posted May 31, 2008

The greatest modern day batsman to my mind was viv richards with tendulkar,ponting and lara to follow in that order.

The simple reason being he was so incredibly dominant in both forms of the game. while test cricket is the true test of any batsman, the fact is that there is a ODI career which one has to run simultaneously and the true greats really are the ones who could perform exceptionally in both forms as the biggest challenge was to switch from one style to another with the adjustments in techniques required. This is what seperates the tendulkar, richards from the Kallises and Dravids

Viv richards was magnificent in both forms. Tendulkar is probably the greatest ODI player ever alongside Richards, nothing to choose betwen them, with Ponting having a stellar career too. lara was probably half a percent better than both Lara and ponting in test but overall i would put him below them both because he will never be acknowledged as one of the legends of one day cricket like tendulkar and too a very large extent ponting too.

It is also i believe high time that people acknowledge the fact at least 50% of a cricketer's career is spent in the shorter version of the game, something that needs to come out in the analysis of their virtues as batsmen

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posted May 31, 2008

RobM1974, I agree with your thoughts on batting there. Ponting is one of my favourite players unless England are playing against him, whereupon I whoop with delight when he is out.

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posted May 31, 2008

Pietersen is a cancer in the English cricket body.England need to get rid of him and watch the team spirit improve.

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posted May 31, 2008

The batsman who dominated in the real sense was Richard and never wore a Helmet which speaks volumes of his courage and eye.He was aggressive,dominating,more than a handy bowler and a pain for any opposition captain.Sir Donald Bradman in his best ever eleven chose to have Sachin in the team batting ahead of Garfield Sobers says a lot about the Little Master.The comparisons can go, on and on but Gavaskar,Richard,Lara,Sachin,Miandad,Barry Richard and Arvinda Disilva to name some,were super batsmen and did the game proud by gracing the cricket field.

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posted May 31, 2008

How many Test matches
How many innings.

Scored in a winning side against, in the main, weak opposiition.

He is a good player in average times.

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posted May 31, 2008

after reading this article I almost forgot that 6 other men have gone passed the 10000mark before Ponting. Tendulkar,Lara, and Dravid has done it in both ODIs as well as in test matchs before Ponting. so nothing to suggest he's the best batter ever, or for that matter even in his generation.
a batter who looks like an idiot when he sees the ball tern can't be the best batsman in the world, can he? Sachin Tendulkar and King Lara are the greatest of the generation, and they can comfortably sit alongside alltime greats. not quite the case with Ponting, he is a fine batsman, but nothing beyond it. if you take ability to play in all kinds of conditions and all kinds of bowling, I would rate Hayden above Ponting. in terms of 100s, Hayden is not far behind Ponting, and although the number of tests he played is much different from that of Ponting, Hayden has the runs and avrage to match Ponting.

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posted May 31, 2008

I would rate Ponting amongst the batsmen but being amongst the Greats you have to have other attributes,aggression yes with an occasional outburst acceptable but using sledging and excessive intimidating appeals N O.Mark Taylor,Bill Lawry &Adam Gilchrist will figure there.Ponting and the other Auusies of nineties(winning at all costs fair or unair and sleding) have deprived the game of its original name of Gentlemen s' game and it was amply proved in the series of 2007/08 between India and Australia.The Windies of sixties,seventies and early eighties manifested the gamesmanship at its best, winning winning and winning all within the spirit of game at the core.Wasim Akram once said that he felt so small after a sixteen year told him during a match he was capable of getting wickets anyway and sleding didnt help him and it was a suggestion coming from none other than the the little Master) History of cricket is full of such incidents and that is what draws a thin but clear line between good sportsman and not so good.Let us in the meantime enjoy the 2nd Semi Final of IPL,good viewing and good writing.

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posted May 31, 2008

Haydos is far better at home than away something like 62 at home to 42 away from home compared to Ponting's 62.67 at home and 58.2 away.

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posted May 31, 2008

Ponting was and still is a run machine but
lately looks to be on the skids. For me Barry
Richards (though unproven) and Lara were the best bats. Then Sobers, Tendulkar and the rest.
But Ponting has always accumulated runs rapidly,which is the essence of a top bat.
Geoff Boycott wouldn't have made our club side.

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posted May 31, 2008

Viv Richards never had to face the great West Indian pace attack in Test Cricket. That would have been the true test for him. The West Indian fast bowlers got the better of Viv Richards in West Indies domestic cricket.

Don Bradman didn't pick Viv Richards in his all time World XI but he picked Sachin Tendulkar

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