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  1. P

    Allan Knott vs Ben Stokes

    Knott probably has more supporters than anyone for the title of greatest-ever wicket-keeper. The criticism of him at the time was for standing back to medium-pace bowling. He argued that he caught a higher proportion of chances standing back. The purists' counter-argument was that he made it...
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    Ashwin v Laker v Verity v Grimmett

    Rosenwater seems to be referencing Charlie Turner, who claimed that his style of bowling would have been redundant in Australia during the inter-war period. After Australia lost the Ashes in 1926, Turner wrote an instruction manual entitled The Quest For Bowlers. For a long time English...
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    Dennis Lillee vs Bill O'Reilly

    In 1977 Keith Miller picked O'Reilly in his all-time Australian XI but not Lillee. Three years later Fingleton picked them both. It may be that Lillee took the lead among all bowlers around then.
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    Dennis Lillee vs Bill O'Reilly

    I don't think anyone compared O'Reilly with Lillee. As you say, they were different types. Barnes v O'Reilly was a debate. Lillee was just considered the best fast bowler. The pensioner generation probably think he still is. As far as current media opinion is concerned, it's all about Bumrah.
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    Dennis Lillee vs Bill O'Reilly

    It doesn't seem to be just about records in England. The leading English commentators travel quite a lot. On the batting front, "the great Ricky Ponting" has been referred to on several occasions. It is clear that most of the English pundits consider him the best Australian batsman of modern...
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    Dennis Lillee vs Bill O'Reilly

    If recent commentary is anything to go by, Warne is miles ahead of everyone else according to English pundits.
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    In terms of match impact, is Botham better than Tendulkar and McGrath?

    Monty Noble covered the 1924-25 Ashes series in Australia. He provided a comprehensive report of dropped catches in the series. A feature of the Test Matches was the number of dropped catches. No fewer than 45 were missed, 24 by the Australians and 21 by the Englishmen. It is hardly creditable...
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    Ashwin v Laker v Verity v Grimmett

    Irving Rosenwater writing in Wisden in 1970: The complete covering of wickets in Sheffield Shield cricket from the early 1920s was said to be responsible for the decline of bowling in Australia and the almost entire absence of finger-spin. In the years leading up to the second world war M.C.C...
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    In terms of match impact, is Botham better than Tendulkar and McGrath?

    It's the exception now. It wasn't always. Picking specialist catchers was usually a reactive measure after missed chances affected results. Either side of the First World War the issue was mobility in the outfield and ability to throw in from the boundary. Poor fielding was highlighted in the...
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    In terms of match impact, is Botham better than Tendulkar and McGrath?

    There are players who probably would never have been selected for England had they not been exceptional catchers. Examples are Ernie Hayes, Jim McConnon, Peter Walker, Phil Sharpe and Graham Roope.
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    Allan Knott vs Ben Stokes

    Blackham was universally regarded as the best ever for half a century, which is a long time. Some claimed the same for Oldfield while others placed him behind Tallon. Bill O'Reilly reckoned Tallon and Evans were equal in 1946-47, Tallon better in 1948 (Evans had a bad day when Australia chased...
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    In terms of match impact, is Botham better than Tendulkar and McGrath?

    The Indian selectors are in a difficult position. India could easily have been ahead in this series. Their three leading wicket-takers have a combined batting average of 3.40. All have career batting averages under ten. All-rounder Jadeja averages over a hundred with both bat and ball in the...
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    Best Test players to have never been ranked in the Top-10 Batters/Bowlers/All-Rounders?

    This is true. Between 1930 and 1990 only three wicket-keepers made the Top 10 for their batting while they were keeping wicket: Ames (7), Cameron (7) and Dujon (8). Since then several have done so, though it is not always clear how much of their batting ranking was earned while keeping.
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    Best Test players to have never been ranked in the Top-10 Batters/Bowlers/All-Rounders?

    Atapattu, Dempster, Fleming*, Sarwan, Duleepsinhji, Melville, Azhar Mahmood, Knott+, Umar Gul, MacGill, Patterson.
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    Openers Tax

    The NZ commentators sometimes claim that opening the batting there is hardest compared with coming in later. The figures back them up.
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    Openers Tax

    The Sri Lanka figure will also include opposing batsmen visiting the country. For example, Tendulkar, Root and Steve Smith all average over sixty there, while Lara and Fleming average over a hundred.
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    Openers Tax

    Difference in Test averages between batsmen numbers 3-5 and openers: By Era 1877-93: -3.20 1894-1914: +0.73 1920-39: +2.50 1946-69: +3.61 1970-99: +2.80 2000-25: +5.41 Overall: +3.87 By Host Country New Zealand: +7.39 Sri Lanka: +6.42 West Indies: +4.29 Pakistan: +3.81 Australia: +3.65...
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    How important are runs from number 8?

    He is the fifth highest run-scorer at Number 8 from all countries. And also has the fifth highest average (30.96) of those with 1,000 runs, after Vettori, Boucher, Kapil Dev and Jason Holder.
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    How important are runs from number 8?

    It would appear that Number 8 has always been expected to get a few runs. Average by era in the position: 1877-93: 15.63 1894-1914: 19.82 1920-39: 20.07 1946-69: 20.09 1970-99: 20.84 2000-25: 22.52 Of the major Test-playing nations South Africa's Number 8s have the highest batting average...
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    In terms of pure bowling skill, is Bumrah the greatest you have seen?

    There were a few who claimed Viv Richards and Lillee were the best ever. Botham was one. However the old writers were still around and preferred looking back. Richards and Lillee were 5th and 6th in the Wisden 20th century vote, behind Bradman, Sobers, Hobbs and Warne. John Woodcock had Grace as...

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