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The balls of the century

a massive zebra

a massive zebra

International Captain
vcs said:
I don't think even McGrath rivals Ambrose for sheer destructiveness. No bowler I can think of does, actually. Kind of like Broad actually, with McGrath's accuracy and consistency.
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Waqar Younis in his first couple of years possibly. That inswinging yorker really was a killer delivery. Probably the most destructive variation I have ever seen.
 
a massive zebra

a massive zebra

International Captain
stephen said:
Very little. Ambrose was a bit more venomous, McGrath a bit more cunning. I think McGrath's true strength was setting the batsman up. With his immaculate accuracy and slight variations you could never be certain in your defense and you'd look even more stupid if you tried to attack.

Ambrose was almost as accurate and nastier to face. I don't think he was quite as skilled at setting up the batsman as McGrath (Though he was pretty bloody good at it).
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I agree with your comments on Ambrose venom and McGrath's cunning, but I'm not sure how you can claim McGrath was more accurate. It is difficult to imagine any bowler testing the batsman with more relentless consistency than Ambrose, and I note his economy rate is considerably better than McGrath.
 
vcs

vcs

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Yeah Waqar and Shoaib were up there, but Waqar's injury and relative lack of success in Australia counts against him, whereas Shoaib was a loose cannon.

Australian batsmen at home have been the ultimate test for any visiting bowler over the last 3 decades and no one has consistently dominated over there as much as Ambrose, no one even comes close.
 
vcs

vcs

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Steyn's SR is obviously awesome but there's a couple of occasions where he couldn't bowl a team out in the 4th innings or defend a target. With Ambrose, it felt like you give him anything more than 100 to bowl at and it's game over. Though that's just one aspect of looking at it.
 
B

Bolo.

International Vice-Captain
vcs said:
Steyn's SR is obviously awesome but there's a couple of occasions where he couldn't bowl a team out in the 4th innings or defend a target. With Ambrose, it felt like you give him anything more than 100 to bowl at and it's game over. Though that's just one aspect of looking at it.
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Ambrose is clearly leagues ahead in the 4th innings (best wearing pitch quick ever??). Steyn is certainly not, by anything approaching atg standards, a bowler you would pick to defend a low total. Suspect you are overstating the failed to bowl a side out issue due to how his career finished up, but he was never a great 4th innings bowler anyway.

Steyn is clearly ahead over the rest of the match. Not a fruitful comparison.

What you are talking about is mostly tangential to destructiveness though. Ambrose was so good in the 4th not because he could be relied on to give nothing away, and hence could defend anything, not cos he could be relied on to rip through a side. This said, he has has 3 (spectacular...6+, SR 17) 5 wicket 4th innings hauls in 30 innings. Steyn has 5 (extremely good... 5 wicket SR 22) in 28.

Career 5 wicket hauls, Steyn has a number more in slightly less matches at a strike rate of 20 vs Ambroses 27, but he did have more of a habit of ripping into weaker opponents (and weaker tourists) than Ambrose.
 
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stephen

stephen

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Steyn's peak for me was his tearing through the ATG Indian batting in India circa 2010. Phenomenal. Ambrose's 7/1 spell was his highlight for me. Both quicks were destructive. Ambrose was perhaps a little more pitch dependent than Steyn but that's splitting hairs really.

Given how docent both quicks were I think they'd complement each other very well in an attack, akin to Marshall and Garner.
 
Daemon

Daemon

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Eh, made to look better by the inside edge. Not sure what Laxman was doing playing a forward defense to a ball that wide anyways.
 
TheJediBrah

TheJediBrah

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ankitj said:
www.thecricketmonthly.com

The balls of the century, No. 18: Steve Harmison to Michael Clarke

The perfect split-finger legcutter
www.thecricketmonthly.com www.thecricketmonthly.com

Shame they don't have better footage on YouTube. It should be mandatory for broadcasters to upload highlights of all international matches on a free platform.
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Don't know about the free part but highlights should definitely be available on demand. Even a relatively cheap streaming platform would make some pretty decent money you would think.
 
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