Ricky Ponting.The best?

[PhoenixFire]

and still is for me.....

 

[silentstriker]

and still is for me.....

And thats fine. That still doesn't change my argument (which you objected to), that most people are against bodyline and consider the tactic unfair.

I think Jardine should have been banned forever along with Larwood, personally but only Larwood never played for England again.

 

[PhoenixFire]

No discredit to you, but I'm gonna need to hear it from more people than some random guy off the internet, however much I respect you cricket knowledge.

 

[silentstriker]

Fair enough, and although you're not the first person I've heard defend bodyline, you're definitely the first to claim that most people don't have a problem with it. A cursory look at past literature would show what the general feeling was after everyone understood what it was (initially it was just confused with leg theory).

 

[PhoenixFire]

I'll change my stance, to say that I'm not really knowledgable to comment on that particular aspect.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Most people who knew Jardine seem to see him as an arrogant aloof man who few people got to know on a personal level, not a great man manager. He had little time for the press which makes you wonder how he would cope with the intense media pressure today.
Larwood was a hero in England, he was just a great fast bowler who did what his captain told him to. Without a bowler of Larwood's speed and accuracy Bodyline wouldn't have worked, it's interesting to note that half of his wickets in that series were clean bowled which a very high percentage.
Compared to the bowling of Lillee and Thomson and the West Indies sides of the 80's, Bodyline was a picnic.

 

[Jono]

Yeah Bradman was obviously a better captain batsman.

But Ponting is up there.

 

[steds]

That cheating Pom tried to hurt the Don and the Don still averaged 55 against him. Dire man.

Calling Jardine "that cheating pom" is an innacurate statement. "That cheating pom" was doing something withing the laws of the game at that time, so therefore was not cheating. On behalf of "that cheating pom" I request that you retract that statement. Or at the very least change said statement to "that immoral pom" or "that unsporting pom".

 

[silentstriker]

Fair enough. That unsporting pom made Bradman average 55.

 

[JF.]

Ricky Ponting inherited the best team in the World and has kept that run going, it doesn't automatically make him the greatest ever captain.

My sentiments exactly.

Punter may well end up being the 2nd best batsman of all time - but he is not the best captain. Not by a long shot in my book. Tubby Taylor is the best Aussie captain I've seen.

 

[Jamee999]

Bodyline was incredibly smart.

 

[Dick Rockett]

While Ricky Ponting is undoubtedly a great batsman, a cheese sandwich could captain the Australian cricket team as effectively. Seriously, all he has to do is show up.

 

[Jono]

Yeah but thats not the point of the thread (at least I don't think so).

Ever since he was given captaincy his batting has reached a new level, and I think andmark is explicity referring to batting when he asks; "is he the best 'batting captain' in history", that is the best batsman during their stint as captain ever.

Obviously Bradman takes that mantle, but Ponting would be up there with a couple others for 2nd place.

 

[Dick Rockett]

Meh, the original post wasn't clear. Perhaps andmark can clarify for us?

 

[R_D]

Bodyline was incredibly smart.

Yeah and so was rolling the ball along the ground.Both weren't against the rule but both were immorally wrong.
I think what you'll find though that some Englisman call the bodyline smart thinking while most of the world views it as cheating and immorally wrong.
Bodyline was quite bad, I don't see how any englishman can defend that.. Bowlers were pretty much out their to hurt the batsman. I'd have liked to there at the time.. i'd personally like to beat the hell out of Jardine during one of the matches
Pitch invasion was quite common in those days wasnt it ?

 

[marc71178]

"we'll have a bowl mate"

After that, there's no way he can be called anything of the sort.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Hmmm, so maybe Murphy leaving did lure LE back...

 

[Dick Rockett]

Hmmm, so maybe Murphy leaving did lure LE back...

 

[pasag]

Yeah it's pretty obvious what andmark was talking about and he has a good point.

Haven't seen a case of so many people missing the point on this site in a long time.

 

[LA ICE-E]

no way .... he's one of greats but but not best or the greatest