Who is the greatest Asian cricketer of all-time?

[silentkiller187]

Danish Kaneria judging by some of the responses to post i have read on here recently.

 

[Manunited18]

That's your opinion and being from Pakistan one can understand why.

However, from Wisden's top 5 to 25 greatest cricketers and fan following, SRT trump's everyone else from Asia.

This thread is an open ended discussion, people have biases and will consider their own choice as the best, however, globally among Pundits and amount of crazed fan base SRT will be #1.

Im actually from lancashire England, I support pakistan when they play every nation bar England

 

[Manunited18]

That's your opinion and being from Pakistan one can understand why.

However, from Wisden's top 5 to 25 greatest cricketers and fan following, SRT trump's everyone else from Asia.

This thread is an open ended discussion, people have biases and will consider their own choice as the best, however, globally among Pundits and amount of crazed fan base SRT will be #1.

So that's your opinion, there was actually no reason to reply to mine as you stated that's my opinion, I don't care about wisden, I've seen imran, akram, sachin

 

[Mesozoic]

1. Sachin Tendulkar

Daylight

2. Wasim Akram
3. Virat Kohli
4. Imran Khan
5. Muralidharan

 

[1ManArmy]

Wasim Akram

 

[Heisenberg111]

That's your opinion and being from Pakistan one can understand why.

However, from Wisden's top 5 to 25 greatest cricketers and fan following, SRT trump's everyone else from Asia.

This thread is an open ended discussion, people have biases and will consider their own choice as the best, however, globally among Pundits and amount of crazed fan base SRT will be #1.

Do you have any idea what are you talking about? IK is a household name in Aus and UK. Many people in England consider Imran to be the best cricketer from the subcontinent.

 

[MenInG]

Danish Kaneria judging by some of the responses to post i have read on here recently.

Only from the BJP's inner circle.

 

[barah_admi]

Imran Khan.

A complete all rounder will always trump players with a single role (batsman or bowler). Khan is alongside Sobers and Kallis as the greatest of all rounders.

After that, there are arguments for Tendulkar, Akram and Murali. I could even entertain arguments for any of those having a claim at the number one spot but for those of you who are Indian claiming it is Tendulkar without question need to grow up and watch more cricket.

 

[Junaids]

Do you have any idea what are you talking about? IK is a household name in Aus and UK. Many people in England consider Imran to be the best cricketer from the subcontinent.

No.

All Aussie and English people consider Imran to be the greatest Asian cricketer.

Frankly, the rise of Kohli means that hardly any non-ethnically Indian people would even consider Tendulkar to be the greatest Indian batsman, let alone the greatest Asian cricketer. Kohli’s achievements are really exposing what Tendulkar wasn’t good enough to achieve.

 

[Junaids]

After that, there are arguments for Tendulkar, Akram and Murali. I could even entertain arguments for any of those having a claim at the number one spot but for those of you who are Indian claiming it is Tendulkar without question need to grow up and watch more cricket.

But but but......

Poor Tendulkar had to carry the team all alone.

He didn’t have any decent teammates to share the load.

Except for.......

Sehwag
Dravid
Azharuddin
Laxman
Ganguly
Dhoni
Kumble
Harbhajan
Zaheer
Srinath

Apart from those ten teammates, Sachin had to carry the team singlehanded with no support.

 

[Ab Fan]

1. Sachin Tendulkar

Daylight

2. Wasim Akram
3. Virat Kohli
4. Imran Khan
5. Muralidharan

I second you.

 

[szrana007]

Imran by a country mile. I live in Finland. Finnish people know nothing about cricket, yet people even know Imran here while Tendu is a nobody. If you don't believe me just ask Sharapova,lol.

 

[King_Kohli]

Srt

 

[moghul]

As package Imran Khan was way ahead of other , one of the greatest captain , fast bowler and all rounder and inspired the whole generation of fast bowler .

 

[Hitman]

No.

All Aussie and English people consider Imran to be the greatest Asian cricketer.

Frankly, the rise of Kohli means that hardly any non-ethnically Indian people would even consider Tendulkar to be the greatest Indian batsman, let alone the greatest Asian cricketer. Kohli’s achievements are really exposing what Tendulkar wasn’t good enough to achieve.

All Australian and English people? Are you sure?

 

[Mesozoic]

Imran by a country mile. I live in Finland. Finnish people know nothing about cricket, yet people even know Imran here while Tendu is a nobody. If you don't believe me just ask Sharapova,lol.

I bet it has got nothing to do with the fact that Imran is the prime minister of Pakistan , a country which is quite popular in the west for whatever reasons.

 

[jnaveen1980]

All Australian and English people? Are you sure?

Imran admitted to using lanelin, vaseline to lift the seam. He also admitted to using bottle cap to alter the seam in his book. So English doesn't exactly consider him as the "greatest".

 

[big_gamer007]

Do you have any idea what are you talking about? IK is a household name in Aus and UK. Many people in England consider Imran to be the best cricketer from the subcontinent.

Even more consider SRT as the greatest from sub continent, a lot consider him the greatest ever. What's your point?

Though we can have some facts:

Fact 1. Pundits/Wisden almost always put SRT in all teams and legendary cricketers list. IK goes missing from lot of them.

Fact 2: Indians rule cricket, sheer number wise SRT will trump any other cricketer, IK wouldn't even get in top 5 let alone anywhere near the top spot.

You just show case your lack of knowledge and awareness about reality. Barring Wasim, no Pakistani cricketer will come anyway near the top 3 Indians - SRT, Kohli and Dhoni. And reason why Wasim will come close in addition to his skills and greatness is his fan base amongst Indians.

Greatness is defined by your career + popularity + legacy.

SRT trump's everyone else in all three metrics combined.

You can chose to believe what you want, won't change the truth

 

[big_gamer007]

So that's your opinion, there was actually no reason to reply to mine as you stated that's my opinion, I don't care about wisden, I've seen imran, akram, sachin

So basically you quote someone out of the blue for no reason, when they reply you say why quote me?

What's your play here? You want everyone to say IK is the greatest?

 

[Heisenberg111]

Even more consider SRT as the greatest from sub continent, a lot consider him the greatest ever. What's your point?

Though we can have some facts:

Fact 1. Pundits/Wisden almost always put SRT in all teams and legendary cricketers list. IK goes missing from lot of them.

Fact 2: Indians rule cricket, sheer number wise SRT will trump any other cricketer, IK wouldn't even get in top 5 let alone anywhere near the top spot.

You just show case your lack of knowledge and awareness about reality. Barring Wasim, no Pakistani cricketer will come anyway near the top 3 Indians - SRT, Kohli and Dhoni. And reason why Wasim will come close in addition to his skills and greatness is his fan base amongst Indians.

Greatness is defined by your career + popularity + legacy.

SRT trump's everyone else in all three metrics combined.

You can chose to believe what you want, won't change the truth

Popularity amongst indians isn't the criteria to be the greatest cricketer,lol. We don't need any validation from Indians for our cricketers, so couldn't care less what indians think.

 

[ethan hunt]

Imran made cricket popular even amongst women.
Was watching some documentaries and the respect he enjoyed was immense.
Great cricketer, great captain, larger than life flamboyant character.
His legacy is unmatched.
The little choker doesn't even begin to compare.
Kohli might end up as a better cricketer than Sachin.

 

[King_Kohli]

who cares opinions here.
Indians chose Inidan, Pakistanis chose pakistanis

 

[Joseph Gomes]

Greatest is a subjective opinion. Imran Khan is far more famous not counting India. Tendulkar being a god in India means nothing outside India, he's just a better version Lara but weirdly idolized by his countrymen.

I find it amusing that many Indians get offended when anybody says they don't know who Tendulkar is. The level of arrogance and entitlement is entertaining to say the least.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Greatest is a subjective opinion. Imran Khan is far more famous not counting India. Tendulkar being a god in India means nothing outside India, he's just a better version Lara but weirdly idolized by his countrymen.

I find it amusing that many Indians get offended when anybody says they don't know who Tendulkar is. The level of arrogance and entitlement is entertaining to say the least.

That is not true lol Even NZ kids were having a fan club back in the 1994 ODI series. He was quiet popular in Australia and NZ when he started out as he looked like a kid. He had a different kind of fan base all over the world. Probably the most idolized cricketer around the world. A wax statue for him at the Madame Tussauds .Now Kohli got one too. But for imran khan a petition to have wax statue 31 signatures so far. Tendulkar has a wax statue at the SCG as well. Anyone who followed cricket can understand the popularity he attained. Nobody has achieved as much adulation as Sachin from fellow cricketers and other non cricketing personalities. From Bradman to Obama. It is a joke to compare his popularity with Imran Khan's. If you really followed the 90s cricket every step of the way you know what i am talking about. Imran Khan is sure known as the architect of Pakistan cricket. If we are talking about who is more popular among girls i don't dispute Imran is a GOAT Many Indian girls had a huge crush on Imran and Wasim Akram.

 

[Darkrai]

Imran Khan is the best cricketer of all time from asia.

His bowling alone makes him top 2 or 3 in asia, when you consider his batting as well, he is well beyond any asian cricketer.

 

[barah_admi]

But but but......

Poor Tendulkar had to carry the team all alone.

He didn’t have any decent teammates to share the load.

Except for.......

Sehwag
Dravid
Azharuddin
Laxman
Ganguly
Dhoni
Kumble
Harbhajan
Zaheer
Srinath

Apart from those ten teammates, Sachin had to carry the team singlehanded with no support.

Haha

Tbf to Tendulkar, he was the only great players in the mid to late 90s Indian team, it wasnt until the mid 00s that I would classify Dravid becoming a true great of the test arena, Sehwag coming into his own etc. But yes, he played in a far better batting line up with two world class spinners than even Imran and his teams of the late 70s and 80s.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Tendulkar in international cricket is probably only second to Bradman in terms of sheer stature.

A lot of people would actually pick Wasim Akram over anyone for Pakistan's greatest cricketer.

 

[andy0204]

Tendulkar was overrated in his second half of his carrer.
For me Murali is the greatest asian cricketer of all time,U can talk about his action but he more than anybody has been responsible for the uplift in Srilankan cricket,they had others who contributed but he was the go to man,

 

[jnaveen1980]

Tendulkar was overrated in his second half of his carrer.
For me Murali is the greatest asian cricketer of all time,U can talk about his action but he more than anybody has been responsible for the uplift in Srilankan cricket,they had others who contributed but he was the go to man,

That was Ranatunga. He was the one who empowered all of them.

 

[HappyWarsFan]

Imran Khan and it's not even close. Lol at the Indians hyping up Tendulkar as the greatest. He was an excellent batsmen but be averaged 52 or so. Lots of other batsmen in the history of Test cricket also averaged around that much of higher.

 

[andy0204]

That was Ranatunga. He was the one who empowered all of them.

Murali was his biggest weapon in armory.

 

[jnaveen1980]

But Murali was his biggest weapon in his armory.

They won world cup without Murali's contribution. He was the one who shaped the country's fortunes. Murali pretty much sucked in India and Australia.

 

[Ab Fan]

Imran's popularity and stature is unmatchable by any Pakistani cricketer in the world but as a bowler, Wasim Akram is the greatest to come from Pakistan.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Imran's popularity and stature is unmatchable by any Pakistani cricketer in the world but as a bowler, Wasim Akram is the greatest to come from Pakistan.

As a leader i emphasize the word leader not captain Imran was definitely one of the best ever in cricketing history. He had the complete freedom to do what he wanted with his players. Bit like how Clive Lloyd had.

 

[Sidilicious]

Tendulkar generally gets into more greatest world xis compiled by non Indians and Pakistanis as compared to IK. In addition Tendulkar is also been ranked ahead in ranking compilations.

Thus, as far as I am concerned, Sachin is the greatest Asian cricketer.

However, I understand why a Pakistani may put IK ahead as well. His cricketing achievement are great too.

 

[Manunited18]

Imran's popularity and stature is unmatchable by any Pakistani cricketer in the world but as a bowler, Wasim Akram is the greatest to come from Pakistan.

As a test bowler wasim was inferior to imran

 

[Manunited18]

Tendulkar in international cricket is probably only second to Bradman in terms of sheer stature.

A lot of people would actually pick Wasim Akram over anyone for Pakistan's greatest cricketer.

Actually I think dohni is indias greatest cricketer but he's no match for the universal star of the great imran khan, ask chai wala mohdi

 

[shane]

Murali. Followed by Kohli.

 

[BlueBeamer]

KOHLI is well on his way to finish as the GREATEST and the MOST POPULAR asian cricketer of all time.

 

[light]

Are we talking performance wise or popularity wise? Performance wise, it would be hard to decide since some of them are bowlers, some are batsmen. Popularity wise, hands down Sachin.

If I had to pick, I would go with
Batsmen: Sachin
Bowler (fast) : Wasim
Bowler (spin): Murali

 

[Hitman]

No.

All Aussie and English people consider Imran to be the greatest Asian cricketer.

Frankly, the rise of Kohli means that hardly any non-ethnically Indian people would even consider Tendulkar to be the greatest Indian batsman, let alone the greatest Asian cricketer. Kohli’s achievements are really exposing what Tendulkar wasn’t good enough to achieve.

All Aussie and English people? Here's a former English great naming his 50 greatest cricketer of all time. Imran Khan the greatest cricketer from Asia? He is not even in his top 10.

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...id-Gower-s-50-Greatest-Cricketers-of-All-Time

 

[Mamoon]

Top 3:

Kohli
Tendulkar
Imran

 

[Mamoon]

Kohli’s establishment as the greatest Asian Test captain has propelled him ahead of Tendulkar and Imran.

Tendulkar vs Imran was always an easy choice. The Litte Master surpassed the Pakistani talisman in terms of stature by the end of 90’s.

 

[Buffet]

Top 3:

Kohli
Tendulkar
Imran

Kohli has not overtaken SRT yet.

ESPN panel of --- Wasim Akram, Sunil Gavaskar, Richie Benaud, Sir Richard Hadlee, Dickie Bird, Michael Holding, Allan Border, John Knowles, Ian Botham, Robin Marlar, Ian Chappell, Christopher Martin-Jenkins, Tony Cozier, Mike Procter and Martin Crowe --- put SRT in 7th rank in history in 2001.

1. Don Bradman
2. Gary Sobers
3. Viv Richards
4. Shane Warne
5. Jack Hobbs
6. Dennis Lillee
7. Sachin Tendulkar

Given that this ranking was done by cricekting legends from various countries when SRT was half way in his career, he is likely to be rated higher by the same set of legends now.

People can nitpick about older era being ranked higher and all that, but this was their collective opinion. SRT is likely to be ranked among the top 3 cricketers by the same legends, if not then comfortably among the top 5 right now.

Kohlii has a too high a bar to be rated higher than SRT just right now. He can surpass, but he has to maintain high standards for many more years.

 

[Buffet]

Also, Murali is a potential candidate despite very few posters discussing him.

 

[Mamoon]

Kohli has not overtaken SRT yet.

ESPN panel of --- Wasim Akram, Sunil Gavaskar, Richie Benaud, Sir Richard Hadlee, Dickie Bird, Michael Holding, Allan Border, John Knowles, Ian Botham, Robin Marlar, Ian Chappell, Christopher Martin-Jenkins, Tony Cozier, Mike Procter and Martin Crowe --- put SRT in 7th rank in history in 2001.

1. Don Bradman
2. Gary Sobers
3. Viv Richards
4. Shane Warne
5. Jack Hobbs
6. Dennis Lillee
7. Sachin Tendulkar

Given that this ranking was done by cricekting legends from various countries when SRT was half way in his career, he is likely to be rated higher by the same set of legends now.

People can nitpick about older era being ranked higher and all that, but this was their collective opinion. SRT is likely to be ranked among the top 3 cricketers by the same legends, if not then comfortably among the top 5 right now.

Kohlii has a too high a bar to be rated higher than SRT just right now. He can surpass, but he has to maintain high standards for many more years.

Well I can see the likes of Viv and Warne rating Kohli on par if not equal with Tendulkar now. That panel made that list in 2001 and until 2011-12, it looked impossible for any batsman to beat Tendulkar’s records until Kohli came along.

Every legend has his own place in history, but Kohli’s rise has highlighted some of the weaknesses in Tendulkar’s game and the things that he was not able to do.

I understand why quite a few people think that Tendulkar is ahead, but the gap is not that great anymore in spite of the fact that Kohli still has 5-6 years left.

He is almost certain to break the 100 centuries barrier and his captaincy record is mighty impressive.

There are some Tendulkar records that he won’t be able to break, but he is also setting his own records and he has been the best batsman in the world and the face of cricket for many years now.

No one would have thought that Tendulkar’s status as India’s greatest batsman would be under serious threat within a decade of his retirement but Kohli has made it possible.

You cannot predict the future but it is extremely unlikely that Kohli will not be prolific for another 4-5 years considering his dedication. That is why I am comfortable with placing him ahead of Tendulkar because his success as Test captain has to be factored in as well.

 

[Mamoon]

Also, Murali is a potential candidate despite very few posters discussing him.

He would have been rated higher if he played for India or Pakistan, plus some people would always question the legitimacy of his action.

 

[liam26]

1) SRT
2) Virat Kohli
3) Imran Khan Niazi

 

[Junaids]

Kohli has not overtaken SRT yet.

ESPN panel of --- Wasim Akram, Sunil Gavaskar, Richie Benaud, Sir Richard Hadlee, Dickie Bird, Michael Holding, Allan Border, John Knowles, Ian Botham, Robin Marlar, Ian Chappell, Christopher Martin-Jenkins, Tony Cozier, Mike Procter and Martin Crowe --- put SRT in 7th rank in history in 2001.

1. Don Bradman
2. Gary Sobers
3. Viv Richards
4. Shane Warne
5. Jack Hobbs
6. Dennis Lillee
7. Sachin Tendulkar

Given that this ranking was done by cricekting legends from various countries when SRT was half way in his career, he is likely to be rated higher by the same set of legends now.

People can nitpick about older era being ranked higher and all that, but this was their collective opinion. SRT is likely to be ranked among the top 3 cricketers by the same legends, if not then comfortably among the top 5 right now.

Kohlii has a too high a bar to be rated higher than SRT just right now. He can surpass, but he has to maintain high standards for many more years.

Hardly.

The whole point about Tendulkar was that he was too unintelligent to be capable of improving his game.

He reached a very high level by the age of 20 and then stagnated until he went into age-related decline.

Don’t get me wrong, anyone would love to stagnate at such a very high level.

But the point is, he never improved. The All Time Number 7 ranking probably assumed further development - which never happened!

And ironically, 4 of that panel were better cricketers than Sachin ever was.

 

[big_gamer007]

Popularity amongst indians isn't the criteria to be the greatest cricketer,lol. We don't need any validation from Indians for our cricketers, so couldn't care less what indians think.

Of course you need validation from Indians otherwide you wouldn't have quoted me.

Indians own cricket, we are in majority, anything to do with cricket needs to be approved by Indians.

Even then:

More fan base - Sachin
More money from resultant fan base - Sachin
More records - Sachin
More MOM - Sachin
More legends/pundits ratings - Sachin
Wisden ratings - Sachin

It doesn't matter what minority of the fans like yourself think, end of the day for majority SRT will always trump almost everyone.

 

[big_gamer007]

Top 3:

Kohli
Tendulkar
Imran

In terms of greatness which is result of Achievements + Popularity + Skills + Legacy, Wasim will be above IK.

1. SRT
2. Kohli
3. Dhoni
4. Wasim


With IK becoming PM things might change a bit in terms of his popularity and he might be able to overtake Dhoni and Wasim.

SRT is above Kohli for now as Kohli is yet to retire and doesn't have much of a legacy compared to SRT whose legacy includes Sehwag, Kohli, Rohit and many other batsmen.

 

[Waleed93]

Imran for me because he was the complete package. An ATG bowler, decent batsman and a revolutionary captain. As a complete package he doesn't have a rival.

Tendulkar would be a very close second purely because of the impact he had on the game, without going into intricate details.

To all the PPers taking [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] seriously, here is what he had to say back in 2014 :

Imran for me because he was the complete package. An ATG bowler, decent batsman and a revolutionary captain. As a complete package he doesn't have a rival.

Tendulkar would be a very close second purely because of the impact he had on the game, without going into intricate details.

Mamoon in 2020 : Imran was surpassed by Tendulkar way back in the 90s.

 

[andy0204]

They won world cup without Murali's contribution. He was the one who shaped the country's fortunes. Murali pretty much sucked in India and Australia.

He might not have contributed in World Cup but They would be like Bangladesh in tests if not for Muralidaran.They have won Test series against every Test playing nation. Managing to do that inside about 10 years (mid 90s to mid 2000s) was a good achievement for a country that first played Test cricket in the 80s.

 

[Waleed93]

On topic, Imran remains the GOAT Asian cricketer for me.

Kohli has a very good chance to go past him by the time he retires though. At the moment, I will put him at the second position. He already is the GOAT batsman when it comes to LOIs, an ATG Test batsman, as well as a great leader with excellent captaincy records.

Tendulkar will surely slot in at number 3. He was second a few years ago, but nobody thought Kohli would become such a monster that he will surpass the Little Master at the age of just 31.

 

[Mobashir]

Imran Khan is well ahead of others as he is a complete package.

Then you can debate the 2nd, 3rd and 4th place between Wasim, Murli and SRT.

 

[tyron_woodley]

Imran Khan is well ahead of others as he is a complete package.

Then you can debate the 2nd, 3rd and 4th place between Wasim, Murli and SRT.

1) kohli
2) tenda
3) murali
4)wasim
then imran.

babar will be found out soon.

 

[Mesozoic]

Well Pakistanis will say it's Imran for obvious reasons and Indians will say it's Sachin for even more obvious reasons. But it doesn't matter due to the overwhelming bias prevailing in the SC.

Vast majority of the neutral fans and the legends of the game consider Sachin as the GOAT from Asia. Some even say he's "The GOAT". So, that settles it right there.

 

[Mobashir]

1) kohli
2) tenda
3) murali
4)wasim
then imran.

babar will be found out soon.

I don't know where you are coming from but these two names have nothing to do in this thread, at least Babar's. Kohli can still be mentioned as a futur candidate.

For the moment there are only 4 players - Imran, Murli, Tendulkar and Wasim. Anyone can bring arguments to prove his point of view.

 

[Buffet]

Hardly.

The whole point about Tendulkar was that he was too unintelligent to be capable of improving his game.

He reached a very high level by the age of 20 and then stagnated until he went into age-related decline.

Don’t get me wrong, anyone would love to stagnate at such a very high level.

But the point is, he never improved. The All Time Number 7 ranking probably assumed further development - which never happened!

And ironically, 4 of that panel were better cricketers than Sachin ever was.

Conjectures! Fact is he makes into all time world XI very frequently.

If I am rigth then SRT got to rank one again after decline in middle. Most teens are not finished product and that's why you see improvement in them in thier 20s. SRT was rank one when only 20-21 years old. He was world class in his teens and finished product. Logically you are not going to see much improvement if player is already a finished product.

Lots of legend are no where close to finshed product when they are 20 years old so obviously you will see lots of imporvements and that's what take them from potential to legend status.

 

[Mamoon]

To all the PPers taking [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] seriously, here is what he had to say back in 2014 :


Mamoon in 2020 : Imran was surpassed by Tendulkar way back in the 90s.

No one has to take me seriously or non-seriously. I am here to say what I want to say and it is up to the other posters how they interpret it. It is not something in my control.

Yes it is indeed true that I once considered Imran not only the greatest Asian cricketer but the greatest cricketer of all time. Unfortunately, it was an ignorant viewpoint and I fell victim to the pro-Imran propaganda on PP before I did my own research and came to the conclusion that although there is no doubt that he was a legendary cricketer, his status as both a player and a captain is severely overrated on this forum.

 

[Ab Fan]

It was only after I joined PP in 2015 that I knew Imran was such a great bowler. Always felt both Imran and Kapil are in same league as cricketers and Wasim is the greatest fast bowler to come from Pakistan or from sub continent.

 

[tyron_woodley]

I don't know where you are coming from but these two names have nothing to do in this thread, at least Babar's. Kohli can still be mentioned as a futur candidate.

For the moment there are only 4 players - Imran, Murli, Tendulkar and Wasim. Anyone can bring arguments to prove his point of view.

yes boss.

 

[jnaveen1980]

He might not have contributed in World Cup but They would be like Bangladesh in tests if not for Muralidaran.They have won Test series against every Test playing nation. Managing to do that inside about 10 years (mid 90s to mid 2000s) was a good achievement for a country that first played Test cricket in the 80s.

Probably at home. Kumble/Ashwin/Herath are also good at home. Overseas 5 man of the match awards. 2 against Pak 2 against England 1 against zimbabwe. SL is yet to win in India/Australia.

 

[andy0204]

Probably at home. Kumble/Ashwin/Herath are also good at home. Overseas 5 man of the match awards. 2 against Pak 2 against England 1 against zimbabwe. SL is yet to win in India/Australia.

Still it is a great achievement,For a country who started playing test cricket in 80's.

 

[IAJ]

In order to even be considered for being the best cricketer you have to be good in at least two departments.

In Asia you have to select from one of these in my opinion;

Imran Khan
Kapil Dev
Wasim Akram

Tendulkar would have have won in the "Best Batsman" category, but as an allround cricketer he is not up there.

Virat Kohli is more likely to be included in that list as he is a successfull captain as well. But as of today it is Imran Khan who was very good in 3 departments.

 

[Heisenberg111]

Of course you need validation from Indians otherwide you wouldn't have quoted me.

Indians own cricket, we are in majority, anything to do with cricket needs to be approved by Indians.

Even then:

More fan base - Sachin
More money from resultant fan base - Sachin
More records - Sachin
More MOM - Sachin
More legends/pundits ratings - Sachin
Wisden ratings - Sachin

It doesn't matter what minority of the fans like yourself think, end of the day for majority SRT will always trump almost everyone.

We don't care what Indians think. To think we need validation from Indians is a very arrogant and a delusional view. Its entitlement mentality on steroids. In any case what you are trying to say is a fallacy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argumentum_ad_populum

 

[Heisenberg111]

It was only after I joined PP in 2015 that I knew Imran was such a great bowler. Always felt both Imran and Kapil are in same league as cricketers and Wasim is the greatest fast bowler to come from Pakistan or from sub continent.

Imran was far better than Kapil as a bowler.

 

[Heisenberg111]

Well Pakistanis will say it's Imran for obvious reasons and Indians will say it's Sachin for even more obvious reasons. But it doesn't matter due to the overwhelming bias prevailing in the SC.

Vast majority of the neutral fans and the legends of the game consider Sachin as the GOAT from Asia. Some even say he's "The GOAT". So, that settles it right there.

If you live in India, then Tenda is the goat. I am from England, and here many people rate Imran higher, you guys need to travel more.

 

[Heisenberg111]

To all the PPers taking [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] seriously, here is what he had to say back in 2014 :


Mamoon in 2020 : Imran was surpassed by Tendulkar way back in the 90s.

) This guy is a walking contradiction. Changes his opinion like sheep.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Imran was far better than Kapil as a bowler.

Wish we had seen him in action without the "external assistance". You never know. Kapil dev as a captain at the age of 25 won the world cup for his side, Much before Imran Khan. He didn't bash a bits and piece of team like England to win the final. Kapil's army beat West Indies twice in the 1983 world cup. Later on Gavaskar's team brutalized Pakistan twice in the Benson & HEdges tournament.

 

[Mesozoic]

If you live in India, then Tenda is the goat. I am from England, and here many people rate Imran higher, you guys need to travel more.

Don't know if you follow Cricinfo but they do this thing where former players select their all time XIs. Almost everyone , like 9/10 of them picked Sachin and literally no-one ever picked Imran. I'm talking about the neutral players here, not Ind or Pak e ex-players.

So, yes. You might have met a few IK fans out there , but that doesn't really tell much. No need to "travel" to know a thing this obvious.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Don't know if you follow Cricinfo but they do this thing where former players select their all time XIs. Almost everyone , like 9/10 of them picked Sachin and literally no-one ever picked Imran. I'm talking about the neutral players here, not Ind or Pak e ex-players.

So, yes. You might have met a few IK fans out there , but that doesn't really tell much. No need to "travel" to know a thing this obvious.

Sachin Tendulkar was my real hero, I idolised him, says Ian Bell

Ian Bell says Sachin Tendulkar was probably the only batsman in the world who could change the whole atmosphere of the ground.

The Bicentennial match where he led the Rest of the world side scored a brilliant 125 chasing 261 against Mcgrath, Donald, Srinath, Kumble. It is not about the runs. But the reception he got was tremendous.

 

[Mesozoic]

Sachin Tendulkar was my real hero, I idolised him, says Ian Bell

Ian Bell says Sachin Tendulkar was probably the only batsman in the world who could change the whole atmosphere of the ground.

The Bicentennial match where he led the Rest of the world side scored a brilliant 125 chasing 261 against Mcgrath, Donald, Srinath, Kumble. It is not about the runs. But the reception he got was tremendous.

Thats what I meant.

Everyone from Gooch, Ponting, Warne ,Kallis, McCullum, Trescothick and Strauss to Root, Morkel , Broad , Holder etc etc have named Sachin in their all time XIs but no mention of Imran. Infact , I feel Wasim Akram is rated higher than Imran outside of Pak , but I can understand the perception of Pak fans as he won them the world cup. Even in India, some rate Dhoni above Sachin just because he was the captain of the WC winning team , which is quite bizarre.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Thats what I meant.

Everyone from Gooch, Ponting, Warne ,Kallis, McCullum, Trescothick and Strauss to Root, Morkel , Broad , Holder etc etc have named Sachin in their all time XIs but no mention of Imran. Infact , I feel Wasim Akram is rated higher than Imran outside of Pak , but I can understand the perception of Pak fans as he won them the world cup. Even in India, some rate Dhoni above Sachin just because he was the captain of the WC winning team , which is quite bizarre.

Definitely in India Akram is rated much higher than Imran.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Another 80s Pakistan batsman who was a cult figure in India was Zaheer Abbas.

 

[Waleed93]

) This guy is a walking contradiction. Changes his opinion like sheep.

Imran has become such an obsession to him, to the point that he even has to downgrade Imran the cricketer to somehow feel better.

 

[andy0204]

Imran has become such an obsession to him, to the point that he even has to downgrade Imran the cricketer to somehow feel better.

Looks like Imran Khan didn't gave him an autograph

 

[Waleed93]

No one has to take me seriously or non-seriously. I am here to say what I want to say and it is up to the other posters how they interpret it. It is not something in my control.

Yes it is indeed true that I once considered Imran not only the greatest Asian cricketer but the greatest cricketer of all time. Unfortunately, it was an ignorant viewpoint and I fell victim to the pro-Imran propaganda on PP before I did my own research and came to the conclusion that although there is no doubt that he was a legendary cricketer, his status as both a player and a captain is severely overrated on this forum.

He was easily the best all rounder of his generation, ahead of his contemporaries such as Botham, Kapil, and Hadlee. Impact wise, the only all rounder you can put above him will be Sobers, the latter being a better batsman, but an inferior bowler to Imran.

Tendulkar's impact as a batsman certainly remains unmatched to this date, and it may never be matched in the next decades to come. However, as a pure batsman, Kohli trumps him in LOIs statistically, and his records across formats put him above Sachin.

Kohli's and Imran's captaincy credentials add more weight to their claims as the greatest Asian cricketers ever, hence putting them above Tendulkar.

From a statistical point of view, you will never be able to name a player averaging close to 38 with the bat, 22 with the ball in the purest format of the game. If you add the fact that he led Pakistan to series draws against the mighty WI sides of the 1980s, when other teams were struggling to even face them puts him on an even higher level as a complete cricketer. The WC victory just adds to his legacy, and if you keep in mind his legacy as a pure fast bowler, someone who inspired a whole generation of players to take up fast bowling, and a mentor to players like Wasim and Waqar, then his level as the GOAT Asian cricketer ever remains unmatched.

As I said, Kohli remains the only competitor to Imran as the greatest Asian cricketer ever, and he has a very good chance to go past him, as his stature as a pure batsman is already known by everyone, and his leadership qualities put him even closer to Imran as the best Asian cricketer ever. A WC trophy would certainly put him at the top.

The so called "Pro-Imran propaganda" is related to his political career, and doesn't have anything to do with Imran the cricketer, whose status can't be questioned.

 

[Mamoon]

He was easily the best all rounder of his generation, ahead of his contemporaries such as Botham, Kapil, and Hadlee. Impact wise, the only all rounder you can put above him will be Sobers, the latter being a better batsman, but an inferior bowler to Imran.

Tendulkar's impact as a batsman certainly remains unmatched to this date, and it may never be matched in the next decades to come. However, as a pure batsman, Kohli trumps him in LOIs statistically, and his records across formats put him above Sachin.

Kohli's and Imran's captaincy credentials add more weight to their claims as the greatest Asian cricketers ever, hence putting them above Tendulkar.

From a statistical point of view, you will never be able to name a player averaging close to 38 with the bat, 22 with the ball in the purest format of the game. If you add the fact that he led Pakistan to series draws against the mighty WI sides of the 1980s, when other teams were struggling to even face them puts him on an even higher level as a complete cricketer. The WC victory just adds to his legacy, and if you keep in mind his legacy as a pure fast bowler, someone who inspired a whole generation of players to take up fast bowling, and a mentor to players like Wasim and Waqar, then his level as the GOAT Asian cricketer ever remains unmatched.

As I said, Kohli remains the only competitor to Imran as the greatest Asian cricketer ever, and he has a very good chance to go past him, as his stature as a pure batsman is already known by everyone, and his leadership qualities put him even closer to Imran as the best Asian cricketer ever. A WC trophy would certainly put him at the top.

The so called "Pro-Imran propaganda" is related to his political career, and doesn't have anything to do with Imran the cricketer, whose status can't be questioned.

The pro-Imran propaganda is related to his cricket career as well. He became the Prime Minister on the back of the fluke World Cup win in 1992, a victory that has proved to be very costly indeed.

Pakistan’s World Cup to lose was actually 1987 but unfortunately we stumbled in the semifinal.

In 1992 Pakistan rode their luck and clearly did not deserve to win the World Cup. As a player he was on his last legs. He was a finished as a bowler and although he played very well in the final, he played a potentially match-losing innings in the semifinal which was no better than Misbah’s Mohawk, but unfortunately or fortunately, Inzamam and Miandad played blinders and saved the day for him.

That World Cup made his political career and ruined generations of Pakistani public.

As far as his cricket career is concerned, as I said before, it is perfectly valid to call him one of the ATG cricketers of all time. He is definitely among the 10 players in history. However, I no longer belief that he is the greatest player of all time or the greatest Asian player of all time. Anyone who believes so is overrating him in my opinion.

As a batsman he is somewhat overrated because the likes of Botham and Stokes are comfortably better with the bat. Some would argue that Kapil was a better batsman as well because of his hitting power which was only matched by a few players of his era. Nevertheless, he is still one of the great all-rounders of all time and certainly Pakistan’s finest captain.

As far as his legacy is concerned, it is Pakistani culture to give all the credit to the mentor and not to the pupil. Some Mickey fans pretend that he made a world class player out of Babar, even though he was touted to be a star since he was 13 years old.

Of course mentorship helps and Mickey guided him better than someone like Misbah can or would have, but when you have world class potential and great work ethic you will eventually reach the top.

Kohli obviously learned a lot from Tendulkar, Dravid and Dhoni, but if he was in Pakistan, he would still be a legendary cricketer because of his talent and his relentless determination and hunger to be successful.

Imran played a big role in the development of Wasim, Waqar, Inzamam and Saeed Anwar, but he was also lucky that he got to work with such generational talents.

These players would have been world class for Pakistan under any captain and in any era. They had too much talent not to be successful. If Imran was the main reason for their success, he would have turned the likes of Aaqib Javed and Saleem Jaffar into Wasim or Waqar, or made Ijaz as good as Inzamam. However, they clearly did not have the talent. It is not as if Imran did not want to help them or guide them.

If the likes of Wasim, Waqar and Inzamam would not have emerged one after the other under the captaincy of Imran, his legacy as a leader would be completely different now.

It is like giving Kohli credit for producing Bumrah and then criticizing Dhoni because he had Praveen Kumar. As captain, you need to get lucky with talents but your job is to maximize their talents and also to use your resources effectively. For example, Ishant Sharma has been utilized better by Kohli compared to Dhoni.

Both Kohli and Imran have done very well with their resources. I personally think Kohli is a better Test captain because the rate at which he wins Tests matches is just incredible.

People say he is playing in a result oriented era, but that also means that it is easier to lose. However, his rate of losing matches is almost identical to Imran’s, but his rate of winning matches is at a different level. The next argument is that Imran faced tougher opponents, but he lost a Test match to Sri Lanka in the 80’s, a team that only won 2 Tests in that decade.

One against Pakistan and the other against India who had a minnow bowling attack after the retirement/decline of their spin quartet, with Kapil leading their attack who was not an elite Test bowler either.

In summary, I hold the following position on Imran today:

- Pakistan’s greatest cricketer and captain.

- Among the top 10 players of all time.

- the third best Asian cricketer after Kohli and Tendulkar.

- the second best Asian Test captain after Kohli.

I don’t think I am underselling him, it is more than high enough praise. To see that I am devaluing his cricket career because I abhor him as a politician would be highly unfair based on the above.

 

[Mobashir]

To all the PPers taking [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] seriously, here is what he had to say back in 2014 :


Mamoon in 2020 : Imran was surpassed by Tendulkar way back in the 90s.

Lol Mamoon's bias toward India and indian players has reached new heights.