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Bowlers then and now

Howe_zat

Audio File
The idea that there aren't any test bowlers around better than Harbhajan Singh and Lance Klusener is certainly a take.

Also the one where you just deliberately forget that all the best players over a period of 30 years were (a) always playing, (b) always playing together and (c) always played at their best is obviously nonsense but I see it on CW as well. One to look out for.

The Pakistan attack that he's imagined in the first 4 names played a grand total of two tests together - neither of which they won.
 

sayon basak

International Coach
@DrWolverine I think you should give the era some more time. There are a few bowlers that may be already there, and there are bowlers who have debuted recently, some of which may become ATgs by the time they're done. You may say that the count will still be low, but don't think there's any unique reason to it. It's just the way it is.
 

DrWolverine

International Captain
Roberts
Walsh
Donald
Pollock
Waqar
all contenders too
Donald? Yes.

The rest I deliberately avoided.

For me, ATG bowlers since 1970 and their debut

Imran Khan – 1971
Dennis Lillee – 1971
Richard Hadlee – 1973
Michael Holding – 1975
Joel Garner – 1977
Malcolm Marshall – 1978
Wasim Akram – 1985
Curtly Ambrose – 1988
Allan Donald – 1992
Shane Warne – 1992
Muttiah Muralitharan – 1992
Glenn McGrath – 1993
Dale Steyn – 2004
Jasprit Bumrah – 2018
 

Coronis

Hall of Fame Member
If not for injuries I think Shoaib, Bond, R Harris, and Jamieson would have been ATGs as well.

Also (I hate to admit it), but also Anderson if he had debuted 5 years later.
Nah, love Rhino but he didn’t start playing tests until he was 30 for a reason - he wasn’t good enough til then. Went on a great run of form of course, but he was already 35 when he had to retire.
 

Kenneth Viljoen

International Regular
Quote on X from Kevin Pietersen:

"Don’t shout at me but batting these days is way easier than 20/25 years ago! Probably twice as hard back then!

Waqar, Shoaib, Akram, Mushtaq, Kumble, Srinath, Harbhajan, Donald, Pollock, Klusener, Gough, McGrath, Lee, Warne, Gillespie, Bond, Vettori, Cairns, Vaas, Murali, Curtley, Courtney and the list could go on and on…

I’ve named 22 above. Please name me 10 modern day bowlers that can compare to the names above?"

His list is a bit of a cheat, as several of the names listed were past their peaks by 2000 and no longer playing Tests by 2005; and some of the others are hardly ATG level... but how do "modern day bowlers" compare to this list? (Given Pietersen's list, I would say it'd be fair to include anyone who's played since 2020).
KP is talking **** again , he's also forgetting that back in the day you only had to focus on one format with ODI's just being a shorter version of tests ,there was a lot more red ball cricket being played , now the best players have to switch between T20 cricket and Tests constantly that in itself is a big mental challenge.
 

govinda indian fan

International Debutant
There are atg fast bowlers like bumrah, Cummins and rabada. Upcoming ones like seales, jansen and o Rourke. Good ones like starc Hazelwood shami and woakes. If anything there less quality spinners around
 

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