Hitman
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Christopher Martin Jenkins - http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...topher-Martin-Jenkins-100-greatest-cricketers
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[VIDEOS] Imran Khan is the greatest cricketer ever
- Thread starter saadsahabjee
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Christopher Martin Jenkins - http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...topher-Martin-Jenkins-100-greatest-cricketers
Technics 1210
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He lost the chance in 2000 when he blatantly lied during the match-fixing investigation of 90s. He claimed he didn't see or hear a thing despite practically living in the Indian dressing room during the 90s.
Hitman
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What's hilarious is the Imran Khan's own contemporary David Gower places Sachin Tendulkar at #3 while he places Imran Khan at #11 in his list of 50 Greatest Cricketers of All Time.
Hitman
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That's your assumption, not the truth. I too can claim that Imran Khan lost all credibility when he himself confessed in his book that he used bottle caps to tamper with the ball to steal wickets.
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Another millennial who doesn't know the truth.
Botham and Lamb accused IK of ball tampering/cheating, and IK took them to caught and won.
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news...el-case-victory-could-cost-cricketers-500000/
Botham and Lamb accused IK of ball tampering/cheating, and IK took them to caught and won.
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news...el-case-victory-could-cost-cricketers-500000/
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Ball tampering at that time was considered to be agsint the spirit of the game. Today it is classified as cheating. You cannot apply the law retrospectively.
Hitman
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And what about when the person himself admits to using bottle caps to tamper with the ball in his own book? That's coming straight from the horse's mouth. Is there any conspiracy there as well?
BTW, you seem to have no reply on those lists I provided. Those lists weren't complied by random jealous Indian fans.The most hilarious things is that Sachin Tendulkar was rated a better cricketer than Imran Khan back in 2001 (ESPN Legends of Cricket), when he was just halfway through his career. And that list was compiled not by a jealous Indian fan, but by 25 highly qualified people that included former greats of the game and cricket pundits.
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Technics 1210
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The most hillarious thing was Sachin was caught ball tampering (along with Dravid sadly).
We know the rest.
There is no doubt Sachin was protected by the BCCI. To put this into perspective - it was Gavaskar who first broke the 10000 test run barrier, AND Bradman's 29 centuries record. Sunny received no recognition.
Anyway, no point explaining this to users who were not born then.
We know the rest.
There is no doubt Sachin was protected by the BCCI. To put this into perspective - it was Gavaskar who first broke the 10000 test run barrier, AND Bradman's 29 centuries record. Sunny received no recognition.
Anyway, no point explaining this to users who were not born then.
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Oh I forgot. Given Sachin's claims of 'see no evil hear no evil' during the 90s - the peak of Sachin - the entire cricketing world (barring India) knew something wasn't right.
As a result Kapil Dev was awarded Indian cricketer of the 20th century by Wisden.
As a result Kapil Dev was awarded Indian cricketer of the 20th century by Wisden.
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Thanks. David Gower is the only ex cricketer of these. You said many ex cricketers
Hitman
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Look, I have my highest regards for Imran Khan both as a cricketer and a politician. Just because I consider one of my own to be a better cricketer doesn't mean I have little regards for him. I still consider him to be the second greatest cricketer from Asia, and a giant.
I'm sorry if any poster was offended at my previous posts.
I'm sorry if any poster was offended at my previous posts.
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I think the cricketing world needs to redefine what they mean by "greatest cricketer", I feel like the current definitions most cricket fans and analysts think of is outdated.
Imran was a great cricketer, however some Pakistanis do hero worship and over state his abilities as a cricketer and politician.
We must remember that as his batting abilities improved, his bowling declined. He wasnt a single handed match winner like for example botham, flintoff or stokes. Imran always had good support arguably the best support. In the bowling department he had sarfraz nawaz, abdul qadir then waqar younis, wasim akram and mushtaq ahmad.
In terms of batting he had zaheer abbas, the great javed, and inzimam.
I think imran benefitted from the revival of cricket that took place in Pakistan during the 80s, departmental cricket in Pakistan produced some of our best cricketers and he utilised them well.
Lets not forget he won the 92 world cup after a 3rd attempt as world cup captain. He had the services of players that can only be considered as legends during that time.
So a great no doubt but not the greatest.
We must remember that as his batting abilities improved, his bowling declined. He wasnt a single handed match winner like for example botham, flintoff or stokes. Imran always had good support arguably the best support. In the bowling department he had sarfraz nawaz, abdul qadir then waqar younis, wasim akram and mushtaq ahmad.
In terms of batting he had zaheer abbas, the great javed, and inzimam.
I think imran benefitted from the revival of cricket that took place in Pakistan during the 80s, departmental cricket in Pakistan produced some of our best cricketers and he utilised them well.
Lets not forget he won the 92 world cup after a 3rd attempt as world cup captain. He had the services of players that can only be considered as legends during that time.
So a great no doubt but not the greatest.
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Imran Khan as Pakistan's Test captain:
48 matches
2,408 runs @ 52.34, 5 100s
187 wickets @ 20.26, 12 5-fors
48 matches
2,408 runs @ 52.34, 5 100s
187 wickets @ 20.26, 12 5-fors
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His career stats are jadeja level.
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Bilal7
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Incredible. Averaged over 50 with the bat and under 20 with the ball for over 10 years, while also being a world-class ODI player and one of the greatest captains of all-time.
On an off the field, Imran Khan is objectively the greatest cricketer of all-time.
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Your intellect is monke-level.
Just outrageous. Educated, suave, champion and a leader. No one like him. People always think one man can't have it all. He did
Bigboii
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Bigboii
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Let's put it this way. If Babar Azam is getting paid a decent amount of money now it's because of Sachin Tendulkar.
Sachin was THE box office and his rise coincided with the rise of middle class in India and the age of monstrous television rights. Massive money came into cricket and the cricket mad nation consumed the content because of only one guy - Tendulkar.
Good business sense capitalized on it and the massive rights for ICC tournaments are the major source of income for boards like PCB which can't host India. Most of the money being doled out to other boards is because of India and the popularity of the game there.
became a Pm and speaks(not do..
Many thought "One man can't have it all" when he couldn't win the elections initially. He nailed that too. People dream of one of these things and most can't do even one -studying at Oxford, become a fast bowler, become a batsman, be a playboy, make good money, win a world cup, build a cancer hospital, become a PM. Each of those is an outlandish dream and he achieved it all. He would have been a leader with massive following in any country with that charisma and accomplishments.
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Adam Gilchrist is the greatest modern day cricketer of the last 50 years. After Bradman, Gilchrist is the only cricketer to have an undisputed claim of being the greatest at what he did(WK batsman)(cloasely followed by warne in leg spin). He till this day, remains the yardstick of WC all around the globe. Amazing that we got to see two of the GOATs play in the same team along with Mcgrath who also is among the top 3 bowlers of all time.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OnThisDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OnThisDay</a> in 1971. Imran Khan made his Test debut versus England at Edgbaston. The brilliant all-rounder played 88 Tests, scoring 3807 runs and took 362 wickets in a career that lasted over 20 years <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <br>(Video of course is not from his debut) <a href="https://t.co/EAThSoEBdo">pic.twitter.com/EAThSoEBdo</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1400373383364218880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Harsh Thakor
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Today we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Imran stepping his first foot into the arena of test cricket, at Edgbaston cricket ground in Birmingham.
The current prime minster of Pakistan Imran Khan, was arguably the most charismatic and impactful cricketer of modern times. He may not have equalled the towering or staggering statistics of Sachin Tendulkar ,Jacques Kallis ,Shane Warne or Glen Mcgrath, nor exuded the genius of Wasim Akram or Brian Lara. However in my view none of them equalled Imran's sheer grit, determination, aggression or temperament. No cricketer contributed more to shape the destiny of nation's fortunes like Imran who reminded one of a great military marshall.Imran virtually gave Pakistani cricket a new dimension. It is hard to describe the magnitude of Imran;s intensity on a cricket field who revealed the agression of a tiger. He simply made everything around look as though revolving around him. In full flow Imran was simply a colossus, who dictated proceedings like few cricketers ever. At his best Imran virtually lit a cricketing stadium, like an inferno. In full flow Imran was an incarnate of a Muhammad Ali,radiating an energy in surreal or mythical proportions. His feats on a cricket field were truly mythical.Imran infused an almost divinic energy into Pakistan cricket by knitting a scattered bunch of talented individuals into a most coherent force, which could challenge any great team in the history of the game.
Imran pioneered what came to be known as reverse swing and was the precursor of the later magical art developed by Wasim Akram and Waqar younus.Arguably at his best he was the finest exponent of the inswinger and the fastest bowler in the world. His bouncer could also be lethal. Till his time no paceman ever bowled as well or effectively as Imran on flat pancakes of the sub-continent. As a batsman he had sound defensive technique who on his day could even go on a hitting spree.
Unlike Wasim Akram,,Viv Richards ,Sachin Tendulkar or Ian Botham Imran was not as naturally gifted. He had to work very hard on every aspect of his game and till 1976 looked an ordinary cricketer
.It was at Sydney in 1976-77 that Imran flashed his brilliance for the first time when capturing 6-63 and 6-102, and enabling Pakistan to win their 1st test and draw their 1st ever rubber on Australian soil. Few combined spells ever in the history of test cricket were more impactful or took cricketing ferocity to such a magnitude. No Asian bowler displayed such electrifying speed, or such sustained agression before.
Later in 1977 in West Indies he captured 25 wickets against the best of batting line ups.Pakistan all but drew that hard fought series, with Imran at his dazzling best in Kingston and Trinidad I can't forget ho w he even perplexed the great Viv Richards with his inswing.
In Kerry Packer supertests from 1977-78 Imran captured 25 scalps and was comparable to the likes of Dennis Lillee and Andy Roberts.Memories of his dimissing Greg Chappell still flash in my mind in the supertest final in 1978.Imran's sheer hostility trouble the likes of Viv Richards or the Chappell brothers. In that era he was the third fastest bowler in the world.
In 1978-79 against India his 14 wickets played a major role in Pakistan's first series win ever against India. His barrage of sixes in the mandatory too played a key role in Pakistan winning the 3rd test at Karachi.
In 1980 against West Indies at Lahore,Imran scored his 1st century. Earlier he did reveal his talents with the bat, but now proved himself as a consummate cricketer overall. He resurrected Pakistan from dire straits at 95-5 to reach a 300+ total, and save the game. We got no better glimpses here of Imran's character as a batsman, when the ship was sinking. He also bowled with telling effect in the 4 test series overall.
In 1981-82 in Australia arguably Imran emerged as the best fast bowler in the world. At times he may have bowled almost as quickly as Jeff Thomson .Although he had no 5 wicket hauls ,he was an epitome of consistency as a fast bowler with 16 scalps at an average of under 20.Deserving he won the man of the series, as he also scored a match-winning 70 at Melbourne.
The English summer of 1982 virtually gave a new birth to Imran who was appointed as captain for the 1st time.Imran brilliantly knit a bunch of talented youngsters into a binding force, tapping their talent to the fullest. Rarely have I ever seen a cricketer lead so much from the front and take all-round crick ting skill to such a superlative height. Arguably no paceman at such a sustained pace swung a ball in so much Imran captured 21 wickets at an average of 18,53 and scored 318 runs at an average of 53.His 7-52 at Edgbaston and 5-49 at Leeds ,in nine in ten situations should have won games, which his team unfortunately lost. Bad umpiring cost Pakistan the series at Leeds where Imran scoring 75 not out and 46 and taking 5-49 and 3-66.single-handedly steered the ship like few cricketers ever.Imran led Pakistan to their 1st ever test win at Lords in that series, where his handling of spin wizard Abdul Qadir was exemplary.I can't forget Imran blaze away on the last session of the fourth day after England looked coasting home to their target of 219 runs to win. at 189-3.Imran created the impact of a hurricane emerging on a summer day when trapping both Mike Gatting and Derek Randall and putting Pakistan back into contention. In that series Imran overshadowed the great English allrounder Ian Botham.
In 1982 he started the season with bang, being a model of consistency in taking 14 wickets in a 3 test series against Australia. However it was against India in 1982-83 that Imran took cricketing prowess or achievements to a magnitude rarely scaled. In capturing 40 wickets at 13.95 in 6 tests matches Imran took the art of blending pace with swing in metaphysical proportions. Never had I seen a pace bowler move a ball so much at such sustained speed as Imran at Karachi in the 2nd test when he blew out the Indian middle order taking 5 wickets for 3 runs. His dismissals of Gavaskar whom he dismissed breaking through his gate and Vishwanath who shouldered arms to a ball which shattered his stumps rank amongst the most classical dismissals ever in test cricket. Later he shattered the gate of both Sandeep Patil and Kapil Dev.No doubt he benefited from Mohinder Amarnath being wrongly adjudged leg before who was in top form, with Dilip Vengsarkar surviving the spell. At Hyderabad Imran virtually ressurected this effort taking 5 wickets for eight runs. Rarely in cricket have I seen spells which have ripped the flesh of a batting line up, with such degree of intensity. Nor have I seen times when the spirits possessed a bowler more. He also scored a century at Faisalabad in that series where he also took 11 wickets. His batting average was remarkable 61 in that series.
Sadly his career suffered due to a shin injury which prevented him from bowling in the 1983 world cup bad a couple of test series till 1985. Still ha remarkably averaged above 70 with the bat in the 1983 world cup with century that ressurected his team from the grave against Sril Lanka and enabled Pakistan to qualify for the semi-finals.In Australia in 1983-84 he scored a couple of fifties with exemplary skill at Melbourne and Sydney.
In 1986 in a home series against West Indies he came back to hi s best taking 18 wickets .including match-winning six wicket spell in the 1st test. Even if not at his fastest Imran displayed spill of the highest virtuosity, causing great discomfort to great batsman. Above all Pakistan drew a rubber against the best team in the world.
In 1987 on tour of India although not so effective with the ball .his batting was consistency personified, which played an important role in shaping Pakistan’s first ever test series win in India. At Bangalore but for Imran's rearguard effort to salvage his team with the bat, Pakistan would never have achieved their glory, with a 16 run win.Imran also led India to facile 5-1 victory in the ODI series.
Imran was a revelation in the 1987 English summer where his bowling and leadership, enabled Pakistan to win their first ever series on English soil. His 10-77 at Leeds .including magic 5 wicket spell on the third day of the test defined or illustrated the art of swing bowling at its highest scale. Even if at fast -medium Imran perfectly exploited the seaming conditions. His -6-129 later at Edgbaston was praiseworthy and his 118 at the Oval. Above all I never saw a skipper since Ian Chappell in 1971 lead team so astutely as Imran here, who marshalled his resources like a military commander.Imran captured 21 wickets at average of around 20 and averaged over 50 as a batsman which was remarkable.
In the 1987 Reliance world cup he bowled as well as ever taking 17 scalps at a most economical average ,but sadly pressure took its toll on Pakistan in the semi-final.Neverthless Imran made a fighting 58,which all but won a game for his team who were earlier trapped in dire straits.
After announcing his retirement Imran heroically came back in the 1988 series in West Indies, which was billed the unofficial world test championship .Ironically, he bowled better than he ever did in his career taking 23 wickets. At Georgetown he captured 7-80 and 4 wickets in the 2nd innings which won the test for Pakistan. In Trinidad in the 2nd test he captured 9 wickets, which all but won the match for his side. I can't forget how explosive he was in the 2nd innings, when negating of an lbw shout of Viv Richards robbed Pakistan of a win. In the final test at Barbados bad umpiring robbed Pakistan of the glory of becoming the 1st team to beat West Indies in West Indies since Australia in 1972-73 ,and the unofficial world test championship.Imran got the best out of Javed Miandad,Abdul Qadir and Wasim Akram to bring Pakistan within the skin of the teeth of their first series victory in West Indies.. Never have I seen a pace bowler at such an age or cricketer, taking competitively to such a scale or galvanise energy in such proportions.
After 1988 Imran was never at his best with the ball but became a world class batsman. Till 1992 from 1988 he averaged above 60 with the bat, including a 136 at Adelaide in 1989-90 and match-saving fifties in New Zealand in 1989 and at home against West Indies in 1990.Although not so dazzling or dynamic,Imran exhibited high technical skill,and was ever consistent. His batting played an important part in Pakistan winning the Nehru Cup ODI tournament in 1989 in India. Few batsman displayed as much concentration or application of Imran then.
In the 1992 world cup it was Imran who ressurected Pakistan from the grave to reach the pinnacle of glory.Imran's phenomenal consistency with the bat, including a 72 in the final played an instrumental part. I don't have a word to describe how Imran galvanised his troops who were a battered army in the first part of the tournament. It was the mental tenacity and resiliency of Imran that created the sensation of a 360 degree turn of plot in a Hollywood epic. Without Imran's tutelage Inzamam Ul Haq could never have scored his dazzling,match-winning 60 in the semi-final. I doubt anyone could have ever infuse a spirit in team as Imran did in his players.
Imran retired in 1992 taking 362 wickets in 88 tests at an average of 22.81 and scoring 3807 run s at an average of 37.69 .In ODI’s he had 182 scalps at an average of 26.61 and scored 3709 runs at an average of 33.41.His test bowling strike rate was 53.6.In test matches won he averaged less than 14 runs with the ball.
Amongst great all-rounders I would never place Imran as the equal of the great Sir Garfield Sobers, but still a strong contender for runner up spot. Without hesitation Sobers for me would still be the greatest ever, if you asess diversity, genius and contribution.
With a gun on my head as a pure all-rounder I would give Imran the joint runner up berth with Ian Botham,when raking the greatest allrounders ever in order of merit. Jacques Kallis and Keith Miller would come a whisker behind. Kallis has the greatest statistics scoring over 13,000 runs and taking almost 300 scalps, but would not win or turn matches in the manner of Botham ,Imran or even Miller. Keith Miller was more outstanding in terms of consistency with both ball and bat ,but did not play cricket at such a scale as those after the 1970's.What marginally went against Imran was that he was not at his best ,unlike Sobers ,Miller and Botham, with both bat and ball and in peak era was mainly fast bowler. The likes of Botham, Miller and Kapil Dev were more flamboyant with the bat.
To me from 1981-1987 Imran was the best all-rounder in the world. No all-rounder equalled the contribution of Imran as a skipper ever. In his era Imran competed with the likes of Kapil Dev, Ian Botham and Richard Hadlee. On 2 occasions he won his battle with rival Ian Botham, in 1982 and 1987.
In my view for the title of the best all-rounder after Gary Sobers it was a virtual dead heat between Botham and Imran .Ian Botham captured 383 wickets and scored 5200 runs at an average of 33.54, with 14 centuries. In his peak from 1977-82 Ian Botham was the best, if you asess the 1980 Jubilee test and 1981 Ashes. Botham captured 5 wickets and scored a century in a test match on 5 occassions,which no cricketer ever did. No cricketer also so single-handedly ressurected a team from the grave like Botham in the 1981 Ashes when scoring an unbeaten 149 or taking five wickets for one run. With both bat and ball at his best in games and series Botham overshadowed Imran.However it was Imran who was the greater model of consistency. Imran was the better fast bowler, although I rate Botham the slightly better batsman, being more flamboyant and a better fielder. Botham was more explosive with the bat but Imran more responsible. As a skipper Imran was vastly superior.Imran also was the best pace bowling performer against West Indies, against whom Botham was hardly very effective. Still in that era amongst the all-rounders I would rank Richard Hadlee as the best bowler ,who had 432 scalps in mere 86 tests at an average of 22.29.Overall as a cricketer Imran would win my vote over Botham,because of captaincy. Noteworthy that in his time Imran bowled better against the strong West Indies team than any bowler. Possibly being fast bowling all-rounder Imran was a more suitable choice to accompany the great Gary Sobers in an all-time XI,but it is all subjective.
I would rate Imran Khan the best captain of his time, who motivated his players better than any skipper. He was not as astute a tactician as Mike Brearley or Ian Chappell as he displayed in the 1982 test at Edgbaston and the 1987 test at Oval, where he could not enable Pakistan to deliver the final knockout punch.Neverthless he galvanised a bunch of scattered individuals into a world champion team. Under Imran from 1987-1991 Pakistan were arguably one of test cricket's most formidable team sever .Imran also led Pakistan to winning their first world cup in 1992 ,in addition to an Australasia cup in 1986 and a Nehru cup win in India in 1989.What eluded Imran was a test series win in Australia as morally Pakistan were the winners in 1988 in West Indies., when dubious umpiring robbed them of glory.
Purely as a fast bowler statistically Imran Khan was arguably the best ever in peak era from 1981-87 with an average of around 17 runs and strike rate of around 38 balls per wicket. Overall amongst all-time great fast bowlers in light of pure figures in test cricket Imran would rank only behind Richard Hadlee, Malcolm Marshall,Glen Mcgrath,Curtly Ambrose ,Dennis Lillee and Dale Steyn.Weighing all factors in my view Imran would rank around eight place amongst the best fast bowlers ever. By a whisker I would rate Wasim Akram ahead of Imran as a fast bowler, taking into account ODI performances.Imran had a better test record, but Wasim had more all-round skill, with the ability of moving the ball in and out. I must mention that against the best team ever, West Indies, Imran had the best record amongst pacemen of his day. What prevented Imran from joining the top 5 06 pace bowler of all time was his comparative strike rate which was 53.6 .It is purely hypothetitical whether Imran would have had a more impressive record had he not missed out due to injury g from 1983-83.
Personally I would rank Imran at eighth place overall amongst cricketers of all time. Only WG Grace, Gary Sobers, Jack Hobbs, Sachin Tendulkar, Don Bradman, Shane Warne and Viv Richards ranked ahead of Imran in my view. Late Cristopher Martin Jenkins placed Imran at 13th place amongst all-time great cricketers. David Gower paced Imran at 11th place in his book of 50 greatest cricketers.Australian cricket historian Geoff Armstrong placed Imran at fifth position, ahead of even Jack Hobbs,Viv Richards, SachinTendulkar ,Brian Lara or Malcolm Marshall. In my view Tendulkar’s longevity, Viv Richards intimidatory impact ,and Shane Warne’s magical match-winning wizardly gave them the edge over Imran by a whisker.
By a whisker Imran would miss out on my all-time test World XI. By a whisker I would prefer Wasim Akram, Richard Hadlee or Glen Mcgrath in my 1st XI. Amongst former cricketers Richie Benaud,Bob Willis ,Merv Hughes Malcolm Marshall, Ravi Shastri, Dilip Vengsarkar, Syed Kirmani,Kapil Dev chose Imran Khan in their all-time test XI.Wisden placed him their 2nd all-time team and not in the 1st XI,preferring stalwarts like Marshall, Lillee and Wasim.For most of the ex-Pakistan players Imran was an absolutely unanimous choice, apart from the legendary Zaheeer Abbas who chose Hadlee,Lillee and Wasim. Overall 21 former. Cricketers chose Imran in their all-time XI.Notable that the majority were Asian .Only 3 non Asian cricketers selected Imran.
Imran rated Viv Richards as the best batsman he ever bowled to, followed by Sunil Gavaskar and Ian Chappell.He rates Michael Holding and Wasim Akram as his best ever fast bowlers. and Ian Chappell as his best ever skipper.
The current prime minster of Pakistan Imran Khan, was arguably the most charismatic and impactful cricketer of modern times. He may not have equalled the towering or staggering statistics of Sachin Tendulkar ,Jacques Kallis ,Shane Warne or Glen Mcgrath, nor exuded the genius of Wasim Akram or Brian Lara. However in my view none of them equalled Imran's sheer grit, determination, aggression or temperament. No cricketer contributed more to shape the destiny of nation's fortunes like Imran who reminded one of a great military marshall.Imran virtually gave Pakistani cricket a new dimension. It is hard to describe the magnitude of Imran;s intensity on a cricket field who revealed the agression of a tiger. He simply made everything around look as though revolving around him. In full flow Imran was simply a colossus, who dictated proceedings like few cricketers ever. At his best Imran virtually lit a cricketing stadium, like an inferno. In full flow Imran was an incarnate of a Muhammad Ali,radiating an energy in surreal or mythical proportions. His feats on a cricket field were truly mythical.Imran infused an almost divinic energy into Pakistan cricket by knitting a scattered bunch of talented individuals into a most coherent force, which could challenge any great team in the history of the game.
Imran pioneered what came to be known as reverse swing and was the precursor of the later magical art developed by Wasim Akram and Waqar younus.Arguably at his best he was the finest exponent of the inswinger and the fastest bowler in the world. His bouncer could also be lethal. Till his time no paceman ever bowled as well or effectively as Imran on flat pancakes of the sub-continent. As a batsman he had sound defensive technique who on his day could even go on a hitting spree.
Unlike Wasim Akram,,Viv Richards ,Sachin Tendulkar or Ian Botham Imran was not as naturally gifted. He had to work very hard on every aspect of his game and till 1976 looked an ordinary cricketer
.It was at Sydney in 1976-77 that Imran flashed his brilliance for the first time when capturing 6-63 and 6-102, and enabling Pakistan to win their 1st test and draw their 1st ever rubber on Australian soil. Few combined spells ever in the history of test cricket were more impactful or took cricketing ferocity to such a magnitude. No Asian bowler displayed such electrifying speed, or such sustained agression before.
Later in 1977 in West Indies he captured 25 wickets against the best of batting line ups.Pakistan all but drew that hard fought series, with Imran at his dazzling best in Kingston and Trinidad I can't forget ho w he even perplexed the great Viv Richards with his inswing.
In Kerry Packer supertests from 1977-78 Imran captured 25 scalps and was comparable to the likes of Dennis Lillee and Andy Roberts.Memories of his dimissing Greg Chappell still flash in my mind in the supertest final in 1978.Imran's sheer hostility trouble the likes of Viv Richards or the Chappell brothers. In that era he was the third fastest bowler in the world.
In 1978-79 against India his 14 wickets played a major role in Pakistan's first series win ever against India. His barrage of sixes in the mandatory too played a key role in Pakistan winning the 3rd test at Karachi.
In 1980 against West Indies at Lahore,Imran scored his 1st century. Earlier he did reveal his talents with the bat, but now proved himself as a consummate cricketer overall. He resurrected Pakistan from dire straits at 95-5 to reach a 300+ total, and save the game. We got no better glimpses here of Imran's character as a batsman, when the ship was sinking. He also bowled with telling effect in the 4 test series overall.
In 1981-82 in Australia arguably Imran emerged as the best fast bowler in the world. At times he may have bowled almost as quickly as Jeff Thomson .Although he had no 5 wicket hauls ,he was an epitome of consistency as a fast bowler with 16 scalps at an average of under 20.Deserving he won the man of the series, as he also scored a match-winning 70 at Melbourne.
The English summer of 1982 virtually gave a new birth to Imran who was appointed as captain for the 1st time.Imran brilliantly knit a bunch of talented youngsters into a binding force, tapping their talent to the fullest. Rarely have I ever seen a cricketer lead so much from the front and take all-round crick ting skill to such a superlative height. Arguably no paceman at such a sustained pace swung a ball in so much Imran captured 21 wickets at an average of 18,53 and scored 318 runs at an average of 53.His 7-52 at Edgbaston and 5-49 at Leeds ,in nine in ten situations should have won games, which his team unfortunately lost. Bad umpiring cost Pakistan the series at Leeds where Imran scoring 75 not out and 46 and taking 5-49 and 3-66.single-handedly steered the ship like few cricketers ever.Imran led Pakistan to their 1st ever test win at Lords in that series, where his handling of spin wizard Abdul Qadir was exemplary.I can't forget Imran blaze away on the last session of the fourth day after England looked coasting home to their target of 219 runs to win. at 189-3.Imran created the impact of a hurricane emerging on a summer day when trapping both Mike Gatting and Derek Randall and putting Pakistan back into contention. In that series Imran overshadowed the great English allrounder Ian Botham.
In 1982 he started the season with bang, being a model of consistency in taking 14 wickets in a 3 test series against Australia. However it was against India in 1982-83 that Imran took cricketing prowess or achievements to a magnitude rarely scaled. In capturing 40 wickets at 13.95 in 6 tests matches Imran took the art of blending pace with swing in metaphysical proportions. Never had I seen a pace bowler move a ball so much at such sustained speed as Imran at Karachi in the 2nd test when he blew out the Indian middle order taking 5 wickets for 3 runs. His dismissals of Gavaskar whom he dismissed breaking through his gate and Vishwanath who shouldered arms to a ball which shattered his stumps rank amongst the most classical dismissals ever in test cricket. Later he shattered the gate of both Sandeep Patil and Kapil Dev.No doubt he benefited from Mohinder Amarnath being wrongly adjudged leg before who was in top form, with Dilip Vengsarkar surviving the spell. At Hyderabad Imran virtually ressurected this effort taking 5 wickets for eight runs. Rarely in cricket have I seen spells which have ripped the flesh of a batting line up, with such degree of intensity. Nor have I seen times when the spirits possessed a bowler more. He also scored a century at Faisalabad in that series where he also took 11 wickets. His batting average was remarkable 61 in that series.
Sadly his career suffered due to a shin injury which prevented him from bowling in the 1983 world cup bad a couple of test series till 1985. Still ha remarkably averaged above 70 with the bat in the 1983 world cup with century that ressurected his team from the grave against Sril Lanka and enabled Pakistan to qualify for the semi-finals.In Australia in 1983-84 he scored a couple of fifties with exemplary skill at Melbourne and Sydney.
In 1986 in a home series against West Indies he came back to hi s best taking 18 wickets .including match-winning six wicket spell in the 1st test. Even if not at his fastest Imran displayed spill of the highest virtuosity, causing great discomfort to great batsman. Above all Pakistan drew a rubber against the best team in the world.
In 1987 on tour of India although not so effective with the ball .his batting was consistency personified, which played an important role in shaping Pakistan’s first ever test series win in India. At Bangalore but for Imran's rearguard effort to salvage his team with the bat, Pakistan would never have achieved their glory, with a 16 run win.Imran also led India to facile 5-1 victory in the ODI series.
Imran was a revelation in the 1987 English summer where his bowling and leadership, enabled Pakistan to win their first ever series on English soil. His 10-77 at Leeds .including magic 5 wicket spell on the third day of the test defined or illustrated the art of swing bowling at its highest scale. Even if at fast -medium Imran perfectly exploited the seaming conditions. His -6-129 later at Edgbaston was praiseworthy and his 118 at the Oval. Above all I never saw a skipper since Ian Chappell in 1971 lead team so astutely as Imran here, who marshalled his resources like a military commander.Imran captured 21 wickets at average of around 20 and averaged over 50 as a batsman which was remarkable.
In the 1987 Reliance world cup he bowled as well as ever taking 17 scalps at a most economical average ,but sadly pressure took its toll on Pakistan in the semi-final.Neverthless Imran made a fighting 58,which all but won a game for his team who were earlier trapped in dire straits.
After announcing his retirement Imran heroically came back in the 1988 series in West Indies, which was billed the unofficial world test championship .Ironically, he bowled better than he ever did in his career taking 23 wickets. At Georgetown he captured 7-80 and 4 wickets in the 2nd innings which won the test for Pakistan. In Trinidad in the 2nd test he captured 9 wickets, which all but won the match for his side. I can't forget how explosive he was in the 2nd innings, when negating of an lbw shout of Viv Richards robbed Pakistan of a win. In the final test at Barbados bad umpiring robbed Pakistan of the glory of becoming the 1st team to beat West Indies in West Indies since Australia in 1972-73 ,and the unofficial world test championship.Imran got the best out of Javed Miandad,Abdul Qadir and Wasim Akram to bring Pakistan within the skin of the teeth of their first series victory in West Indies.. Never have I seen a pace bowler at such an age or cricketer, taking competitively to such a scale or galvanise energy in such proportions.
After 1988 Imran was never at his best with the ball but became a world class batsman. Till 1992 from 1988 he averaged above 60 with the bat, including a 136 at Adelaide in 1989-90 and match-saving fifties in New Zealand in 1989 and at home against West Indies in 1990.Although not so dazzling or dynamic,Imran exhibited high technical skill,and was ever consistent. His batting played an important part in Pakistan winning the Nehru Cup ODI tournament in 1989 in India. Few batsman displayed as much concentration or application of Imran then.
In the 1992 world cup it was Imran who ressurected Pakistan from the grave to reach the pinnacle of glory.Imran's phenomenal consistency with the bat, including a 72 in the final played an instrumental part. I don't have a word to describe how Imran galvanised his troops who were a battered army in the first part of the tournament. It was the mental tenacity and resiliency of Imran that created the sensation of a 360 degree turn of plot in a Hollywood epic. Without Imran's tutelage Inzamam Ul Haq could never have scored his dazzling,match-winning 60 in the semi-final. I doubt anyone could have ever infuse a spirit in team as Imran did in his players.
Imran retired in 1992 taking 362 wickets in 88 tests at an average of 22.81 and scoring 3807 run s at an average of 37.69 .In ODI’s he had 182 scalps at an average of 26.61 and scored 3709 runs at an average of 33.41.His test bowling strike rate was 53.6.In test matches won he averaged less than 14 runs with the ball.
Amongst great all-rounders I would never place Imran as the equal of the great Sir Garfield Sobers, but still a strong contender for runner up spot. Without hesitation Sobers for me would still be the greatest ever, if you asess diversity, genius and contribution.
With a gun on my head as a pure all-rounder I would give Imran the joint runner up berth with Ian Botham,when raking the greatest allrounders ever in order of merit. Jacques Kallis and Keith Miller would come a whisker behind. Kallis has the greatest statistics scoring over 13,000 runs and taking almost 300 scalps, but would not win or turn matches in the manner of Botham ,Imran or even Miller. Keith Miller was more outstanding in terms of consistency with both ball and bat ,but did not play cricket at such a scale as those after the 1970's.What marginally went against Imran was that he was not at his best ,unlike Sobers ,Miller and Botham, with both bat and ball and in peak era was mainly fast bowler. The likes of Botham, Miller and Kapil Dev were more flamboyant with the bat.
To me from 1981-1987 Imran was the best all-rounder in the world. No all-rounder equalled the contribution of Imran as a skipper ever. In his era Imran competed with the likes of Kapil Dev, Ian Botham and Richard Hadlee. On 2 occasions he won his battle with rival Ian Botham, in 1982 and 1987.
In my view for the title of the best all-rounder after Gary Sobers it was a virtual dead heat between Botham and Imran .Ian Botham captured 383 wickets and scored 5200 runs at an average of 33.54, with 14 centuries. In his peak from 1977-82 Ian Botham was the best, if you asess the 1980 Jubilee test and 1981 Ashes. Botham captured 5 wickets and scored a century in a test match on 5 occassions,which no cricketer ever did. No cricketer also so single-handedly ressurected a team from the grave like Botham in the 1981 Ashes when scoring an unbeaten 149 or taking five wickets for one run. With both bat and ball at his best in games and series Botham overshadowed Imran.However it was Imran who was the greater model of consistency. Imran was the better fast bowler, although I rate Botham the slightly better batsman, being more flamboyant and a better fielder. Botham was more explosive with the bat but Imran more responsible. As a skipper Imran was vastly superior.Imran also was the best pace bowling performer against West Indies, against whom Botham was hardly very effective. Still in that era amongst the all-rounders I would rank Richard Hadlee as the best bowler ,who had 432 scalps in mere 86 tests at an average of 22.29.Overall as a cricketer Imran would win my vote over Botham,because of captaincy. Noteworthy that in his time Imran bowled better against the strong West Indies team than any bowler. Possibly being fast bowling all-rounder Imran was a more suitable choice to accompany the great Gary Sobers in an all-time XI,but it is all subjective.
I would rate Imran Khan the best captain of his time, who motivated his players better than any skipper. He was not as astute a tactician as Mike Brearley or Ian Chappell as he displayed in the 1982 test at Edgbaston and the 1987 test at Oval, where he could not enable Pakistan to deliver the final knockout punch.Neverthless he galvanised a bunch of scattered individuals into a world champion team. Under Imran from 1987-1991 Pakistan were arguably one of test cricket's most formidable team sever .Imran also led Pakistan to winning their first world cup in 1992 ,in addition to an Australasia cup in 1986 and a Nehru cup win in India in 1989.What eluded Imran was a test series win in Australia as morally Pakistan were the winners in 1988 in West Indies., when dubious umpiring robbed them of glory.
Purely as a fast bowler statistically Imran Khan was arguably the best ever in peak era from 1981-87 with an average of around 17 runs and strike rate of around 38 balls per wicket. Overall amongst all-time great fast bowlers in light of pure figures in test cricket Imran would rank only behind Richard Hadlee, Malcolm Marshall,Glen Mcgrath,Curtly Ambrose ,Dennis Lillee and Dale Steyn.Weighing all factors in my view Imran would rank around eight place amongst the best fast bowlers ever. By a whisker I would rate Wasim Akram ahead of Imran as a fast bowler, taking into account ODI performances.Imran had a better test record, but Wasim had more all-round skill, with the ability of moving the ball in and out. I must mention that against the best team ever, West Indies, Imran had the best record amongst pacemen of his day. What prevented Imran from joining the top 5 06 pace bowler of all time was his comparative strike rate which was 53.6 .It is purely hypothetitical whether Imran would have had a more impressive record had he not missed out due to injury g from 1983-83.
Personally I would rank Imran at eighth place overall amongst cricketers of all time. Only WG Grace, Gary Sobers, Jack Hobbs, Sachin Tendulkar, Don Bradman, Shane Warne and Viv Richards ranked ahead of Imran in my view. Late Cristopher Martin Jenkins placed Imran at 13th place amongst all-time great cricketers. David Gower paced Imran at 11th place in his book of 50 greatest cricketers.Australian cricket historian Geoff Armstrong placed Imran at fifth position, ahead of even Jack Hobbs,Viv Richards, SachinTendulkar ,Brian Lara or Malcolm Marshall. In my view Tendulkar’s longevity, Viv Richards intimidatory impact ,and Shane Warne’s magical match-winning wizardly gave them the edge over Imran by a whisker.
By a whisker Imran would miss out on my all-time test World XI. By a whisker I would prefer Wasim Akram, Richard Hadlee or Glen Mcgrath in my 1st XI. Amongst former cricketers Richie Benaud,Bob Willis ,Merv Hughes Malcolm Marshall, Ravi Shastri, Dilip Vengsarkar, Syed Kirmani,Kapil Dev chose Imran Khan in their all-time test XI.Wisden placed him their 2nd all-time team and not in the 1st XI,preferring stalwarts like Marshall, Lillee and Wasim.For most of the ex-Pakistan players Imran was an absolutely unanimous choice, apart from the legendary Zaheeer Abbas who chose Hadlee,Lillee and Wasim. Overall 21 former. Cricketers chose Imran in their all-time XI.Notable that the majority were Asian .Only 3 non Asian cricketers selected Imran.
Imran rated Viv Richards as the best batsman he ever bowled to, followed by Sunil Gavaskar and Ian Chappell.He rates Michael Holding and Wasim Akram as his best ever fast bowlers. and Ian Chappell as his best ever skipper.
Ab Fan
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Sir Ravindra Jadeja between 2016-2021:-
Batting average - 46
Bowling average - 24
https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/e...;spanval2=span;template=results;type=allround
globalcitizen
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Are we not going to apply the home/away criteria, non subcontinent countries, green grass cover vs dust pitches criterias now?. Modern cricketers are subjected to those and unless all factors are met they are not good. I wonder what his numbers are without subcontinent, Zimbabwe and use performances?
There was a period where he didn't bowl so it is not really possible to analyze him tbh
BunnyRabbit
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He is one of the best. But the GOAT is Don Bradman.
Ab Fan
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He is a great bowler but not as good as Hadlee, McGrath or Steyn. I reckon his bowling is slightly lower than Wasim but better than Waqar. His batting is good enough though.
Overall, a Kallis like all-rounder in my opinion. Sobers is better than both Imran and Kallis, as Sobers is arguably a top 3-4 batsman of all-time.
Overall, a Kallis like all-rounder in my opinion. Sobers is better than both Imran and Kallis, as Sobers is arguably a top 3-4 batsman of all-time.
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NEW DELHI: Team India head coach Ravi Shastri in his new book 'Stargazing: The players in my life' has rated cricketer-turned-Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan as one of the 'greatest captains the game has ever seen'. Shastri also shared an interesting anecdote of an on-field rivalry that took place between the two in 1987.
"Imran Khan is one of the greatest captains and players the game has seen. Why I hold this view hardly needs qualification. His records speak of itself and if at all further validation is necessary, it comes from the experience of those who played with or against him," Shastri wrote.
Khan played 88 Test matches, 126 innings and scored 3,807 runs at an average of 37.69, including six centuries and 18 fifties. His highest score was 136.
As a bowler, he took 362 wickets in Test cricket, which made him the first Pakistani and world's fourth bowler to do so.
Shastri further said that the first time he saw Imran play was on TV in 1978.
"When India toured Pakistan. He was then making mark as one of the best all-rounders in cricket after a rather slow start to his career.
"When Pakistan came to India the next season, I made sure to get a place in the North Stand at the Wankhede Stadium. Imran's strength was his remarkable control over swing and reverse swing. The steeply curving late swingers or 'indippers' as they were called then, made life hellish for batsmen," he wrote.
Narrating his first meeting with the now Pakistan PM, Shastri wrote, "In 1987, when I was leading the Under-25 team against Pakistan, Imran arrived late to the stadium for the match. He apologised, saying he was stuck in traffic. Fair enough, but he wanted to start bowling straight away, which I wasn't agreeable to as this was against the rules. Sensing the umpires were vacillating, I told them to mind their own business and go by the book. Imran's message to Wasim Akram and the other bowlers in that game was to bounce the sh*t out of me.
"Sometimes later, when we were playing Pakistan in Sharjah, I suddenly got stomach cramps while batting and requested for a runner. Imran refused. We were 100 something for no loss then. I fell in a couple of deliveries. From a solid start, wickets started tumbling and we went on to lose the game chasing a modest 240-odd.
"Imran had not forgotten what I'd done to him earlier and paid back in kind. But while he played it real hard, he left the contest on the field. Off it, he was friendly but reserved, keeping pretty much to himself."
Shastri stated many thought Imran to be "aloof and snobbish; I think he was reserved, and not one to socialise readily".
"Among the four great all-rounders of that era, Imran was the best batsman, technically and temperamentally, according to the situation demanded," he added.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...-me-shastri/articleshow/85874774.cms?from=mdr
"Imran Khan is one of the greatest captains and players the game has seen. Why I hold this view hardly needs qualification. His records speak of itself and if at all further validation is necessary, it comes from the experience of those who played with or against him," Shastri wrote.
Khan played 88 Test matches, 126 innings and scored 3,807 runs at an average of 37.69, including six centuries and 18 fifties. His highest score was 136.
As a bowler, he took 362 wickets in Test cricket, which made him the first Pakistani and world's fourth bowler to do so.
Shastri further said that the first time he saw Imran play was on TV in 1978.
"When India toured Pakistan. He was then making mark as one of the best all-rounders in cricket after a rather slow start to his career.
"When Pakistan came to India the next season, I made sure to get a place in the North Stand at the Wankhede Stadium. Imran's strength was his remarkable control over swing and reverse swing. The steeply curving late swingers or 'indippers' as they were called then, made life hellish for batsmen," he wrote.
Narrating his first meeting with the now Pakistan PM, Shastri wrote, "In 1987, when I was leading the Under-25 team against Pakistan, Imran arrived late to the stadium for the match. He apologised, saying he was stuck in traffic. Fair enough, but he wanted to start bowling straight away, which I wasn't agreeable to as this was against the rules. Sensing the umpires were vacillating, I told them to mind their own business and go by the book. Imran's message to Wasim Akram and the other bowlers in that game was to bounce the sh*t out of me.
"Sometimes later, when we were playing Pakistan in Sharjah, I suddenly got stomach cramps while batting and requested for a runner. Imran refused. We were 100 something for no loss then. I fell in a couple of deliveries. From a solid start, wickets started tumbling and we went on to lose the game chasing a modest 240-odd.
"Imran had not forgotten what I'd done to him earlier and paid back in kind. But while he played it real hard, he left the contest on the field. Off it, he was friendly but reserved, keeping pretty much to himself."
Shastri stated many thought Imran to be "aloof and snobbish; I think he was reserved, and not one to socialise readily".
"Among the four great all-rounders of that era, Imran was the best batsman, technically and temperamentally, according to the situation demanded," he added.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...-me-shastri/articleshow/85874774.cms?from=mdr
sweep_shot
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Imran Khan is up there as one of the greatest ever. No doubt.
Donald Bradman is #1 for me.
Donald Bradman is #1 for me.
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Mamoon
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Not even among the top two Asian cricketers of all time.
1. Tendulkar
2. Kohli
Probably a strong case for number 3, just ahead of Wasim.
1. Tendulkar
2. Kohli
Probably a strong case for number 3, just ahead of Wasim.
Zaz
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Easily the greatest cricketer to come out of the subcontinent What a legend
Sir Gary Sobers was the complete cricketer if ever there was one. Imran Khan was an average fielder at best disqualifying him for being the best Cricketer ever. Gary could bat, bowl and was a brilliant fielder as well. Yes perhaps IK was the best from the subcontinent but not overall. Both Botham and Kapil were perhaps more naturally talented then our now PM was.
Ab Fan
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Across all formats,
1. Tendulkar
2. Murali
3. Wasim
4. Kohli
5. Imran
1. Tendulkar
2. Murali
3. Wasim
4. Kohli
5. Imran
Robert
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As batters I agree. But Imran had the natural ability to bowl fast which Botham and Kapil did not.
Among all-rounders the pecking order is probably Sobers, Kallis, Imran, Miller, Botham, Kapil.
Ab Fan
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Shaun Pollock and Ashwin should also be there.
Mobashir
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Both of them are not all rounders.
Mobashir
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As far as best cricketer ever is concerned he can be in the talk.
Surely he is the best asian cricketer ever.
Surely he is the best asian cricketer ever.
Sachin
Kohli
Imran
Wasim
Sangakkara
Top 5 Asian cricketer of all time in that order.
#Fact
Mobashir
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Asians aren't that bad to have Kohli as their 2nd best!
The guy is battling to be better test batsman than Root and Williamson.
My order :
Imran Khan
Wasim Akram
Sachin Tendulkar
Mutiah Murlitharan
Kumar Sangakara
Kohli is the fastest to reach 23K international runs with 70 centuries already. On top of that he is the most successful skipper from Asia in tests. You take a players career as a whole and not just pick n choose when he is out of form.
Sachin is still the most celebrated Asian cricketer ever but Kohli will be close 2nd.
Major
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umm, but on page 1 you said him being the best in asia is unquestionable
Bewal Express
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He writes so much rubbish that he forgets what he has written.
Mobashir
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2015 onwards neither tendulkar nor Imran played cricket, so what changed?
Your hate for anything Pakistani grew and love for anything Indian also grew.
Corridor of Uncertainty
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My top 4 from Asia
1. Imran
2. Gavaskar
3. Murali
4. Akram
Player skills, together with ability to win games for the team.
1. Imran
2. Gavaskar
3. Murali
4. Akram
Player skills, together with ability to win games for the team.
jeeteshssaxena
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1.Sachin
2.Imran
3.Murali
4.Kohli
5.Akram
Sachin is an all format ATG
Imran is atg in test cricket but nowhere close in odis but his test numbers are just too good.
Murali - all format ATG.
Kohli - three format ATG (first one of his kind)
Akram- all format ATG
Sanga isn't an atg in lois.
2.Imran
3.Murali
4.Kohli
5.Akram
Sachin is an all format ATG
Imran is atg in test cricket but nowhere close in odis but his test numbers are just too good.
Murali - all format ATG.
Kohli - three format ATG (first one of his kind)
Akram- all format ATG
Sanga isn't an atg in lois.
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jeeteshssaxena
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6.Kapil Dev
7.Gavaskar
8.Sangakkara
9.Dravid
10. Dhoni
7.Gavaskar
8.Sangakkara
9.Dravid
10. Dhoni
Colorblind Genius
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Laughable that people are calling "Sachin" as the greatest "CRICKETER" Ever. Goes to show your cricket acumen.
Sachin is perhaps ONE of the greatest BATSMEN ever, but not even close when it comes to the greatest CRICKETER ever. Even Kapil Dev was a better "CRICKETER" than Sachin.
Sachin is perhaps ONE of the greatest BATSMEN ever, but not even close when it comes to the greatest CRICKETER ever. Even Kapil Dev was a better "CRICKETER" than Sachin.
Mamoon
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So was Shahid Afridi a better cricketer than Javed Miandad?
Colorblind Genius
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ElRaja
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he averaged 50 with bat and 20 with the ball for ten years, peak Imran was a freak of nature and for me, always, the second name in my all time test xi.
But Kapil and Beefy were both better batsmen and fielders then Imran. This gives them a clear advantage.
Maybe that’s not a biased list with 4 players from India out of all Asian players in history.
Zaz
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No they werent Not better batters
Kapil was lower order dasher throughout his career and botham regressed badly from being a excellent legit numbet 5-6 early in his career
Imran by the last 10-12 years of his career played many times in the pakistan team solely as a batsman thats how orthodox he was eg 1992 world cup where he was finished as a bowler but batted at numbers 3-4 for pakistan
Anis Shivani
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Yes, a very strong case can be made for this. I think Sobers would be his strongest competition for the greatest cricketer of all time. If you consider not just Imran's all-round prowess but his presence, imagination, determination, and ability to manage available resources, not to mention diplomacy and character, which only enhance cricketing skill, then yes, in an era which I consider the peak of international cricket in terms of skill, when ferocious competitors battled it out for glory, he emerges as the best of the best. Imran was competing on the field with such warriors as Lillee, Richards, and Botham, not the often characterless one-dimensional figures who seem to dominate cricket these days. To buttress his case is the fact that he would not only have to be included in an all-time cricket XI but also be considered as captain of such a team! If such an eleven were to include Bradman, Hutton, Barnes, Miller, and Worrell, then Imran Khan, more than any modern (post-1970s) player belongs there.
Imran was hardly great with the bat that you are belittling the other too. All three mostly batted at the same position. Out of the three IK was the least exciting to watch.
Ian regressed where as IK improved with age however overall both were more talented then IK. Other then the 1992 WC I can't remember IK batting too much in the top order prior to the said event. It is also important to mention the importance of fielding when discussing all rounders. Here IK was average putting it mildly. He was too concerned about his playboy image and reputation to get his whites dirty.
IK developed in to a better captain due to the unruly behaviour of Pak players, this is the case even today.
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Various players specialise in different aspects of the game. Sachin the best batsman, Wasim the best bowler, Murali the best spinner and many fielders could claim to be the best. I can't make up my mind between Imran and Kapil as too who the best overall cricketer is. Lala was the most exciting
!
!
Mamoon
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In T20s, Yes.
In my opinion, differentiating between classifications like cricketer/batsman/bowler is a problem.
Every great batsman/bowler is also a great cricketer. The term great cricketer cannot just be reserved for all-rounders.
At the end of the day, you have to evaluate players on their strong suits, and not on their all-round skills.
If we look at it that way, then the top 100 cricketers of all time would be all all-rounders, and you can make an average all-rounder look like a better cricketer than a world class specialist because he is multi-skilled.
If you think Tendulkar’s batting was better than Imran’s bowling, then it is perfectly reasonable to consider him a better cricketer/player than Imran.
All-round skills should only be a factor when you are comparing all-rounders. Not when comparing all-rounders to specialist batsman or bowlers.
Ahmad-GERMANFC
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Lol Mamoon avoiding this like the plague
Ahmad-GERMANFC
Local Club Regular
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ALL FORMATS
1. Sachin
2. Imran
TESTS
1. Imran
2. Sachin
If captaincy/leadership is brought into equation of being cricketer than obviously Imran both
1. Sachin
2. Imran
TESTS
1. Imran
2. Sachin
If captaincy/leadership is brought into equation of being cricketer than obviously Imran both
Chrish
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He is a worthy contender along with Bradman, Sobers and Kallis
100% better than Kallis not seen Bradman and Sobers so cant comment
Imran was match winner and reliable player when team needed him the most whereas Sachin used to get failed most of time on big events
I don’t know why people are even mentioning Tendulkar in the “cricketer” category.
His bowling can best be described as deceptive lollipops at best and halwas at worst.
But let’s discount his bowling as that’s probably not fair. His reading of the game was pretty poor which showed in his poor captaincy too.
Tendulkar was only a batsman and that too only for statistics.
Imran is solar systems ahead of Tendulkar as a “cricketer”.
On to the wider subject, sobers gets way too much credit for his bowling which was pretty mediocre - I don’t care that he bowled 3 different styles, he was not world class in any of those styles. Sobers also has no notable captaincy record either.
I believe even Kallis can lay claim to be a better cricketer than sobers.
Viv has gotta be up there, for his ATG batsmanship, fielding and captaincy.
I would put top 2 as Imran and King Viv. I wouldn’t put an order on it. It’s unfortunate Warne didn’t get to captain Australia otherwise he would be up there too.
Out of interest, there’s a lot of talk about Indian cricketers here. Without a shadow of a doubt it is Kapil Dev, yes he is down in the overall scheme of things, but definitely the best Indian cricketer ever, then followed by Gavaskar and Kohli.
His bowling can best be described as deceptive lollipops at best and halwas at worst.
But let’s discount his bowling as that’s probably not fair. His reading of the game was pretty poor which showed in his poor captaincy too.
Tendulkar was only a batsman and that too only for statistics.
Imran is solar systems ahead of Tendulkar as a “cricketer”.
On to the wider subject, sobers gets way too much credit for his bowling which was pretty mediocre - I don’t care that he bowled 3 different styles, he was not world class in any of those styles. Sobers also has no notable captaincy record either.
I believe even Kallis can lay claim to be a better cricketer than sobers.
Viv has gotta be up there, for his ATG batsmanship, fielding and captaincy.
I would put top 2 as Imran and King Viv. I wouldn’t put an order on it. It’s unfortunate Warne didn’t get to captain Australia otherwise he would be up there too.
Out of interest, there’s a lot of talk about Indian cricketers here. Without a shadow of a doubt it is Kapil Dev, yes he is down in the overall scheme of things, but definitely the best Indian cricketer ever, then followed by Gavaskar and Kohli.
Robert
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Neither are test-class batters. I can’t think of anyone else who was in both departments.
Robert
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Botham and Lamb took Imran to court, claiming he had libelled them.
You are right, a batsman shouldn’t have to bowl or bowler to bat in order to be bracketed in the “cricketer” category. However you should have something a bit more than just your primary discipline.
IMO demonstration of your cricket brain / mind / strategy all comes in to it. A lot of it obviously applies to great captains.
Unfortunately for the Tendulkar fans, he only had batting, nothing else. Complete failure as a captain. I never saw him put forward any useful strategies to his captains. He literally had nothing apart from his batting - and even that, he wasn’t particularly dynamic. A run machine maybe, but that’s about it.
If you want to do your india fan thing then you can argue about Kohli or dhoni who have demonstrated their cricketing minds as well as their primary disciplines. Shooting yourself in the foot with the tendu arguments. You should think the trolling over a bit. It might help
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Zaz
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World cup winning captain
Bowling avge of 22
Battin avge of 37
Dont know anyone who has played with him, against him or watched him that doesnt rate him as just brilliant
Imran Khan definitely is up there as legit as probably the greatest asia has produced
Bowling avge of 22
Battin avge of 37
Dont know anyone who has played with him, against him or watched him that doesnt rate him as just brilliant
Imran Khan definitely is up there as legit as probably the greatest asia has produced
Colorblind Genius
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Imran was a captain, selector, trainer, coach, Think Tank, leader, the entire cricket board, and inspiration. All in one.
No other cricketer in the entire history of humanity had these many hats to wear and successfully steer the ship.
You have the greatest of the greatest of batsmen, and you have the greatest of the greatest bowlers and you have greatest of the greatest captains but none comes even close to what Imran had to do (off the field and on the field) to train and move this herd of sheep (Pak team members in general) in a solid direction but also deal with one of the most corrupt and incompetent boards that you can ever have.
No other captain had this much bearing to fight against all and rose above all to a point where the entire cricket set up of Pakistan was on it's knees and no board member anyone in the entire country could dare to say anything in front of Imran.
He was all by himself with zero support from anyone - yet he came and he conquered.
All other names that have been mentioned here, had tons and tons of support from their boards, selectors, think tanks, politicians, equipment, money, grounds, staff, tons of facilities, coaching staff and whatnot - but none for Imran. He had to do it all by himself.
He had bare grounds layered with dust and no grass, and a broken to the core domestic system. Yet he aced it all.
You can imagine the corruption, incompetency and circus Imran had to deal with when we see that at one time, Imran captained a team that had SEVEN former captains.
Give me one such example of any other captain or a star player dealing with such a mess and yet he defeated everything to came up top. NONE !
No other cricketer in the entire history of humanity had these many hats to wear and successfully steer the ship.
You have the greatest of the greatest of batsmen, and you have the greatest of the greatest bowlers and you have greatest of the greatest captains but none comes even close to what Imran had to do (off the field and on the field) to train and move this herd of sheep (Pak team members in general) in a solid direction but also deal with one of the most corrupt and incompetent boards that you can ever have.
No other captain had this much bearing to fight against all and rose above all to a point where the entire cricket set up of Pakistan was on it's knees and no board member anyone in the entire country could dare to say anything in front of Imran.
He was all by himself with zero support from anyone - yet he came and he conquered.
All other names that have been mentioned here, had tons and tons of support from their boards, selectors, think tanks, politicians, equipment, money, grounds, staff, tons of facilities, coaching staff and whatnot - but none for Imran. He had to do it all by himself.
He had bare grounds layered with dust and no grass, and a broken to the core domestic system. Yet he aced it all.
You can imagine the corruption, incompetency and circus Imran had to deal with when we see that at one time, Imran captained a team that had SEVEN former captains.
Give me one such example of any other captain or a star player dealing with such a mess and yet he defeated everything to came up top. NONE !
Mamoon
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“He only had batting” as if that is not good enough.
Tendulkar is the most iconic batsman the game of cricket has ever seen. No batsman dead or alive holds more records than him. His longevity is unmatched - he dominated three generations of bowlers.
He started with bashing Sir Richard Hadlee at 16 and ended with dominating Steyn at 37.
I would definitely put him above Imran as a cricketer.
It doesn’t matter whether he was a poor captain or not. What he achieved with the bat alone and the impact that he had on the game of cricket was more than enough.
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Savak
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Imran lost 3 years because of his shin injury in his prime. He also lost early years because he was not good enough as a bowler and batsmen. Yes he debuted for Pakistan at 19 but he only became a consistent selection from 25 onwards and became respected as an all rounder at the age of 27
Romali_rotti
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Imran was a deer in front of headlights in the WI facing the great WI bowlers of the 80s, check his batting avg there, DEV has a 100 and 98 odd at over 100 strike rate against them in WI a feat no other batsmen have achieved at that strike rate in a test match.. Dev used to smack around the great WI bowlers of the 80s in their backyard like they were club bowlers..... DEV's 100 against SA in SA facing Donald and co when rest of the Indian batting folded towards the end of his career showed how talented he was..
Imran was an honest trier with limited batting ability that padded up his batting stats with a lot of not outs, the difference in batting strike rate between DEV & Imran tells the story...
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Romali_rotti
Senior ODI Player
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Overall it would like this for the trinity of all rounders:
Imran ( The best overall because his bowling was ahead overall)
DEV (Because the stats against the greatest side of the era WI, Imran and DEV are neck and neck with DEV being the better batsmen)
Botham (Botham is the bottom because he was a deer in front of headlights when facing the best team of his ERA the WI and also because Dev and Imran out performed him in Aus)
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OMB
First Class Captain
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Imran Khan - Greatest Captain and one of the ATG bowler.
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