Viv Richards, Imran Khan top two cricketers in the last 40 years according to Scyld Berry

[silent ischemia]

One of English longest serving cricket writer’s, Scyld Berry, has named West Indies master blaster Viv Richards as the best player he’s witnessed in the past 40 years.
This English summer will mark four decades covering cricket for The Telegraph for Berry, so to commemorate his ruby jubilee, the veteran compiled a list of the best 40 players during his tenure. This is the top 10

1. Viv Richards
2. Imran Khan
3. Shane Warne
4. Malcom Marshall
5. Ian Botham
6. Sachin Tendulkar
7. Adam Gilchrist
8. Jacques Kallis
9. Brian Lara
10. Wasim Akram

Since it is about Test cricket, I agree with most of the selection/order. I think Warne should have been no 2 and Tendulkar either 4 or 5, ahead of Beefy atleast. Akram above McGrath is debatable as well

 

[Thomaskutty]

how seriously can you take this writer when he puts Botham at 5 ?

 

[gani999]

how seriously can you take this writer when he puts Botham at 5 ?

and Kallis? Seriously?

I think Ricky Ponting deserves to be there ahead of him.

 

[MMHS]

Botham is too high - replace him with Murali, it's a fine list for me, though few orders 'll change in my list.

 

[bujhee kom]

Seems legit. Viv and Khan were top class.

 

[bujhee kom]

Shak is top 10 quality.

 

[Coconut]

Pathetic list. Tendulkar is at no 6. Lol. And what exactly is kallis doing in this list.

Tendulkar and Viv should be at no 1 and no 2 spot respectively. Nobody should take a list seriously which puts the greatest batsman in the history of cricket behind botham.

 

[Junaids]

Pathetic list. Tendulkar is at no 6. Lol. And what exactly is kallis doing in this list.
.

Fair point. I agree.

Given that we all know the equation:

Kallis = Tendulkar + Zaheer

......then Tendulkar is too high at Number 6.

Which makes sense.

This covers 40 years, yet Tendulkar never rose above Kallis, Lara, Ponting, Warne, Gilchrist and Ponting in his own era.

 

[TheNightWatchman]

Those have been my top 2 too. Hard to argue with Viv and Imran

 

[Chrish]

No 1 is McGrath.. rest are arguable

 

[TheNightWatchman]

No 1 is McGrath.. rest are arguable

I think the top 2 are perfect. The king is where he belongs

 

[Chrish]

I think the top 2 are perfect. The king is where he belongs

Nope.. McGrath better without a shadow of the doubt

Greatest wicket taker the game has perhaps seen

 

[thehub]

I stopped reading as soon as I saw Imran at no 2.

 

[Abdullah719]

I stopped reading as soon as I saw Imran at no 2.

Precisely, that's one spot too low.

 

[Junaids]

I stopped reading as soon as I saw Imran at no 2.

Out of curiosity, why?

Imran Khan is by far the best cricketer that Asia has ever produced.

 

[silent ischemia]

Out of curiosity, why?

Imran Khan is by far the best cricketer that Asia has ever produced.

In Tests yes. Overall Akram and Sachin far superior to IK

 

[Junaids]

In Tests yes. Overall Akram and Sachin far superior to IK

What does that even mean?

That's like saying that sure, Diego Maradona and Pele were better than Clint Dempsey in World Cups, but he was great in US domestic soccer.

Or Pavarotti was great as an opera singer, but I'm better at singing in the bath.

Didn't Imran score 72 and take the final wicket in the 1992 World Cup Final?

And take 10-1-36-3 and score 58 in a losing World Cup semi-final in 1987?

And average 70.75 with the bat at the 1983 World Cup?

And finish top of the batting averages and second in the bowling averages in the 1985 World Championship of Cricket?

What more could Imran Khan have done as an ODI player? And T20 hadn't been invented.

 

[silent ischemia]

What does that even mean?

That's like saying that sure, Diego Maradona and Pele were better than Clint Dempsey in World Cups, but he was great in US domestic soccer.

Or Pavarotti was great as an opera singer, but I'm better at singing in the bath.

Didn't Imran score 72 and take the final wicket in the 1992 World Cup Final?

And take 10-1-36-3 and score 58 in a losing World Cup semi-final in 1987?

And average 70.75 with the bat at the 1983 World Cup?

And finish top of the batting averages and second in the bowling averages in the 1985 World Championship of Cricket?

What more could Imran Khan have done as an ODI player? And T20 hadn't been invented.

Still Akram a far better cricketer in odis

 

[shaz619]

Still Akram a far better cricketer in odis

Well said, you have now beaten [MENTION=132916]Junaids[/MENTION] in this argument. Totally agree with your insight

 

[Sachin136]

Fair point. I agree.

Given that we all know the equation:

Kallis = Tendulkar + Zaheer

......then Tendulkar is too high at Number 6.

Which makes sense.

This covers 40 years, yet Tendulkar never rose above Kallis, Lara, Ponting, Warne, Gilchrist and Ponting in his own era.

Sachin and Zaheer are widely accepted to be better a batsman and bowler than Kallis.

 

[proud_pakistani]

2 Pakistanis and only 1 Indian. Nice p

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

As with all lists, this one is one person's opinion.

My own criteria for these kinds of lists is this, "was so and so cricketer on a significantly higher level compared to his fellow cricketers in the same game when he was batting/bowling."

On that criteria, I find it extremely hard to disagree with the list.

Having seen Richards and Imran in the 80s - They were so far above their peers - not just in their own team but also against the teams they played - it is impossible for me to disagree with the top 2.

Richads and Imran were not only monstrously talented - they also had the ability to alter course of events with their sheer personalities.

 

[Robert]

I think he has got 1-3 correct. I might put Kallis higher, and Botham lower because he faded so badly after 1983.

 

[Bilal7]

1) Imran Khan
2) Viv Richards
3) Malcolm Marshall
4) Jacques Kallis
5) Brian Lara
6) Sachin Tendulker
7) Wasim Akram
8) Muttiah Muralitharan
9) Shane Warne
10) Glen Mcgrath

My top ten.

 

[Bilal7]

how seriously can you take this writer when he puts Botham at 5 ?

He's Scyld Berry and has just completed four decades of cricket viewing. So pretty seriously. Just because Sach did not make his top five and there are more Pakistanis than Indians does not mean you have to be disrespectful.

 

[Dead Ball]

Viv Richards , in test cricket is a tad over rated. He played in a team that was so good, they all but whitewashed Australia and England even when he failed all series. Never faced the burden of either Lara, Kallis or Sachin, which allowed him to play a lot more freely. Lara, especially in this case, deserves extra points.

Greatest ODI batsman ever though.

Imran was a tremendous test cricketer and a very good ODI all-rounder.

However, seeing the inclusion of Kallis and Botham (He is on this list because he is English, above all else) i don't think Mr. Berry took ODI's into account which is questionable. Marshall was an average ODI cricketer too.

The order would be different if test and ODI's are both taken into account.

Irrespective of the order, i would replace Botham with McGrath.

 

[wrongun]

Without knowing what criteria he was selecting on, it is difficult to criticise too harshly. Was it sheer stats? Effectiveness/match-winning? Impact on the game & public as a whole?

I would say he may have leaned too heavily towards all-rounders, at the expense of specialist bowlers in particular.

All his selection though are defendable- Botham was at one time the world record wicket taker in Test cricket- the greatest. That alone as a bowler puts you in the conversation at least. Plus he could win a game with the bat. Points against him are his poor record vs WI (but almost all players in the list have a weak spot). If we speak about impact on the game, Botham was a giant, left a shadow so large England spent the next 3 decades looking "for the next..." (much like Warne & legspin in Oz). Personally, he's probably too high but I can see the reasons for the pick.

Kallis is the other contentious one. A giant of a batsman alone, 10 000 runs, Mr Dependable. Who would then come on to bowl and take, 2, 3 or 5 wickets. Kallis will suffer on a Pakistan forum because he lacked the élan Pakistani fans crave; his batting was indomitable but he did so from within his bubble, rarely destroying opposition attacks- Kallis could score heavily & still not win the game or series for SA.
Similarly his bowling was straight up, no nonsense outswing bowling at 135-140k. His run up was heavy, robotic, the kind people would dismiss asa trundler- IF he didn't keep picking wickets (and not just the odd one or two, he ran through for a big haul regularly enough, especially by all rounder standards) and secretly have a few other tricks up his sleeve and the kind of understanding of line, length, pitch & match situation those same fans howl about no Pakistani bowler since Asif possessing.

Excellent player Kallis, but on this one I agree- excellent but not atg. I'd leave Kallis out & have Mc Grath or Murali in. (Personally, McGrath)

 

[Harsh Thakor]

Pak Passion readers I would greatly appreciate if the complete 40 list could be published I just cannot find the complete list on the net as Telegraph cannot be completely read without membership.Need to know where the likes of Mcgrath,Sanga,Miandad,Clive Lloyd,Alan Border,Inzamam,Kapil Dev ,Richard Hadlee are placed.

 

[Mamoon]

When it comes to the status of being the best batsman of all time, Tendulkar has a stronger claim than anyone.

Consistency, versatility, longevity, impact etc. etc., he ticks more boxes than anyone. No one has done more with the bat in hand than the Little Master.

 

[Zeshan547]

When it comes to the status of being the best batsman of all time, Tendulkar has a stronger claim than anyone.

Consistency, versatility, longevity, impact etc. etc., he ticks more boxes than anyone. No one has done more with the bat in hand than the Little Master.

Here comes the epitome of inferiority complex, for people like you ghar ke murghi is always daal brabar, ik is superior cricketer than Tendulkar what ever you look at.

 

[Mamoon]

Here comes the epitome of inferiority complex, for people like you ghar ke murghi is always daal brabar, ik is superior cricketer than Tendulkar what ever you look at.

Imran is an all-rounder not a batsman. Please read my post again, it is in very basic English.

 

[Junaids]

People are too harsh on Botham here.

He was a bit like Wayne Rooney in that he was unprofessional about diet and fitness and suffered a lengthy premature decline.

But from 1977-1981 he was a stupendous cricketer - only Viv Richards in this list ever reached or surpassed those heights.

As a batsman he was magnificent: technically superb but a very destructive hitter.

But as a bowler in that period he was extraordinary: he swung it even later than Malcolm Marshall.

Lest we forget, consider these stats from the 1980 Jubilee Test in Bombay:

Ian Botham
22.5-7-58-6
114
26-7-48-7
Did Not Bat

Kapil Dev
0
29-8-64-3
45 not out
8-2-21-0

That's how much better Botham at his peak was than Kapil Dev. More than twice the batsman and four times the bowler.

 

[Zeshan547]

Imran is an all-rounder not a batsman. Please read my post again, it is in very basic English.

Andthis thread is discussion about best cricketers not just best batsman or all rounder, and Tendulkar without doubt better batsman than ik but ik as overall package is greatest cricketer in modern era after Sobers, but still I guess you would take Sachin over ik if you have to choose one.

 

[Mamoon]

Andthis thread is discussion about best cricketers not just best batsman or all rounder, and Tendulkar without doubt better batsman than ik but ik as overall package is greatest cricketer in modern era after Sobers, but still I guess you would take Sachin over ik if you have to choose one.

I am not interested in what the thread is about, I was simply adding to the Tendulkar discussion. Imran vs Tendulkar is a tough one, both are very high achievers in their departments. I would probably go with Imran because of his leadership skills.

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

funny how everyone has an opinion of scyld berry's personal favorite list.

 

[Dead Ball]

People are too harsh on Botham here.

He was a bit like Wayne Rooney in that he was unprofessional about diet and fitness and suffered a lengthy premature decline.

But from 1977-1981 he was a stupendous cricketer - only Viv Richards in this list ever reached or surpassed those heights.

As a batsman he was magnificent: technically superb but a very destructive hitter.

But as a bowler in that period he was extraordinary: he swung it even later than Malcolm Marshall.

Lest we forget, consider these stats from the 1980 Jubilee Test in Bombay:

Ian Botham
22.5-7-58-6
114
26-7-48-7
Did Not Bat

Kapil Dev
0
29-8-64-3
45 not out
8-2-21-0

That's how much better Botham at his peak was than Kapil Dev. More than twice the batsman and four times the bowler.

What followed 1977-1981 though, was a decade of mostly mediocre performances with a couple of great years in between.

 

[Harsh Thakor]

Pakpassion readers,to me unfair that Sir Richard Hadlee was excluded from Berry's top 10..No bowler let alone paceman so single.handedly bore the brunt of such s weak bowling attack or team .Statistically to take 330 scalps in 60 tests he was even better in than Marshall or Imran from 1978-88.He also had more 5 and 10 wicket hauls than any paceman.At his best he was a more than competent batsmen having a test hundred against the mighty West Indies.In test cricket Hadley should rate marginally ahead of Wasim Akram as a cricketer and overall arguably by a few inches ahead of Botham. and McGrath in test cricket.Major omission.See Goe Imran rated Hadlee.

 

[JibranAnsari]

If botham had retired aftee playing 50 test matches , he would have been the greatest all rounder.

 

[Harsh Thakor]

People are too harsh on Botham here.

He was a bit like Wayne Rooney in that he was unprofessional about diet and fitness and suffered a lengthy premature decline.

But from 1977-1981 he was a stupendous cricketer - only Viv Richards in this list ever reached or surpassed those heights.

As a batsman he was magnificent: technically superb but a very destructive hitter.

But as a bowler in that period he was extraordinary: he swung it even later than Malcolm Marshall.

Lest we forget, consider these stats from the 1980 Jubilee Test in Bombay:

Ian Botham
22.5-7-58-6
114
26-7-48-7
Did Not Bat

Kapil Dev
0
29-8-64-3
45 not out
8-2-21-0

That's how much better Botham at his peak was than Kapil Dev. More than twice the batsman and four times the bowler.

To me what gave Imran the cutting edge was His greatness as a leader.The other one was his performances against the best team of his time,West Indies.In his peak to me Botham was 2nd to only Sobers and arguably by a whisker a greater match-winner at his best.No all rounder ever equalled Bothams superlative effort in 1981 Ashes and 1980 Jubilee test.Imran was not at his best both with bat and ball but still overshadowed Botham in series in England in 1982 and 1987.After taking 5 wickets Botham was more likely to score a hundred or fifty than any allrounder,bar Sobers ,Kallis or Miller, At his best Botham as a pure cricketer was the equal of a Tendulkar or Viv Richards.Still one factor that may go against him is that he was at his best when many great players went to work play in WSC Supertests and Botham faced 2nd string Pakistani and Australian teams.Still as a pure allrounder by a while sketch Botham was ahead of Imran in conditions of England and Australia.

 

[Harsh Thakor]

Almost impossible to separate the likes of Imran,Viv,Warne,Tendulkar who may not be separated even in a photo finish.Viv could intimidate opposition or change the complexion of a game more than anyone,Imran shaped a nation's destiny to reach it's highest pinnacle of glory more than any cricketer ,in the manner of a great military general,Warne was the ultimate match-winner and Tendulkar simply took cricketing achievements to their greatest height,defining the modern game more than any player.Tendulkar missed out as a match-winner but in terms of longevity was the ultimate giant.Most experts give Sachin the edge over Viv and Imran because he virtually defined the modern game and faced more pressure than any cricketer ever,If it was only test cricket then I would personally place Lara above Tendulkar and Viv who could single handedly turn games for a Wel batting side like no batsmen since the war.Lara took creative genius to it' s ultimate height and could register mammoth scores with more frequency than any batsmen ever.I rate home a better match.Winner than Tendulkar at his best.Viv had the advantage of playing for a champion team.Combining ODIs Wasim may rate above Lara ,Botham and Marshall . in test cricket as a cricketer Marshall is just inches below Warne,Viv,Sachin and Imran.

 

[Hawkeye]

Pakpassion readers,to me unfair that Sir Richard Hadlee was excluded from Berry's top 10..No bowler let alone paceman so single.handedly bore the brunt of such s weak bowling attack or team .Statistically to take 330 scalps in 60 tests he was even better in than Marshall or Imran from 1978-88.He also had more 5 and 10 wicket hauls than any paceman.At his best he was a more than competent batsmen having a test hundred against the mighty West Indies.In test cricket Hadley should rate marginally ahead of Wasim Akram as a cricketer and overall arguably by a few inches ahead of Botham. and McGrath in test cricket.Major omission.See Goe Imran rated Hadlee.

You're right [MENTION=132062]Harsh Thakor[/MENTION]

Hadlee should've made the list, but it's Berry's personal choice - can't really complain

 

[Harsh Thakor]

1) Imran Khan
2) Viv Richards
3) Malcolm Marshall
4) Jacques Kallis
5) Brian Lara
6) Sachin Tendulker
7) Wasim Akram
8) Muttiah Muralitharan
9) Shane Warne
10) Glen Mcgrath

My top ten.

No Richard Hadlee?Remember at his peak when taking 330scalps in 60 tests overshadowed Marshall and Imran that too spearheading a weak bowling attack and bearing it's brunt like no bowler let alone paceman ever,Considering his prowess with bat to me better than McGrath and considering his consistency a whisker ahead of Wasim.

 

[Rudi hater]

When it comes to the status of being the best batsman of all time, Tendulkar has a stronger claim than anyone.

Consistency, versatility, longevity, impact etc. etc., he ticks more boxes than anyone. No one has done more with the bat in hand than the Little Master.

I would put Lara miles ahead of Sachin, Sachin never won team the games. Lara broke world record twice and also first class record. Sachin can only dream of achieving such feats.

I am not discrditing Sachin but Lara was pure class.

 

[Harsh Thakor]

One of English longest serving cricket writer’s, Scyld Berry, has named West Indies master blaster Viv Richards as the best player he’s witnessed in the past 40 years.
This English summer will mark four decades covering cricket for The Telegraph for Berry, so to commemorate his ruby jubilee, the veteran compiled a list of the best 40 players during his tenure. This is the top 10

1. Viv Richards
2. Imran Khan
3. Shane Warne
4. Malcom Marshall
5. Ian Botham
6. Sachin Tendulkar
7. Adam Gilchrist
8. Jacques Kallis
9. Brian Lara
10. Wasim Akram

Since it is about Test cricket, I agree with most of the selection/order. I think Warne should have been no 2 and Tendulkar either 4 or 5, ahead of Beefy atleast. Akram above McGrath is debatable as well

Dennis Lillee should have made It who was arguably the most complete right arm pace bowler of all time.Classicaly he was more perfect than even Marshall.No paceman ever took aggression and determination to such a height or possessed every component required of for the perfect pace bowler blended in the most correct proportion like Lillee.

 

[3rdWheel]

agree with him for putting Kallis in the list. He's the 2nd best all rounder in history of this game

 

[Bilal7]

No Richard Hadlee?Remember at his peak when taking 330scalps in 60 tests overshadowed Marshall and Imran that too spearheading a weak bowling attack and bearing it's brunt like no bowler let alone paceman ever,Considering his prowess with bat to me better than McGrath and considering his consistency a whisker ahead of Wasim.

I agree. Hadlee deserves to be rated higher than Marshall and Wasim, given his all-round skills. Although Wasim himself, could be called a bowling all-rounder. If I were to revise this list, I would have Hadlee at #10.

 

[Monsee]

What is funny is that same Indians (and wanna bee ones) are lecturing us about Tendulkar and how he was demeaned by not being 1 or 2...but when they post lists from other players/experts just to show us how Imran is not at the top or not even there.

And we are also told, oh respect so and so's list because it is after all his own opinion...then how about you shush on this list as well!

 

[Harsh Thakor]

I would put Lara miles ahead of Sachin, Sachin never won team the games. Lara broke world record twice and also first class record. Sachin can only dream of achieving such feats.

I am not discrditing Sachin but Lara was pure class.

I think he has got 1-3 correct. I might put Kallis higher, and Botham lower because he faded so badly after 1983.

Would you include Dennis Lillee and Richard Hadlee?Lillee or Hadlee above Botham and Wasim?dovread my posts and kindly respond.Iwould place Hadlee around 6 and Lillee almost Bon par with Marshall.In pure test cricket Lara could edge Viv and Sachin.

 

[Monsee]

Marshall first fast bowler on my list, and Hadlee for pure wicket taking genius; as for Lillee only if there was no other paceman like McGrath, Ambrose, or even Holding not available.

Lillee didn't do his legacy any favors by either avoiding touring Asia or not showing up much (performance wise). Imran as an All Rounder takes care of the third fast bowler's place as well since he did well in almost every where as opposed to Lillee who only showed in Australia and England (mostly). In case of Botham, only if it is not the one that faced WI or the bloated has been of 87 onwards

 

[Chrish]

Lillee's poor perfomance in Pakistan is more of a disgrace to Pakistani Cricket than Lillee himself (clue: check number of lbws given from each team in the series).

 

[Monsee]

Lillee's poor perfomance in Pakistan is more of a disgrace to Pakistani Cricket than Lillee himself (clue: check number of lbws given from each team in the series).

This is the problem with people who look at match cards and think they know it all by reading some stats etc.

Lillee was always a bowler who thrived on bowling leg cutters (especially towards the end of his career i.e. last 5-6 years) and got most wickets caught off edges while batsmen played across the line

A break down of the last 6 years of his career display exactly what I just explained i.e. in 38 Tests he got 129 wickets through caught and only 29 LBW, and 26 Bowled!

Compared to him, Pak (in that series) had bowlers who relied on LBW/Bowled decisions a lot more because they bowled wicket to wicket and also knew the fielding ability of their teammates and hence attacked stumps more and tried to get the batsman out on their own

Career averages
Span Mat Inns Overs Mdns Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 5 10
unfiltered 1971-1984 70 132 - 652 8493 355 7/83 11/123 23.92 2.75 52.0 23 7 Profile

filtered 1979-1984 38 70 1614.0 387 4476 184 7/83 11/138 24.32 2.77 52.6 11 3

Wickets summary

caught 1979-1984 129 0 80 49 0 0 0 22.69 15

bowled 1979-1983 26 26 0 0 0 0 0 19.53 2

leg before wicket 1979-1984 29 0 0 0 0 29 0 24.34 7

Next Excuse???

 

[Suleiman]

Where is Moyo?

 

[waleed88]

Quite a bias for cricketers from the 80s, the fact that Tendulkar doesn't make the list in the top3 is a tragedy, no way is IK and Viv above Tendulkar.

This is why journalists from yesteryears who try to analyze today try to big up their era and end up looking foolish

 

[waleed88]

The fact that Wisden is the most authentic list of greatest players of all time, all put Tendulkar ahead of Imran and Viv, so I see no point in these arguements when its widely accepted Tendulkar has the been the most relevant prominent face of cricket in the past 20 years..

And this coming from a Pakistan supporter who has never liked Tendulkar that much

 

[Harsh Thakor]

The fact that Wisden is the most authentic list of greatest players of all time, all put Tendulkar ahead of Imran and Viv, so I see no point in these arguements when its widely accepted Tendulkar has the been the most relevant prominent face of cricket in the past 20 years..

And this coming from a Pakistan supporter who has never liked Tendulkar that much

In only test cricket would not Brian Lara be at the top?I feel probably.Morally is it not just a photo finish between Sachin,Imran and Viv?Remember that Viv and Imran were the greatest match-winners who turned complexion of games more than Tendulkar and overshadowed Sachin as a skipper.Tendulkar wins the race for his longevity at the top but Viv was better in peak period adding WSC stats and Imran contributed more to shaping his nation's destiny even if Tendulkar overall made the greater impact.Sachin played in many more ODI's and tests but still overall defined the modern game more than anyone.In test cricket I feel Lara was the better match-winner who at his best could overshadow Sachin as a match-winner or in a crisis.

Geoff Armstrong has ranked Imran above Tendulkar in his selection of 100 best and Wisden cannot always be the accurate criteria.At the turn of the millennium ESPN experts and watchers ranked ranked Viv just behind Bradman and Sobers .In Richard Sydenham's selection by players for alltime xi'x Viv got 64 votes against Tendulkar's 42.We have to consider how great oponents respected Viv like Imran, Lillee,Botham,Chappell brothers and the more recent Pakistan players like Saeed Anwar,Inzamam or Wasim.Notable that Wasim Akram chose Viv and Imran in his all-time xi as well as Inzamam and Saed Anwar but not Tendulkar.Great paceman marginally prized Viv's wicket more than Tendulkar's.

Not denying Tendulkar is a supreme genius and arguably only behind Bradman and Sobers or Hobbs but I feel we have to recognize that there is hardly anything separating Viv,Warne, Imran and Sachin.As a match-winner all would overshadow Tendulkar but for longevity and bearing pressure Sachin would be at the very top.

Neverthless I admire your standing with Tendulkar despite being a Pakistan fan unlike many.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Where is Moyo?

Kya?

 

[amax]

Out of curiosity, why?

Imran Khan is by far the best cricketer that Asia has ever produced.

Wasim Akram is the greatest Cricketer to Emerge from Asia IMO closely followed by Imran/Sachin.

 

[Harsh Thakor]

Of Sycld Berry's selection my tentative re-shuffled order is below,one for test cricket and one for test and O.D.I. combined.I assert it is tentative and I will work on a more detailed analysis.I feel it may be unfair to only consider test cricket.I am critical of Berry placing Botham ahead of Tendulkar in a test rating ,excluding Lillee and Hadlee and also ranking Lara so low.Applaud his choice of Viv though.Botham was close to the best ever cricketer in his peak but lacked the element of overall conistency and was not at his best against the best team of his day,the West Indies.Botham from 1977-81 could have been almost at no in only test cricket but never forget he had an advantage of playing against weaker teams in the Kerry Packer era like Pakistan and Australia.


Only test cricket.

1.Shane Warne
2.Brian Lara
3.Sachin Tendulkar
4.Viv Richards
5.Imran Khan
6.Malcolm Marshall
7.Jacques Kallis
8.Ian Botham
9.Wasim Akram
10.Adam Gilchrist

Test and O.D.I


1.Viv Richards
2.Sachin Tendulkar
3.Wasim Akram
4. Shane Warne
5.Adam Gilchrist
6.Imran Khan
7.Jacques Kallis
8.Brian Lara
9.Ian Botham
10.Malcolm Marshall


If I had to add players of my own in the test section Richard Hadlee would be either at 8th place and Dennis Lillee in 7th position.That would eliminate Adam Gilchrist and Wasim Akram.I would place Hadlee at 9th place instead of Ian Botham in combined test and O.D.I. and replace Marshall with Glen Mcgrath.Sunil Gavaskar came within a whisker of joining likes of Tendulkar in best test match 10 while it was the same case with Javed Miandad in combined test and O.D.I.

My shuffled order with my own additions of players belonging to the same era.

Only test cricket.

1.Shane Warne
2.Brian Lara
3.Sachin Tendulkar
4.Viv Richards
5.Imran Khan
6.Malcolm Marshall
7.Dennis Lillee
8.Richard Hadlee
9.Jacques Kallis
10.Ian Botham


Test and O.D.I

1.Shane Warne
1.Viv Richards
2.Sachin Tendulkar
3.Wasim Akram
4.Shane Warne
5.Adam Gilchrist
6.Imran Khan
7.Jacques Kallis
8.Brian Lara
9.Richard Hadlee
10.Glen Mcgrath

I would apologize if there is element of bias in terms of separating Tendulkar,Imran ,Warne and Viv in test and Warne,Wasim,Tendulkar and Lara in combined.cricket .With critical analysis one may understand why Lara is arguably the king amongst batsmen in test cricket in the sum total of his scores evaluating strength of opposition,situation in which innings scored,playing conditions and impact on match .No batsmen scored more mammoth totals like Lara or had as high an average percentage score out of the team's total.Viv Richards never had to carry the brunt of such weak side's batting as Brian and in contrast played for a team of world -beaters.Just look at Lara's 5 best innings in test cricket which throws light on his greatness.In terms of pure bowling artistry or creative genius no paceman was ever the equal of Wasim Akram who was the equivalent of a magician.Wasim was the ultimate champion amongst O.D.I. bowlers.In his peak Wasim could overpower every great bowler even in test cricket.The greatest batsmen like Lara found him the hardest to face.Dennis Lillee was the epitome of agression and perfect skill,Wasim and Lara the ultimate geniuses and Adam Gilchrist in his era was like the Viv Richards of his time making the impact of a bulldozer.No cricketer could at his best turn a game or intimidate opposition like Viv Richards who revealed the aura of a great emperor .Viv was the king amongst batsmen in O.D.I.cricket turning games more than Tendulkar or Lara.In peak era even in only test cricket Viv was the best of the last 50 years.He fell out only on consistency.Shane Warne did more to shape arguably the best team ever than any cricketer and won more matches than Imran or Viv.In terms of pure cricketing art by a whisker he was the king of them al.Imran was the greatest leader of them all who defined nation's cricket or shaped it's fortunes to reach the top of the pedestal more than anyone.In many ways Hadlee was the equivalent to his country what Lara was to his team spearheading a relatively weak attack of a weaker team.Statistaically Kallis was the king as an all-rounder but lacked the x factor and did not turn the complexion or shape games like Imran,Viv,Warne and Sachin.On pure stats he could well have been at no 1.At his best Botham was close to the greatest ever and could turn game more than any cricketer.Sadly his form declined after 1982 .In the 1980 Jubliee tset and 1981 Ashse Botham even overshadowed Gary Sobers and from 1977 was on par with Viv Richards and Dennis Lillee as a cricketer.No paceman amongst right arm bowlers were as complete as Lillee and Marshal,the former classically complete,the latter a genius.Lillee took cricketing agression to its highest zenith and was the epitome of fast bowling perfection while Marshall took innovation or creative art in pace bowling to a degree no right arm paceman ever achieved.

 

[TestMatch]

I'd drop Gilchrist, Kallis and to a lesser extent Botham, from Berry's list. Other than that, it's decent.

 

[Harsh Thakor]

I'd drop Gilchrist, Kallis and to a lesser extent Botham, from Berry's list. Other than that, it's decent.

any change in order?combines tsets and ODIS?

 

[TestMatch]

any change in order?combines tsets and ODIS?

Using Berry's test list, my order would be: Lara, Richards, Warne, Tendulkar, Marshall, Akram, Kallis, Khan, Botham, Gilchrist.

My combined test and ODI order would be: Richards, Tendulkar, Lara, Gilchrist, Warne, Khan, Marshall, Akram, Botham, Kallis.

 

[Pakistanian]

Wasim Akram is the greatest Cricketer to Emerge from Asia IMO closely followed by Imran/Sachin.

Akram doesn't have the leadership abilities that Khan has.

 

[yasir]

Again, why Indian fans are crying again(intni galdi marchaan kayoon lag jatti haan) if somebody puts Imran above Tendulkar. Imran had all basis covered, he was a world class fast bowler(some might claim the first one from Asia), very good batsman and above all a leader of unmatched quality, he practically build the team himself and made it world beater...He won in ENG, India for the very first time, above all drew three test series with the best test team world has ever seen, he matched their skill with his lion heart...He even had Krisma and personality, Tendulkar cannot in million years...Tendulkar is frankly not a match to Imran Khan

 

[The_Odd_One]

Pathetic list. Tendulkar is at no 6. Lol. And what exactly is kallis doing in this list.

Tendulkar and Viv should be at no 1 and no 2 spot respectively. Nobody should take a list seriously which puts the greatest batsman in the history of cricket behind botham.

What is Kallis doing in this list? May be because he has scored 45 test 100s and taken 200+ test wickets. On top of that he was one of the best fielders of his time?

As a package, Kallis is a bigger cricketer than both Tendulkar and Ponting.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Viv will not find a place in my list of top 10 test cricketers.

1. Gary Sobers
2. Don Bradman
3. Adam Gilchrist
4. Imran Khan
5. Shane Warne
6. Malcolm Marshall
7. Jacques Kallis
8. Sachin Tendulkar
9. Richard Hadlee
10. Wasim Akram

 

[English August]

It's his list so he can put whoever he likes in there. But hard to take you seriously when you put Beefy ahead of Tendulkar! Then it becomes a joke list.

 

[thehub]

Out of curiosity, why?

Imran Khan is by far the best cricketer that Asia has ever produced.

maybe for Pakistanis and handful number of the ex journalist. but rest of the world and most of the analysts would pick Sachin over Imran. infact many would not put Imran anywhere in the top 10. Sachin would be found in top 10 for over 90% of cricket analysts.

 

[thehub]

It's his list so he can put whoever he likes in there. But hard to take you seriously when you put Beefy ahead of Tendulkar! Then it becomes a joke list.

even bigger joke when you have Imran at 2. I myself have witnessed Imran's second half of his career. He was not really as good as what you hear from people here. don't just go by his stats.

 

[Harsh Thakor]

Of Sycld Berry's selection my tentative re-shuffled order is below,one for test cricket and one for test and O.D.I. combined.I assert it is tentative and I will work on a more detailed analysis.I feel it may be unfair to only consider test cricket.I am critical of Berry placing Botham ahead of Tendulkar in a test rating ,excluding Lillee and Hadlee and also ranking Lara so low.Applaud his choice of Viv though.Botham was close to the best ever cricketer in his peak but lacked the element of overall conistency and was not at his best against the best team of his day,the West Indies.Botham from 1977-81 could have been almost at no in only test cricket but never forget he had an advantage of playing against weaker teams in the Kerry Packer era like Pakistan and Australia.


Only test cricket.

1.Shane Warne
2.Brian Lara
3.Sachin Tendulkar
4.Viv Richards
5.Imran Khan
6.Malcolm Marshall
7.Jacques Kallis
8.Ian Botham
9.Wasim Akram
10.Adam Gilchrist

Test and O.D.I


1.Viv Richards
2.Sachin Tendulkar
3.Wasim Akram
4. Shane Warne
5.Adam Gilchrist
6.Imran Khan
7.Jacques Kallis
8.Brian Lara
9.Ian Botham
10.Malcolm Marshall


If I had to add players of my own in the test section Richard Hadlee would be either at 8th place and Dennis Lillee in 7th position.That would eliminate Adam Gilchrist and Wasim Akram.I would place Hadlee at 9th place instead of Ian Botham in combined test and O.D.I. and replace Marshall with Glen Mcgrath.Sunil Gavaskar came within a whisker of joining likes of Tendulkar in best test match 10 while it was the same case with Javed Miandad in combined test and O.D.I.

My shuffled order with my own additions of players belonging to the same era.

Only test cricket.

1.Shane Warne
2.Brian Lara
3.Sachin Tendulkar
4.Viv Richards
5.Imran Khan
6.Malcolm Marshall
7.Dennis Lillee
8.Richard Hadlee
9.Jacques Kallis
10.Ian Botham


Test and O.D.I

1.Shane Warne
1.Viv Richards
2.Sachin Tendulkar
3.Wasim Akram
4.Shane Warne
5.Adam Gilchrist
6.Imran Khan
7.Jacques Kallis
8.Brian Lara
9.Richard Hadlee
10.Glen Mcgrath

I would apologize if there is element of bias in terms of separating Tendulkar,Imran ,Warne and Viv in test and Warne,Wasim,Tendulkar and Lara in combined.cricket .With critical analysis one may understand why Lara is arguably the king amongst batsmen in test cricket in the sum total of his scores evaluating strength of opposition,situation in which innings scored,playing conditions and impact on match .No batsmen scored more mammoth totals like Lara or had as high an average percentage score out of the team's total.Viv Richards never had to carry the brunt of such weak side's batting as Brian and in contrast played for a team of world -beaters.Just look at Lara's 5 best innings in test cricket which throws light on his greatness.In terms of pure bowling artistry or creative genius no paceman was ever the equal of Wasim Akram who was the equivalent of a magician.Wasim was the ultimate champion amongst O.D.I. bowlers.In his peak Wasim could overpower every great bowler even in test cricket.The greatest batsmen like Lara found him the hardest to face.Dennis Lillee was the epitome of agression and perfect skill,Wasim and Lara the ultimate geniuses and Adam Gilchrist in his era was like the Viv Richards of his time making the impact of a bulldozer.No cricketer could at his best turn a game or intimidate opposition like Viv Richards who revealed the aura of a great emperor .Viv was the king amongst batsmen in O.D.I.cricket turning games more than Tendulkar or Lara.In peak era even in only test cricket Viv was the best of the last 50 years.He fell out only on consistency.Shane Warne did more to shape arguably the best team ever than any cricketer and won more matches than Imran or Viv.In terms of pure cricketing art by a whisker he was the king of them al.Imran was the greatest leader of them all who defined nation's cricket or shaped it's fortunes to reach the top of the pedestal more than anyone.In many ways Hadlee was the equivalent to his country what Lara was to his team spearheading a relatively weak attack of a weaker team.Statistically Kallis was the king as an all-rounder but lacked the x factor and did not turn the complexion or shape games like Imran,Viv,Warne and Sachin.On pure stats he could well have been at no 1.At his best Botham was close to the greatest ever and could turn game more than any cricketer.Sadly his form declined after 1982 .In the 1980 Jubilee tset and 1981 Ashes Botham even overshadowed Gary Sobers and from 1977 was on par with Viv Richards and Dennis Lillee as a cricketer.No paceman amongst right arm bowlers were as complete as Lillee and Marshal,the former classically complete,the latter a genius.Lillee took cricketing agression to its highest zenith and was the epitome of fast bowling perfection while Marshall took innovation or creative art in pace bowling to a degree no right arm paceman ever achieved.

Minor error in not obliterating Shane Warne's name from no 1.in my list of combined test and O.D.I.cricketer's ranking.Sorry readers.The remaining part is correct from 1-10 with Warne relegated to 4th.In making the correction I forgot to delta Shane Warne from no 1 spot.please take his ranking as 4th.

Test and O.D.I combined


1.Viv Richards
2.Sachin Tendulkar
3.Wasim Akram
4.Shane Warne
5.Adam Gilchrist
6.Imran Khan
7.Jacques Kallis
8.Brian Lara
9.Richard Hadlee
10.Glen Mcgrath

 

[bujhee kom]

LOL at people mixing formats etc. Legends are made in Test cricket. ODIs are fun but of much lower value when ranking the greatest cricketers.

 

[Bilal7]

maybe for Pakistanis and handful number of the ex journalist. but rest of the world and most of the analysts would pick Sachin over Imran. infact many would not put Imran anywhere in the top 10. Sachin would be found in top 10 for over 90% of cricket analysts.

No. Imran Khan was undeniably the superior player. He was as great a bowler as Sachin was a batsman but then we have Imran's batting and captaincy on top of that. Imran is the GOAT from Asia. After him is the trio of Wasim, Sachin and Murali who are the best at their respective field from Asia and I wouldn't place any one of them higher than the other.

Imran Khan

Wasim Akram, Sachin Tendulker, Muttiah Muralitharan

Waqar Younis, Javed Miandad, Younis Khan, Sunil Gavasker, Rahul Dravid, Kumar Sangakkara

^ The top ten Asian test cricketers.

 

[Harsh Thakor]

No. Imran Khan was undeniably the superior player. He was as great a bowler as Sachin was a batsman but then we have Imran's batting and captaincy on top of that. Imran is the GOAT from Asia. After him is the trio of Wasim, Sachin and Murali who are the best at their respective field from Asia and I wouldn't place any one of them higher than the
Imran Khan

Wasim Akram, Sachin Tendulker, Muttiah Muralitharan

Waqar Younis, Javed Miandad, Younis Khan, Sunil Gavasker, Rahul Dravid, Kumar Sangakkara

^ The top ten Asian test cricketers.

In test cricket would Lara be at the top as batsmen?and in test and ODI would Viv rate above Tendulkar?Agree that combined Wasim would be on par with Tendulkar and arguably ahead of Imran?

 

[thehub]

No. Imran Khan was undeniably the superior player. He was as great a bowler as Sachin was a batsman but then we have Imran's batting and captaincy on top of that. Imran is the GOAT from Asia. After him is the trio of Wasim, Sachin and Murali who are the best at their respective field from Asia and I wouldn't place any one of them higher than the other.

Imran Khan

Wasim Akram, Sachin Tendulker, Muttiah Muralitharan

Waqar Younis, Javed Miandad, Younis Khan, Sunil Gavasker, Rahul Dravid, Kumar Sangakkara

^ The top ten Asian test cricketers.

another delusional post from you as expected. Wasim was far better bowler than Imran. Don't go by Imran's stats, let alone Imran was as good as Sachin in bowling.

Sachin is arguably the best batsman in the last 30 to 40 yrs. Imran would not be in top 10 if you just take his bowling alone.

Imran is rated only for his overall package. Batting, bowling and captaincy. I would put him after Sachin in the Asian top 10 list mainly for his overall package.

of those 4 allrounders in 80s, Hadlee was the best of 4 in bowling, Imran would take second spot in that list. in Batting, Botham and Kapil would take top two spots.

Overall package yes I agree Imran was number 1 of the 4. mainly due to his captaincy as others were horrible or average captains.

 

[thehub]

This is the problem with people who look at match cards and think they know it all by reading some stats etc.

Lillee was always a bowler who thrived on bowling leg cutters (especially towards the end of his career i.e. last 5-6 years) and got most wickets caught off edges while batsmen played across the line

A break down of the last 6 years of his career display exactly what I just explained i.e. in 38 Tests he got 129 wickets through caught and only 29 LBW, and 26 Bowled!

Compared to him, Pak (in that series) had bowlers who relied on LBW/Bowled decisions a lot more because they bowled wicket to wicket and also knew the fielding ability of their teammates and hence attacked stumps more and tried to get the batsman out on their own

Career averages
Span Mat Inns Overs Mdns Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 5 10
unfiltered 1971-1984 70 132 - 652 8493 355 7/83 11/123 23.92 2.75 52.0 23 7 Profile

filtered 1979-1984 38 70 1614.0 387 4476 184 7/83 11/138 24.32 2.77 52.6 11 3

Wickets summary

caught 1979-1984 129 0 80 49 0 0 0 22.69 15

bowled 1979-1983 26 26 0 0 0 0 0 19.53 2

leg before wicket 1979-1984 29 0 0 0 0 29 0 24.34 7

Next Excuse???

try to come up with better excuse dude. its clearly documented about your umpires.. unfortunately no video those days, otherwise we would have mocked the hell of those decisions on youtube.

 

[Bilal7]

In test cricket would Lara be at the top as batsmen?and in test and ODI would Viv rate above Tendulkar?Agree that combined Wasim would be on par with Tendulkar and arguably ahead of Imran?

another delusional post from you as expected. Wasim was far better bowler than Imran. Don't go by Imran's stats, let alone Imran was as good as Sachin in bowling.

Sachin is arguably the best batsman in the last 30 to 40 yrs. Imran would not be in top 10 if you just take his bowling alone.

Imran is rated only for his overall package. Batting, bowling and captaincy. I would put him after Sachin in the Asian top 10 list mainly for his overall package.

of those 4 allrounders in 80s, Hadlee was the best of 4 in bowling, Imran would take second spot in that list. in Batting, Botham and Kapil would take top two spots.

Overall package yes I agree Imran was number 1 of the 4. mainly due to his captaincy as others were horrible or average captains.

No, Wasim was not a far better bowler than Imran, just like Sachin was not a far better batsman than Gavasker. All ATGs operate at more or less the same level and there is very little to choose between them. You can pick either Wasim or Imran in tests, but I would pick the latter given his record against the best team of all time and the fact that he was Wasim's mentor and teacher.

Please give me a list of 10 pacers that you would pick over Imran in test cricket so the rest of Pakpassion can laugh at your ignorance. Imran is only behind Marshall with the ball in hand.

Imran was the best bowler out of the four all-rounders of the 80s. Botham and Imran were the best batsman, not Kapil Dev, who is massively overrated by Indians. Look at the difference between his batting and bowling average, lol.

Imran Khan is the best Asian cricketer of all-time. Sachin is joint second with Wasim and Murali.

 

[Monsee]

try to come up with better excuse dude. its clearly documented about your umpires.. unfortunately no video those days, otherwise we would have mocked the hell of those decisions on youtube.

Ditto for Indian umpires as well...only if videos existed, you guys will not have a leg to stand on despite producing nothing but mediocre umpires since Elite Umpire Pannel was setup!

 

[Monsee]

another delusional post from you as expected. Wasim was far better bowler than Imran. Don't go by Imran's stats, let alone Imran was as good as Sachin in bowling.

Sachin is arguably the best batsman in the last 30 to 40 yrs. Imran would not be in top 10 if you just take his bowling alone.

Imran is rated only for his overall package. Batting, bowling and captaincy. I would put him after Sachin in the Asian top 10 list mainly for his overall package.

of those 4 allrounders in 80s, Hadlee was the best of 4 in bowling, Imran would take second spot in that list. in Batting, Botham and Kapil would take top two spots.

Overall package yes I agree Imran was number 1 of the 4. mainly due to his captaincy as others were horrible or average captains.

Even most Pakistani supporters who watched both bowl know which one was the better bowler and even career numbers stack up very well for Imran the bowler in Tests; we are not taking in to consideration the Mickey Mouse ODI stats because this list is about Test cricketers only!

Indians and their fascination with Wasim probably have a lot to do with the fact that Imran beat them red, white, black, and blue every time they met us except one series under the 'Best Umpires on the Universe' aka Indian Umpires!

 

[Harsh Thakor]

1) Imran Khan
2) Viv Richards
3) Malcolm Marshall
4) Jacques Kallis
5) Brian Lara
6) Sachin Tendulker
7) Wasim Akram
8) Muttiah Muralitharan
9) Shane Warne
10) Glen Mcgrath

My top ten.

Is this list combining test and ODI?If so Tendulkar would be ahead of Lara and almost on par with Viv Richards.Why do you nplace Muralibabive Warne?Combining test and o ODI Wasim may well be in top 3 .

 

[thehub]

Even most Pakistani supporters who watched both bowl know which one was the better bowler and even career numbers stack up very well for Imran the bowler in Tests; we are not taking in to consideration the Mickey Mouse ODI stats because this list is about Test cricketers only!

Indians and their fascination with Wasim probably have a lot to do with the fact that Imran beat them red, white, black, and blue every time they met us except one series under the 'Best Umpires on the Universe' aka Indian Umpires!

Stop hyping up Imran's bowling dude. You can tell that to kids who have not seen him play. Imran started his career as an average fast bowler and later on developed in to really good one, after short peak, due to injury, politics, picking and choosing games.. became trundled most of his second half. Played more as a batsman towards the end, bowled only when condition was good.

Wasim may have not been that effective in test but he was really special. Did magic with the ball. Indians and players all over had respect for him even during 90s when wasim team used to beat India for fun.

 

[thehub]

Ditto for Indian umpires as well...only if videos existed, you guys will not have a leg to stand on despite producing nothing but mediocre umpires since Elite Umpire Pannel was setup!

I have never heard anyone other than Pakistanis complaining about Indian umpires. lol. Pakistanis too mostly complain about the game kumbe got 10 wickets. Video is available on that game.