Who Is The Best English Batsman of All-Time?

[Anil]

No, it was saying I think I know something about something I know about.
Of course, people who don't understand how much I know about the thing in question, or believe irrelevant matters are of significance, might think so, but there you go - misinformed judgement of character is one of the worst things in this World.

i was not judging your character, richard...i was just reacting to that one statement and just indulging in some light-hearted teasing because i found it ridiculous that you could claim to know more about flintoff's mental status than the man knows himself...if you say he is your best friend...i would agree and withdraw my statement...otherwise your statement is pure conjecture and not supported by any known facts....

 

[badgerhair]

Peter May would rank above quite a few on that list.

I think he is one of the least celeberated of England's great batsmen. Wonder why ? Because he voluntarily went out of the game early...because of his inherent low profile personality...?

Great Batsman..by any standard. Good of you to recall BB.

I think one reason is that his departure from the game was so unclear and unexpected. Wisden didn't publish the traditional tribute article on him until about 1970 because people refused to believe that he had in fact retired at the height of his powers (at least, as they saw it).

Another is that he is one of the few great English batsmen to have been part of a very strong batting line-up. Unlike Hutton before him, whose only real competition was the erratic and wholly different Compton, May was in a team with Cowdrey, Barrington, Graveney, Dexter and a bunch of others nearly as good as them, so he didn't tower quite as magnificently above his fellows as does Lara today.

Nor was he especially exciting to watch - ultra-classical, every shot preservable for the MCC Coaching Manual - in an era which was drooling over the unconventional ferocity of the three Ws and the young Garry Sobers, he was perhaps a great classical tenor when people were discovering rock and roll.

But I'm in no doubt he's the best batsman to have debuted for England after WW2.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[LongHopCassidy]

Okay. So its agreed that Hobbs is the best batsman from England followed by WG and Hammond.

Will someone start a thread for the best Australian batsman. I know the result should be foregone but it would be interesting to see the top three.

A choice list could be Trumper, Bradman, Harvey, Ponsford, Steve Waugh, McCabe, Greg Chappell, etc

Here's my top five..........

1. Bradman
2. Greg Chappell
3. Victor Trumper
4. Allan Border
5. Neil Harvey

 

[marc71178]

Nope - but I do know what he's been bowling in matches, which is all that matters.

No, you know the result, you do not know the input.

 

[marc71178]

So... let's see how many people on the forums dislike or regularly snipe at me, then?

Beginning to lose count

No, it made perfect sense.

Nope.

Because it's not invariably essential to watch everything of everything.

Or, so it seems according to you, you don't have watch anything of it.

So... let's see how many people on the forums dislike or regularly snipe at me, then?

The number is steadily rising.

 

[marc71178]

No, it was saying I think I know something about something I know about.
Of course, people who don't understand how much I know about the thing in question, or believe irrelevant matters are of significance, might think so, but there you go - misinformed judgement of character is one of the worst things in this World.

Another irony-laden post.

 

[Smudge]

Beginning to lose count


The number is steadily rising.

Do you think we would be able to get away with doing a poll on such a question?

 

[marc71178]

Do you think it'd make a difference to him?

 

[Smudge]

Do you think it'd make a difference to him?

No, but I'm sure we would all enjoy the results...

 

[Richard]

I'm sure there's absolutely nothing to stop you.
Have to make sure we got a good field of votes, of course.

 

[Richard]

No, you know the result, you do not know the input.

And I don't need to, because the result is all that matters - it doesn't matter how well you bowl in the nets unless you repeat in on the field.

 

[Richard]

Beginning to lose count

I'm not - nibblet, tooextracool, yourself, Scaly piscine who's not worth bothering about, Reuben on an odd occasion here and there, Rich likewise, Simon, Jamee999 - any others? Because 5 people doesn't exactly seem like a convincing case right now.

Nope.

It made perfect sense - you just thought, wrongly, that you could improve it.

Or, so it seems according to you, you don't have watch anything of it.

No, I just don't like to totally write-off anything I haven't seen.

The number is steadily rising.

Yes, it is - it's still far lower than those who actually like me.

 

[Richard]

i was not judging your character, richard...i was just reacting to that one statement and just indulging in some light-hearted teasing because i found it ridiculous that you could claim to know more about flintoff's mental status than the man knows himself...if you say he is your best friend...i would agree and withdraw my statement...otherwise your statement is pure conjecture and not supported by any known facts....

I didn't claim to know more about his mental status, I claimed knowing about it was irrelevant.
I claimed I know equal about his on-field exploits - which are all that matter.

 

[Richard]

whether you like it or not..you do come over as very arrogant. I put it down to lack of life experience and general immaturity.I hope as you get older you ways of thinking (if you are like this in 'real life') will become more flexible.

I am like this as far as cricket is concerned - I don't doubt that anyone who knows me from outside cricket-viewing circles would find me totally unrecognisable on here.
And I really do get rather sick of this rubbish that comes from you late-20s-early-30s guys about "inexperience" and "immaturity" and "ah, he'll learn as he gets older".
(Which you are able to slip quickly between and the "oh, old-man-status coming on soon!" self-defacing that this country so champions)

 

[BoyBrumby]

I think one reason is that his departure from the game was so unclear and unexpected. Wisden didn't publish the traditional tribute article on him until about 1970 because people refused to believe that he had in fact retired at the height of his powers (at least, as they saw it).

Another is that he is one of the few great English batsmen to have been part of a very strong batting line-up. Unlike Hutton before him, whose only real competition was the erratic and wholly different Compton, May was in a team with Cowdrey, Barrington, Graveney, Dexter and a bunch of others nearly as good as them, so he didn't tower quite as magnificently above his fellows as does Lara today.

Nor was he especially exciting to watch - ultra-classical, every shot preservable for the MCC Coaching Manual - in an era which was drooling over the unconventional ferocity of the three Ws and the young Garry Sobers, he was perhaps a great classical tenor when people were discovering rock and roll.
But I'm in no doubt he's the best batsman to have debuted for England after WW2.

Cheers,

Mike

Excellent post Mike & you also get my vote for metaphor of the week!

(Which you are able to slip quickly between and the "oh, old-man-status coming on soon!" self-defacing that this country so champions)

What's self-defacing? Graffiti tagging one's own forehead?!?

Richard has come up with a reflexive paradox I've never heard before!

 

[marc71178]

I'm not - nibblet, tooextracool, yourself, Scaly piscine who's not worth bothering about, Reuben on an odd occasion here and there, Rich likewise, Simon, Jamee999 - any others? Because 5 people doesn't exactly seem like a convincing case right now.

For a start you've named more than 5, and secondly you've ignored several people.

 

[marc71178]

And I don't need to, because the result is all that matters - it doesn't matter how well you bowl in the nets unless you repeat in on the field.

But that doesn't mean you know about Flintoff, you just know his figures.

 

[Anil]

I didn't claim to know more about his mental status, I claimed knowing about it was irrelevant.
I claimed I know equal about his on-field exploits - which are all that matter.

you know his figures, you have watched his game...so what? how does that make you know more about him that he himself does? cricket isn't a mindless brawl so dismissing a player's mental status as irrelevant is stupid....

 

[Richard]

What's self-defacing? Graffiti tagging one's own forehead?!?

Richard has come up with a reflexive paradox I've never heard before!

It's basically taking the p*ss out of oneself - something you and Swervy, especially, are wont to do rather a lot in terms of your age.

 

[Richard]

For a start you've named more than 5, and secondly you've ignored several people.

I named 5 who I said matter.
Who've I supposedly ignored, then?