Top 50 Greatest test batters

[DrWolverine]

Pollock>Root. No need to think about it.

Graeme Pollock played just 20 Tests and never faced any great bowler in his career.

 

[DrWolverine]

Ricky Ponting didn’t have a single good series in India as well. Is not playing well against Australia alone such a huge thing in Root’s career?

 

[Johan]

Ricky Ponting didn’t have a single good series in India as well. Is not playing well against Australia alone such a huge thing in Root’s career?

Yes, because you're meant to rise above Ricky Ponting and to do that he'd need a big series in Australia later this year.

 

[DrWolverine]

Root is in the same tier as Ponting, Kallis and Sanga.

 

[subshakerz]

Eh, different level of challenges, give Root those pitches and the attacks of Hoggard, Caddick or Gough and he's making hundreds too, I'm actually not sure Ponting would average more than 25 against current Australian lineup on the pitches they've produced since 2020 or so.

Again hypothetical vs actual. Ponting averaged 39 against the Ashes 2005 quarter including an ATG knock on helpful wickets so it's wishful thinking to say he would average 25 today.

Root had some pretty flat pitches in 2017 yet made no hundreds.

 

[subshakerz]

Root is in the same tier as Ponting, Kallis and Sanga.

Yes but behind them.

 

[Johan]

Again hypothetical vs actual. Ponting averaged 39 against the Ashes 2005 quarter including an ATG knock on helpful wickets so it's wishful thinking to say he would average 25 today.

Root had some pretty flat pitches in 2017 yet made no hundreds.

Completely different tier of attacks, We are comparing Flintoff/Harmison/Hoggard/Jones/Giles to Cummins/Hazlewood/Boland/Starc/Lyon? we are comparing 2000s English pitches to 2020s Australian ones? I mean. The difficulty level is like, two different planes.

sure but averaged 47 and that was the peak sandpaper phase.

also, Ponting in India is worse than Root anywhere, don't think we forgot, singlehandedly lost Australia a whole ass series in India, that is way bigger of a problem than anything Root did in Australia.

 

[Johan]

Yes but behind them.

not necessarily, all of them have arguments over each other with equal validity. It's not a deal of one being completely behind the other, let go of your nostalgia.

 

[DrWolverine]

Yes but behind them.

All of them have their pros and cons.

 

[DrWolverine]

My personal favourite among them is Ricky Ponting but I feel record wise Joe Root is better than all 3.

 

[subshakerz]

not necessarily, all of them have arguments over each other with equal validity. It's not a deal of one being completely behind the other, let go of your nostalgia.

It's not nostalgia. I am fine with them being grouped together. I just think Ponting was more dominant in his prime and higher rated, both of which I think aren't that debatable.

 

[Johan]

It's not nostalgia. I am fine with them being grouped together. I just think Ponting was more dominant in his prime and higher rated, both of which I think aren't that debatable.

Being more dominant at peak and average outside it isn't really superior to consistent brilliance, being higher rated at your peak just to drop off so hard doesn't mean much either.

 

[subshakerz]

Being more dominant at peak and average outside it isn't really superior to consistent brilliance, being higher rated at your peak just to drop off so hard doesn't mean much either.

Agreed but he still ended up with a fine record. Ponting had a higher ceiling is my point.

 

[DrWolverine]

Ricky Ponting had one of the best peaks and him being a dominant batsman will make him higher in many people’s eyes which is quite fair.

 

[Johan]

Agreed but he still ended up with a fine record. Ponting had a higher ceiling is my point.

He had a lower floor too, also, he was quite lucky to have that batting support on those flat wickets.

 

[DrWolverine]

2002-2006
Ponting
57 Tests. 99 innings.
6141 runs @ 72.
24 100s

2021-2024 :
Root
55 Tests. 101 innings.
5149 runs @ 55.
19 100s.

It isn’t just Ponting’s record alone but the manner in which he dominated the opposition was sight to behold.

 

[DrWolverine]

This is from an article in 2014

The best 52 test peak in terms of runs

 

[Johan]

Ok.

His peak was great for 4 years, but what did he do outside the peak? that, is where the problem arises, he averaged 41 odd.

 

[sayon basak]

Graeme Pollock played just 20 Tests and never faced any great bowler in his career.

But ruled in the rebel tours. It'd be stupid to only go by Test matches to judge Pollock.

 

[sayon basak]

This is from an article in 2014

The best 52 test peak in terms of runs

View attachment 47667

Smith??