Harbhajan vs. Saqlain in Tests?

[Blaze 18]

Saqlain. Only spin bowler in our time to trouble IND in IND. PAK should have persisted with him. Harbhajan's level of performance has been going down for 4-5 years although he has taken 400 wickets.

Jason Krejza? Picked up twelve wickets in his first test against us.

 

[Champ]

Boje & Udal did well in just one innings each. Krezja was expensive. Saqlain did well in 3 matches. Took crucial wickets.

 

[Burgey]

Saqi has a very poor longevity for a spinner part of it was not his fault but still its difficult to rate a 200 wickets bowler over a 400 one when the difference in stats is not huge had Saqlain taken 100 more wickets at the same rate then I would have gone for him.

Harbhajan for me.

This

 

[weldone]

Harbhajan vs Saqlain is very very close for me.

Saqlain had better records and better performances than Harbhajan for the most part, before batsmen started picking up his doosra in the later part of his career. I don't think Pakistani board's most foolish decision was to not persist with Saqlain, for that reason.

Harbhajan had a few great series early in his career, and later too much of ODI cricket killed the test bowler in him, especially when playing at home. He is still a good bowler when playing away, and getting good bounce from the wicket; but his performances in India have been mediocre in the last few years as he struggles to bowl wicket-taking deliveries now if there's no bounce assisting him (unlike before).

Overall, Saqlain for me by the slightest of margins (though I mistakenly voted for Bhajji here).

 

[TT Boy]

Boje & Udal did well in just one innings each. Krezja was expensive. Saqlain did well in 3 matches. Took crucial wickets.

Paul Adams.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...1;opposition=6;template=results;type=allround

 

[Sanz]

Harbhajan vs Saqlain is very very close for me.

Saqlain had better records and better performances than Harbhajan for the most part, before batsmen started picking up his doosra in the later part of his career.

If we are talking Tests, I am not really sure of the above.

 

[Champ]

Paul Adams.

All-round records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo

He did well in 2 matches, but Saqlain took more crucial wickets. Saqlain turned 2 matches for PAK by taking key wickets & took 9 or 10 wickets even in the match they lost. Still remember that Asia Test Championship match where IND were cruising at 100+ for no loss chasing 270+. He did not take 5 or 6 wickets but took 2 or 3 key top order wickets to change the game.

Yes, I agree with you guys that there have been other spinners who troubled IND in IND. I think it's fair to say that Saqlain had more impact in IND than any other spinner.

 

[Migara]

Saqlain had better records and better performances than Harbhajan for the most part, before batsmen started picking up his doosra in the later part of his career.

Very true, for both players. But Harbhajan somehow re-invented himself to give away doosra and get wickets off the off break, which Saqlain didn't manage to do. Saqlain simply did not have a plan B when batsmen started picking him.

It was so evident when he played against SL. Batsmen like Ranatunga and Tillekaratne initially struggled against him, only Dharmasena was confident, because he knew how it was bowled (and later passed it on to Murali to be mastered). But once Tillekaratne, Ranatunga and later de Silva started picking Saqlain's doosra, it became very difficult for him to dislogde them.

 

[Uppercut]

How come the whole 90s pitches thing hasn't come up yet? When we're comparing batsmen it usually takes about two posts.

 

[vcs]

How come the whole 90s pitches thing hasn't come up yet? When we're comparing batsmen it usually takes about two posts.

Yeah, agree. There were some pretty bowler friendly pitches in India in that series where Saqlain did well (Kumble 10-fer). Then again, he played his home games in Pakistan where there is presumably less help for spinners than India.

 

[smash84]

awta