Better player at their peak

[Patience and Accuracy+Gut]

Probably the 2 prime candidate for having the best peak ever bar Bradman. But who was a better player at their peak?

 

[subshakerz]

Viv. Smiths peak was mostly home bullying.

 

[kyear2]

Viv faced better bowlers in tougher conditions.

 

[the big bambino]

Depends really. I thought you said the WI wickets were pretty good for batting in that era.

 

[Coronis]

Viv. Smiths peak was mostly home bullying.

Averaging 65 away in his peak was pretty poor, agreed.

 

[kyear2]

Depends really. I thought you said the WI wickets were pretty good for batting in that era.

I love how people misrepresent, sorry, lie about what I say.

It was split

Sabina and Kensington were fast, lightning fast and Sabina at times dangerous.

Bourda slimming and ARG flat

Queens Park Oval, a mix. Not fast, but inconsistent bounce and somewhat spinning as well.

 

[subshakerz]

Averaging 65 away in his peak was pretty poor, agreed.

Yes but his peak average was about 77.

 

[Xix2565]

Smith by not a lot. He's had more variety and bowling attacks to face even with the home grounds being more in his favour.

 

[OverratedSanity]

In a 4 year period (in around 40 tests) , Smith averaged 76 and scored 3 fewer hundreds than Viv's entire career. The batting environment was undoubtedly more friendly but think about how ridiculous that stat is.

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/e...4;spanval1=span;template=results;type=batting

 

[the big bambino]

I love how people misrepresent, sorry, lie about what I say.

It was split

Sabina and Kensington were fast, lightning fast and Sabina at times dangerous.

Bourda slimming and ARG flat

Queens Park Oval, a mix. Not fast, but inconsistent bounce and somewhat spinning as well.

That’s the trouble with you bull artists. Say one thing one time. Contradict it another. Whatever fits the narrative.

 

[Coronis]

In a 4 year period (in around 40 tests) , Smith averaged 76 and scored 3 fewer hundreds than Viv's entire career. The batting environment was undoubtedly more friendly but think about how ridiculous that stat is.

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/e...4;spanval1=span;template=results;type=batting

You can also look at a 5 and half year period (52 tests - the Bradman standard) he averaged 75 and scored as many tons as Viv’s whole career.

Batting records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

 

[Coronis]

Speaking of Bradman, I’d kind of love to see a stat of 52 test peaks for batsmen and bowlers or 80 innings if someone wanted to do it that way.

 

[Xix2565]

Speaking of Bradman, I’d kind of love to see a stat of 52 test peaks for batsmen and bowlers or 80 innings if someone wanted to do it that way.

I think the stats lover Anantha Narayanan did a piece on that on Cricinfo, but it might be outdated.

 

[HouHsiaoHsien]

In a 4 year period (in around 40 tests) , Smith averaged 76 and scored 3 fewer hundreds than Viv's entire career. The batting environment was undoubtedly more friendly but think about how ridiculous that stat is.

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/e...4;spanval1=span;template=results;type=batting

Smith’s peak was insane agreed and one of the best ever, and he had some ATG tours like 2017 Ind and 2019 Eng. But the fact that Viv more or less faces no minnows, atleast on the level of the WI attacks Smith faced, or some of the flattest tracks ever at home, and coupled with Viv’s super high rate of scoring, I slightly tend towards him.

 

[HouHsiaoHsien]

Smith by not a lot. He's had more variety and bowling attacks to face even with the home grounds being more in his favour.

I mean Viv conquered prime Ian Botham(during his ATG peak), Underwood(on pitches he was lethal on), and Bob Willis in conditions favouring lateral movement, peak Lillee and Thomson(the most dangerous pace combination in home conditions Aus has ever had, on some horror pitches), peak Imran and Sarfaraz Nawaz on SC tracks where they were reversing it, Qadir and Qasim in the 1980 tour, the quartet in WI when Bedi and Chandra took a lot of wickets. Probably Smith faced better spin(2017 Ind tour) but he never had a 1979 Aus Tour against pure pace, that Viv had, or challenges against reverse swing

 

[HouHsiaoHsien]

Plus Viv was easily more destructive, something which has to count.

 

[HouHsiaoHsien]

I’d wager that Viv would have more hundreds in his peak if given conditions like Smith and the WI and Pak attacks of mid 2010s to bash. Plus he scored some hundreds in the WSC at this time too.

 

[capt_Luffy]

Plus Viv was easily more destructive, something which has to count.

It should also be noted that in his 5 years peak, Viv only had productive returns in 3 years. The Test matches he played in 77 and 78, he has quite a middling record in.

 

[HouHsiaoHsien]

It should also be noted that in his 5 years peak, Viv only had productive returns in 3 years. The Test matches he played in 77 and 78, he has quite a middling record in.

He had great returns in the WSC during that, and averaged crazy during the first half of WSC, against Lillee and Co.

 

[capt_Luffy]

He barely played 2 or 3 matches. He had great returns in the WSC during that, against Lillee and Co.

7 matches. 5 in 1977, in which there were no WSC games and he averaged sub 30.