The greatest fast bowler who ever drew breath?

[OverratedSanity]

Yeah he's been fine in England imo. Not amazing like he's been in places like India, but perfectly good. Small sample too.

Also, Anderson and Broad averaged 41 and 51 in those same games that Steyn played,so meh his figures are fine.

 

[subshakerz]

I don't agree with this. The greatest to me is the greatest in their prime. An example from another sport would be Muhammad Ali. I consider him to be the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. The fact that he shuffled into the ring aged 40 when he was no good doesn't alter that.

In that case, Imran Khan had probably the greatest peak of any bowler in history (check the article) in the mid 80s. Would we consider him the best for this reason?

Blogs: Anantha Narayanan: Test streaks: 52 and 27 matches long | Cricket Blogs | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[vcs]

Yes, his strikerate is remarkable, but keep in mind that his Runs per over rate is among the highest over these bowlers. Which means if he wasnt getting wickets, he was going for runs, ala Waqar Younis. And this was a hallmark of Steyn in watching him in his career. If he wasnt on top of the opposition, they usually were on top of him. The same cant be said for guys like Ambrose, McGrath or Marshall.

This is why Marshall was remarkable. He had a low R/O while maintaining a low average and low strikerate compared to his peers.

Agree on putting Marshall ahead, statistically.

I don't see why his inferior ER compared to McGrath or Ambrose should be held against him, when the averages are similar. It's a different approach to bowling. I guess you could argue that a bowler tying down batsmen will help the guy at the other end, and help the captain control the game. But for me, that is outweighed by the benefit of taking wickets faster, it gives the team more time to force a result.

Waqar is rated behind Steyn because he had very little success against the best players of pace in that generation, i.e. Australia. Had he carried on his earlier career trajectory and had one or two outstanding displays vs. Australia, he'd be right up there. Shame about the injuries. He's still an ATG though.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

In that case, Imran Khan had probably the greatest peak of any bowler in history (check the article) in the mid 80s. Would we consider him the best for this reason?

Blogs: Anantha Narayanan: Test streaks: 52 and 27 matches long | Cricket Blogs | ESPN Cricinfo

It’s not just about digging out the best stats.

 

[the big bambino]

Alot of comments about Steyn performing in a batting era don't appear to account for the condition of South Africn pitches which have been regularly described as green seamers.

 

[subshakerz]

Agree on putting Marshall ahead, statistically.

I don't see why his inferior ER compared to McGrath or Ambrose should be held against him, when the averages are similar. It's a different approach to bowling. I guess you could argue that a bowler tying down batsmen will help the guy at the other end, and help the captain control the game. But for me, that is outweighed by the benefit of taking wickets faster, it gives the team more time to force a result.

Waqar is rated behind Steyn because he had very little success against the best players of pace in that generation, i.e. Australia. Had he carried on his earlier career trajectory and had one or two outstanding displays vs. Australia, he'd be right up there. Shame about the injuries. He's still an ATG though.

In test cricket though, time is not really an issue, so the benefit is taking quick wickets is not that high. The quick attack or smash bowlers like Steyn and Waqar can often be pressure valves if they dont click.

I saw Steyn taken to the cleaners too often by Michael Clarke, Sehwag, Peterson and Warner when he was not in full beast mode. Those type of performances can risk losing you the game as your team ends up demoralized. Whereas Ambrose or Mcgrath would at least hold up their end and build pressure.

Its just my sense. I know watching Steyn bowl that he was an ATG, but I didnt get the same sense of dread as when I saw McGrath or Ambrose bowling.