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Dale Steyn vs Wasim Akram vs Curtly Ambrose

Better Test Match Bowler

  • Curtly Ambrose

    Votes: 11 40.7%
  • Dale Steyn

    Votes: 16 59.3%
  • Wasim Akram

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    27
  • Poll closed .

kingkallis

International Coach
Akram bowled a lot on Asian wickets where he had to rely A LOT on his ability to swing the ball. Thats not the case with Steyn or Ambrose. So Akram = Steyn > Ambrose for me.
 

smash84

The Tiger King
Steyn the best of the lot for mine.

Wasim and Ambrose both not too far off obv. Wasim did suffer a lot due to the awful fielding side that he had. Wasn't uncommon to see multiple chances go down off his bowling and arguably had more difficult tracks to bowl on to. However Ambrose and Steyn shade it over him for having more wickets in their column. Also while Akram was probably more "skillful" with the ball on song Steyn and Ambrose were more destructive. They could run through sides more often than Akram could. Steyn in beast mode is a sight to behold. Can run through great bating line ups and can do it on all sorts of tracks.


So Steyn for mine

i might vote Ambrose on another day
 

trundler

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Did not mean to say that he was behind by a long margin, just a step below Curtly and Steyn. Steyn and Curtly both more destructive (higher SR and ran through line-ups more often) and hit higher high-s. Both were rated #1 for a considerable time while Akram never really was. In ODIs, it's no contest Akram but in tests Ambrose and Steyn both ahead for me. Akram also tailed off pretty badly in tests over his last few years but I suppose that's bound to happen when you go on for 19 years.

What split it between Ambrose and Steyn was the latter's performances in Asia and his ability to reverse it menacingly. I see that it's not Ambrose's fault that he never toured Asia much and on another day would have voted for him.
 
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Burgey

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Hate this thread. Three of my all time favourite bowlers. Feels dirty to have to rank one ahead of the others.
 

Bolo

State Captain
Steyn and Curtly both more destructive (higher SR and ran through line-ups more often) and hit higher high-s. Both were rated #1 for a considerable time while Akram really was.


To add to your reasons: Wpm, % of top order wickets, general quality of wickets, ability to bowl to a plan against batsmen via consistent bowling, putting the ball in the right area (too much of an in between length to be effective).

Akram wins on variety and the eye test, but he just wasn't as effective as a lot of other bowlers.

I think Steyn and Ambrose are both top 5, with a big group below them that I don't think Akram makes, or only just makes.

On Steyn vs Ambrose, not much of an opinion about who to pick in an ATG side. In a regular side though, Steyn is ahead based in his vastly superior strike rate- he leaves less bowling for inferior bowlers to do.
 

trundler

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To add to your reasons: Wpm, % of top order wickets, general quality of wickets, ability to bowl to a plan against batsmen via consistent bowling, putting the ball in the right area (too much of an in between length to be effective).

Akram wins on variety and the eye test, but he just wasn't as effective as a lot of other bowlers.

I think Steyn and Ambrose are both top 5, with a big group below them that I don't think Akram makes, or only just makes.

On Steyn vs Ambrose, not much of an opinion about who to pick in an ATG side. In a regular side though, Steyn is ahead based in his vastly superior strike rate- he leaves less bowling for inferior bowlers to do.
I'm not holding WPM against Akram because he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 1996 I think and was averaging over 4 WPM for that period but he really went on for too long and the ODI workload affected his test game. He did pick up a very high % of lower order wickets. A ball pitching leg and swinging all the way to 2nd slip while missing the edge is an entertaining spectacle but pretty useless (an extreme example, yes and not to suggest Akram wasn't a legendary bowler in his own right).

In an ATG side, Steyn edges Donald and Waqar for the lethal, high SR bowler whilst Ambrose is edged by (this sounds so wrong but I'm not going to change it) McGrath as the disciplined rhythm/corridor bowler IMO.
 

Bolo

State Captain
Everyone has a because XYZ like Akrams diabetes. You can discount them to some extent, but they should never be completely ignored. Akram may have had a lower WPM because of diabetes, but he's still a worse bowler for having a lower WPM.

Add Marshall to the strike bowler category. Considering the era, his SR is nearly as impressive as Steyns.

Agreed on McGrath vs Ambrose.
 

trundler

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Everyone has a because XYZ like Akrams diabetes. You can discount them to some extent, but they should never be completely ignored. Akram may have had a lower WPM because of diabetes, but he's still a worse bowler for having a lower WPM.

Add Marshall to the strike bowler category. Considering the era, his SR is nearly as impressive as Steyns.

Agreed on McGrath vs Ambrose.
There's also the fact that his 104 tests were played over 19 years, as opposed to McGrath 124 over a shorter period. But still, I see your point. He should have taken more wickets. Both Waqar and Imran have more WPM.

Marshall can be contained by no category. The most complete fast bowler ever. He gets in the team on account of being Marshall.
 

TheJediBrah

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Why are we talking about wpm again? It's a bull**** stat for judging the quality or effectiveness of a bowler. It's influenced by far too many other factors.
 

trundler

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Why are we talking about wpm again? It's a bull**** stat for judging the quality or effectiveness of a bowler. It's influenced by far too many other factors.
By itself, it's meaningless but it is helpful to an extent because it's a product of SR. It's a support argument. No one's rating Hadlee over Marshall because of WPM.
 

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