West Indian with best defensive technique?

[SillyCowCorner1]

What a match that was.

 

[England First]

To be honest the answer to my question is probably Vivian Richards. I’ve heard several times people say if viv wanted to play defensive He was the best at it but it’s just not how he choose to play.

People talk about his ton on his Home ground in 1981. He played really defensively because it was the first test match played at his home stadium.

A few examples of people talking about his defensive play.

The best defensive innings I saw. We never looked like getting him. He went from ridiculously loose to watertight in an over and began exaggerating the position and pose of forward and back blocks like he was Boycott. Amazing. I'd never seen him play like it before and never again. What a dumb captain Gloucestershire had. Rule one, don't upset the guy who can play."

In defence, he'd pat the ball down as if it was the head of a docile kitten, to mock the lollipop deliveries of the world's most fearsome bowlers. But a Richards defensive stroke was a grand anticlimax, an obscene waste of talent. Here was a man made for destruction

 

[Jack1]

Chanderpaul

 

[Engle]

When Sarwan came onto the scene someone of note (can't remember who) predicted he'd average 60. Assume that was in part due to a decent technique.

After his first Test innings – 84 against Pakistan – the former England captain Ted Dexter was moved to predict a Test average of 50.

 

[honestbharani]

Yeah but that 84 was against W&W in very tough conditions and more importantly, against reverse swing. I honestly thought he would be the next Tendulkar looking at that knock, and he was 18 I think when he debuted.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

One time in a regional 50 over game against Leeward Islands, at my home ground, Wilden Cornwall dropped Sarwan on 15....right in front of the manual scoreboard where I was involved in scoring. I blurted out, "yuh just dropped the game buddy."

Sarwan got out a few balls later. Narsingh made some runs that game.

Someone made a 100 in that game..not sure if it was Tonito Willett, Shane Jeffers, or Chattergoon.

 

[honestbharani]

So it was the day you found out you are not Steve Waugh?

 

[sledger]

Chanderpaul an absolutely fantastic and very underrated player tbh. Has a rep as being a more scratchy and defensive player, but a lot of that is down to the fact the was frequently batting at 5 behind a lot of absolute ****e that would get about 40 runs between them. He'd have to come in and bail the ship out all the bleeding time. Also a really underrated ODI player

 

[Victor Ian]

So are you saying that in West Indies dominance for 20 years and Australia’s for 10 years they didn’t have large periods in test matches where defensive batting was needed? Dude did you ever watch Stephen Waugh bat? Australia’s best batsman in there strongest period was really quite defensive and by his own admission only tried to hit the bad balls for runs. Of course West Indies and Australian batsmen in general were attacking nobody’s said otherwise.

Was probably more hinting at what you wrote a couple of posts later. Some of the initial posts were looking to defensive only players.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

If quality of technique is effectiveness, it's hard for me to look past Chanderpaul.
In terms of mentality and willingness to bat without scoring reward, he and Adams are probably tied (though the latter less effective after his concussion).
I rated Daren Ganga when he emerged for T&T, but his mentality ruined his path. Shai Hope is a reasonable shout of the current crop.

I'll stop now, lest I slip down the rabbit hole.