Or dies your supplementary skills preference only apply to the player you support?
kyear2
Hall of Fame Member
To expand further.
If you're a captain of a the team and your batting is falling short, is the solution to fix the top order or replace your no. 11, with a no. 8?
However, if you're consistently dropping wickets, aren't you going to look, obligated even, to upgrade the cordon?
I also don't get the double standard where it's fine to replace McGrath with Imran (not you but in general) but to replace Sachin with Hammond is a non starter.
To quote Subz's previous favorite reference, Mr. Kimber, if you can't take 20 wickets consistently, who's batting at 8 means **** all. And if you're batting is a weak point, no #8 is solving it.
Yet for a very active minority, it's believed that lower order batting added to any bowler elevates him higher than any other supplementary skill. While the others are irrelevant.
It's all balance and nuance.
In any event, I'll prioritizing the primary skills first as I do throughout. And even so my XI still manages to have a strong tail, a brilliant cordon and a viable 5th option.