Memorable players from this era

[Cricketman]

I will never forget the Fab Four - Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman. They have provided us the one of the most solid middle orders the world has seen, each portraying exemplary skill in different ways.

Dravid, for being technically sound, being rock solid in defense, having the ability to grind the attack into nothingness.

Ganguly, for his attacking approach to cricket, his god like dominance on the off side, and his dance-down-the-track sixes off the spinners.

Laxman, for being one of the most graceful batsman of the era, awesome off his pads and that 281 is the best innings I have seen to date.

And Sachin Tendulkar for being the greatest batsman this world has ever seen, mixing all the great aspects from the above three batsman and multiplying it by 100.

Anil Kumble, for tirelessly serving the Indian team for 17 years, that too so quietly. He is such a great cricketer, and so modest at that.

Those five cricketers I shall never forget. Thank You, for the entertainment.

 

[smssia0112]

Bradman is not the best player. he played cricket when it wasn't even competitive, and there were prolly only 3 nations playing cricket then.

Sobers is the greatest player, batting and bowling. Bradman was a batsman in a time when cricket was very average.

Greatest team is the west indies team during the 80s, because they ruled cricket when all your favourite players were playing.

It's funny today seeing the old english heads talking bad about the young west indies team today, when i'm sure all the loses recieved during windies prime should still be hurting them.

Well if you have to use the word 'prolly' or even the correct spelling, 'probably' then you obviously don't know what you're talking about. First of all, pitches were in worse condition back then, batsmen found it harder to score runs, they were slower back then in terms of scoring speed as well. Then there's the fact that he scored them with such dominance over fellow players of his era.

So yes, there were less nations when he played, but that would make things more competitive, not less. Countries would have more chances to play other ones and figure out batsmen, greater rivalries would ensue. None of that changes the fact that Bradman is the greatest player of all time, and most likely always will be.

Tassie, a very interesting post, I was amazed that you wrote a serious one without a joke, until I saw the last paragraph of course. I agree, many people will look back at statistics only, and not realise just how brilliant some players were.

It is similar with Shane Warne. So many people, even today, rate Murali as the greatest on statistics alone, but very few of them have had the privillege of watching him live, and seeing the genius in his bowling. He was one of very few men, who could excite an entire stadium, just by rolling over his arms and doing a few stretches in preparation of coming into the attack.

It wasn't just about the wickets for Warne, it was all about the way he did it, the way he confused and frustrated batsmen, and often, the way he got wickets for his bowling partners through his pressure. His presence, amongst all other factors, was magnificent.

Maybe in 100 year's time, he will be the 3rd or 4th most prolific wicket taker, maybe in 200 years, people will barely know his name. One thing is for sure though, and that's that everyone who saw him bowl, saw his great turn, variations, mind games, and, yes, even his controversies, will see that he was a great bowler, and will not forget him.

 

[Hooper]

Warne & McGrath - No doubt, two of the greatest bowlers...Ever.
Tendulkar - Good batsman.
Lara - Even better batsman.

They are the top 4.

Talks of Afridi are rubbish, he is horrible. KP if he keeps going could become England's most remembered.

 

[aussie_ben91]

There is a reason why Warne was in Wisdom's Top 5 Cricketers of the last century and why Murali wasn't.

 

[shravi]

I'll remember my favourite players from each team.

India: Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Dinesh Karthik, Yuvraj Singh, Shantakumaran Sreesanth
South Africa: AB De Villiers, Andre Nel, Dale Steyn, Jacques Kallis
New Zealand: Brendon McCullum, Shane Bond, Ross Taylor
Pakistan: Shoaib Akhtar
Australia: Michael Clarke, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee
Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan
England: Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Steve Harmison, James Anderson
Bangladesh: Mohammad Ashraful
West Indies: Tino Best (yes, i know...), Ramnaresh Sarwan
Zimbabwe: Brendan Taylor, Andy Flower

I know that's quite a few and I know I'll probably remember quite a few more but I'm sure I'll remember the above.

 

[Gilly Fan]

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Pure domination. One of the finest strokeplayers the game has every seen. Can change the course of the game in one innings. We could go from being 5/80 to 5/350, just because of this one man.

 

[tassietiger]

As much as the players you're all listing I agree with, I just think that they'll become old man's tales and whenever we say Lara was one of the best batsmen ever they'll roll their eyes. His average is not the greatest, and that's all they'll be able to go by. Obviously Warne and Murali will be seen as stars due to their wicket tallies, but if more and more Test cricket is played, there will be players that pass their tallies. Then less people will be interested in how good they were.

I just think, despite it not being the most sought-after record in cricket, the fact that nobody will be able to beat Afridi's record will make him more spoken of than we'd expect and also would make him better known than he probably deserves.

 

[aussie_ben91]

I don't think Murali's wkts record will ever be broken.

 

[Gilly Fan]

To the person who gave me that rep with the youtube link of Shoaib Akhtar, I said could, not would.

 

[aussie_ben91]

Haha, that was me. Gilly got pwned in that clip.

 

[smssia0112]

OK guys, moving back to the topic at hand.

Good post tassie, I agree with it. When we look at past players, we only marvel at what they did, not how they did it.

Certainly I'll never forget Gilly's century against England, listening to it on the radio, nor will I forget the marvel of watching Glenn McGrath bowling, how tight he was.

 

[Gilly Fan]

OK guys, moving back to the topic at hand.

Good post tassie, I agree with it. When we look at past players, we only marvel at what they did, not how they did it.

Certainly I'll never forget Gilly's century against England, listening to it on the radio, nor will I forget the marvel of watching Glenn McGrath bowling, how tight he was.

You could only listen to it? Damn, that's gotta suck. I've got his whole innings on DVD. :hpraise

 

[Cricket_60]

One also to remember is Jacques Kallis, he is in my mind, the best all-rounder of the modern era. Over 9000 runs at an average of 58 and 200 wickets at 31 with a lot less recognition compared to the likes of McGrath, Tendulkar and Lara.