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Is Steve Smith the best Test batter since Don Bradman?

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Diffusion

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Is it time to call a spade a spade?

He's played more tests than Bradman, he's a statistical outlier in the era he's playing in & now has a few legendary innings to his name. If he retired tomorrow, would you put anyone else ahead of him?
 
Don’t know. But what I do know is that he is the best Test batsman of his generation .
 
Bradman does not get fallen by a bouncer, he played in a much tougher era without helmets and guards
 
He's the best ever. Bradman's records cannot be taken seriously. The talent pool of cricket was not even 1/10 of what it is today.
 
I keep saying it and I will keep repeating it, there is this little Kiwi called Kane "I bat at No. 3" Williamson. That guy smoked the Saffers in an inferior team....BUT I will say something, Smith has played 2 of the 5 most iconic knocks this decade, possibly this century. He is very much the Lara to Williamson's Tendulkar (the former played two of the great test innings of his own time).

But hey, we can keep arguing this, because I havent even begun to discuss Ponting, or Viv (oh boy, whoever saw him hook some of the fastest guys for six knew he was special)...if we go back to dogged, match defining, heck, generation defining innings, then should we not mention Miandad, Gavaskar, Donald and Khan too? Let us not forget that guy who was a wall, that other guy who was a failed genius, that one fella who was Bradman for a season and great everywhere else, oh and then there is the master blaster for the southern tip of Africa and his bearded brother in arms...

The truth of the matter is, let the dust settle and then we will know who truly is the greatest.
 
barah_admi said:
I keep saying it and I will keep repeating it, there is this little Kiwi called Kane "I bat at No. 3" Williamson. That guy smoked the Saffers in an inferior team....BUT I will say something, Smith has played 2 of the 5 most iconic knocks this decade, possibly this century. He is very much the Lara to Williamson's Tendulkar (the former played two of the great test innings of his own time).

But hey, we can keep arguing this, because I havent even begun to discuss Ponting, or Viv (oh boy, whoever saw him hook some of the fastest guys for six knew he was special)...if we go back to dogged, match defining, heck, generation defining innings, then should we not mention Miandad, Gavaskar, Donald and Khan too? Let us not forget that guy who was a wall, that other guy who was a failed genius, that one fella who was Bradman for a season and great everywhere else, oh and then there is the master blaster for the southern tip of Africa and his bearded brother in arms...

The truth of the matter is, let the dust settle and then we will know who truly is the greatest.
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It is incredible how Williamson gets away with poor records in South Africa, England and India. Perhaps because of the way he carries himself, he is not subjected to the same level of scrutiny and assessment as the others.

It is very clear that he is a vastly inferior batsman to Kohli and Smith and only slightly better than Root (largely because of his terrible form in the last year or so).
 
SELF BELIEF , GRITTY DETERMINATION & NEVER SAY DIE ATTITUDE , that’s what he has in abundance , if he can maintain this form for 6-10 more tests then he’ll be up there 2nd only to Bradman
 
barah_admi said:
I keep saying it and I will keep repeating it, there is this little Kiwi called Kane "I bat at No. 3" Williamson. That guy smoked the Saffers in an inferior team....BUT I will say something, Smith has played 2 of the 5 most iconic knocks this decade, possibly this century. He is very much the Lara to Williamson's Tendulkar (the former played two of the great test innings of his own time).

But hey, we can keep arguing this, because I havent even begun to discuss Ponting, or Viv (oh boy, whoever saw him hook some of the fastest guys for six knew he was special)...if we go back to dogged, match defining, heck, generation defining innings, then should we not mention Miandad, Gavaskar, Donald and Khan too? Let us not forget that guy who was a wall, that other guy who was a failed genius, that one fella who was Bradman for a season and great everywhere else, oh and then there is the master blaster for the southern tip of Africa and his bearded brother in arms...

The truth of the matter is, let the dust settle and then we will know who truly is the greatest.
Click to expand...

Williamson should not even be in consideration, an average of 30 in England, 35 in India, 21 in SA, 26 in SL, the worst Tendulkar did was average 40 in Pakistan, comparing Williamson to Tendulkar is like comparing mohammad amir to dale steyn. Sure there are some bright spots there but if you are mediocre in multiple places, you do not get into the race for GOAT. Same goes for Ponting the man couldn't bat well to save his life in india.
 
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Diffusion said:
Is it time to call a spade a spade?

He's played more tests than Bradman, he's a statistical outlier in the era he's playing in & now has a few legendary innings to his name. If he retired tomorrow, would you put anyone else ahead of him?
Click to expand...

If he retired tomorrow, yes, many will be ahead of him because he would retire before completing the series and might well be before Australia could retain the Ashes.
 
Yes he is. His ODI record doesn't make a difference because greats are remembered for their performances in test cricket or in world cups.

The greats of previous generations wouldn't be able to acheive what Smith is even if they batted during this era (which many claim to be the easiest to bat in), no one has the concentration, mental toughness or grit to match him.
 
Chief Destroyer said:
He's the best ever. Bradman's records cannot be taken seriously. The talent pool of cricket was not even 1/10 of what it is today.
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I would say the standard of competition in England was much, much higher then.

These days only posh kids get into schools that play cricket. In Bradman’s day the intense and tough league system flourished and lads from down the mines and the mills were desperate for County jobs. They could work in the sun instead of in places where they could be killed or maimed or poisoned any moment. They could escape that awful life, if they caught the scout’s eye, so thousands scrapped like mad for dozens of jobs.
 
too early to make this assumption. he is definitely the best of THIS generation, but just in tests.

overall its kohli. hes not gonna be the greatest ever because there have been too many great batsmen, it comes down to personal opinion.
 
Sir-fraz said:
too early to make this assumption. he is definitely the best of THIS generation, but just in tests.

overall its kohli. hes not gonna be the greatest ever because there have been too many great batsmen, it comes down to personal opinion.
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Why is it too early? Bradman himself only played 50 tests.
 
Diffusion said:
Why is it too early? Bradman himself only played 50 tests.
Click to expand...

bradman also played those tests over 20 years if i am correct, but still he only played 3 opposition.

i dont think he is the greatest, he is def top 3 tests players of all time tho.
 
Steve Smith is the greatest ever BATSMAN since Don Bradman... Not just as a Test batsman... Considering all formats, he is the most well rounded, efficient and effective batsman since Bradman! A true matchwinner unike little Tendulkar who was selfishly preoccupied in chasing records :))
 
jagatk said:
Williamson should not even be in consideration, an average of 30 in England, 35 in India, 21 in SA, 26 in SL, the worst Tendulkar did was average 40 in Pakistan, comparing Williamson to Tendulkar is like comparing mohammad amir to dale steyn. Sure there are some bright spots there but if you are mediocre in multiple places, you do not get into the race for GOAT. Same goes for Ponting the man couldn't bat well to save his life in india.
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This is where simply going on cricinfo and selecting stats comes across...

His first ever test in England came when the ball was hooping around (in May) and still managed a half century in a game where only 3 other batsmen passed 50. Take into account the fact that he also bats at 3 when the ball is still new and Jimmy and Broad are making it talk and that is terrific on his first try.

Then take in the fact that his second tour (4 years ago and none since), yielded a century in a match that, if it wasn't for Stokes, England would have likely lost, none of his performances seem that bad.

See, it actually helps if you watch the cricket you profess to know about.
 
He has a very strong case. He is the most clutch batsman in the world, be it tests or ODIs. He gets bonus points for doing all of it in probably the weakest Australian team of the last 30 years.
 
Sir-fraz said:
bradman also played those tests over 20 years if i am correct, but still he only played 3 opposition.

i dont think he is the greatest, he is def top 3 tests players of all time tho.
Click to expand...

Sir Donald played against four sides which were the best of his day.

If that is a reason to dismiss him, I say Smith isn’t the greatest because didn’t play against the 250 kph upswing cyborg bowlers on Mars in 1/3 G in the 23rd century and could never have hit them for 700 metre sixes.
 
barah_admi said:
This is where simply going on cricinfo and selecting stats comes across...

His first ever test in England came when the ball was hooping around (in May) and still managed a half century in a game where only 3 other batsmen passed 50. Take into account the fact that he also bats at 3 when the ball is still new and Jimmy and Broad are making it talk and that is terrific on his first try.

Then take in the fact that his second tour (4 years ago and none since), yielded a century in a match that, if it wasn't for Stokes, England would have likely lost, none of his performances seem that bad.

See, it actually helps if you watch the cricket you profess to know about.
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That's england, what about others, or were anderson and broad also making the ball talk in his matches in India,SL and SA. But then i suppose harbhajan, ashwin, jadeja, Philander, steyn etc will come into the conversation.

Maybe if you looked at his stats you would see his is basically a home track bully, lion at home conditions in NZ and Aus, lamb away from it. Atleast most subcontinent batsmen play well in similar conditions in asia, he can't even do that given his record in SA and Eng.

Also its funny how you were championing kohli must play well in england to prove himself good enough in tests despite his record everywhere else but apparently williamson can be **** everywhere its ok as long as his average is above 50.
 
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Hard to compare. Entire England team had to come up with a leg-theory plan where bodyline was used to hurt batsmen in Bradman's era. Fielding standard and fielding strategies were poor though in those days. You could see batsmen having slips even when they are on 250. Not enough defensive strategies in play.
I will be surprised if Smith ends his career with an average of 67. probably 60? I am sure someone will break that some day with so man batting talents coming through. What Smith does is not beyond the grasp of modern day batsmen. Jacque Kallis for a period of 8 or 9 consecutive years was averaging around 60.
 
Robert said:
Sir Donald played against four sides which were the best of his day.

If that is a reason to dismiss him, I say Smith isn’t the greatest because didn’t play against the 250 kph upswing cyborg bowlers on Mars in 1/3 G in the 23rd century and could never have hit them for 700 metre sixes.
Click to expand...

Thats why i said he is top 3 of all time in tests.

WI and india were basically minows back then.

SA and Eng were the two good teams.

Smith isnt the greatest he has dominated one format.
I think he will end up in top 3 test batters of all time tho.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
Sangakkara from 2005 to 2013 (till his retired) was averaging 63
Click to expand...

That's correct, Sangka was a beast after he gave up keeping. Pretty much scored double tons every few tests. Smith is great but we did see Prime Sanga who was also Bradmanesque.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
Sangakkara from 2005 to 2013 (till his retired) was averaging 63
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Border was averaging 61 from 1983-1989 considering how bowlers were there at that time,he was a captain carrying a weak team yet no one talks about it,to be the best you have to score runs at least for 10 years.
 
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andy0204 said:
Border was averaging 61 from 1983-1989 considering how bowlers were there at that time,he was a captain carrying a weak team yet no one talks about it,to be the best you have to score runs at least for 10 years.
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Another thing is, if you are at peak it is advantageous if you play a lot of test matches. This si where Sachin lost it big time in the 90s. Hardly any test matches were played.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
Another thing is, if you are at peak it is advantageous if you play a lot of test matches. This si where Sachin lost it big time in the 90s. Hardly any test matches were played.
Click to expand...

Yeah you are right,India didn't get too many test matches at that time,I still remember India use to tour any country after 6 or 7 years or any country use to tour India come after 8 years that's ridiculous,India were weak at that time but they weren't minnows at least they win at home.
 
Diffusion said:
Is it time to call a spade a spade?

He's played more tests than Bradman, he's a statistical outlier in the era he's playing in & now has a few legendary innings to his name. If he retired tomorrow, would you put anyone else ahead of him?
Click to expand...

He definitely will be in my Australian XI. Yes, there maybe cases for some more players (all of the legends in their own rights) but taking everything into context, the best XI I can think of will have Smith playing in at 4.

Hayden
Trumper or Ponsford
Bradman
Smith
AB*/Waugh
Miller
Gilchrist+
Davidson
Warne
Lillee
McGrath
 
andy0204 said:
K after 100th test match I will judge him whether he is good,longetivity also matters.
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Number of matches >>>>>> number of years played. Number of matchs IS longevity in cricket. If you play 5 or 50 years doesn't matter if you play 20 matches.
 
Joseph Gomes said:
Number of matches >>>>>> number of years played. Number of matchs IS longevity in cricket. If you play 5 or 50 years doesn't matter if you play 20 matches.
Click to expand...

Iam wrong about years but it should be judged by no of matches he played.
 
Ab Fan said:
He definitely will be in my Australian XI. Yes, there maybe cases for some more players (all of the legends in their own rights) but taking everything into context, the best XI I can think of will have Smith playing in at 4.

Hayden
Trumper or Ponsford
Bradman
Smith
AB*/Waugh
Miller
Gilchrist+
Davidson
Warne
Lillee
McGrath
Click to expand...

No Lindwall?
 
jagatk said:
That's england, what about others, or were anderson and broad also making the ball talk in his matches in India,SL and SA. But then i suppose harbhajan, ashwin, jadeja, Philander, steyn etc will come into the conversation.

Maybe if you looked at his stats you would see his is basically a home track bully, lion at home conditions in NZ and Aus, lamb away from it. Atleast most subcontinent batsmen play well in similar conditions in asia, he can't even do that given his record in SA and Eng.

Also its funny how you were championing kohli must play well in england to prove himself good enough in tests despite his record everywhere else but apparently williamson can be **** everywhere its ok as long as his average is above 50.
Click to expand...

I never said Kohli has to play well in England to prove himself...I simpy said Kohli is not the best batsman ever (As most of you on here claim) and his performances in England may have been one of the reasons I gave.

With regards to Williamson, I am not claiming he is the best bat ever, I am simply claiming he is the best of the current lot and there is little argument to state otherwise. Didn't Williamson last play in India 3+ years ago? And how is Williamson scoring lots of runs in NZ a negative? That has been one of the most bowling friendly conditions going, add to that he does not have the opening partnerships of the calibre that Kohli and Smith have played with for large stretches of their careers AND having to bat at 3 and avoid a crisis.

But I can already see with you bringing Kohli into this discussion, you will be a pointless poster to discuss anything with.
 
Can only think of Hafeez in modern day cricket who at his very best has shown this level of consistency as a batsman.. what a remarkable batsman Steve Smith is turning out to be.
 
Add to the fact that Smith is playing in a very weak batting lineup so doesn’t have support of guys like Sachin (Dravid, Laxmam, Ganguly, Azharuddin) or Ponting (Langer, Waugh, Hayden, Gilchrist)
 
I would have liked for him to play one or two memorable knocks against SA pace attack in last two series. That’s one weakness I see in his record.
 
Majid Khan said:
Can only think of Hafeez in modern day cricket who at his very best has shown this level of consistency as a batsman.. what a remarkable batsman Steve Smith is turning out to be.
Click to expand...

Hafeez?!
 
Chrish said:
I would have liked for him to play one or two memorable knocks against SA pace attack in last two series. That’s one weakness I see in his record.
Click to expand...

He didn’t do well in the last series against them but he has definitely performed against the South African attack in prior series.

And mind you his failure is averaging 40+ which in individual context is decent record

However Rabada is one bowler I think he’s done poorly against and seemed suspect to
 
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Slog said:
He didn’t do well in the last series against them but he has definitely performed against the South African attack in prior series.

And mind you his failure is averaging 40+ which in individual context is decent record

However Rabada is one bowler I think he’s done poorly against and seemed suspect to
Click to expand...

He failed in prior series too despite averaging 40. He was pretty inconsequential in home series against them. His first ever series was the only one where he scored decent runs against them. So far, he has scored only one hundred in 17 inning iirc but failed against them during his peak.

Would have liked for him to play one or two knocks like Kohli's recent 153 against Philander, Rabada, Maharaj, Morkel and Ngidi. That would have done it for me.
 
Chrish said:
He failed in prior series too despite averaging 40. He was pretty inconsequential in home series against them. His first ever series was the only one where he scored decent runs against them. So far, he has scored only one hundred in 17 inning iirc but failed against them during his peak.

Would have liked for him to play one or two knocks like Kohli's recent 153 against Philander, Rabada, Maharaj, Morkel and Ngidi. That would have done it for me.
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Lol what do you mean done it for you?

Is there any doubt he isn’t by and far the premier test batsman of this era and heck perhaps greatest for the past half century?
 
Slog said:
Lol what do you mean done it for you?

Is there any doubt he isn’t by and far the premier test batsman of this era and heck perhaps greatest for the past half century?
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That his record would be complete without any weakness.

He is the best batsman of the current era.
 
Robert said:
No Lindwall?
Click to expand...

I can't say but I will go with this XI, again going with the general consensus as I don't know much about Davidson or Ponsford/ Trumper.

Among the ones I watched,

Hayden
Taylor(c)
Ponting
Smith
Waugh
Clarke
Gilly(wkt)
Johnson
Warne
Gillispie
McGrath
 
Slog said:
Lol what do you mean done it for you?

Is there any doubt he isn’t by and far the premier test batsman of this era and heck perhaps greatest for the past half century?
Click to expand...

I won't bother his performance Vs SA that much.

He has dominated two consecutive Ashes, both home and away, that's a lot and he has also fared brilliantly in India (better than any other overseas batsmen in that complete home season among all batters).
 
barah_admi said:
I never said Kohli has to play well in England to prove himself...I simpy said Kohli is not the best batsman ever (As most of you on here claim) and his performances in England may have been one of the reasons I gave.

With regards to Williamson, I am not claiming he is the best bat ever, I am simply claiming he is the best of the current lot and there is little argument to state otherwise. Didn't Williamson last play in India 3+ years ago? And how is Williamson scoring lots of runs in NZ a negative? That has been one of the most bowling friendly conditions going, add to that he does not have the opening partnerships of the calibre that Kohli and Smith have played with for large stretches of their careers AND having to bat at 3 and avoid a crisis.

But I can already see with you bringing Kohli into this discussion, you will be a pointless poster to discuss anything with.
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So averaging below 30 in SA and SL, a poor 30 in England is now considered little argument. Kohli last played in Nz 5 years ago, didn't stop him scoring a 50 and a hundred.

I just mentioned kohli for comparison given the high standards he must match to be considered great but a home track bully gets judged by absurdly low standards.

You are the one who conveniently zeroed in on kohli part so as to side step the fact that the guy you call best of current lot averages below 30 in multiple countries. I doubt any NZer rates him above kohli let alone smith, only thing pointless here is your argument, Williamson's comparison should with likes of root that'shis level, he needs to perform well beyond what he has done until now to be compared to kohli, let alone likes of Smith, Tendulkar or Lara.
 
he needs to perform in south africa to be GOAT actually. That's a major flaw in his resume. He was ineffective vs rabada, steyn and morkel.

God I miss old s.aftica.
 
tyron_woodley said:
he needs to perform in south africa to be GOAT actually. That's a major flaw in his resume. He was ineffective vs rabada, steyn and morkel.

God I miss old s.aftica.
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He actually did well in 2014 tour,3rd highest scorer in that series,scored a century in Centurion and played well against Steyn,Morkel,Philander,still averages 41 in s.a which is still good,only he has to prove against rabada.
 
The greatest ever.
Steve smith faces 150kph bowlers,plays in 10 different countries and scors run at 65,please dont insult his greatness by saying that he is inferior to a batsman who played against 70 kph trundlers.
Bradman was a GOAT in amateur era but steve is the GOAT in real modern cricket.
 
jeeteshssaxena said:
The greatest ever.
Steve smith faces 150kph bowlers,plays in 10 different countries and scors run at 65,please dont insult his greatness by saying that he is inferior to a batsman who played against 70 kph trundlers.
Bradman was a GOAT in amateur era but steve is the GOAT in real modern cricket.
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he needs to prove himself vs s africa.
Otherwise yes. Smith is one of the best ever. But sachin and kalis have averaged over 60 in their peak as well. Let's see how long smith can sustain this form.

if I had to pick one to bat for my life I would choose either kalis or smith
 
tyron_woodley said:
he needs to prove himself vs s africa.
Otherwise yes. Smith is one of the best ever. But sachin and kalis have averaged over 60 in their peak as well. Let's see how long smith can sustain this form.

if I had to pick one to bat for my life I would choose either kalis or smith
Click to expand...

Smith averages over 76 in his peak over 5 years.
 
tyron_woodley said:
he needs to prove himself vs s africa.
Otherwise yes. Smith is one of the best ever. But sachin and kalis have averaged over 60 in their peak as well. Let's see how long smith can sustain this form.

if I had to pick one to bat for my life I would choose either kalis or smith
Click to expand...

Sachin never averaged more than 58, neither did Kallis. Smith averages 65.
 
he is , easily the batsmen of the century ... no question abt it ... makes other so called gr8z like root look like minows .... smith is just next level .... england paying the price for booing him ...
 
tyron_woodley said:
he needs to prove himself vs s africa.
Otherwise yes. Smith is one of the best ever. But sachin and kalis have averaged over 60 in their peak as well. Let's see how long smith can sustain this form.

if I had to pick one to bat for my life I would choose either kalis or smith
Click to expand...

He needs to prove himself against rabada rather than SA, he can and has handled the others well enough. If bumrah can stay injury free, the next tour to aus should be fun too, his ban kind of robbed fans from what could have been a great battle between those two.
 
jagatk said:
He needs to prove himself against rabada rather than SA, he can and has handled the others well enough. If bumrah can stay injury free, the next tour to aus should be fun too, his ban kind of robbed fans from what could have been a great battle between those two.
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yes definitely. best bowler if not top 3 at the very least in bumrah vs smith would be a brilliant battle to witness. Smith is a GOAT level player and I agree he only needs to prove himself vs rabada and bumrah as of now. He has dispatched almost everyone else.
 
Gilly said:
Smith averages over 76 in his peak over 5 years.
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oh really, well I did say he is one of the best ever if not the best. I really thought kalis of all people would be close to 70 at his best. Maybe not. Not sure. Smith only has to prove himself vs 2 bowlers now anyway.
 
kalis would be my first pick regardless though. Greatest all rounder ever. Smith maybe the GoAT batsman of all time but Kalis is the most complete player of all time.
 
tyron_woodley said:
oh really, well I did say he is one of the best ever if not the best. I really thought kalis of all people would be close to 70 at his best. Maybe not. Not sure. Smith only has to prove himself vs 2 bowlers now anyway.
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Nobody has ever averaged anywhere close to Smith like this, except Donald Bradman. Nobody.
 
Hope Kohli stops playing pyjama cricket for a while and concentrates on Test cricket. He has a lot of hunger. If that hunger translates into runs he can have a few monsterous series.
 
szundercover said:
Jofra,The west indian pace trio of shannon gabriel and oshane thomas, South African speedsters steyn and rabadda plus dont forget the Australian domestic bowlers whom bowl at 150 kph.
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He hasn't done well against Rabada. Steyn didn't bowl 150 km.

Jofra was also down on pace this game. Was bowling 88- 89 miles an hour.

I am not sure on shannon gabriel and oshane thomas. Someone else can validate this?
 
PS. oshane thomas hasn't played test Cricket..
 
szundercover said:
Jofra,The west indian pace trio of shannon gabriel and oshane thomas, South African speedsters steyn and rabadda plus dont forget the Australian domestic bowlers whom bowl at 150 kph.
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none of them bowl 150 consistently. more like 140 average speed. rabada is a 140 average speed bowler. fast but not express.

steyn is the same. 140 average bowling speed.

joffra is 142 average speed.

lockie is the fastest but he is a unknown in test and even he bowls 142-3 on average.

smith vs holding, croft, Patterson, Marshall, garner would be interesting.

I wonder how he would do. I personally don't think it ends well for him. He is the current era GOAT but I can't compare him to past era greats. Viv is the pre 90s GOAT batsman.
 
No bowler can bowl 150 km consistently. But some guys are able to maintain speed in mid to high 140s and that’s express enough.
 
There was a graphic today showing the average for batsmen this series and it was 30 odd, the average for Smith this series has been 130

That guy is a machine.
 
Chrish said:
No bowler can bowl 150 km consistently. But some guys are able to maintain speed in mid to high 140s and that’s express enough.
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nope. no guy is able to maintain speeds at 145 plus. starc averages 142. Very rarely does he bowl 145 plus consistently for over 5 overs.
 
‘Smith is comparable to Bradman’

SYDNEY: Steve Smith’s unrivalled consistency means he can only be compared with Don Bradman for sheer brilliance, according to former Australia captain Allan Border.

Smith will play his first Test on home soil in 22 months on Thursday against Pakistan.

Off the back of one of the most dominant Ashes series in memory, Smith maintains the second-highest Test average behind Bradman with 64.56.

He needs 17 runs in his next seven innings to be the fastest player to reach 7,000 Test runs.

According to Border, it’s the Smith’s consistency and ability to avoid successive failures that sets him apart.

“Most people have that patch where everything goes wrong and they go through a trot,” Border said. “I don’t know if it happened to Bradman, but everyone else has had one. They always had a few Tests or a series where it just didn’t work for them or you got the better of them.

“But Steven has just been incredible. Not just in the Ashes but his whole career. I’ve not quite [seen anyone else do it].”

https://www.dawn.com/news/1517145/smith-is-comparable-to-bradman
 
SLcric123 said:
How good was he?
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Lindy? Generally considered to be the real hard man of the Lindwall-Miller combo. I think he held the international wicket record for a while. Fastest bowler of his day, until Trueman came along. Classical action, very accurate and swung it away. A bowling machine like Hadlee.

Curiously, Len Hutton said he found Lindy easier to face than Miller because the latter was so unpredictable.
 
Donnie will always be Donnie.

For Smith to be regarded GSD hr must crush an ATG spinner or fast bowler.
 
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