Kagiso Rabada vs Shoaib Akhtar

[PlayerComparisons]

Two express quicks

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Is KG really express?

 

[Adorable Asshole]

Is Rabada really express pace? Anyway Rabada even though he benefits for playing in SA.

 

[Silver Silva]

Shoaib Akthar was a bit of a wasted talent.. Rabada takes this one for me.

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

Eh, Akthar better when on the field, but Rabada obviously gets points for not being broken ~most of the time.

 

[Silver Silva]

Eh, Akthar better when on the field, but Rabada obviously gets points for not being broken ~most of the time.

Akthar had a lot of hot and cold series , can he really be better ?
He averaged 35 and over in 9 of the 25 series he featured in , considering that he only played 46 tests that's very inconsistent.

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

Akthar had a lot of hot and cold series , can he really be better ?
He averaged 35 and over in 9 of the 25 series he featured in , considering that he only played 46 tests that's very inconsistent.

Played in a much harder bowling era than Rabada, and had much harder home bowling conditions. But yeah, played sadly little during his peak.

So it depends on what you're rating them for. If both fit and in their prime and I was picking one for a one-off Test I'd take Ahktar. If choosing who has cumulatively contributed more to their side then it's probably already Rabada (who hopefully has a lot of years still left to go).

 

[trundler]

Eh, Akthar better when on the field, but Rabada obviously gets points for not being broken ~most of the time.

Akhtar never played two tests in a row. He also broke down during games a lot. This obviously limited how much he contributed over the course of a series though he could obviously blow sides away on decks with nothing in them when fit. But his availability was so questionable that it makes any top class bowler who's going to last a whole series useful overall imo. The 'if' in 'if he was fit' is way too big.

 

[Socerer 01]

Rabada can bowl up to 150 kph why is that not express

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Rabada can bowl up to 150 kph why is that not express

He's not express quick tho...like his fellow teammate, Nortje

 

[Socerer 01]

He's not express quick tho...like his fellow teammate, Nortje

fair enough but i would call someone bowling 150ks express personally even if there is a difference between that and 155

 

[Silver Silva]

Played in a much harder bowling era than Rabada, and had much harder home bowling conditions. But yeah, played sadly little during his peak.

So it depends on what you're rating them for. If both fit and in their prime and I was picking one for a one-off Test I'd take Ahktar. If choosing who has cumulatively contributed more to their side then it's probably already Rabada (who hopefully has a lot of years still left to go).

Can't paint everyone with the same brush regarding eras and conditions, Akhtar was an express fast bowler who took the pitch out of the equation with his style of bowling...

In fact getting reverse swing on dry Asian pitches was probably more condusive to his style of bowling, this is supported by the fact that his record in SENAZ bar a modest NZ side isn't as great as his record in Asia ..

Akthar in SENAZ

South Africa - 10 wickets in 4 tests @ 29.30
England - 1 wicket in 1 test @ 64 .00
New Zealand - 11 wickets in 1 test @ 7.09
Australia - 17 wickets in 6 tests @ 43.05
Zimbabwe - 14 wickets in 3 tests @ 26.29

Akthar in Asia

Pakistan - 83 wickets in 21 tests @ 26.48
UAE - 11 wickets in 3 Tests @ 20.00
India - 17 wickets in 4 Tests @ 24.47
Sri Lanka - 8 wickets in 1 Test @ 9.00
Bangladesh- 6 wickets in 2 Tests @ 20.83

I would choose Akthar in Asian conditions all day over Rabada for sure , in seamer friendly places Rabada gets in over Akthar comfortably.

 

[Majestic]

At their best, Shoaib Akhtar.

But most of the times Shoaib won't be at its complete best. Hence, most of the days it's gonna be Rabada. Akhtar on days when he is fully driven towards the game and on song.

 

[subshakerz]

Rabada due to fitness reasons.

 

[trundler]

Can't paint everyone with the same brush regarding eras and conditions, Akhtar was an express fast bowler who took the pitch out of the equation with his style of bowling...

In fact getting reverse swing on dry Asian pitches was probably more condusive to his style of bowling, this is supported by the fact that his record in SENAZ bar a modest NZ side isn't as great as his record in Asia ..

Akthar in SENAZ

South Africa - 10 wickets in 4 tests @ 29.30
England - 1 wicket in 1 test @ 64 .00
New Zealand - 11 wickets in 1 test @ 7.09
Australia - 17 wickets in 6 tests @ 43.05
Zimbabwe - 14 wickets in 3 tests @ 26.29

Akthar in Asia

Pakistan - 83 wickets in 21 tests @ 26.48
UAE - 11 wickets in 3 Tests @ 20.00
India - 17 wickets in 4 Tests @ 24.47
Sri Lanka - 8 wickets in 1 Test @ 9.00
Bangladesh- 6 wickets in 2 Tests @ 20.83

I would choose Akthar in Asian conditions all day over Rabada for sure , in seamer friendly places Rabada gets in over Akthar comfortably.

That just shows he broke down a lot in away tests. That NZ side was not modest at all. The batting was better than the NZ sides which preceded or succeeded that team. Shoaib's home average of 26 on those decks is worth like 20 anywhere else. 500+ being scored in an innings was not uncommon in Pakistan during his career. He made a big difference on those roads in a way scarcely anyone else in history could've when fit but he also limped off the field so often he ended up with <4 WPM despite a strike rate of 46.

 

[Silver Silva]

That just shows he broke down a lot in away tests. That NZ side was not modest at all. The batting was better than the NZ sides which preceded or succeeded that team. Shoaib's home average of 26 on those decks is worth like 20 anywhere else. 500+ being scored in an innings was not uncommon in Pakistan during his career. He made a big difference on those roads in a way scarcely anyone else in history could've when fit but he also limped off the field so often he ended up with <4 WPM despite a strike rate of 46.

Okay brother if it's worth like 20 elsewhere he would have shown it atleast more than one country away from Asia which he didn't.

His performances in Asia are significantly better then in SENAZ bar NZ ..

Secondly that NZ was modest , it was more of a team of all rounders than class batsmen ..

This was their top 8 in the match :

1.Mark Richardson (44.77)
2.Lou Vincent (34.15)
3.Stephen Fleming (40.07)
4.Richard Jones (11.50)
5.Scott Styris (36.05)
6.Craig McMillan (38.47)
7.Jacob Oram (36.33)
8.Daniel Vettori (30.01)

*The Keeper batsman was Robbie Hart with a Test average of 16.25

Compare that to the NZ side who made the WTC Final :

1.Conway
2.Latham
3.Williamson
4.Taylor
5.Nicholls
6.Watling
7.De Grondhomme
8.Jamieson

I think only Fleming , McMillan and Vettori get into that top 8 .

 

[trundler]

Okay brother if it's worth like 20 elsewhere why did Akthar not average 20 in SA , England, Zimbabwe or Australia ?

His performances in Asia are significantly better then in SENAZ bar NZ ..

Secondly that NZ was modest , it was more of a team of all rounders than class batsmen ..

This was their top 8 in the match :

1.Mark Richardson (44.77)
2.Lou Vincent (34.15)
3.Stephen Fleming (40.07)
4.Richard Jones (11.50)
5.Scott Styris (36.05)
6.Craig McMillan (38.47)
7.Jacob Oram (36.33)
8.Daniel Vettori (30.01)

*The Keeper batsman was Robbie Hart with a Test average of 16.25

Compare that to the NZ side who made the WTC Final :

1.Conway
2.Latham
3.Williamson
4.Taylor
5.Nicholls
6.Watling
7.De Grondhomme
8.Jamieson

I think only Fleming , McMillan and Vettori get into that top 8 .

Again, he just broke down a lot in SENA. He was a bit disappointing in Australia but most touring bowlers suck there. Still managed one good performance there though. Everywhere else he played <1 match. Nobody ever looks at a fast bowler's performances in Zimbabwe and goes that's a hole in his record. They're irrelevant.

Of course that team is worse than the best ever NZ batting order. It's an above average outfit though and certainly better than average by NZ's historical standards up to that point. Before that they had Young, Hartland, Rutherford, Greatbatch, Thomson etc and after the Fleming era NZ sunk to some pretty low depths with guys like McIntosh, How, Flynn, an Oram without functioning eyes and so on. They had Taylor and nothing else. NZ posters here call that the dark ages for a reason.

 

[Silver Silva]

Again, he just broke down a lot in SENA. He was a bit disappointing in Australia but most touring bowlers suck there. Still managed one good performance there though. Everywhere else he played <1 match. Nobody ever looks at a fast bowler's performances in Zimbabwe and goes that's a hole in his record. They're irrelevant.

Of course that team is worse than the best ever NZ batting order. It's an above average outfit though and certainly better than average by NZ's historical standards up to that point. Before that they had Young, Hartland, Rutherford, Greatbatch, Thomson etc and after the Fleming era NZ sunk to some pretty low depths with guys like McIntosh, How, Flynn, an Oram without functioning eyes and so on. They had Taylor and nothing else. NZ posters here call that the dark ages for a reason.

Zimbabwe performances can't be irrelevant in the 90's/ early 2000's they beat Pakistan in a Test series around that time ..
Can't quantify breakdowns , we don't know the pain Akthar was feeling even at home trying to bowl 100mph every delivery..

 

[trundler]

Zimbabwe performances can't be irrelevant in the 90's/ early 2000's they beat Pakistan in a Test series around that time

14 wickets in 3 matches at 26 is objectively excellent anyway. I thought this was post Flower, my bad. Everything else stands true.

 

[Silver Silva]

14 wickets in 3 matches at 26 is objectively excellent anyway. I thought this was post Flower, my bad. Everything else stands true.

So you'd pick Akthar over Rabada no matter what people say ?