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Who is better Test batter - Joe Root or Steven Smith?

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PAKFAN12

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Sep 19, 2018
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Both Joe Root and Steve Smith are exceptional Test batsmen .

Joe Root has scored more runs but for me Steve Smith is the best red ball batter of this generation.

Tests played
Root -152
Smith-113

100s
Root-36 in 278 innings
Smith-34 in 202 innings

Avg:
Root-50.87
Smith-56.28

In Ashes 100s
Smith-12 in 66 innings
Root-4 in 65 innings

Ashes stats-
Smith-3417 runs,avg:56.01
Root-2
428 runs,avg:40.46
 
Root is the best when the conditions are perfect with zero pressure. Record in Aus: 14 test matches, 35 avg with zero 100s, shows he can't handle tough conditions or pressure.

Steven is better in tests when the conditions are hard and going gets tough.

Pretty obvious who is better here...
 
Romali_rotti said:
Root is the best when the conditions are perfect with zero pressure. Record in Aus: 14 test matches, 35 avg with zero 100s, shows he can't handle tough conditions or pressure.

Steven is better in tests when the conditions are hard and going gets tough.

Pretty obvious who is better here...
Click to expand...

Root must score 5 hundreds in Australia this Christmas to be respected as an all-occasion batsman.
 
RexRex said:
Root must score 5 hundreds in Australia this Christmas to be respected as an all-occasion batsman.
Click to expand...

The bounce is what seems to affect him, he is a good enough player to overcome it in imo... He needs the flatter wickets to look great so far in his career, unfortunately.

14 matches in Aus against his biggest rival and to have zero 100s with a 35 avg is a very big dent in his career..
 
I have to say Root because he has more centuries and more runs. Root may end up with most Test centuries and most Test runs in history.

Anyway, Smith is not far behind.
 
sweep_shot said:
I have to say Root because he has more centuries and more runs. Root may end up with most Test centuries and most Test runs in history.

Anyway, Smith is not far behind.
Click to expand...
Steve Smith is better overall. His prime is something no one has managed to come close to excluding Bradman. Dude was avg 65 to 86 in these years and he was so far ahead of everyone in his peak.

Those 8 years were ridiculous.

But currently yes Joe root is 100x ahead now due to smith usually avg in the upper 40's now since his 8 year run ended.
 
Smith was the better batsman but Root has had the better career.

50 years down the line, not many people would remember Smith, but everyone would recognize Root as the highest run scorer in Test cricket history, and possibly the highest century maker as well.
 
Romali_rotti said:
The bounce is what seems to affect him, he is a good enough player to overcome it in imo... He needs the flatter wickets to look great so far in his career, unfortunately.

14 matches in Aus against his biggest rival and to have zero 100s with a 35 avg is a very big dent in his career..
Click to expand...
That dent is about as big as the one Tendulkar has on his Test career against Pakistan.
 
Romali_rotti said:
Root is the best when the conditions are perfect with zero pressure. Record in Aus: 14 test matches, 35 avg with zero 100s, shows he can't handle tough conditions or pressure.

Steven is better in tests when the conditions are hard and going gets tough.

Pretty obvious who is better here...
Click to expand...
Root is unlucky. If only he could face Indian bowlers all year around he would be better than Sir Don let alone Smith.
 
Mamoon said:
Root is unlucky. If only he could face Indian bowlers all year around he would be better than Sir Don let alone Smith.
Click to expand...
Take the Bumrah in this series and take away the JB that was firing on all cylinders, yes he would have a 100 bat avg against the Indian bowlers... :LOL:
 
Mamoon said:
Smith was the better batsman but Root has had the better career.

50 years down the line, not many people would remember Smith, but everyone would recognize Root as the highest run scorer in Test cricket history, and possibly the highest century maker as well.
Click to expand...
People will remember smith unless someone comes and replaces him as the 2nd greatest since don
 
mominsaigol said:
People will remember smith unless someone comes and replaces him as the 2nd greatest since don
Click to expand...
That is an opinion, it is not stat-based, especially when his average has dropped to mid 50’s. People who have watched him will hold this opinion but not the future generations of fans who didn’t watch him play.

However, Root’s name will always be there at the summit.
 
Smith will be remembered as the best ever.

Root will likely be remembered as an excellent test bat and become the highest run scorer ever.

They will occupy the top spots in the debate for the rest of cricketing history.
 
Mamoon said:
Your filters include the 2 Tests in India too.

I am talking about the series in England where India ran away before the 5th Test because of IPL, only to return a year later and get steamrolled.
Click to expand...

Didn't you initially say on post 18, 2021 against India with Bumrah ?
 
DeadlyVenom said:
Smith will be remembered as the best ever.

Root will likely be remembered as an excellent test bat and become the highest run scorer ever.

They will occupy the top spots in the debate for the rest of cricketing history.
Click to expand...
Smith will be remembered as a cheat, which is why I’d rather have Root in my team.
 
Kohlhaas said:
Smith will be remembered as a cheat, which is why I’d rather have Root in my team.
Click to expand...
His cheating doesn't affect his stature as a batsman. He was punished severely by the Aussie board and served his time. Contrast this to how Indian board behaved when Sachin was caught tampering.
 
DeadlyVenom said:
His cheating doesn't affect his stature as a batsman. He was punished severely by the Aussie board and served his time. Contrast this to how Indian board behaved when Sachin was caught tampering.
Click to expand...
No, indeed it doesn’t. It does affect his stature as a person, and I’d prefer not to have him in my side for that reason. In pure batting terms, would I rather have a Lamborghini or a Ferrari? I dunno, and I’m not sure it matters much.
 
Steve Smith at his peak averaged 66 overall.
Joe Root in his supposed peak averages just a touch over 50.

There is absolutely no comparison, Root is far behind both Tendulkar and Smith.
 
Root will become like Anderson. Most runs/wickets and ghe longevity of career. GOAT players for their country but nowhere near the best world's best XI.
 
RidiculousMan said:
Root will become like Anderson. Most runs/wickets and ghe longevity of career. GOAT players for their country but nowhere near the best world's best XI.
Click to expand...
That's incorrect. What matters is a player stats at the end of their careers.

Root record is better then Ponting country wise and hos avg is 51.17 now. It'll keep rising.

He can very well become the greatest after Bradman. He is behind tenda and Steve Smith for now

Its safe to say he has surpassed Ponting though and Ponting is my favourite batsmen all time btw so this is coming from someone who is based towards Ponting

Currently root is > Ponting in test cricket.
 
Smith as a test batsman is in the league of Tendulkar and Lara.

Root is in the league of Kallis, Dravid, Sanga.
 
RidiculousMan said:
Stats can lie. Smith is not the best test batter of his generation because of stats only. He's best because of the performances he has given. Which the people who have seen him play can testify.
Click to expand...
I am not stating that Smith isnt > Root, nor am I stating that he isnt the best. He is my favourite test batter as well.

But root has match winning games as well. Infact both root and Smith have more match wins then tenda who ironically has 0 if not supported by dravid, Sehwag, Laxman or Ganguly.

Root single handidely won the 3rd test. His batting sealed it on a difficult pitch. He also more or less has been everyone's Abu across the world excluding doctored pitches where india, Pakistan and Bangladesh have gotten the better of him via cheap tactics.

He's been the biggest match winner for England across the globe in the same vein Smith has been for AU.

Australia is the only country thats freqently gotten the better of root both home and away with zero cheap tactics such as purch doctoring.
 
At the end of his career Root will neither retire as the best test player of this generation nor the best limited over batsman of this generation.
 
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