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Which 2 batsmen of the same era when rolled into one comprise the perfect batsman?

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Harsh Thakor

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This is my list of pairs batsmen of similar eras ranked in order of merit who when rolled into one comprised the perfect batsmen.I have not taken batting averages to be the criteria but asessed technical skill combined with attacking agression and creativity.Equivalent of boxer,surgeon and magician rolled into one.Favoured combinations which had batsmen of supreme technical skill or elegance combined with those with magical innovative ability and great destructive power.



1.Barry Richards-Viv Richards-Blended the technical perfection and power of Barry with the phenomenal imagination and attacking agression of Viv .Like an architect,bulldozer and magician rolled into one.No batsmen pulverised bowling as much as Viv while no attacking batsmen was ever as organized as Barry.



2.Viv Richards -Sunil Gavaskar-Sunny represented concentration and batting technique at it's supreme height while Viv took domination and imagination to it's ultimate crescendo.



3.Viv Richards -Greg Chappell-The technical correctness and elegance of Greg Chappell with the detsructive power of Viv would make a perfect batsmen.



4.Len Hutton-Denis Compton-Arguably the technically best batsmen and the most imaginative batsmen of all rolled into one.Reminiscent of a technician and musical composer rolled into one.



5.Frank Worrell-Everton Weekes-Perfect blending of technical skill and correctness with destructive power and innovation at it's supreme zenith.Weekes looked like a re-incarnated Bradman while Worrel took grave to region sof the divine.



6.Gary Sobers-Rohan Kanhai-Two of the most consummate batsmen of all time posessing every facet of the perfect batsmen. 



7.Sachin Tendulkar-Brian Lara-The mastery of Sachin with the genius of Brian could make cricket's ultimate batsmen.



8.Barry Richards-Graeme Pollock-Two bating geniuses who would make a super batsmen.Brary the more organized,Graeme the more inovative.



9.Sunil Gavaskar-Gundappa Vishwanath- Equivalent of a professor and magician rolled into one.Vishy literally took the art of batting to regions o Wizardry.



10.Don Bradman -Jack Hobbs-Bradman took domination of bowling to regions of divinty while Hobbs mastered bad wickets like a surgeon operating a patient considered incurable.



11.David Gower-Geoff Boycott-Supreme elegance and artistry combined with technical correctness and concentration at it's supreme depth.



12.Sachin Tendulkar-Virendra Sewag-Combination of mastery and technical skill with audacity and genius at it's supreme height.Like a professor .bulldozer and magician rolled into one.



13.Sachin Tendulkar-Rahul Dravid-Blending the mastery and innovative ability of Sachin with the technical correctness and great concentration of Rahul.The master with the wall.



14.Ian Chappell-Greg Chappell-The elegance and technical skill of Greg blended with the combativeness and doogged spirit of brother Ian would make an almost perfect batsmen.



15.Mark Waugh-Steve Waugh-Perfect blending of elegance with technical skill and ability to improvise
 
Mohammed Yusuf - Rahul Dravid

The mental toughness, technique and concentration of Dravid, combined with the flamboyance and majestic stroke play of Mohammed Yusuf — you have some batsman there, imagine that... bowlers trying their all against the wall and in response he bats all day playing silky cover drives like Yusuf.
 
Majid Khan said:
Mohammed Yusuf - Rahul Dravid

The mental toughness, technique and concentration of Dravid, combined with the flamboyance and majestic stroke play of Mohammed Yusuf — you have some batsman there, imagine that... bowlers trying their all against the wall and in response he bats all day playing silky cover drives like Yusuf.
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good effort.Why not Javed Miandad instead?
 
Dravid and Kallis. Now imagine what a spectacle it have been for the viewers :))
 
Hitman said:
Dravid and Kallis. Now imagine what a spectacle it have been for the viewers :))
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Both masters in batting for your life but no the most agressive of batsmen.Why not mix someone like Ponting with one of them or even Sehwag?Liked my list and order?
 
Please participate here [MENTION=132916]Junaids[/MENTION] @Abfan [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION] [MENTION=538]bilal[/MENTION] [MENTION=7774]Robert[/MENTION]
 
Ponting-Sangakkara.

They would cover for each other's minor flaws and turn into a wonderful batsman that can dominate in any situation.
 
Harsh Thakor said:
Both masters in batting for your life but no the most agressive of batsmen.Why not mix someone like Ponting with one of them or even Sehwag?Liked my list and order?
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Good combination of players in your list. Don Bradman and Neil Harvey, what do you think?
 
Hitman said:
Good combination of players in your list. Don Bradman and Neil Harvey, what do you think?
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Which did you like most from my selection?Yes like Bradman-Harvey but still prefer Compton ,Hobbs or Headley.
 
Harsh Thakor said:
Which did you like most from my selection?Yes like Bradman-Harvey but still prefer Compton ,Hobbs or Headley.
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Viv and Sunny. That would have been one hell of a combination. Viv, although one of the very best ever, was known to not score big hundreds. Imagine his destructive ability combined with Sunny's ability to never throw away his wicket under any circumstances. I can understand it would have prevented Viv a little from being the murderous batsman he was, but it would have definitely made him score big hundreds.

What I intend to combine is Viv's unparalleled ability during his time to murder bowling attacks combined with Sunny's technique and his vow to make bowlers earn his wicket.
 
Harsh Thakor said:
good choice.Liked any of mine particularly?
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Loved almost all of them.

The one that stood out is Tendulkar-Lara. I've thought about it in the past too. That's a very good set of skills to work with while building a modern batsman.

That pair would almost certainly turn into an unbeatable machine. Especially if we're talking about their primes.
 
Hitman said:
Viv and Sunny. That would have been one hell of a combination. Viv, although one of the very best ever, was known to not score big hundreds. Imagine his destructive ability combined with Sunny's ability to never throw away his wicket under any circumstances. I can understand it would have prevented Viv a little from being the murderous batsman he was, but it would have definitely made him score big hundreds.

What I intend to combine is Viv's unparalleled ability during his time to murder bowling attacks combined with Sunny's technique and his vow to make bowlers earn his wicket.
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Totally agree sir. Outstanding combination of contrasting skills
 
Harsh Thakor said:
Totally agree sir. Outstanding combination of contrasting skills
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Imran Khan till this very day speaks of what a great batsman Sunny was. There are countless instances where he has spoken extremely highly of Sunny, and how he often asked his players to learn from Sunny on how to improve their technique and temperament. In fact there were instances where he would bowl at Sunny with all his might, and Sunny would defend it or leave it. Imran would then clap at Sunny, and ask his fielders at the slips and nearby to look how Sunny played that delivery.

As for Viv, we all know how high Imran rates him. He has repeatedly said that Viv was the only true genius he ever bowled at.

Wasim Akram till this day considers Sunny the best batsman he ever bowled at.
 
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AB De Villiers and Virat Kohli - All the magical strokes of De Villiers sans the choking :AB
 
Harsh Thakor said:
good effort.Why not Javed Miandad instead?
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Well Miandad was Miandad, his personality was that much blended into his batting, probably more than anyone I’ve seen. Just can’t imagine a batsman like Miandad without it being himself.. class act as a batsman, resilient and with a never say die attitude. He could score runs against the best in most difficult situations through sheer willpower.
 
I wish the OP creates a same thread regarding bowlers. How about Santa Banta Sreesanth and Andre Nel? :))
 
Harsh Thakor said:
Please participate here [MENTION=132916]Junaids[/MENTION] @Abfan [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION] [MENTION=538]bilal[/MENTION] [MENTION=7774]Robert[/MENTION]
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My 1st pick will be, as you have probably guessed already - Viv & Greg.
2nd one is Richards & Richards.
3rd one tough to pick among many, but I'll pick Sobers-Kanhai.
 
MMHS said:
My 1st pick will be, as you have probably guessed already - Viv & Greg.
2nd one is Richards & Richards.
3rd one tough to pick among many, but I'll pick Sobers-Kanhai.
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Not Viv -Sunny ?not a perfect combination-offensive and defensive?
 
I was going to say Bradman and Hafeez, although from different eras they would make an interesting blend. Bradman with Hafeez’s vulnerabilities in technique would still be averaging 50+ I reckon.
 
A Kohli/AB combination in ODI cricket would be unfair for bowlers. 1st innings or 2nd innings. Nowhere to hide.
 
battler said:
AB De Villiers and Virat Kohli - All the magical strokes of De Villiers sans the choking :AB
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I truly believe it gotta be ABDV-MS Dhoni.

One massively talented, the other the best man you can have when it's all about nerves.

One is a genius with a skill-set possessed by very few while other has the best possible game awareness.
 
- Sachin and Ponting
- Richards and Miandad
- Amla and de Villiers
- Kohli and Kane
- Babar and Fakhar
 
ABDV and Ponting. Somebody who scored in crunch situations and the other with an outrageous strike rate.
 
MMHS said:
My 1st pick will be, as you have probably guessed already - Viv & Greg.
2nd one is Richards & Richards.
3rd one tough to pick among many, but I'll pick Sobers-Kanhai.
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I think your first 2 picks will have issues against high quality spin bowling on subcontinental pitches. You may bring up Viv's 192* where he got some help from umpires or the Kotla 100 chasing 270 but again that pitch was flattening out and India fielded its worst spin attack in history. Mostly he didn't distinguish himself against spin like Lara/Kallis/AB for instance, his problems against leg spin are known. Similarly Greg never did anything of note against spin in Pakistan/India while Barry Richards too wasn't tested. I am not questioning your choices, just a thought that maybe Miandad in place of Viv/Greg/Barry in your first 2 choices cover the game against spin better.
 
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Bradman and Hammond all types of wickets are covered plus different height and weight aswell in tests it's probably the best combo of all time.
 
Swashbuckler said:
I think your first 2 picks will have issues against high quality spin bowling on subcontinental pitches. You may bring up Viv's 192* where he got some help from umpires or the Kotla 100 chasing 270 but again that pitch was flattening out and India fielded its worst spin attack in history. Mostly he didn't distinguish himself against spin like Lara/Kallis/AB for instance, his problems against leg spin are known. Similarly Greg never did anything of note against spin in Pakistan/India while Barry Richards too wasn't tested. I am not questioning your choices, just a thought that maybe Miandad in place of Viv/Greg/Barry in your first 2 choices cover the game against spin better.
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Very relevant and sound reasoning.What about Gavaskar-Viv?
 
Cric1234 said:
Bradman and Hammond all types of wickets are covered plus different height and weight aswell in tests it's probably the best combo of all time.
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Why not Hobbs or Compton?Not more contrasting to the Don ?
 
Harsh Thakor said:
Very relevant and sound reasoning.What about Gavaskar-Viv?
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Great combo, it has my support. Sunny would cover Viv's issues very well and the end result would be both the greatest defensive and offensive batting weapon of all time. What Sunny brings to the table are supreme defending skills, leaving ability, unlimited patience and the willingness to hang around in adverse times when the bowler is dominating the H2H battle. Viv's giant ego sometimes made him try and take undue risks rather than weathering the storm, not the best way to approach things against great bowlers. Sometimes buckling up and grinding the great bowlers to submission is a better way to go about things.

In that MCC-ROTW match in 1987, Sunny and Imran had a huge partnership and later Imran remarked how much he learnt from Sunny about the art of planning and constructing an innings. It was literally like human chess with the Indian being a master strategist. Also Sunny was excellent against spin bowling, so another weakness of Viv covered.

Applying the MMA analogy, Sunny+Viv would literally be like the greatest striker (Viv) and greatest grappler (Sunny) rolled into one. The combo would have so many ways to punish the opponent, quick knockout, slow submission, stalling, counterattack, making it a battle of attrition etc. Equally adept in winning matches from equal or slightly unfavorable positions and drawing matches from hopeless situations.
 
Swashbuckler said:
Great combo, it has my support. Sunny would cover Viv's issues very well and the end result would be both the greatest defensive and offensive batting weapon of all time. What Sunny brings to the table are supreme defending skills, leaving ability, unlimited patience and the willingness to hang around in adverse times when the bowler is dominating the H2H battle. Viv's giant ego sometimes made him try and take undue risks rather than weathering the storm, not the best way to approach things against great bowlers. Sometimes buckling up and grinding the great bowlers to submission is a better way to go about things.

In that MCC-ROTW match in 1987, Sunny and Imran had a huge partnership and later Imran remarked how much he learnt from Sunny about the art of planning and constructing an innings. It was literally like human chess with the Indian being a master strategist. Also Sunny was excellent against spin bowling, so another weakness of Viv covered.

Applying the MMA analogy, Sunny+Viv would literally be like the greatest striker (Viv) and greatest grappler (Sunny) rolled into one. The combo would have so many ways to punish the opponent, quick knockout, slow submission, stalling, counterattack, making it a battle of attrition etc. Equally adept in winning matches from equal or slightly unfavorable positions and drawing matches from hopeless situations.
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Great to hear
 
Swashbuckler said:
I think your first 2 picks will have issues against high quality spin bowling on subcontinental pitches. You may bring up Viv's 192* where he got some help from umpires or the Kotla 100 chasing 270 but again that pitch was flattening out and India fielded its worst spin attack in history. Mostly he didn't distinguish himself against spin like Lara/Kallis/AB for instance, his problems against leg spin are known. Similarly Greg never did anything of note against spin in Pakistan/India while Barry Richards too wasn't tested. I am not questioning your choices, just a thought that maybe Miandad in place of Viv/Greg/Barry in your first 2 choices cover the game against spin better.
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Barry Richards was one of the best ever white man against spin.

Regarding the pairing, I actually was more focused on aesthetics and sheer elegance of batting. These 3 guys might not be best pick on under-prepared rank turners, but on good wicket with proper pace, carry and spin as well, these 2 (not Viv) are two of the most complete batsmen and they were elegance personified. If you dark a picture (like negative), probably from back-foot squire drives & on-drives, I'll be able to recognize Greg Chappell.

Miandad was never a top class batsman for his technique - he was gutsy, street fighter who would find a way to fight it out in his own way, and he was indeed one of the best ever ever spin player. But, most of his contemporaries rate him for his fighting ability, his gut and his resilience to hang around, hardly you'll ever hear anyone praising his technique or shot making ability. This pairing is for Test, and in that route (spin play), I probably will pick Border or Gavaskar ahead of Javed, because their other packages were better, and Sunny is undoubtedly one of top 5 best ever spin players.

Sir Gary & Rohan were a generation ahead of their time - these two are cherished even today because they played the attractive game ahead of their time, when average RR in Test matches were around 2.0 and Barrington, Hanif, Hazare, Cowdrey, Simpson, Grevany, Dexter, Boycott ...... were the run makers.
 
Why do we want perfections? It's the little imperfections that make things great sometimes. Variety should be celebrated. All players need not have same style and capabilities.
 
Bilal7 said:
- Sachin and Ponting
- Richards and Miandad
- Amla and de Villiers
- Kohli and Kane
- Babar and Fakhar
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- Sachin and Ponting --- Don't get anything more than a front foot pull by adding Ponting. Lara would be much better.
- Richards and Miandad - Will still end up with a 50 run average with an overdose of aggression and combativeness
- Amla and de Villiers - choke de fattey
- Kohli and Kane - What does Kane bring that Kohli does not already have? Could Kohli and Smith be better - Super performance and average in all formats?
- Babar and Fakhar - At this point, people would just argue would-be, could-be and nothing else. Got to use combinations that have been proven over a longer time.
 
Smith and Root. Root with Smiths mentality would be unstopabble as he has all the shots. Smith with Roots **** range would be brilliant to see.
 
Dravid-Afridi: Monster that will hit sixes every 2nd over and never gets out
 
Such combination has a tendency to backfire.

George Bernard Shaw, ugly but witty genius, once met a pretty girl in a party smitten with him. The girl said if they get married the kid will have her beauty and Shaw’s brain. Shaw said what if the kid has his beauty and her brains.

So Drafidi will probably have Dravid’s strike rate and Afridi’s life span on the pitch. Disaster.
 
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