Steven Smith or Kane Williamson? Who is the greatest player of this generation?

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Two players who love to perform on the biggest stage, in difficult conditions, and when the chips are down.

Very tough for me to decide who is the greatest player of this generation. Your views?

 

[Joseph Gomes]

Williamson I guess. He's a much better leader as well.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Williamson I guess. He's a much better leader as well.

Yeah but Smith isnt a bad leader either (apart from the ball tempering scar which will be there forever).

 

[Joseph Gomes]

Yeah but Smith isnt a bad leader either (apart from the ball tempering scar which will be there forever).

Smith really doesn't inspire his team that much. Warner/Starc/Finch are pretty influential too. Also Smith isn't even that respected. Williamson is both admired, respected and followed by his teammates.

 

[Mobashir]

Despite Williamson 's heroics in this world cup I will put him a little behind Root, Kohli and Smith.
Maybe the fact that he plays less and is from NZ is a reason for it.

Long 5-6 years to go for all 4 but so far Steven Smith is one level above others.
Root, Kohli and Williamson will have to do something very special to catch him.

 

[Red Devil]

60+ average in Test cricket. 50+ scores in every knock out game he's ever played. Have to give this to Smith.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Smith really doesn't inspire his team that much. Warner/Starc/Finch are pretty influential too. Also Smith isn't even that respected. Williamson is both admired, respected and followed by his teammates.

Despite Williamson 's heroics in this world cup I will put him a little behind Root, Kohli and Smith.
Maybe the fact that he plays less and is from NZ is a reason for it.

Long 5-6 years to go for all 4 but so far Steven Smith is one level above others.
Root, Kohli and Williamson will have to do something very special to catch him.

60+ average in Test cricket. 50+ scores in every knock out game he's ever played. Have to give this to Smith.

All valid points.
Its tough to decide considering the team for which Williamson plays and being the sole proper batsman in his team (dont rate Taylor).
He recently won a series in Asia too against Pakistan from nowhere.

 

[Mueez]

Oh this is a tough one...

Tests:

Smith > Williamson.

ODIs:

Smith > Williamson.

I rate Smith higher because of he always delivers when it matters, be it in KO match or a decider in bilateral series.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Oh this is a tough one...

Tests:

Smith > Williamson.

ODIs:

Smith > Williamson.

I rate Smith higher because of he always delivers when it matters, be it in KO match or a decider in bilateral series.

Hmm like Joseph said captaincy should also come into consideration here.
If NZ wins the WC, it will the first time a player almost singlehandedly lead his team to WC victory.

 

[Mueez]

Hmm like Joseph said captaincy should also come into consideration here.
If NZ wins the WC, it will the first time a player almost singlehandedly lead his team to WC victory.

Fair enough.

If Williamson wins the World Cup, I will rate him as the best captain of this decade...

And will rate him higher in ODIs than Williamson.

 

[Mueez]

Fair enough.

If Williamson wins the World Cup, I will rate him as the best captain of this decade...

And will rate him higher in ODIs than Williamson.

*than Smith.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Another clutch knock in a knockout match by Smithy. Omg i love this guy. We missed you champ!

 

[Hasan123]

Steve Smith is a better player than Kane Williamson. Other than game against India, Williamson best performances were against lower ranked teams. Also Steve smith did well at the 2015 WC. Also Steve Smith had dominated a series in India, also has match winning centuries in South Africa and England.

Virat Kohli and Steve Smith are the 2 outstanding batters of this era.

 

[ManFan]

Virat Kohli- All around.

Steve Smith- Tests.

 

[Mamoon]

If Kohli was Pakistani with the exact same performances and Smith was Indian with the exact same performances, would PPers call Smith the best batsman of this generation?

No matter how hard we try, the fact is that Kohli is the greatest player of his generation and the 2010 era will be remembered for him not Smith or Williamson.

 

[topspin]

If Kohli was Pakistani with the exact same performances and Smith was Indian with the exact same performances, would PPers call Smith the best batsman of this generation?

No matter how hard we try, the fact is that Kohli is the greatest player of his generation and the 2010 era will be remembered for him not Smith or Williamson.

Yeah exactly this, the usual green tinted hype clan somehow think Kohli is some kind of bottle job because of his failings in semi finals, but he's no choker as evident from the knocks he played in the 2011 WC final and 2013 CT final.

He's done more than enough to seal his status as an ATG. Just needs a WC to surpass Ponting, Tendulkar and Sir Viv.

 

[K4Kohli]

Kohli is still the greatest. Although he is below par in tournaments he has chance to redeem

 

[satheesh]

Smith is a grinder who makes maximum use of his ability in ODIs . That's all .His method can't be effective always as it is evident against ENG now. A huge gap of 17 between him and Kohli & his even below par country wise record is the base. He would get extra weightage for his world cup knock out performances.

 

[Mobashir]

If Kohli was Pakistani with the exact same performances and Smith was Indian with the exact same performances, would PPers call Smith the best batsman of this generation?

No matter how hard we try, the fact is that Kohli is the greatest player of his generation and the 2010 era will be remembered for him not Smith or Williamson.

Being remembered more by the masses doesn't mean you are better, or does it?
Smith has achieved much more than Kohli in this decade.

 

[Ab Fan]

My ranking would be

Kohli
Smith
Williamson
Root

All four are set to go down as ATGs.

 

[MP2011]

Despite his failures in WC SFs, Virat Kohli will still be the first name in a world XI in ODIs/tests.

 

[MP2011]

Smith has achieved much more than Kohli in this decade.

Yeah, sure. Being suspended for an year for being an outright cheat is something which Virat Kohli hasn't yet accomplished.

 

[MP2011]

Smith is a grinder who makes maximum use of his ability in ODIs . That's all .His method can't be effective always as it is evident against ENG now. A huge gap of 17 between him and Kohli & his even below par country wise record is the base. He would get extra weightage for his world cup knock out performances.

True. What did his yesterday's knock achieve for Australia? Zilch, nothing.

England still crushed them mercilessly. So much for it being a clutch knock.

 

[MP2011]

If Kohli was Pakistani with the exact same performances and Smith was Indian with the exact same performances, would PPers call Smith the best batsman of this generation?

No matter how hard we try, the fact is that Kohli is the greatest player of his generation and the 2010 era will be remembered for him not Smith or Williamson.

People say as if nothing between 2 WCs matter. Well, if they don't, why even play them? Just play WC every 4 years and be done away with.

And it's not as if Kohli didn't do anything in this WC. He still scored 400+ runs in this edition. If league games don't matter, then play knockouts straight away between top-4 teams as per ODI rankings and be done away with the WC in 3 days, saves everybody's time and efforts!

 

[shailee]

People will always find a reason to bash Kohli. Even Smith's innings was pretty useless in the contest of the game.

 

[shailee]

People say as if nothing between 2 WCs matter. Well, if they don't, why even play them? Just play WC every 4 years and be done away with.

And it's not as if Kohli didn't do anything in this WC. He still scored 400+ runs in this edition. If league games don't matter, then play knockouts straight away between top-4 teams as per ODI rankings and be done away with the WC in 3 days, saves everybody's time and efforts!

This.

 

[kingusama92]

Kohli is at the top.

Across all three formats, he's on another level and it's not even close. The stats blow every other player out of the water.

Smith's record in ODIs and T20Is isn't good enough. He's failed away from home in India, England, NZ, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and even Zimbabwe. That's rubbish and a few knockout performances won't change that.

In comparison, Kohli's lowest ODI average AWAY from home is 45 vs WI. He's on another planet.

 

[OffDrive]

If we had Smith and Warner during the Test series in Australia India wouldn't have gotten close, Kohli is **** kicker when compared to Smith and Williamson.

 

[MP2011]

Kohli is at the top.

Across all three formats, he's on another level and it's not even close. The stats blow every other player out of the water.

Smith's record in ODIs and T20Is isn't good enough. He's failed away from home in India, England, NZ, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and even Zimbabwe. That's rubbish and a few knockout performances won't change that.

In comparison, Kohli's lowest ODI average AWAY from home is 45 vs WI. He's on another planet.

Well said. Kohli is still by far the best batsman on this planet.

 

[MP2011]

If we had Smith and Warner during the Test series in Australia India wouldn't have gotten close, Kohli is **** kicker when compared to Smith and Williamson.

Yeah, its Kohli's mistake that both of them are such disgraced cheats!

 

[Madplayer]

People say as if nothing between 2 WCs matter. Well, if they don't, why even play them? Just play WC every 4 years and be done away with.

Its the logic that Indians love to use when people remind them of Pakistan Vs India H2H record. That bilaterals dont matter.

 

[MP2011]

Its the logic that Indians love to use when people remind them of Pakistan Vs India H2H record. That bilaterals dont matter.

Well, I'm not one of those. Pakistan has fully earned their H2H record. We could've got close to their tally during last few years but really, we have only ourselves to blame for that.

 

[Mamoon]

Being remembered more by the masses doesn't mean you are better, or does it?
Smith has achieved much more than Kohli in this decade.

In Tests yes, but not across all formats. Kohli is the #1 batsman of this generation.

 

[spiderreddy]

Kohli is the greatest cricketer of this generation.

 

[austerlitz]

King kohli obviously.This failure will hurt him,a time of terror coming for bowlers.

 

[Mamoon]

A sterling innings by the “greatest player of this generation”.

I think his heroic knock in the World Cup Final has settled it.

 

[Hasan123]

A sterling innings by the “greatest player of this generation”.

I think his heroic knock in the World Cup Final has settled it.

Most of our fans rate Williamson higher than he is due to him performing against us in that test series last year.

 

[Mamoon]

Most of our fans rate Williamson higher than he is due to him performing against us in that test series last year.

It is more down to our refusal to accept that Kohli is the best player of this generation. As a result, any potential competitive is overhyped by our fans.

 

[Hasan123]

It is more down to our refusal to accept that Kohli is the best player of this generation. As a result, any potential competitive is overhyped by our fans.

I have always rated Williamson as a captain even before that UAE series , also he is rated as one of the best players of this generation.

Don't even get why people say he is underrated.

I agree Kohli is the outstanding batter of this generation.

 

[khan_aa]

Yeah exactly this, the usual green tinted hype clan somehow think Kohli is some kind of bottle job because of his failings in semi finals, but he's no choker as evident from the knocks he played in the 2011 WC final and 2013 CT final.

He's done more than enough to seal his status as an ATG. Just needs a WC to surpass Ponting, Tendulkar and Sir Viv.

he scored in 18 in WC 2011 final chasing as a middle order batsman.
thats a choke.

 

[Mamoon]

I have always rated Williamson as a captain even before that UAE series , also he is rated as one of the best players of this generation.

Don't even get why people say he is underrated.

I agree Kohli is the outstanding batter of this generation.

I agree he is not underrated. Those who whine about it want him to have the same stature as Kohli, but that won’t and shouldn’t happen because Kohli is comfortably a superior all-round batsman.

 

[Hasan123]

he scored in 18 in WC 2011 final chasing as a middle order batsman.
thats a choke.

He scored 35.

 

[Hasan123]

I agree he is not underrated. Those who whine about it want him to have the same stature as Kohli, but that won’t and shouldn’t happen because Kohli is comfortably a superior all-round batsman.

I agree Kohli is a better batter.

I think Steve Smith is a better batter than Williamson. He's dominated a series in India. Also has match winning knocks in South Africa, England,and New Zealand. Not to mention his 2015 WC.

Smith is mentally strong and I think he bat at a better pace than Williamson.

I'll take Steve Smith over Kane Williamson.

 

[Dead Ball]

Two players who love to perform on the biggest stage, in difficult conditions, and when the chips are down.

Very tough for me to decide who is the greatest player of this generation. Your views?

Kane Williamson who loves to perform on the biggest stage , in difficult conditions, and when the chips are down averages 29.7 in seven WC knockout matches

I love Kane but the way he is hyped on this forum makes you feel he is the second coming of Viv Richards...

 

[AdamM97]

Neither of them, Kohli is the best batsman atm. Smith has not been the same since getting banned.

 

[Mamoon]

Neither of them, Kohli is the best batsman atm. Smith has not been the same since getting banned.

Smith was struggling in ODIs before he got banned and he has continued on that front. He needs to change his approach in ODIs, but I am sure he will still be as prolific as ever in Tests.

 

[AdamM97]

Smith was struggling in ODIs before he got banned and he has continued on that front. He needs to change his approach in ODIs, but I am sure he will still be as prolific as ever in Tests.

Maybe, but he's regressed even more after his ban.
I think Smith was the #1 ranked batsman in ODIs back in 2017 if i'm not wrong.

 

[Mamoon]

Maybe, but he's regressed even more after his ban.
I think Smith was the #1 ranked batsman in ODIs back in 2017 if i'm not wrong.

He had a rut in 2017-2018, badly failed against England in the home series too. However, he is a class player and he will get back to his best eventually.

 

[topspin]

he scored in 18 in WC 2011 final chasing as a middle order batsman.
thats a choke.

Actually he scored a vital knock of 35, when India looked down for the count at 31/2 (chasing 275), following Malinga's early wickets of Tendulkar and Sehwag.

 

[big_gamer007]

Smith is the best batsmen.
Kohli is the bigger brand.

 

[satheesh]

not a big supporter of this prematurely bestowing tags like 'the best' .This is because that would be decided only once after all of them retires.

But as of now , it is Kohli ....then Smith , Williamson,Root in that order

 

[Leeon1994]

Kane Williamson for me. He actually made it possible for his team to reach the semi final.

After this WC my rating is currently:

Williamson
Smith
Root
Kohli

 

[Mercurial]

Virat Kohli is the number 1 in this generation.

 

[Ab Fan]

It remains as:-

Kohli
Smith
Williamson
Root(Root goes up if he plays a 70 odd inning today)

 

[khan_aa]

He scored 35.

sure, congratulations.
97 gambhir, 91 dhoni, kohli 35. great matchwinning innings by kohli.

 

[Hasan123]

sure, congratulations.
97 gambhir, 91 dhoni, kohli 35. great matchwinning innings by kohli.

You needed correcting. If you want to call someone a choker have the facts.

 

[khan_aa]

You needed correcting. If you want to call someone a choker have the facts.

You forgot the comma after 'choker' and before 'have' in your sentence.
There, you needed correcting also.

Thanks.

 

[Hasan123]

You forgot the comma after 'choker' and before 'have' in your sentence.
There, you needed correcting also.

Thanks.

Well done . You can spell.

 

[khan_aa]

Well done . You can spell.

Thanks, it's really not that difficult of a skill to learn.
Too bad, you cant. Nor can you space sentences properly as exemplified above.
Nor can you argue on reason. That's the bigger issue.

Good luck next time.

 

[Hasan123]

Thanks, it's really not that difficult of a skill to learn.
Too bad, you cant. Nor can you space sentences properly as exemplified above.
Nor can you argue on reason. That's the bigger issue.

Good luck next time.

You don't even know basic facts. Just go around and calling people things without the correct information.

Not so clever yourself.

 

[Ram Shekhar]

The greatest player of this generation is Dale Steyn.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

I see soo many bitter kohli fans (read kohli worshipers) getting upset how Kane Williamson has led an underdog NZ team to a WC final and now due to his brilliant captaincy on the verge of winning the final. Plus his 30 today when conditions were extremely tough made it possible for NZ to have a respectable total. Others like Root and Morgan struggled badly and couldn't even cross 20.


P. S: Greatest player of this generation doesn't equate to greatest batsman. Silly!

 

[ARK Rafay]

Kohli

 

[Suleiman]

Virat Kohli.

 

[Ab Fan]

Kohli
Smith
Williamson
Root

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Williamson is not better than Kohli. He's simply not dynamic enough.

Smith and Kohli are neck and neck. If Smith shows more consistency in ODIs, then he takes the throne without any arguments.

 

[The Viper]

Williamson is not better than Kohli. He's simply not dynamic enough.

Smith and Kohli are neck and neck. If Smith shows more consistency in ODIs, then he takes the throne without any arguments.

Williamson is an amazing player. He proved it during the WC. But I would still put Kohli and Smith ahead of him. His test record has some holes such as his average in India, SA and England.

 

[Joseph Gomes]

Smith and Kohli are equal across formats. Williamson is awesome but he is far from perfect. His test stats is not good in many away countries, and he's average I'm bilateral ODIs and WT20. Better than Root but below both Kohli and Smith.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Is this a joke.

Kane Williamson's best format is test and even in that fornat he is inferior to kohli.

I am ok with people rating smith higher but kane williamson isn't anywhere close to kohli all formats combined.

 

[Pakhs]

If Kohli was Pakistani with the exact same performances and Smith was Indian with the exact same performances, would PPers call Smith the best batsman of this generation?

No matter how hard we try, the fact is that Kohli is the greatest player of his generation and the 2010 era will be remembered for him not Smith or Williamson.

some mental scaring i see - Pakistani fans can actually be neutral in this case. And even if they did call kholi the greatest player it would just mean they are biased.

Average of 60 plus and over 6k runs you dont forget about that. You may forget about someone who is averaging 50s as there have been few other who averaged 50. But to average 60 his is the only one after bradman.

You also cant argue with his stats of scoring 50 plus in every knock out game he played.

 

[Mamoon]

Kane “best batsman of this generation” Williamson averages in 20s and 30s in three major Test countries (England, India and South Africa) and has only 1 half-century in 6-7 knockout matches in ODIs.

Only a Sarfraz fan can pull off a stunt like this.

 

[Pakhs]

Smith and Kohli are equal across formats. Williamson is awesome but he is far from perfect. His test stats is not good in many away countries, and he's average I'm bilateral ODIs and WT20. Better than Root but below both Kohli and Smith.

Is this a joke.

Kane Williamson's best format is test and even in that fornat he is inferior to kohli.

I am ok with people rating smith higher but kane williamson isn't anywhere close to kohli all formats combined.

Smith is the greatest of this generation and possibly the greatest ever. Average of 60 plus with over 6k runs plus 50 plus score in every knock out game. Really there is no way of arguing with that.

 

[Hitman]

It’s much like creating a thread asking who’s the best batsman of his generation - Lara or Ponting?

We all know why this particular thread was created and with what motive. No wonder it was a Pak fan who created this thread.

 

[Mamoon]

some mental scaring i see - Pakistani fans can actually be neutral in this case. And even if they did call kholi the greatest player it would just mean they are biased.

Average of 60 plus and over 6k runs you dont forget about that. You may forget about someone who is averaging 50s as there have been few other who averaged 50. But to average 60 his is the only one after bradman.

You also cant argue with his stats of scoring 50 plus in every knock out game he played.

Smith is an outstanding batsman and on his way to becoming the GOAT Test batsman, but he doesn’t have a bigger profile than Kohli. He is simply not as good as him across all formats.

There are several batsmen ahead of him in ODIs and T20Is, but he is the only batsman ahead of Kohli in Tests.

Smith will be remembered as the best batsman of this generation only by Test purists and they are in the teeny tiny minority. The majority will remember the 2010 era for Kohli, and even de Villiers is bigger than Smith.

 

[Pakhs]

It’s much like creating a thread asking who’s the best batsman of his generation - Lara or Ponting?

We all know why this particular thread was created and with what motive. No wonder it was a Pak fan who created this thread.

Bro its his opinion - While I dont agree with it but Kholi stocks are down at the moment due to a poor WC. I remember there was many threads hailing kholi and how he will score 1k run in the WC etc and most Pak fans were backing him to do that.

The threads are irrelevant now tbh - Smith has put clear daylight between himself and the rest.

 

[Pakhs]

Smith is an outstanding batsman and on his way to becoming the GOAT Test batsman, but he doesn’t have a bigger profile than Kohli. He is simply not as good as him across all formats.

There are several batsmen ahead of him in ODIs and T20Is, but he is the only batsman ahead of Kohli in Tests.

Smith will be remembered as the best batsman of this generation only by Test purists and they are in the teeny tiny minority. The majority will remember the 2010 era for Kohli, and even de Villiers is bigger than Smith.

You have a point but even in ODIs Smith has scored 50 plus in every knock out game he has played. Someone people here consider T20 runs over tests but that doesnt matter who is more popular doesn't matter. What matters is Smith is the best ever after Bradman as of now unless he has a big low he will surpass lara and SRT.

 

[Ab Fan]

This will be an era of Smith vs Kohli comparison.

Kane is more like Dravid, will be a more likeable and a respected cricketer but not the greatest player of the generation.

 

[Mamoon]

You have a point but even in ODIs Smith has scored 50 plus in every knock out game he has played. Someone people here consider T20 runs over tests but that doesnt matter who is more popular doesn't matter. What matters is Smith is the best ever after Bradman as of now unless he has a big low he will surpass lara and SRT.

Performing in knockouts enhances a career but doesn’t make one. Even G. Elliott probably has a half-century in every knockout that he has played.

Smith has no doubt done very well in big games but he is 30 and has only 8 centuries. That is a nothing record, and his ODI game seems to be regressing as well.

 

[Pakhs]

Performing in knockouts enhances a career but doesn’t make one. Even G. Elliott probably has a half-century in every knockout that he has played.

Smith has no doubt done very well in big games but he is 30 and has only 8 centuries. That is a nothing record, and his ODI game seems to be regressing as well.

HAHA lol at bringing F Elliot in this conversation. Smith is WC winner with a great WC record comparable to the best. Kholi has under performed in big games which are shown on TV all the time and thats what the future generations will see nobody watches bilateral series matches of even one year ago.

Kholi is a great player him but Smith is the greatest batsman after bradman and he is getting better.

 

[Hitman]

HAHA lol at bringing F Elliot in this conversation. Smith is WC winner with a great WC record comparable to the best. Kholi has under performed in big games which are shown on TV all the time and thats what the future generations will see nobody watches bilateral series matches of even one year ago.

Kholi is a great player him but Smith is the greatest batsman after bradman and he is getting better.

Let him first play 100 Tests. It’s premature to call him the best Test batsman after Bradman because he still has a long way to go. As of now he is a magnificent Test batsman.