Marshall Vs Ambrose

[bagapath]

Alright...

Both were badass fast bowlers, match winners, world beaters and legends.
One joined a champion team and kept its flag flying.
Another joined a champion team and fought for its honor till the end.
Both had long careers. And zillions of admirers.
Some of us have seen them both.
Some of us have only read about them.
Some us have seen Ambrose but heard stories of Marshall.
Time to choose.

Who was the superior fast bowler in TEST cricket?

 

[indiaholic]

Think Marshall takes this. I find it incredibly difficult to separate the top tier fast bowlers. They aren't as dependent on luck as batsmen and that makes it difficult to find holes in their record.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Marshall

 

[ImpatientLime]

probably malcolm.

ambrose though by far the most underrated of the elite fast bowling group.

 

[vcs]

Marshall

avg + SR + big hauls

Ambrose was brilliant though, never seen an opposition fast bowler be as dominant as him in Australia, the best players of pace and bounce.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Mismatch. This is one of those polls where Ambrose will get sympathy votes when he's 25-0 behind.

 

[vic_orthdox]

I was too young for Marshall - Ambrose was like the boogie man in my househould.

When dad was sick of bowling to me in the backyard, he'd say "Curtly is on", replicate that little shake of the wrist before he bowled, and then let them go fast, knock me over and head inside.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Ambrose is probably the most deadly bowler I have seen when on a roll and would be unplayable and get a ruck of wickets for nothing in no time but Marshall was just different class and the best I have ever seen.

 

[Days of Grace]

Yeah, it's the strike rate combined with wickets per match even when sharing wickets with alltime great team mates that puts Marshall ahead for me.

Ambrose vs Garner would be interesting.

 

[54321]

Ambrose vs Garner would be interesting.

Good point, maybe add Courtney Walsh in there too. I'm surprised that Garner's name hardly ever comes up in these polls though.

 

[Top_Cat]

Marshall better, Ambrose scarier, both..... **** facing that ****.

 

[Kirkut]

Ambrose for me. I value longevity very highly and that's where Ambrose betters Marshall. I remember watching 39 year old Ambrose getting every third ball to hold it's line and made Vaughan look ordinary.

 

[Days of Grace]

Interesting point. Did Marshall fall off a cliff later in his career or did he gradually decline? How old was he in 1991? Was it his bowling style which meant he couldn't carry on past 35 years old like Ambrose? Could he have been effective on the 1992/93 tour of Australia?

So many questions, but I'm five beers in, ****s.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Ambrose for me. I value longevity very highly and that's where Ambrose betters Marshall. I remember watching 39 year old Ambrose getting every third ball to hold it's line and made Vaughan look ordinary.

They both had 12 year careers so not sure you can use the longevity argument.

 

[Slifer]

Interesting point. Did Marshall fall off a cliff later in his career or did he gradually decline? How old was he in 1991? Was it his bowling style which meant he couldn't carry on past 35 years old like Ambrose? Could he have been effective on the 1992/93 tour of Australia?

So many questions, but I'm five beers in, ****s.

I might be wrong but maybe Marshall was fed up of island politics. A lot of people thought and expected Haynes to be made captain after Richards' reign but Richie Richardson got it instead.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

I'm biased because I have seen more of Ambrose's bowling than Malcom's

 

[viriya]

I don't think there is a clear choice.

 

[fredfertang]

Heart says Marshall but head says Ambrose

 

[Anil]

marshall the greatest fast bowler of all time for me...ambrose obviously up there as one of the greatest as well...

 

[Red]

Hard to split them. Both were outstanding against all opponents in all conditions. So good.

I was a kid in the 80s and I can remember a bit of Marshall and a lot of Ambrose. I used to wish I was WI. Just watching Marshall, Holding, Garner, Ambrose, Walsh, Patterson being super quick, super aggressive and super skilled made Alderman, McDermott and Hughes seem sorta lame. At least in a kid's eyes.