Murali Vijay or Tamim Iqbal - who is the best Asian Test opener?

[Dios]

Azhar Ali doesn't qualify yet as he has only played one series as opener and that too against West Indies in UAE.

There seems to be a dearth of good openers in the subcontinent at the moment.

Only Vijay and Tamim stand out.

Both have similar averages with Tamim averaging over 40 and Vijay just under. Tamim has a much better SR and is better in strokeplay but in recent years he has shown maturity and an ability to grind it out as well. Vijay has established himself as India's first choice opener ahead of the likes of Gambhir and Dhawan.

In my opinion Tamim is the best right now. Since 2014 he averages over 45. He has a double hundred which Vijay hasn't managed in 43 Tests. Tamim showed how good he is in the recent series against England which was played in square turners.

 

[Executioner]

Tamim for me

He has matured over the years as a batsman. Before 2014, I would have said Vijay hands down but these days Tamim is a different player altogether in all formats combined. He has become fitter and improved his array of strokes.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

I think Tamim shades it and he's also 5-6 years younger than Vijay so will end up with a lot more test runs than him.

Considering his talent (and the fact he's played in a very good batting lineup) Vijay has underachieved big time.

 

[Ab Fan]

Vijay is well rounded player and has performed everywhere.

Tamim is more imposing player but hasn't really played everywhere to judge his away performance which is a big part of judging players in test cricket.

 

[ExplicitAI]

Vijay is way better than Tamim, even Sami Aslam is better )

 

[Hasan123]

Vijay.

Tamim hasn't played enough cricket away from home whilst Vijay has done very well away from home.

 

[shaz619]

Vijay.

Tamim hasn't played enough cricket away from home whilst Vijay has done very well away from home.

How many hundreds does Vijay have in England?

 

[DRsohail]

for me vijay..but age is not on his side..

 

[Dios]

Tamim's average is higher away from Home than it is at Home.

Tamim's Away average is higher than Vijay's Away average which is in the mid 30s.

Tamim has as many hundreds as Vijay away from Home having played 11 Tests less.

Tamim has played everywhere except Australia and UAE.

 

[Hasan123]

How many hundreds does Vijay have in England?

Vijay scores on the last England tour were

1st test-146 and 52
2nd test-24 and 95
3rd test- 35 but played 95 balls and 12
4th test- 0 and 18
5th test- 18 but faced 64 balls, next best was Dhoni who faced 140 balls for 82 and 2.

He showed that he could see of the new ball and score big. Openers are judged slightly differently from middle order players.

 

[Saurav]

How many hundreds does Vijay have in England?

1 hundred and a 90 odd in 5 matches

 

[JaDed]

Rahul when back has a better chance of edging both of them to become the best but will depend on his hunger.

 

[shaz619]

Vijay scores on the last England tour were

1st test-146 and 52
2nd test-24 and 95
3rd test- 35 but played 95 balls and 12
4th test- 0 and 18
5th test- 18 but faced 64 balls, next best was Dhoni who faced 140 balls for 82 and 2.

He showed that he could see of the new ball and score big. Openers are judged slightly differently from middle order players.

Tamim has a lot more pressure on him yet also has a hundred in England just like Vijay then

 

[Dios]

Tamim has a lot more pressure on him yet also has a hundred in England just like Vijay then

Tamim has two hundreds in England. Back to back.

 

[street cricketer]

Tamim.

Vijay has been underpar for a while now. I will prefer Tamim in Asia and Vijay outside asia. Overall Tamim I would say at the moment.

Sami Aslam and KL Rahul are very good openers too. Rahul has the ability to become the best among the lot.

 

[Sherlock]

Vijay by a long long way.

 

[Executioner]

Vijay by a long long way.

yet Tamim has a marginally better batting average in Tests

 

[Slog]

Both are good

 

[Nil Dhumrojal]

Tamim for both asia and outside Asia...no hesitation at all. He is one of the best 3 test openers of Asia.

 

[Sherlock]

yet Tamim has a marginally better batting average in Tests

Playing at home helps too. I personally like Vijay because he's got a great technique away from home too. 97 vs SA in Durban, 146, 52 v England Nottingham, 53, 99 vs Australia in Adelaide, 144 in Brisbane and 68 in Melbourne. Tamim more often than not gets caught up in his own ego.

Nor are the averages too different either...Tamim averages just about 40.34 [84 innings]. Vijay averages 39.76 [72 innings] with 2 games less.

 

[Dios]

Playing at home helps too. I personally like Vijay because he's got a great technique away from home too. 97 vs SA in Durban, 146, 52 v England Nottingham, 53, 99 vs Australia in Adelaide, 144 in Brisbane and 68 in Melbourne. Tamim more often than not gets caught up in his own ego.

Nor are the averages too different either...Tamim averages just about 40.34 [84 innings]. Vijay averages 39.76 [72 innings] with 2 games less.

Tamim averages higher away than at home. Vijay averages around 36 away from India, Tamim averages 42 away from Bangladesh.

Yes Tamim hasn't played much away from Home but he has done excellently in England and well in New Zealand and the Caribbean in the few matches he has played.

So no Vijay is not a 'long, long way' ahead.

Let's see how Tamim does in NZ.

 

[Sachin136]

Tamim.

Vijay has been underpar for a while now. I will prefer Tamim in Asia and Vijay outside asia. Overall Tamim I would say at the moment.

Sami Aslam and KL Rahul are very good openers too. Rahul has the ability to become the best among the lot.

Vijay did well in the SA and NZ series, relative to others. Vijay has recently played his matches on difficult pitches at home while Tamim gets to play on pitches made for getting draws (although he has done well away too).

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

Both are quality openers. Although, if I've got to choose one: Tamim Iqbal the England basher

 

[Sherlock]

Tamim averages higher away than at home. Vijay averages around 36 away from India, Tamim averages 42 away from Bangladesh.

Yes Tamim hasn't played much away from Home but he has done excellently in England and well in New Zealand and the Caribbean in the few matches he has played.

So no Vijay is not a 'long, long way' ahead.

Let's see how Tamim does in NZ.

Dude that your opinion. My opinion is Vijay the superior player and has the better technique too.

It's okay to have different opinions

 

[Sanzcool]

Most of the teams play their second string attack or rest their main bowlers when they play vs Bangla, so the average is inflated. Tamim is a good player no doubt, but better than VJ, surely not

 

[Executioner]

Most of the teams play their second string attack or rest their main bowlers when they play vs Bangla, so the average is inflated. Tamim is a good player no doubt, but better than VJ, surely not

Don't recall any instance of 2nd string attacks being fielded ever against us in the last 7 years or so.

England used their best bowling attack, so did SA last year, so did Pakistan + India

 

[MMHS]

Vijay.

Tamim hasn't played enough cricket away from home whilst Vijay has done very well away from home.

Do you know that Tamim was one of 5 Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2010, for his English tour?

 

[MMHS]

Most of the teams play their second string attack or rest their main bowlers when they play vs Bangla, so the average is inflated. Tamim is a good player no doubt, but better than VJ, surely not

Can you prove that theory with stats? I can waste some time on that in CricInfo, but since you invented this theory, I think you should come up with your numbers.

 

[street cricketer]

Vijay did well in the SA and NZ series, relative to others. Vijay has recently played his matches on difficult pitches at home while Tamim gets to play on pitches made for getting draws (although he has done well away too).

Vijay has been underpar in the last year or so. I rate him very much overseas, he has a solid technique and has played some very good knocks in challenging conditions - a 90 odd at Lords, another 90 odd in the 2nd innings at Adelaide when it was turning well and a 140 at the Gabba which was probably the only wicket in that entire series with good pace and bounce. But he has been guilty of getting starts and not kicking on to make a big score especially in the recent period.

Tamim at the moment edges it, will be interesting to see how he bats in New Zealand though.

 

[Dios]

Why is everyone talking about Vijay being a good batsman overseas? He averages 34 when you take away his 150 against Bangladesh on a road against a substandard bowling attack. He has only really done well in Australia and Australia have produced some of the flattest wickets in recent times. Am I missing something?

 

[MMHS]

Why is everyone talking about Vijay being a good batsman overseas? He averages 34 when you take away his 150 against Bangladesh on a road against a substandard bowling attack. He has only really done well in Australia and Australia have produced some of the flattest wickets in recent times. Am I missing something?

No - his only good innings out side home (in fact almost career) is 144 at Gabba, a Test which also had Hazlewood debuting for Harris, but I give it.

His 99 & 53 are at Adelaide, his 146 & 52 in ENG are at Nottingham, one of the slowest & poorest English wicket I have seen in my life, which had Anderson scoring 81. His 167 is at Hydrabad, where Aussie attack was Pattinson, Siddle, Henriques, Doherty & Maxwell; his 153 is at Mohali where Aussie attack was Starc, Siddle, Henriques, Doherty & Lyon.

Vijay is a good Test opener, though going through a bad patch in recent times; but some of the posts are are not only shallow, also exposes the cricket knowledge & ill intention of the individual. These people don't watch cricket for the interest of the game, neither enjoys the game without looking at the name of teams.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Tamim is a more aggressive opener and has a higher ceiling. Playing for a weaker team goes in his favor too.

 

[Farhansk]

Tamim.

Looks very soild and confident, best Asian Test Opener.

 

[Hasan123]

Do you know that Tamim was one of 5 Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2010, for his English tour?

In 2010, we're in 2016 now.

Would Tamim score a century in Australia? Can you say that for certain? No you can't

 

[The_Odd_One]

In 2010, we're in 2016 now.

Would Tamim score a century in Australia? Can you say that for certain? No you can't

Since 2010, Tamim averages 45 with 7 100s and 17 50s in just 32 matches. This is an excellent record for someone who opens the batting for a minnow test team.

He scored 2 centuries in England when he was not even in his peak years. Do you seriously think he can't score a century on flatter pitches in Australia in his peak years?

 

[Abdullah719]

In 2010, we're in 2016 now.

Would Tamim score a century in Australia? Can you say that for certain? No you can't

This is a moot point, you can't say that for certain about anyone.

Tamim hasn't played a Test in Australia so there isn't any point of speculating. He could score 2 ducks or 2 centuries for all we know.

 

[Sachin136]

Do you know that Tamim was one of 5 Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2010, for his English tour?

Nick Compton and Dhawan have been one of the 5 Wisden Cricketers of the year. I wouldn't pay much attention to that.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Lol, what kind of joke is this? Vijay is leagues above. No comparison.

 

[MMHS]

Nick Compton and Dhawan have been one of the 5 Wisden Cricketers of the year. I wouldn't pay much attention to that.

You should, it shows that, they were top performers of that English summer. Dhawan was probably for 2013 CT performance, an ODI tournament where he indeed was one of the better players.

 

[Muhammad10]

Tamim for me. He's more versatile and an ETB (England Team Bully).

 

[MMHS]

In 2010, we're in 2016 now.

Would Tamim score a century in Australia? Can you say that for certain? No you can't

Tamim averages
67 in ENG (2 Test)
50 in NZ (3 Test)
45 in WI (4 Test)

He is yet to play in AUS. For a surprise, he averages 28 in ZIM & 35 in SRL.

Outside Asia, his only blemish is SAF, where he played 2 Tests as teen ager exactly 8 years back - scores were 7, 20, 31, 20 - again it shows the lack of experience; 3 times out of 4, survived new ball of Styen & Ntini; only to get out after settling down for more than an hour to Morkel.

I can't say what he'll do in AUS; no body can. But, that's true for anybody; for example take Virat about repeating his last AUS & ENG tours.

You are judging players on what potentially he can do, rather than what he has done so far - that's why the question of intention comes.

 

[jeetu]

Batting Stats for Asian batsman in opening position (Last 5 years)

[table=width: 700, class: grid, align: center]
[tr][td]Player [/td][td]Span [/td][td]Mat [/td][td]Runs [/td][td]Avg [/td][td]SR [/td][td]100 [/td][td]50 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]CA Pujara (INDIA) [/td][td]2012-2015 [/td][td]4 [/td][td]348 [/td][td]116 [/td][td]62.03 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Azhar Ali (PAK) [/td][td]2013-2016 [/td][td]8 [/td][td]667 [/td][td]60.63 [/td][td]49.66 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Imrul Kayes (BDESH) [/td][td]2014-2016 [/td][td]8 [/td][td]672 [/td][td]51.69 [/td][td]50.48 [/td][td]2 [/td][td]3 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]M Vijay (INDIA) [/td][td]2013-2016 [/td][td]31 [/td][td]2239 [/td][td]43.9 [/td][td]45.86 [/td][td]5 [/td][td]12 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mohammad Hafeez (PAK) [/td][td]2011-2016 [/td][td]27 [/td][td]2089 [/td][td]43.52 [/td][td]59.63 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]5 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Ahmed Shehzad (PAK) [/td][td]2013-2015 [/td][td]11 [/td][td]861 [/td][td]43.05 [/td][td]53.27 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]3 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]KL Rahul (INDIA) [/td][td]2015-2016 [/td][td]8 [/td][td]558 [/td][td]42.92 [/td][td]55.41 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Sami Aslam (PAK) [/td][td]2015-2016 [/td][td]7 [/td][td]495 [/td][td]41.25 [/td][td]42.52 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]5 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Tamim Iqbal (BDESH) [/td][td]2011-2016 [/td][td]22 [/td][td]1660 [/td][td]40.48 [/td][td]51.53 [/td][td]4 [/td][td]9 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]S Dhawan (INDIA) [/td][td]2013-2016 [/td][td]23 [/td][td]1464 [/td][td]38.52 [/td][td]59.95 [/td][td]4 [/td][td]3 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]TM Dilshan (SL) [/td][td]2011-2013 [/td][td]13 [/td][td]941 [/td][td]37.64 [/td][td]66.4 [/td][td]4 [/td][td]4 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]FDM Karunaratne (SL) [/td][td]2012-2016 [/td][td]32 [/td][td]2061 [/td][td]35.53 [/td][td]50.09 [/td][td]4 [/td][td]10 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Jahurul Islam (BDESH) [/td][td]2013-2013 [/td][td]4 [/td][td]233 [/td][td]33.28 [/td][td]37.45 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]BKG Mendis (SL) [/td][td]2015-2015 [/td][td]2 [/td][td]131 [/td][td]32.75 [/td][td]43.52 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]JK Silva (SL) [/td][td]2013-2016 [/td][td]29 [/td][td]1675 [/td][td]31.6 [/td][td]41.08 [/td][td]2 [/td][td]12 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]WU Tharanga (SL) [/td][td]2014-2015 [/td][td]5 [/td][td]310 [/td][td]31 [/td][td]58.38 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]V Sehwag (INDIA) [/td][td]2011-2013 [/td][td]14 [/td][td]741 [/td][td]30.87 [/td][td]84.97 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]3 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Taufeeq Umar (PAK) [/td][td]2011-2014 [/td][td]9 [/td][td]460 [/td][td]30.66 [/td][td]49.14 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]3 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]G Gambhir (INDIA) [/td][td]2011-2016 [/td][td]16 [/td][td]754 [/td][td]29 [/td][td]47.21 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]6 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Khurram Manzoor (PAK) [/td][td]2013-2014 [/td][td]9 [/td][td]491 [/td][td]27.27 [/td][td]48.66 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]4 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Shamsur Rahman (BDESH) [/td][td]2014-2014 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]305 [/td][td]25.41 [/td][td]47.65 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Shan Masood (PAK) [/td][td]2013-2016 [/td][td]9 [/td][td]432 [/td][td]24 [/td][td]45.14 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]NT Paranavitana (SL) [/td][td]2011-2012 [/td][td]7 [/td][td]306 [/td][td]23.53 [/td][td]40.63 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Nazimuddin (BDESH) [/td][td]2011-2012 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]125 [/td][td]20.83 [/td][td]39.06 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[/table]

 

[Energetic]

Tamim is miles better. I know he averages around the 40 mark, but he doesn't possess the stamina to keep on batting and batting otherwise a player of his calibre should really be averaging close to the 50 mark. A guy like him should've scored a few triple 100s by now. In limited overs, he's not as good as he is in tests even though when he first burst onto the scene, he was able to strike from ball one. Murali is good, but not as good as Tamim.

 

[troodon]

Tamim is better than Vijay on flat decks.

When the ball is moving around or if faced by a tear away fast bowler, I would bet my money on Vijay.

Vijay is superb when facing quality bowling in difficult conditions.

 

[Rayyman]

Tamim is better than Vijay on flat decks.

When the ball is moving around or if faced by a tear away fast bowler, I would bet my money on Vijay.

Vijay is superb when facing quality bowling in difficult conditions.

That's a rare case in the modern game. That's why Tamim and even Azhar are better than Vijay. Imo: Tamim > Azhar > Vijay > Karunaratne.

 

[Hasan123]

Tamim averages
67 in ENG (2 Test)
50 in NZ (3 Test)
45 in WI (4 Test)

He is yet to play in AUS. For a surprise, he averages 28 in ZIM & 35 in SRL.

Outside Asia, his only blemish is SAF, where he played 2 Tests as teen ager exactly 8 years back - scores were 7, 20, 31, 20 - again it shows the lack of experience; 3 times out of 4, survived new ball of Styen & Ntini; only to get out after settling down for more than an hour to Morkel.

I can't say what he'll do in AUS; no body can. But, that's true for anybody; for example take Virat about repeating his last AUS & ENG tours.

You are judging players on what potentially he can do, rather than what he has done so far - that's why the question of intention comes.

Some decent numbers but I don't think he will be averaging 67 after say 8/9 games. Sample set is too small imo.

 

[Hasan123]

Since 2010, Tamim averages 45 with 7 100s and 17 50s in just 32 matches. This is an excellent record for someone who opens the batting for a minnow test team.

He scored 2 centuries in England when he was not even in his peak years. Do you seriously think he can't score a century on flatter pitches in Australia in his peak years?

Can't say for certain if he would get a century or not.

 

[MMHS]

Tamim is better than Vijay on flat decks.

When the ball is moving around or if faced by a tear away fast bowler, I would bet my money on Vijay.

Vijay is superb when facing quality bowling in difficult conditions.

By your logic, can you explain his duel hundreds in UK in May/June 2010 against an English attack that was a bit "Rough" against PAK & Indian openers inthat season & next year in the 2nd half of the summer?

 

[shaz619]

Can't say for certain if he would get a century or not.

What did Vijay buy you some fish and chips or something? That all of a sudden he has become this immovable object at the top of the order? Tamim is far far superior and stats wont do his prowess justice, bats in a weak team with added pressure and has been great everywhere. Also has more hundreds then Vijay in England

 

[Hasan123]

What did Vijay buy you some fish and chips or something? That all of a sudden he has become this immovable object at the top of the order? Tamim is far far superior and stats wont do his prowess justice, bats in a weak team with added pressure and has been great everywhere. Also has more hundreds then Vijay in England

I just rate Vijay highly that's all. Tamim hasn't played as many games overseas as Vijay so his sample set it low.

 

[shaz619]

I just rate Vijay highly that's all. Tamim hasn't played as many games overseas as Vijay so his sample set it low.

Barring a hiccup when he was incredibly green he has done well on every tour away, that's more then enough for me; you got to be decent to be able to perform on such tours. This is Test Cricket, Tamim isn't a one hit wonder like Anil Kumble who has a hundred a Lords, just because he bats for a weaker team doesn't mean he shouldn't get all the notoriety. Vijay in a stronger team has under achieved big time, players are judged by there ability to perform across all conditions and in periods under great stress; when has Tamim ever had the luxury of batting with a bit of weight of his shoulders? for a long time he has been the cornerstone of the Bangladesh Batting for years and by god he has thrived amidst all the chaos, pressure and increased responsibility; that's the mark of a world class batsman. Vijay is light years behind Tamim, heck Azhar is catching up with him.

 

[GenericBrand]

Hehe Tamim has been an 'ETB' since his U19 days.

 

[Hadi Rizvi]

I just rate Vijay highly that's all. Tamim hasn't played as many games overseas as Vijay so his sample set it low.

Sami Aslam>Vijay, no??

He's 20 and had a debut in ENG against an excellent, disciplined ENG pace attack. Still managed to avg 55.66 That is no mean feat for an opener aged just 20.

 

[Hasan123]

Sami Aslam>Vijay, no??

He's 20 and had a debut in ENG against an excellent, disciplined ENG pace attack. Still managed to avg 55.66 That is no mean feat for an opener aged just 20.

Sami is a finer opener even if he failed on the England tour I wouldn't have written him off but again he needs to play more matches overseas.

 

[Hasan123]

Barring a hiccup when he was incredibly green he has done well on every tour away, that's more then enough for me; you got to be decent to be able to perform on such tours. This is Test Cricket, Tamim isn't a one hit wonder like Anil Kumble who has a hundred a Lords, just because he bats for a weaker team doesn't mean he shouldn't get all the notoriety. Vijay in a stronger team has under achieved big time, players are judged by there ability to perform across all conditions and in periods under great stress; when has Tamim ever had the luxury of batting with a bit of weight of his shoulders? for a long time he has been the cornerstone of the Bangladesh Batting for years and by god he has thrived amidst all the chaos, pressure and increased responsibility; that's the mark of a world class batsman. Vijay is light years behind Tamim, heck Azhar is catching up with him.

I never said Tahim is a one hit wonder or a bad player. I just think Vijay is the better player that's all. Tamim has some good stats but he's played literally 2 games in England. It's a shame Bangladesh don't get to play more games overseas so we could see if Tahim could be more consistent overseas or not.

Vijay isn't exactly batting in a less pressure situation both are openers. Vijay has important job to make sure kohli, Rohit,etc aren't exposed to the new ball overseas. So if Vijay is able to face 80 plus balls hes done half a job as it will Indian middle order to face the older ball. I bet even during he's lean patch he's been facing a lot of balls to take the shine of the new ball.

Your saying Azhar is catching upto Vijay, I'll take Azhar of both Vijay and Tahim.

 

[Hasan123]

Your avatar says it all

No biased though bro. Vijay is going through a difficult patch. Azhar hasn't had as bad a patch as this and Azhar has played more pressure knocks. Just needs more overseas to clearly surpass him it's still close now with Azhar just ahead.

 

[Hadi Rizvi]

No biased though bro. Vijay is going through a difficult patch. Azhar hasn't had as bad a patch as this and Azhar has played more pressure knocks. Just needs more overseas to clearly surpass him it's still close now with Azhar just ahead.

Yeah I get that but if Azhar averages 40 odd in this tour then I'd say he is probably among the best openers from Asia at the moment.

 

[Sachin136]

Azhar has opened in only 13 innings, and not too long back some people didn't want him in the Pakistan team. Now he is the best opener from Asia...

 

[Hadi Rizvi]

Azhar has opened in only 13 innings, and not too long back some people didn't want him in the Pakistan team. Now he is the best opener from Asia...

Correction: Pakistan ODI team

 

[Sachin136]

Correction: Pakistan ODI team

I saw several people not wanting him in the test team after not doing well in the first 2 tests in England.

 

[Hadi Rizvi]

I saw several people not wanting him in the test team after not doing well in the first 2 tests in England.

I'm new to PP yet even I know that people on PP tend to over react a lot on most matters. Several people were also calling for Shehzad for ODIs in ENG as a replacement for Hafeez and Sami.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Azhar Ali. Doesn't matter if he hasn't played enough games as opener.

 

[Buffet]

Vijay is better.

 

[rollingstoned]

Tamim may have a better average but I doubt any Indian fan is wishing that they could swap Vijay for Tamim. His numbers suffer from his having had some tough tours in the beginning of his career. Tamim is a much better test than LOI player.

 

[Varun]

Vijay by 200 miles in my team.

 

[Suleiman]

Tamim is a minnow basher with occasional moments of brilliance. Vijay is better.

 

[JibranAnsari]

Tamim.


Soon to be ovetaken by azhar ali though.

 

[street cricketer]

Tamim is a minnow basher with occasional moments of brilliance. Vijay is better.

Not in tests.

 

[Zak_Fan]

Vijay has been a success in different conditions. The way he batted not just in England, but also in SA and Australia puts him ahead for me.

 

[Hasan123]

Azhar has opened in only 13 innings, and not too long back some people didn't want him in the Pakistan team. Now he is the best opener from Asia...

Only idiots want him dropped. Other than Babar and maybe Harris Pakistan isn't producing a better test player for a while.

 

[Nil Dhumrojal]

Tamim is a minnow basher with occasional moments of brilliance. Vijay is better.

Lack of knowledge about him.

 

[shaz619]

I never said Tahim is a one hit wonder or a bad player. I just think Vijay is the better player that's all. Tamim has some good stats but he's played literally 2 games in England. It's a shame Bangladesh don't get to play more games overseas so we could see if Tahim could be more consistent overseas or not.

Vijay isn't exactly batting in a less pressure situation both are openers. Vijay has important job to make sure kohli, Rohit,etc aren't exposed to the new ball overseas. So if Vijay is able to face 80 plus balls hes done half a job as it will Indian middle order to face the older ball. I bet even during he's lean patch he's been facing a lot of balls to take the shine of the new ball.

Your saying Azhar is catching upto Vijay, I'll take Azhar of both Vijay and Tahim.

No, you are 100% incorrect and your point is invalid on a grand scale. Vijay is not better at all. Tamim is 10x better then Vijay, to put them on a level playing field just because both are openers is ridiculous because the fact is; Vijay is not the leader of the Indian batting line up like Tamim nor does he player for a significantly weaker team like BD. All of BD's hopes have rested on Tamim's shoulders for a long time, he gets out and they all fall like a pack of cards and that added pressure playing in such a line up has been incredibly significant. Tamim also has 3 away hundreds and 2 of them came against England in England vs a prime English bowling attack in prime English bowling conditions.

Azhar is great, just needs to score a couple more hundreds away and he'll surpass both.

 

[Hasan123]

No, you are 100% incorrect and your point is invalid on a grand scale. Vijay is not better at all. Tamim is 10x better then Vijay, to put them on a level playing field just because both are openers is ridiculous because the fact is; Vijay is not the leader of the Indian batting line up like Tamim nor does he player for a significantly weaker team like BD. All of BD's hopes have rested on Tamim's shoulders for a long time, he gets out and they all fall like a pack of cards and that added pressure playing in such a line up has been incredibly significant. Tamim also has 3 away hundreds and 2 of them came against England in England vs a prime English bowling attack in prime English bowling conditions.

Azhar is great, just needs to score a couple more hundreds away and he'll surpass both.

So because Tahim has 1 more hundred than Vijay he's 10 times better? That doesn't make sense. It's much more closer than you think.

Also if Vijay was to be dismissed quickly in overseas conditions than who's to say India could fall like a pack of cards? He may not be the main batsmen but him and Pujara do a good job of seeing of the newer ball.in overseas conditions.

And by the way Staurt Broad didn't play in the 2 games were Tahim got his centuries. Ajmal Shehzad played in one and Steven Finn in the other. So it wasn't a prime English bowling attack.

 

[shaz619]

So because Tahim has 1 more hundred than Vijay he's 10 times better? That doesn't make sense. It's much more closer than you think.

Also if Vijay was to be dismissed quickly in overseas conditions than who's to say India could fall like a pack of cards? He may not be the main batsmen but him and Pujara do a good job of seeing of the newer ball.in overseas conditions.

And by the way Staurt Broad didn't play in the 2 games were Tahim got his centuries. Ajmal Shehzad played in one and Steven Finn in the other. So it wasn't a prime English bowling attack.

You don't make any sense sorry mate not just 10 times, 20 times? hopefully that will make more sense to you. Look mate, even Danish Kaneria bought me fish and chips but I don't go around advocating his greatness as an opener.

So you are undermining the pressure on Tamim Iqbal playing for a significantly weaker team? you have little regard for the psychological element when it comes to our sport at the international level; each opener is the same in that regard, they all have the same job to do but to belittle the extra pressure on Tamim is incredibly naive tbh Vijay when he walks out to bat knows he needs to get off to a good start to prevent a collapse but when Tamim goes out the same pressure is still there but that extra pressure comes from the knowledge that the moment he gets out BD are going to fall for sure and that added responsibility makes his job so much tougher playing in a team which is finding its feet at the international level, Vijay has that pressure but he can also afford the luxury of having a peace of mind/freedom which Tamim does not have yet he still managed to develop himself into a world class bat.

Tamim not only has 1 more hundred then Vijay and I didn't say that is the specific reason don't throw words in me mouth like an Indian fan but factoring in the external elements I have outlined in addition to Tamim's achievements he is far far superior then Vijay, Tamim also has 2 CENTURY'S AGAINST ENGLAND in ENGLAND. It was a PRIME ENGLISH BOWLING ATTACK, Steven Finn was at his absolute PEAK before the bowling coach ruined him, he has not been the same bowler since; Ajmal Shehzad was at his PEAK to, he was discarded from the set up due to his attitude problems but was a highly rated prospect of the future. James Anderson was at his PEAK and most fearsome, it was an absolutely scary bowling attack; Swann the destroyer was at his PEAK and the GOAT English spinner ever. Barbie not playing wasn't a big miss at all, it was a scary scary bowling attack

 

[Hasan123]

You don't make any sense sorry mate not just 10 times, 20 times? hopefully that will make more sense to you. Look mate, even Danish Kaneria bought me fish and chips but I don't go around advocating his greatness as an opener.

So you are undermining the pressure on Tamim Iqbal playing for a significantly weaker team? you have little regard for the psychological element when it comes to our sport at the international level; each opener is the same in that regard, they all have the same job to do but to belittle the extra pressure on Tamim is incredibly naive tbh Vijay when he walks out to bat knows he needs to get off to a good start to prevent a collapse but when Tamim goes out the same pressure is still there but that extra pressure comes from the knowledge that the moment he gets out BD are going to fall for sure and that added responsibility makes his job so much tougher playing in a team which is finding its feet at the international level, Vijay has that pressure but he can also afford the luxury of having a peace of mind/freedom which Tamim does not have yet he still managed to develop himself into a world class bat.

Tamim not only has 1 more hundred then Vijay and I didn't say that is the specific reason don't throw words in me mouth like an Indian fan but factoring in the external elements I have outlined in addition to Tamim's achievements he is far far superior then Vijay, Tamim also has 2 CENTURY'S AGAINST ENGLAND in ENGLAND. It was a PRIME ENGLISH BOWLING ATTACK, Steven Finn was at his absolute PEAK before the bowling coach ruined him, he has not been the same bowler since; Ajmal Shehzad was at his PEAK to, he was discarded from the set up due to his attitude problems but was a highly rated prospect of the future. James Anderson was at his PEAK and most fearsome, it was an absolutely scary bowling attack; Swann the destroyer was at his PEAK and the GOAT English spinner ever. Barbie not playing wasn't a big miss at all, it was a scary scary bowling attack

Vijay doesn't need to buy me fish and chips, I have my own eyes to judge a player. From what I have seen Vijay is a better test player than Tahim. Tahim is still a very good test player just not better than Vijay. It's unfair that Bangladesh don't play more overseas tests so we can get a bigger sample size.

Yes there is pressure on Tahim, but he isn't under pressure to win the game as he is playing for a lower ranked nation. Even if Bangladesh lose no one will be suprised and if they get thrashed it won't be the end of the world for them. Vijay is playing for a top test team where him seeing of the new ball is vital and making sure that Indian middle order is.not put in vs the new ball.

Steven Finn wasn't at his peak loool, he was still conceding runs but just picking up wickets. English commentators at the time were saying exactly that. It was a good English attack but I think current English attack is much better other than Swaan being significantly better than Moen.

 

[shaz619]

Vijay doesn't need to buy me fish and chips, I have my own eyes to judge a player. From what I have seen Vijay is a better test player than Tahim. Tahim is still a very good test player just not better than Vijay. It's unfair that Bangladesh don't play more overseas tests so we can get a bigger sample size.

Yes there is pressure on Tahim, but he isn't under pressure to win the game as he is playing for a lower ranked nation. Even if Bangladesh lose no one will be suprised and if they get thrashed it won't be the end of the world for them. Vijay is playing for a top test team where him seeing of the new ball is vital and making sure that Indian middle order is.not put in vs the new ball.

Steven Finn wasn't at his peak loool, he was still conceding runs but just picking up wickets. English commentators at the time were saying exactly that. It was a good English attack but I think current English attack is much better other than Swaan being significantly better than Moen.

Am sure he did you'd do anything for a bit of fish. From what I have seen and 99% of experts Tamim is far far far far superior. You rate Azhar above Tamim and Vijay but the "bigger sample" is not a problem then is it at least be consistent in your ideas bud, its not Tamims fault he aint played as many Tests away then Vijay but he has played enough to suggest he is better and in the little chances he did get he achieved as much as Vijay if not more.

You see for the very reasons you outline there is incredible pressure on Tamim not the opposite, it is in fact the end of the world if Tamim fails. You think he goes out there with little expectations on his back because BD are supposed to get thrashed right, that's a pretty silly view; the night before the 1st Test at Lords Tamim didn't go to sleep all night because Boycott said something like BD should not be playing Test cricket and don't deserve their Test Status; but he went out there with that increased responsibility and pressure on him to prove he's a world class bat and got that magnificent Test hundred, one of the all time great knocks from a touring batsman in England. Such was his prowess in England that in 2011 he was named as one of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack's four Cricketers of the Year, and Wisden's Test Player of the Year; this is an honor of great prestige and rarely do you see touring batsman receive such an award.

When Vijay wakes up he knows he needs to bat well and the pressure is there to protect the middle order but if he fails it's not the end of the world because that pressure doesn't exist playing for a significantly weaker team which is fighting to prove its Test Status. He has that freedom and comfort playing in a team which is a lot more experienced, settled and significantly better in terms of strength.

I think its narrow minded to assume Finn wasn't at his peak during that period, he was a lot quicker then he is now, generated a lot more bounce and his action was far far superior; he was incredibly lethal and a lot more ferocious then he is now. James Anderson was in his absolute prime as well. No, that attack was better; Anderson was better then he is now, Swann is better then Mo; these two alone which are all time England greats at their absolute prime were more then enough, even Bresnan was bowling incredibly well and had a great Ashes series following the Tests vs BD and Ajmal was fast/furious getting the ball to reverse.

 

[shaz619]

Between 2010 and 2011, Finn averaged 26.92, picked 50 Test wickets in 12 games and picked up 3 5fers. He use to hit 90+ pretty regularly and was a lot more ferocious.

Finn had some technical issues, kept hitting the stumps as he was running in and as a result deteriorated due to over coaching when attempts were made to alter his action.

 

[Nil Dhumrojal]

Kohli wouldn't be kohli if he had played for Bangladesh for sure.

 

[shaz619]

Kohli wouldn't be kohli if he had played for Bangladesh for sure.

I think Tamim Iqbal is significantly better then him as well

 

[Nil Dhumrojal]

I think Tamim Iqbal is significantly better then him as well

In test, may be.