Is Ricky Ponting Australia's best batsman after Don Bradman?

[TumTum]

I remember hooking Ambrose for two or three sixes in a test in Australia.

Pfft, I have hooked him for 6 sixes in an over but you don't hear me bragging about it.

I guess opinions would be a bit biased now seeing as most of us have grown up watching Ponting bat, but he still is the best batsmen I have seen. It's one of those things that you can just tell.

 

[sami ullah khan]

^lols. I won't be able to hook ambrose even when he will be eighty and bowling at me.

 

[Owzat]

Just to add to my point. Ponting averages (with Zimbabwe and Bangladesh removed) 53.91 compared to Chappell's average of 53.86.

Ponting's had the advantage of playing on wickets which nowadays are flatter while Chappell played on pitches that had an extra bit of spice. He also managed to average 56 against the West Indies which at the time was a stunning achievement.

So for me Chappell.

You can probably remove West Indies post-200 as well because they've been poor, and New Zealand are arguable. Wish I had time to split his figures against West Indies and recalculate, but a lot of people do rave about current players when they play Bangladesh, West Indies and New Zealand a lot and none of those are terribly strong sides.

Pakistan are up and down so hard to justify excluding them, but then Australia hardly play them :sarcasm Ponting averaged 24.50 against them in the recent series, 63.00 down under against them in 09/10 - he's only once played them in Pakistan I believe, although he did score 119 runs for once out in that one Test.

I think any call on who is the best, second best etc is always going to be subjective. I doubt anyone has watched every batsman of all time enough let alone equally enough to judge based on watching them, and statistics across time are difficult to compare. As I've alluded to above, some players have crossed eras and runs against a pre-2000 West Indies side are worth lots more than post-2000. In fact there are three distinct eras because if you go back to pre-1991 and post-1991 runs against West Indies were worth their weight in gold with bowlers like Ambrose and Walsh second fiddle to bowlers like Marshall.

 

[Varun]

Just proves Ricky Ponting. And this was not very long ago.

 

[Symptom_Control]

Greg Chappell's excellent batting during WSC needs to be factored into the equation as well -- 14 tough back-to-back "tests" against very strong WI and World IXs. He was the highest run maker and averaged 56 (second to Barry Richards who only played a few games)

 

[Robelinda]

Am a thousand percent certain ponting has never hooked Ambrose for any sixes in a test match. . Hasn't he only played ambrose twice in Australia? He did hook kenny Benjamin for 6 at the gabba on day 1 96/97.

 

[sami ullah khan]

^I did not watch it live. I specifically remember reading it in a newspaper. It was about 13 years back. I don't think my memory is failing me but I may still be wrong.

 

[Robelinda]

Well fortunately my memory is amazing and i did watch it live! Check the scorecard if you like.

 

[pcfan123]

You can't beat the machine!

 

[sami ullah khan]

^And so I found out

 

[Robelinda]

Hey i'd love to see Punter hit Amby for two sixes!!!!!

 

[lethalhughes]

Yes Punter is definitely the best aussie batsman after Bradman.

 

[Bublu Bhuyan]

Anyone with a bit of knowledge in cricket history will pick Greg Chappell as the second best Australian batsman.

 

[lethalhughes]

Anyone with a bit of knowledge in cricket history will pick Greg Chappell as the second best Australian batsman.

I didn't see Chappell but its hard to believe he was clearly better than Punter.Steve Waugh was superb and my favourite aussie batsmen yet still i believe Punter was better.

 

[Robelinda]

Greg Chappell was great, gosh its close. Sheer amount of runs in both formats is hard to ignore, especially the dominant way Punter has got them. I just love watching both bat.